Earnings management prior to private debt issuance

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-285
Author(s):  
Brandon Ater ◽  
Thomas Bowe Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Private Debt ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Debt Issuance ◽  
Private Lending ◽  
Debt Covenant ◽  
Covenant Violations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which firms manage earnings prior to private debt issuance. Design/methodology/approach This is an empirical archival research paper using financial statement data and data related to private debt issuance. Findings The results indicate that, on average, firms engage in income-increasing earnings management in the period prior to a new private debt issuance. In addition, it was found that this income-increasing earnings management is limited to firms which have engaged in income-increasing earnings management to a greater extent in prior years. Research limitations/implications This paper provides insight into how managers’ balance competing incentives to use income-increasing earnings management to obtain more favorable lending terms, and to use income-decreasing earnings management to reduce the risk of a future debt covenant violation. The results indicate that firms’ incentive to use income-increasing earnings management dominates. However, reputational concerns significantly constrain firms’ earnings management decisions prior to private debt issuance. Originality/value The paper fills a notable void in the literature by investigating firms’ earnings management activity prior to private lending agreements, and thereby provides new insights into both the relation between private debt and accounting quality, and the literature investigating the use of earnings management to avoid debt covenant violations.

The impact of the global economic crisis of 2008 on earnings quality in Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-421
Author(s):  
Jose Miranda-Lopez ◽  
Ivan Valdovinos-Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Income Smoothing ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Economic Crisis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the earnings quality of companies listed on Mexico’s primary stock market, the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (Bolsa) before and during the global economic crisis of 2008. Previous research has shown that these economic events can have potentially conflicting effects on the quality of earnings of listed companies in capital markets around the world. Design/methodology/approach This paper operationalizes earnings quality based on earnings management. Therefore, four constructs to proxy for earnings quality are developed from previous literature, and multiple regression analysis along with tests of differences across two time periods, 2005–2007 and 2008–2010, are used to determine if there is a significant change in the accounting quality of companies listed on the Bolsa before and after the start of the global economic crisis. Findings Results indicate a statistically significant decrease of earnings quality on three out of the four constructs used to proxy for earnings management. There is only one construct in this category that shows a significant increase of earnings quality. Research limitations/implications There are different number of constructs and methodologies used to test for earnings quality. This study draws on four different constructs on two dimensions of earnings quality from previous literature, but other methodologies and constructs can potentially be used as well, such as discretionary accruals. Furthermore, there is a chance that there can be confounding factors affecting the results of this study besides the effects of the global economic crisis. Finally, the sample used in this study comprises non-financial public companies listed on the Bolsa, which can affect the generalization of the results to countries other than Mexico. Practical implications The results of this study can be of interest to Mexican and foreign investors, standard setters and regulators of the Bolsa, as the results show a strong incentive to manage companies’ earnings using income smoothing in an emerging economy during an economic crisis even after converging to a higher-quality set of accounting standards. Results can also be of interests to investors and regulators in other Latin-American countries with economies similar to that of Mexico. Originality/value This is the first study to test the quality of earnings of Mexican companies before and during the global economic crisis of 2008. Thus, this study contributes to the accounting quality literature by offering evidence showing a significant increase of income smoothing during the global economic crisis for companies listed in a developing economy with a relevant history of economic crises, even when these companies were using recently converged, higher-quality accounting standards.

