Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

• External Examiner for Durham University (BA Economics, Finance, Accounting, 2009-12).
• Degree Programme Director - MA in International Financial Analysis
• Degree Programme Director - MSc in Strategic Planning & Investment
• RAE2001 co-ordinator for Accounting & Finance (UoA 44)
• Member of the Quantitative Research in Economics & Finance (QREF) Research Group
• Member of the Business School Research Committee
• Member of the Business School Workload Allocation Model (WAM) Working Group
• Member of the Business School Research Student Progress Committee
• Member of the Business School PG Board of Studies

Qualifications

BA(Hons) Economics, CNAA (1988)
MA, Durham University (1990)
PhD, Manchester University (1992)
Cert. in Learning & Teaching, Newcastle University (1997)
ILT Certificate (2002)
HEA Certificate of Fellowship (2007)

Memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the British Accounting Association

Research Interests

I have been Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Finance since 2002 and was ranked among Europe’s Top-15 accounting researchers in Chan, Chen and Cheng’s (2006) survey of European business schools (Accounting & Business Research, 36(1), p.13).

My primary research focus is at the interface between accounting and finance. As a result, my work has appeared in both accounting and finance journals, together with professional accountancy publications: Accounting & Business Research, Accounting Education, British Accounting Review, Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Applied Financial Economics, Applied Financial Economics Letters, Accountancy, The International Accountant, and CIMA’s Financial Management and Study System publications.

One area of research work has focused on the explanatory power of accounting earnings, accruals items and cash flows for both future cash flows and dividends (e.g. JBFA 2004; ABR 2008, AFEL 2008, JAAR 2012, ABR 2012) - crucial components in equity valuation models.

Developing the theme of forward-looking data estimation, much of my empirical work focuses on financial analysts and their forecasts (e.g. JBFA 1996, ABR 1998, ABR 2000, ABR 2002, AFEL 2006, AFE 2010): many market professionals rely on the work of analysts when constructing their asset portfolios.

A crucial component in the forecasting process is the segmental information disclosed by corporations for their business and geographic segments. My work particularly focuses on the segment identification issue (e.g. ABR 1992, ABR 1997, BAR 2007). My professional papers in Accountancy (1996, 2001, 2007) and The International Accountant (2005) focus on the limitations of current segmental reporting standards and of a ‘managerial’ approach to segment identification.

Recently I have also undertaken research work on the quality ratings assigned to academic accounting journals by guides such as the ABS 'Academic Journal Quality Guide' (BAR 2010, ACCED 2011,2012), examining variation across schools and across time together with linkages to research paradigms.

A small number of papers have also examined Asian data from Malaysia, Japan and China (JBFA 2001; AFEL 2007; FinMgt 2008).

A more detailed breakdown of my research interests is given below:

• Segmental reporting practices and their impact on investors
• Understanding future cash flows from current accounting data
• The properties of financial analysts’ forecasts of corporate earnings
• The market for analysts' services ('analyst-following')
• Leading economic indicators in accounting research
• Stock-market overreaction
• Academic journal quality ratings

Postgraduate Supervision

I have acted as sole/primary supervisor to three completed PhD theses (1998, 2003, 2009), with two more expected to submit before the end of the year. Topic areas include:

•Dividend models and accounting data (2009)
•Earnings, accruals and future cash flows (2003)
•Over-reaction in KLSE stock prices (1998)
•Segmental reporting (est. 2012)
•Future corporate cash flows and abnormal accruals (est. 2012)

I am also second-supervisor (with Prof. Appleyard) to a PhD candidate who is examining price differentials for Chinese stocks (est. 2012).

Esteem Indicators

•Ranked in the Top-15 in a listing of European accounting researchers compiled by Chan, Chen and Cheng (2006) and published in Accounting & Business Research (Vol.36(1), p.13).

•Selected as ESRC Rapporteur (2006) for work in Accounting & Finance.

•Articles [ABR 1998, 2000, 2002] cited in Beattie's (2005) review of the significant UK contribution to accounting research (British Accounting Review, Vol.37, No.1, p.99).

•An invitation to present paper [JBFA 2004] at the prestigious ACCA/ICAEW/ Journal of Business Finance & Accounting Capital Markets Conference at Bowness (May 2003). [Unable to attend due to prior commitments].

•Article [ABR 2002] chosen by Prof. R.A. Olsen as being of special interest to readers of the international rated 'Journal of Behavioural Finance' (Vol.4, No.1, 2003, p.50).

•Three articles [ABR 1997, ABR 2000 and JBFA 2001] chosen by American Accounting Association as being of special interest in their International Accounting Forum quarterly newsletters.

•Article [Accountancy 2001] chosen by CIMA for inclusion in Study System publications, used across Europe, Africa and Asia (2002, 2004, 2006).

•The ANBAR management database Citation of Excellence Certificate for article [ABR 1998] assessed as being in the top 10% of articles reviewed by their panel, and Excellence for Originality [Accountancy 1996];

•Work cited in Accounting Standards Board’s discussion paper ‘Segmental Reporting’ (1996) and in Accountancy Age magazine (14 Feb. 1996).

•Article [ABR 1992] quoted in detail in the American Accounting Association’s submission to the International Accounting Standards Committee - see Accounting Horizons, 1996, 10(1), pp.118-123.

