R&D disclosures and earnings management

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-130
Author(s):  
Nadia Lakhal ◽  
But Dedaj
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Managerial Behavior ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ifrs Adoption

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of Research and Development (R&D) disclosures on earnings management practices. Design/methodology/approach This study has been conducted by using a longitudinal archival data set of French companies belonging to the CAC All-Tradable index and instrumental variable estimations. Findings The results of the research highlight the moderating effect of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption and the financial crisis in this relationship. It also shows that R&D disclosures are negatively associated with earnings management. The findings also show that the IFRS adoption is complementary in its monitoring role of managerial behavior in reducing earnings management in the presence of R&D disclosures. Furthermore, this study finds that the negative effect of R&D disclosures on earnings management is more prevalent during the global financial crisis. Originality/value This study examined the consequences of the voluntary disclosure of R&D information in the French context. It introduces a measurement for the disclosure of R&D activities in annual reports through the construction of an R&D disclosure index.

Voluntary disclosure and complexity of reporting in Egypt: the roles of profitability and earnings management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Mohammed Alm El-Din ◽  
Atef Mohammed El-Awam ◽  
Farid Moharram Ibrahim ◽  
Ahmed Hassanein
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonfinancial Firms ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe study explores the relationship between information overloading and the complexity of reporting. In particular, it investigates whether voluntary information in a firm annual report is associated with its readability. Likewise, it examines how a firm's profitability and earnings management practices impact the nexus of voluntary disclosure and readability.Design/methodology/approachIt uses the annual reports of the Egyptian nonfinancial firms listed in the EGX 100 index from 2010 to 2018. The readability of the annual report is measured automatically using the LIX index, and a predeveloped voluntary disclosure index is used to measure the level of voluntary disclosure in the annual reports.FindingsThe results reveal that the readability of annual reports is a negative function of voluntary disclosure, suggesting that Egyptian firms with more voluntary disclosure are likely to have more complex (i.e. less readable) annual reports. Likewise, less profitable firms and firms with earning management practices increase voluntary information in their annual reports, resulting in an adverse impact on their reporting readability.Research limitations/implicationsIt focuses only on the annual reports of Egyptian firms and considers a firm’s overall voluntary information rather than a particular area of voluntary disclosure. It introduces a code to measure the readability of Arabic-written texts, which can be applied to different areas of disclosure.Practical implicationsPolicymakers in Egypt are encouraged to develop enforceable regulations to control voluntary disclosure in annual reports. Egyptian investors should view the practice of higher voluntary disclosure skeptically as its aim may be to divert attention from a firm's poor performance and earnings management practice.Originality/valueThe study is the first evidence from Egypt on the effect of information overloading, proxied by voluntary disclosure, on the readability of reporting. Likewise, it contributes to methodological development in measuring the readability of Arabic-written annual reports.

Earnings management by top Chinese listed firms in response to the global financial crisis

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanglu (Luke) Xu ◽  
Xudong Ji
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Cash Flow ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

Purpose The main aim of this study was to examine the earnings management behaviours, including both accrual-based and cash flow-based earnings management, of Chinese firms during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Design/methodology/approach A data set of 1,392 firm-year observations derived from a large sample of China's top listed firms (based on total assets) was constructed and investigated via univariate and ordinary least squares regression analyses. Findings Two distinct conclusions can be drawn from the results of the study. First, the top Chinese listed firms did engage in earnings management, as indicated by comparisons of the means of the absolute values of both accrual-based and cash flow-based earnings management indicators in the periods before and after 2008 when the GFC started. Second, investigation of earnings management directions revealed that in response to the GFC, the firms from construction-related industries and the airline industry manipulated earnings upwards through either accrual-based and/or cash flow-based earnings management activities. On the other hand, firms in the household durables industry engaged in earnings-reducing activities. These findings reflect the effect of the stimulus package launched by the Chinese Government in an effort to combat the GFC. In addition, the results indicate that firm characteristics such as size, leverage, profitability and growth affected the earnings management behaviours of the firms analysed in the study. Originality/value The empirically derived findings of this study contribute to the literature pertaining to the effects of the GFC on earnings management practices in China, which has remained relatively scant to date.

Financial distress determinants among SMEs: empirical evidence from Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically investigate determinants of financial distress among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the global financial crisis and post-crisis periods.Design/methodology/approachSeveral statistical methods, including multiple binary logistic regression, were used to analyse a longitudinal cross-sectional panel data set of 3,865 Swedish SMEs operating in five industries over the 2008–2015 period.FindingsThe results suggest that financial distress is influenced by macroeconomic conditions (i.e. the global financial crisis) and, in particular, by various firm-specific characteristics (i.e. performance, financial leverage and financial distress in previous year). However, firm size and industry affiliation have no significant relationship with financial distress.Research limitationsDue to data availability, this study is limited to a sample of Swedish SMEs in five industries covering eight years. Further research could examine the generalizability of these findings by investigating other firms operating in other industries and other countries.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine determinants of financial distress among SMEs operating in Sweden using data from a large-scale longitudinal cross-sectional database.