International accounting standards and accounting quality in code-law countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim El-Sayed Ebaid
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Regulatory Requirement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Egyptian Government

Purpose – This study aims to examine whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) leads to accounting quality improvements in Egypt as a code-law country. In particular, the study examines earnings management, the construct often used to assess accounting quality. Design/methodology/approach – The study compares earnings management practice for Egyptian listed companies before (2000-2006) and after (2007-2009) the adoption of IFRS. Findings – The findings of the study reveal that accounting quality, as measured by earnings management, has decreased in post-adoption period compared to pre-adoption period. IFRS are set up to provide high-quality financial reporting. However, this cannot be achieved solely by a regulatory requirement to follow. The accounting system is a complementary component of the country’s overall institutional system. Institutional improvements did not simultaneously take place by the Egyptian government around the adoption of IFRS. The Egyptian government did not introduce a more effective enforcement system, mandatory corporate governance regulations, investor protection mechanisms and sufficient institutional knowledge of IFRS during that period. Thus, even if IFRS are higher quality standards, the institutional features of Egyptian market could eliminate any improvement in accounting quality arising from adopting IFRS. Research/limitations/implications – The results of the study are consistent with prior research suggesting that the adoption of IFRS, which are generally perceived to be of higher quality than domestic standards, does not necessarily lead to higher accounting quality in code-law countries like Egypt. The overall results indicate that incentives dominate accounting standards in determining accounting quality in Egypt. Originality/value – The main reason why countries adopt IFRS invariably is to improve accounting quality. It is, therefore, of interest to ascertain if this goal has been met, especially, in code-law countries such as Egypt.

Accrual-based and real earnings management before and after IFRS adoption

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aikaterini C. Ferentinou ◽  
Seraina C. Anagnostopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Before And After

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the use of accrual-based vs real earnings management (EM) by Greek firms, before and after the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The research is motivated by the fact that past studies have indicated the existence of significant levels of EM for Greece in particular before IFRS. Design/methodology/approach – Accrual-based earnings management (AEM) is examined by assessing performance-adjusted discretionary accruals, while real earnings management (REM) is defined in terms of abnormal levels of production costs, discretionary expenses, and cash flows from operations, for a three-year period before and after the adoption of IFRS in 2005. Findings – The authors find evidence on a statistically significant shift from AEM to REM after the adoption of IFRS, indicating the replacement of one form of EM with the other. Research limitations/implications – The validity of the results depends on the ability of the empirical models used to efficiently capture the existence of AEM and REM. Practical implications – IFRS adoption aims to improve accounting quality, especially in countries with high need for such an improvement; however, the tendency to substitute one form of EM with another highlights unintended consequences of IFRS adoption, which do not improve the informational content of financial statements if EM continues under different forms. Originality/value – Under the expectation that IFRS adoption should lead to improvements in accounting quality, this study examines whether IFRS actually led to a reduction of EM practices for a country with exceptionally high levels of EM before IFRS, by accounting for all possible forms of EM.

Prospect theory, industry characteristics and earnings management

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaista Wasiuzzaman ◽  
Iman Sahafzadeh ◽  
Niloufar - Rezaie Nejad
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Prospect Theory ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Capital Intensity ◽  
Distribution Model ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Earnings Distribution ◽  
Regression Techniques

Purpose – This paper aims to detect earnings management activity in different industries in Malaysia by using the earnings distribution model. Further, the prospect theory and the possible influence of various industry variables are tested to understand the role of the industry in the motivation to manage earnings among firms in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 538 firms from 15 different industries over the years 2005-2011 is used for this purpose. The earnings distribution model is used to detect earnings management activity across industries, and various regression techniques are used to test the influence of the prospect theory and various industry variables on earnings management activity. Findings – The findings indicate the presence of earnings management practices in Malaysian industries, but the prevalence of earnings management activity and the motivation to do so are found to differ across industries. The prospect theory is found to be a possible motivation for earnings management overall but not when industries are considered separately. Industry competitiveness, capital intensity and profitability are found to influence both motivations to manage earnings while industry leverage is found significant only in the case of motivation to manage earnings to avoid reporting losses. Finally, earnings volatility and size are insignificant in influencing the propensity to manage earnings. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which documents the role of various industry characteristics in influencing earnings management activity. It highlights the importance of considering industry level variables in a study on earnings management and, hence, adds to the growing literature on earnings management.

