Accounting Professor David Aboody is chosen as first recipient

PricewaterhouseCoopers has endowed a Faculty Fellowship in Accounting at The Anderson School at UCLA. David Aboody, associate professor of accounting, has been selected as the first recipient of this new fellowship, based on his dedication to the field of accounting as demonstrated by his outstanding scholarship and his enthusiasm for teaching in the undergraduate accounting program at UCLA.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is the world’s leading professional services organization. It is the largest global network of auditing, accounting and tax firms, serving many of the world’s largest and most prestigious companies. With offices in more than 150 countries, it uses the knowledge and skills of more than 150,000 people globally. The organization helps its clients anticipate business trends and solve complex business problems to enhance their ability to build value, manage risk and improve performance. It is a leader in countless areas from insurance to technology to management consulting services. However, it was in accounting that the firm first established its reputation for excellence, and its 150-year commitment in this field is unmatched.

With that in mind, PricewaterhouseCoopers has generously created the first Faculty Fellowship in Accounting at The Anderson School. Its purpose in establishing this academic research fellowship is to advance the field of accounting.

“We’re pleased that PricewaterhouseCoopers is establishing this fellowship with The Anderson School at UCLA,� said Frank Johnson (’62), a retired partner of the firm, who was instrumental in setting up the PricewaterhouseCoopers Chair in Accounting.

“The fellowship will be very meaningful for the school, its accounting faculty and students, and will ultimately benefit the field of accounting at large,� said Eric Juline (’70), also a retired partner of the firm and president of the UCLA Alumni Association.

In recent years, The Anderson School’s accounting faculty has grown significantly in depth and in the importance of its research. The increased strength of the department enabled it to reintroduce the Ph.D. program in accounting in 1999. This progress, coupled with the generous support of the business community and philanthropic leaders such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, will ensure that The Anderson School at UCLA continues its tradition of excellence in management education.

“By gaining this research fellowship, we will enhance our prospects of retaining the most talented and promising accounting scholars,� said Bruce G. Willison, dean of The Anderson School. “We’re pleased to have a scholar of Dr. Aboody’s caliber as the first recipient of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Fellowship.�

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Faculty Fellowship in Accounting will be awarded for a fixed term of two years to an individual faculty member to continue research at a crucial stage in his or her career. The fellowship will be funded through the endowment of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Chair in Accounting, the goal of which is to further accounting education at UCLA, particularly as it relates to the preparation of students for entry into the public accounting profession.

“I’m grateful to PricewaterhouseCoopers for this opportunity,� Aboody said. “The fellowship will help further my academic research and will benefit the art of accounting.�

Aboody teaches courses in financial accounting, advanced managerial finance, financial statement analysis and special topics in accounting. He received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Hebrew University in Israel. His current research focuses on the policy implications of accounting for stock options.

In his previous work, he examined financial reporting of intangible assets, such as intellectual capital and research and development, and the practice of compensating CEOs, executives and management with stock options. Aboody’s research suggests that there is a strong link between information disclosures and CEO stock option awards — managers may “boost� the value of their stock options just before exercising them. He also specializes in corporate restructuring and valuation.

PricewaterhouseCoopers has a long history of commitment to accounting at UCLA. There are approximately 90 Anderson School alumni at the firm, and their support over the years has had a positive impact on the school.

About The Anderson School at UCLA

The Anderson School at UCLA is perennially ranked among the top-tier business schools in the world. Award-winning faculty renowned for their research and teaching, highly selective students, successful alumni, and world-class facilities combine to provide an extraordinary learning opportunity.

Established in 1935, The Anderson School provides management education to more than 1,300 students enrolled in full-time, part-time and executive M.B.A. programs and academic master’s and Ph.D. programs. In addition, there are approximately 500 undergraduate students enrolled in Anderson’s Undergraduate Accounting Minor Program.

The Anderson School’s faculty includes outstanding educators and researchers who share their scholarship and expertise in such fundamental areas as finance, marketing, accounting, business economics, decisions, operations and technology management, human resources and organizational behavior, information systems, strategy, and policy.

The Anderson School at UCLA offers unparalleled expertise in management education, and the world’s business community turns to the school as a center of influence for the ideas, innovations, strategies and talent that will shape the future.