scholarly journals The role of accrual estimation errors to determine accrual and earnings quality

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javad Izadi Zadeh Darjezi
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Managers, investors and security analysts all pay special attention to the bottom line of income statements and they miss significant information included in accruals about the quality of earnings. A considerable portion of the earnings-quality literature examines the possibility of using the accruals to shift reported income among fiscal periods. One of the main roles of working-capital accruals is to adjust the recognition of cash flows. This paper aims to focus on earnings quality by examining the working-capital accruals quality using the method of Dechow and Dichev (2002). Design/methodology/approach Following the Dechow and Dichev (2002) model, the result of this paper shows that accrual quality is related to the absolute magnitude of accruals negatively. Also, the standard deviation of accruals, cash flows, sales and earnings is positively related to firm size. The result demonstrates and suggests that these observable firm characteristics can be used as instruments for measuring accrual quality. According to this framework, the author expects that the larger the unsigned abnormal accrual measure, the lower the earnings quality. Therefore, firms with low accrual quality have more accruals that are unrelated to cash flow realisations and so have more noise and less persistence in their earnings. Findings After examining earnings and accrual quality, this paper finds that average UK company behaviour was quite similar to the behaviour found earlier in the USA. This paper’s findings show that greater volatility of sales, cash flow, accruals and earnings results in a lower accrual quality. Without a doubt, some of the analysis in this paper, especially that using different equations to calculate working-capital accruals, leads us to a valuable improvement of the earlier studies. Originality/value In this paper, the author follows the method of Dechow and Dichev (2002) and define accrual quality as the extent to which accruals map into cash-flow insights based on the UK data. To find the quality of working-capital accruals, the author uses the standard deviation of the residuals as accrual quality that resulted from the author’s firm-specific OLS regressions of working-capital accruals based on last, current and one-year-ahead operating cash flow. Unlike prior research, to avoid a restriction to working-capital accruals, we use different equations to cover more items of working-capital accruals.

scholarly journals Simulation evidence on the properties of alternative measures of working capital accruals

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-394
Author(s):  
Javad Izadi Zadeh Darjezi ◽  
Homagni Choudhury ◽  
Alireza Nazarian
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the specification and power of tests based on the DD and modified DD model through the UK data between years 2000 and 2013, and make comparisons with tests using working capital accruals creating a measure of accruals quality as the standard deviation of the residuals value from firm-specific regressions base on working capital accruals on last, current and one-year-ahead cash flows from operations. Design/methodology/approach This study focuses both on the DD model and modified DD model to find out which of them can more accurately capture total working capital accrual estimation error and accrual quality. According to the DD model, the past, current and future net cash from operating activities as the three years’ operating cash inflows or outflows become omitted and correlated variables. In this study, the authors continue to document residuals from the DD and MDD models to demonstrate properties that are more consistent with behaviours of accruals estimation errors. Therefore, in this study, the authors are looking to compare the results from both the MDD and DD models and find which one of them is more effective in explaining the working capital accruals in the UK. Findings The authors find that adding additional explanatory variables may add additional explanatory power of variables to the DD model and extent to which accruals map into cash flow insights based on the UK data. This study is empirically well fitting with the internal workings of cash flows. As investors fixate only on the accounting earnings, they may fail to reflect fully on information contained within cash flow components and working capital accruals of current and future earnings. Originality/value The authors compare different equation to cover more items of working capital accruals. In addition, after examining earnings and accrual quality, the findings show that the average UK company behaviour was quite similar to the behaviour that was founded earlier for both models in the USA. Furthermore, this study results show that more volatility of sales, cash flow, accruals and earnings make a lower accrual quality. The results demonstrate that both models can capture the power to predict working capital accruals. Moreover, we find that adding additional explanatory variable of employee growth rate adds additional explanatory variables to DD model.

scholarly journals The Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors

2002 ◽  
Vol 77 (s-1) ◽  
pp. 35-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Dechow ◽  
Ilia D. Dichev
Keyword(s):  
Estimation Error ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Empirical Measure ◽  
Earnings Persistence ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Flows Over Time

This paper suggests a new measure of one aspect of the quality of working capital accruals and earnings. One role of accruals is to shift or adjust the recognition of cash flows over time so that the adjusted numbers (earnings) better measure firm performance. However, accruals require assumptions and estimates of future cash flows. We argue that the quality of accruals and earnings is decreasing in the magnitude of estimation error in accruals. We derive an empirical measure of accrual quality as the residuals from firm-specific regressions of changes in working capital on past, present, and future operating cash flows. We document that observable firm characteristics can be used as instruments for accrual quality (e.g., volatility of accruals and volatility of earnings). Finally, we show that our measure of accrual quality is positively related to earnings persistence.