Real earnings management and financial statement fraud: evidence from Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noorul Azwin binti Md Nasir ◽  
Muhammad Jahangir Ali ◽  
Rushdi M.R. Razzaque ◽  
Kamran Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Fraud ◽  
Financial Statement Fraud ◽  
Content Type

Purpose We examine whether the fraud firms are engaged in real earnings management and accrual earnings management prior to the fraud year in the Malaysian context. Design/methodology/approach Our sample comprises of 65 financial statement fraud and 65 non-fraud firms over a period of eight years from 2001 to 2008. Findings Using the abnormal cash flow from operations (CFO) and abnormal production costs as the proxies for real earnings management, we find that financial statement fraud firms engage in manipulating production costs during preceding two years of the fraud event. However, our results show that financial fraud firms engage in manipulating CFO prior to the fraud event. Additionally, we find that financial statement fraud firms prefer to manipulate earnings using accruals relative to real earnings prior to the fraud year. Originality/value Our results demonstrate that real earnings management is more aggressive in financial statement fraud firms compared to the non-fraud firms in the four years prior to fraud.

Related party transactions and accounting quality in Greece

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz El-Helaly
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Related Party Transactions ◽  
Earnings Smoothing ◽  
Athens Stock Exchange ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between related party transactions (RPTs) and accounting quality for the firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. Design/methodology/approach This paper compares accounting quality across two groups of firms. The first group contains firms that conduct material RPTs and the second group contains firms that do not conduct material RPTs. Accounting quality is measured using different proxies of earnings management. Four earnings management proxies are used, three metrics for earnings smoothing and one for managing earnings towards a target. Findings The results of the current study do not suggest that firms with significant RPTs exhibit less accounting quality compared to non-RPTs firms. Research limitations/implications The results support the argument that RPTs are conventional transactions that are mainly conducted for business purposes. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by examining the effect of RPTs on accounting quality in Greece and whether firms that conduct RPTs exhibit less accounting quality or not.

The relationship between management characteristics and financial statement readability

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Seifzadeh ◽  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Bizhan Abedini ◽  
Mohammad Hossien Ranjbar
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Entrenchment ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe present study attempts to assess the relationship between management characteristics (managerial entrenchment, CEO narcissism and overconfidence, managers' myopia, real and accrual-based earnings management) and financial statement readability of listed firms on the Tehran Stock Exchange. In other words, this paper seeks to answer the question that “whether management characteristics have a favorable effect on financial statement readability or not.”Design/methodology/approachMultivariate regression model is used to meet the purpose of this study and research hypotheses are also examined using a sample of 1,050 listed observations on the Tehran Stock Exchange during 2012–2017 and by employing multiple regression patterns based on panel data technique and fixed effects model. Moreover, exploratory factor analysis of six variables (tenure, board independence, CEO duality, CEO ownership, board compensation and CEO change) is used for calculating managerial entrenchment and the FGO index is used for measuring readability.FindingsThe obtained results show that there is a negative and significant relationship between managerial entrenchment and accrual-based earnings management and a positive and significant relationship between real earnings management, managers' myopia, managers' narcissism and overconfidence and financial statement readability.Originality/valueSince the present study is the first paper to investigate such a topic in the emerging markets, it provides useful information about intrinsic and acquisitive characteristics of management for accounting information users, analysts and legal institutions that contribute greatly to financial statement readability. Besides, the results of this study aid the development of science and knowledge in this field and fill the existing gap in the literature.