•I am a recipient of the I/B/E/S International (New York) data-base of analysts’ earnings forecasts (now Thomson Financial, NY). Articles [JBFA 1996, ABR 1998] included in I/B/E/S Research Bibliography (2000).

Undergraduate Teaching

Current teaching covers the following topics:
- Introduction to Business Finance
- Managerial & Business Economics

Previous teaching has also included:
- Quantitative Methods
- Personal Finance
- Financial Management

Postgraduate Teaching

MA teaching is focused on:
- International Finance & Capital Markets
- Financial Information Analysis

I am a holder of the Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Newcastle, 1997), and have been a Member of the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education/Higher Education Academy since 2002.

• Atieh A, Hussain S. Do UK firms manage earnings to meet dividend thresholds?. Accounting and Business Reseach 2012, 42(1), 77-94.
• Atieh A, Hussain S. Accounting data and UK dividends. Journal of Applied Accounting Research 2012, 13(1), 56-70.
• Hussain S. Further food for thought on the ABS guide. Accounting Education 2012, 21(1), 17-22.
• Hussain S. Food for thought on the ABS academic journal quality guide. Accounting Education 2011, 20(6), 545-559.
• Hussain S. Accounting Journals and the ABS Quality Ratings. The British Accounting Review 2010, 42(1), 1-16.
• Hussain S. UK security analysts’ idiosyncratic factors and predictive ability. Applied Financial Economics 2010, 20(15), 1195-1203.
• Al-Attar A, Hussain S, Zuo L. Earnings quality, bankruptcy risk and future cash flows. Accounting and Business Research 2008, 38(1), 5-20.
• Jiang RH, Liu LYJ, Hussain S. Accounting in China. Financial Management 2008, (9), 50.
• Atieh A, Hussain S. Disaggregating ‘accounting earnings’ to better explain UK dividends. Applied Financial Economics Letters 2008, 4(6), 399-401.
• Zuo L, Hussain S. Financial distress, relative performance and takeovers as drivers for abnormal accruals. Applied Financial Economics Letters 2008, 4(3), 183-186.
• Kou W, Hussain S. Predictive gains to segmental disclosure matrices, geographic information and industry sector comparability. British Accounting Review 2007, 39(3), 183-195.
• Hussain S. Prophets of future corporate profits: A role for leading indicators in the information sets of security analysts?. Applied Financial Economics Letters 2007, 3(3), 187-190.
• Hussain S. Any other suggestions? (segmental reporting). Accountancy 2007, 140(1367), 82-83.
• Hussain S. Security analysts and 'bad news': A note on 9/11. Applied Financial Economics Letters 2006. , 2(4), 251-256.
• Hussain S. Reprint: One step forward, two steps back?. In: Gowthorpe, C, ed. Financial Analysis: For May and November 2005 Exams. Oxford: CIMA Publishing, 2004, pp. 363-364.
• Hussain S. The Rediscovery of Managerial Segments: A Note of Caution. International Accountant 2005, 29(November), 29-31.
• Al-Attar A, Hussain S. Corporate Data and Future Cash Flows. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting 2004, 31(7-8), 861-903.
• Hussain S. UK brokers' characteristics: Does size matter?. Accounting and Business Research 2002,32 3 153-170.
• Hussain S. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ?. In: Robins, P., Gowthorpe, C, ed. CIMA Study System: Financial Reporting International Standards. CIMA Publishing, 2003.
• Hussain S. Reprint: One step forward, two steps back?. In: Robins, P; Gowthorpe, C, ed. Cima Official Study System: Financial Repoorting - International Standards. Oxford: CIMA, 2002, pp. 600.
• Ahmad Z, Hussain S. KLSE Long Run Overreaction and the Chinese New Year Effect. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting 2001, 28(1-2), 63-105.
• Hussain S. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?. Accountancy 2001, 127(1292), 96.
• Hussain S. Abstract: Lead Indicator Models and UK Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts. In: Brown, LD, ed. I/B/E/S Research Bibliography. Online: I/B/E/S International Inc., 2000, pp. 85.
• Hussain S. Abstract: Over-reaction by Security Market Analysts: The Impact of Broker Status and Firm Size. In: Brown, LD, ed. I/B/E/S Research Bibliography. Online: I/B/E/S International Inc., 2000, pp. 84.
• Hussain S. Simultaneous determination of UK analyst following and institutional ownership. Accounting and Business Research 2000,30 2 111-124.
• Hussain S. Lead indicator models and UK analysts' earnings forecasts. Accounting and Business Research 1998,28 4 271-280.
• Hussain S. The impact of segment definition on the accuracy of analysts earnings forecasts. Accounting and Business Research 1997,27 2 145-156.
• Hussain S. Overreaction by security market analysts: The impact of broker status and firm size. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting 1996, 23(9-10), 1223-1244.
• Hussain S. Segmental Definitions. In: Skerratt, LCL; Tonkin, DJ, ed. Financial Reporting 1995-6. London: Accountancy Books, 1996, pp. 23-44.
• Hussain S. What Do Segmental Definitions Tell Us ?. Accountancy 1996, 117(1234), 103.
• Hussain S, Skerratt LCL. Gains from Disaggregation and the Definition of a Segment: A Note on SSAP 25. Accounting and Business Research 1992, 22(88), 370-376.