The impact of cash flow volatility on firm leverage and debt maturity structure: evidence from China

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zulfiqar Ali Memon ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Muhammad Zubair Tauni ◽  
Hashmat Ali
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Percent Reduction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Debt Maturity Structure ◽  
Maturity Structure ◽  
Cash Flow Volatility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of cash flow volatility on firm’s leverage levels. It also analyzes how cash flow volatility influences the debt maturity structure for the Chinese listed firms. Design/methodology/approach The authors construct the measure for cash flow variability as five-year rolling standard deviation of the cash flow from operations. The authors use generalized linear model approach to determine the effect of volatility on leverage. In addition, the authors design a categorical debt maturity variable and assign categories depending upon firm’s usage of debt at various maturity levels. The authors apply Ordered Probit regression to analyze how volatility affects firm’s debt maturity structure. The authors lag volatility and other independent variables in the estimation models so as to eliminate any possible endogeneity problems. Finally, the authors execute various techniques for verifying the robustness of the main findings. Findings The authors provide evidence that higher volatility of cash flows results in lower leverage levels, while the sub-sampling analysis reveals that there is no such inverse association in the case of Chinese state-owned enterprises. The authors also provide novel findings that irrespective of the ownership structure, firms facing high volatility choose debt of relatively shorter maturities and vice versa. Overall, a rise of one standard deviation in volatility causes 8.89 percent reduction in long-term market leverage ratio and 26.62 percent reduction in the likelihood of issuing debentures or long-term notes. Research limitations/implications This study advocates that cash flow volatility is an essential factor for determining both the debt levels and firm’s term-to-maturity structure. The findings of this study can be helpful for the financial managers in maintaining optimal leverage and debt maturity structure, for lenders in reducing their risk of non-performing loans and for investors in their decision-making process. Originality/value Existing empirical literature regarding the influence of variability of cash flows on leverage and debt maturity structure is inconclusive. Moreover, prior research studies mainly focus only on the developed countries. No previous comprehensive study exists so far for Chinese firms in this regard. This paper endeavors to fulfill this research gap by furnishing novel findings in the context of atypical and distinctive institutional setup of Chinese firms.

Transaction-based lending and accrual quality

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gray ◽  
Arjan Premti
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Cost Of Debt ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Income Statement ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
The Cost

PurposeThis study examines how lenders modify their behavior and their use of traditional, transaction-based lending models in credit decisions when faced with low earnings quality.Design/methodology/approachTo measure the earnings quality, following Bharath, Sunder and Sunder (2008), the authors use three measures of accrual quality and combine them into a simple parsimonious measure of accrual quality. Subsequently, the authors apply the incremental R-square approach used by Kim and Kross (2005) to determine the degree to which lenders modify their reliance on financial statement ratios when faced with low accrual quality.FindingsConsistent with prior literature, this study shows that the cost of debt is higher when accrual quality is low. In addition, this study extends prior literature by showing that lenders decrease their reliance on income statement data to make credit decisions as accrual quality decreases.Originality/valueThis paper broadens existing literature on the pricing of information risk in capital markets by being the first to show that lenders modify their reliance on financial statement data when faced with low-quality accruals. In addition, this paper extends the findings of Billings and Morton (2002) and demonstrates to managers the futility of using accrual manipulations to obtain more favorable credit terms. Lastly, this paper aids regulators and standard setters who seek to improve the usefulness of financial statements by showing that creditors do not appear to be misled by reporting choices that lower the quality of accruals.

Working capital requirements of manufacturing SMEs: evidence from emerging economy

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harsh Pratap Singh ◽  
Satish Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Capital Requirements ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Sales Growth ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Financial Leverage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operating Cash Flow

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of various factors like profitability, growth opportunity, financial leverage, assets tangibility, operating cash flows, age and size of firm on working capital requirements (WCR) of manufacturing SMEs in India. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a panel data regression model with fixed and random effect estimations. The data utilized in this study includes financial data of 254 manufacturing SMEs operating in India for the period 2010 to 2014. Findings The overall results of the study indicate that operating cash flow, financial leverage, profitability, sales growth and asset tangibility are the key drivers of WCR for Indian manufacturing SMEs. Profitability of firm and sales growth are found to be positively related to WCR. In contrast, asset tangibility, operating cash flow and financial leverage are found to be negatively related to WCR. Research limitations/implications This paper investigates firm-specific factors while ignoring external factors like GDP growth, business indicators and industry type. Further research can be done to assess the effect of these external factors on WCR. Originality/value This research contributes to the working capital literature by providing empirical evidence on determining factors of WCR in manufacturing SMEs.

Misclassifying cash flows from operations: intentional or not?