Is the fraud diamond perspective valid in Kenya?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kizito Ojilong’ Omukaga
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Statement Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Secondary Information

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the elements of the fraud diamond theory in detecting financial statement fraud among non-financial firms in Kenya. Secondary data used to calculate ratios and figures representing the study variables was collected using a checklist for each of the targeted firms listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya for the 2013-2017 period. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data used to calculate ratios and figures representing the study variables was collected using a checklist for each of the targeted firms listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya for the 2013-2017 period. Convenience sampling technique was used to come up with a sample size of 35 out of the targeted population of 45 non-financial firms listed in Kenya (78% representation). This sample size was representative enough of the targeted population. Findings The results strongly supported that all the four elements of the fraud diamond triangle influenced financial statement fraud in Kenya. However, using three parameters, namely R2, predicted sign and standard error, to compare the applicability of either the Yoon et al. (2006) or the modified Jones (1991), our study findings are mixed. It is therefore imperative that a new model should be developed in detecting earnings management in the Kenyan context. Note that including other variables will to a greater extent increase the explanatory power in detecting earnings management practiced by non-financial firms listed in Kenya. Research limitations/implications Use of secondary information in the study was one limitation. Certain financial information was missing from some of the targeted firms’ official websites and the Nairobi Securities Exchange research handbooks. The researcher ensured that only non-financial firms whose audited financial statements were easily accessible were included in the study. Firms whose records were not readily available were excluded from the survey. Practical implications Practically, this study enables regulatory authorities in Kenya to understand the extent with which each element of the fraud diamond theory could be relied on in detecting financial statement fraud. Moreover, it will advise them on the areas to lay more emphasis when attempting to detect financial statement fraud using this model. Originality/value The main value of this study is the determination of the key elements of the fraud diamond theory, which have influence on financial statement fraud among non-financial firms listed in Kenya.

Auditor tenure and accounting conservatism: evidence from Greece

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 538-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Rickett ◽  
Anastasia Maggina ◽  
Pervaiz Alam
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Auditor Rotation ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between auditor tenure and conservatism for firms in Greece. Greece not only has a high incidence of earnings management but is also required under the new European Commission (EC) regulation to comply with mandatory auditor rotation. Therefore, Greece is an ideal setting in which to study the association between auditor tenure and accounting conservatism. Design/methodology/approach Similar to Jenkins and Velury (2008), this paper uses Basu’s (1997) asymmetrical timeliness of earnings as a measure of conservatism. Following Li (2010), the regression is re-estimated for subsamples based on client importance as measured by the ranking of client sales among all clients audited by the firm. Findings In contrast to Li (2010), the results of this study, which used a sample of firms in Greece, indicate that conservatism decreases as the auditor–client relationship lengthens. Client importance does not appear to affect the relationship between auditor tenure and conservatism, as measured by asymmetric timeliness of earnings. However, when using the accrual–cash flow measure of conservatism (Ball and Shivakumar, 2005), it is found that auditor tenure is positively (negatively) associated with conservatism for less (more) important clients. The results suggest that longer auditor tenure may have a negative impact on audit quality in certain countries where accounting quality has been found to be poor. Therefore, the new EC regulation requiring mandatory auditor rotation may in fact improve audit quality for firms in Greece. Research limitations/implications This study’s sample consists of firms on the Athens Stock Exchange for the period of 1998-2011. This sample was purposely selected because of the unique conditions of rampant earnings management and low incentive in Greece for the auditors to exert effort to detect such practices. Moreover, Greece is subject to the new EC regulations requiring mandatory auditor rotation beginning in 2014. Future studies could examine this issue in alternate settings and over different time periods. Also, other cross-sectional variations among firms which affect the association between auditor–client tenure and audit quality may exist. Practical implications The findings are important to regulators such as the EC and indicate that Greece may be an appropriate setting in which to require mandatory auditor rotation. These results are also useful to auditors who wish to improve the audit quality and the public’s perception of their work. Originality/value Auditor tenure has been the subject of considerable debate, and regulators contend that long auditor tenure reduces audit quality. There may be a valid argument in favor of mandatory auditor rotation in countries particularly susceptible to low accounting quality due to issues such as rampant earnings management. Greece appears to be one such example, and this study provides support in favor of that argument by demonstrating that longer auditor tenure may lead to lower accounting quality in terms of conservatism. Therefore, the recent EC regulation may result in improved audit quality for firms in Greece.

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