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Lightstone ◽  
Karrilyn Wilcox ◽  
Louis Beaubien
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Financial Analysts ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Free Cash Flow ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Statement Of Cash Flows ◽  
Case Basis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the accuracy and informational quality of the cash from operations section of the cash flow statement. Design/methodology/approach – This paper empirically tested the accuracy of the cash from operations reported by Canadian non-financial companies. The authors studied 262 companies at three different time periods providing 786 firm observations. For each observation, the balance sheet was used to confirm the figures reported in the statement of cash flows. In addition, the authors investigated management's disclosure of the particular working capital items. Findings – The findings suggest that in recent years, companies are more likely to overstate their cash flow from operations, thereby presenting a better financial picture than is supported by the balance sheet accounts. This would suggest that the investing or financing section would be correspondingly understated. The presence of acquisitions reduces overstatements, which may be the result of more auditor presence. Research limitations/implications – This paper extends previous research from documented single, isolated instances of cash from operations being misstated to include a significant sample with more generalizable findings. The data are Canadian which may limit the generalizability to other countries. Future research should address the extent to which financial analysts rely on the reported cash from operations figure. Practical implications – This preliminary study may have implications for financial analysts and others relying on the free cash flow figure. Originality/value – This study expands on previous research which has taken place only on a case-by-case basis.

The quality of earnings in Shariah-compliant companies: evidence from Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Adibah Wan Ismail ◽  
Khairul Anuar Kamarudin ◽  
Siti Rahayu Sarman
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reported Earnings

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the quality of reported earnings in the corporate reports of Shariah-compliant companies listed on Bursa Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – This study hypothesises that companies with Shariah compliance status have higher quality of earnings because of greater demand for and supply of high-quality financial reports. The quality of reported earnings is measured using the cross-sectional Dechow and Dichev (2002) accrual quality model. The study uses a balanced panel data of 3,048 observations from 508 companies during a six-year period of 2003-2008. Findings – This paper finds robust evidence that Shariah-compliant companies have significantly higher earnings quality compared to other firms. The results provide support for the arguments that Shariah-compliant companies supply a higher quality of reported earnings to attract foreign investment, have greater demand for high-quality financial reporting because of their Shariah status and are subject to greater scrutiny by regulators and institutional investors. Research limitations/implications – This study contributes to the existing literature on Islamic capital market, business ethics, firms’ governance and financial reporting quality. The study would give a better understanding on issues relating to earnings quality of Shariah-compliant companies and would be especially useful for financial statement users, including investment analysts. Originality/value – This paper provides evidence on the quality of earnings in Shariah-compliant companies and offers new arguments that explain why such companies possess higher quality of earnings compared to their counterparts.

scholarly journals The Effect of Accrual Quality and Operating Cash Flows on Future Cash Flows in the Basic Industry and Chemical Sectors

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-59
Author(s):  
Amanda Shofia ◽  
Wiwik Utami
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Basic Industry ◽  
Operating Cash Flows ◽  
Operating Cash Flow ◽  
Future Cash Flows ◽  
Positive Effect

This study aims to analyze the effect of accrual quality and operating cash flow on future cash flows. Accrual quality in this study is measured by the accruals-working capital approach, referring to Dechow and Dichev [1] and Francis et al. [2], cash flow is measured by the ratio of operating cash flows to assets. The population of this research is the Basic Industry and Chemical sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2014-2018. The samples were determined using purposive sampling which resulted in 144 firms year came from 32 companies. The results of this study showed that there is a significant positive effect the accrual quality and operating cash flow on future cash flows. Management should manage the company's operating cash flow efficiently, and simultaneously improve the quality of the company's accruals which will be a positive signal for investors creditors.

Are earnings quality attributes reflected in financial strength ratings?

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 293-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ames ◽  
Chris S. Hines ◽  
Jomo Sankara
Keyword(s):  
Insurance Industry ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Earnings Persistence ◽  
Financial Health ◽  
Accrual Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Strength ◽  
Reported Earnings ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether earnings quality attributes are reflected in AM best's financial strength ratings (FSRs), a measure widely used in the insurance industry to assess financial health. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of insurance companies during the period 2006-2012, the authors measure the quality of reported earnings using three accounting-based measures: earnings persistence, accrual quality, and earnings smoothness. Findings – The authors find that better earnings persistence, higher accrual quality, and less earnings smoothing are reflected in higher FSRs for both public and private insurers, with the magnitude of the effect greater for private insurers. Originality/value – This is the first study of which the authors are aware that seeks to understand the impact, if any, of variations in the quality of reported financial information on the perceived financial health of firms by ratings agencies in the insurance industry. The authors also include a novel research design in assessing the determinants of financial health ratings. Users of FSRs should be aware of the impact of ownership structure on ratings agencies’ propensity to incorporate reported earnings attributes in their ratings.

Are Dividends Associated with the Quality of Earnings?

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen H. Tong ◽  
Bin Miao
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Absolute Magnitude ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Lower Standard Deviation ◽  
Lower Standard

SYNOPSIS: We examine whether dividend paying status is associated with the quality of earnings. We find dividend paying status is associated with (1) lower absolute values of discretionary accruals; (2) lower standard deviation and absolute magnitude of the errors associated with the mapping of accruals into cash flows; and (3) more value relevant earnings. We also find evidence that the positive association between dividend paying status and earnings quality is stronger (weaker) when the size of dividend payouts is larger (smaller). Overall, our results suggest dividend paying status is indicative of firms’ earnings quality.

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