How does real earnings management respond to the 2007-2008 financial crisis?

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-517
Author(s):  
Zhigang Li ◽  
Yuan-Teng Hsu ◽  
Xiang Gao
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Share Repurchases ◽  
2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
Event Window ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dummy Variable

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the dynamics of repurchase-based earnings management vis-à-vis other real activities manipulations during the 2007–2008 financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a Probit model to regress alternate real earnings management (REM) methods on a dummy variable indicating whether a firm falls in the crisis event window or not, during our 15-year sample period. This paper also detects switches made by suspected firms from repurchasing to other REM tools such as reducing discretionary expenditures. Findings This paper provides solid evidence indicating that firms suspected of earnings management have the tendency to decrease accretive share repurchases after the onset of the crisis. Conversely, the above pattern is neither observed in non-suspect firms nor over non-crisis periods. A further investigation documents that firms that switch REM during crisis can be characterized by less cash holding, smaller size, more severe liquidity shortage and/or tighter financial constraint. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on understanding the respective and interactive implications of both share repurchases and global financial crisis on firms’ REM activities.

The effects of global financial crisis on the relationship between CEO compensation and earnings management

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oheneba Assenso-Okofo ◽  
Muhammad Jahangir Ali ◽  
Kamran Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Ceo Compensation ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multivariate Tests ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of global financial crisis (GFC) on chief executive officers’ (CEO) compensation and earnings management relationship. Specifically, the authors examine whether the recent financial crisis had moderated the relationship between CEO bonus and discretionary accruals. Design/methodology/approach The authors use panel data for 1,800 firm-year observations (over a period of six years from 2005 to 2010) and use univariate and multivariate tests to test their hypothesis. The authors divide the period into pre-crisis, during-crisis and post-crisis periods to examine how the different financial crisis periods affect the relationship between CEO compensation and earnings management. Various alternative tests including endogeneity test suggest that the results are robust. Findings The authors’ multivariate results indicate that the relationship between CEO’ compensation and earnings management changes because of the GFC. Practical implications The findings, therefore, justify more monitoring and scrutiny to limit the existence of opportunistic managerial behaviour and for the appropriate designing of CEO compensation packages during abnormal economic circumstances. Originality/value So far as the authors’ knowledge goes, this is the first study which examines the relationship between CEO compensation and earnings management during GFC.

Board gender diversity, corporate governance, and earnings management

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurlan Orazalin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether board gender diversity and other board characteristics affect earnings management practices of top public companies in Kazakhstan. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes data of top public companies for the period 2010-2016. Data on corporate governance were manually collected from annual reports and investment memorandums, and financial data were collected from audited financial statements. Findings The empirical results show that companies with greater board gender diversity are more effective in constraining earnings management. The findings also indicate that companies with larger boards adopt a more restrained approach to earnings management practices, thus supporting the theoretical framework of the study. However, the results provide weak evidence of the association between board independence and earnings quality. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the relationship between gender diversity and earnings management in emerging markets such as Kazakhstan that offers managerial and policy implications.

The extent of voluntary corporate disclosure in the Egyptian Stock Exchange

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hany Kamel ◽  
Emad Awadallah
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Related Factor ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Egyptian Stock Exchange

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of voluntary corporate disclosure in the Egyptian Stock Exchange. In addition, it explores the factors influencing the extensiveness of voluntary disclosure and examines the potential consequences of such disclosure in regards to the phenomenon of earnings management. Design/methodology/approach A relevant disclosure index to the Egyptian context was adopted to assess the level of voluntary disclosure in the 2010 annual reports of the most actively traded companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. The relationship between the extent of voluntary disclosure and each specific-related factor was examined using unranked and ranked OLS regression models. Meanwhile, a system of simultaneous equations was performed using a two-stage least squares regression model in order to investigate whether companies with higher levels of voluntary disclosure exhibit lower levels of earnings management practices. Findings The results indicate that the level of voluntary disclosure is positively responsive to specific corporate attributes, namely, the type of auditing firm and the two industries of Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, and Chemicals. However, no significant indications were found that firm size, leverage, profitability and liquidity are important determinants of corporate disclosure. Also, the results show no evidence to support the prior anticipation that a higher level of voluntary disclosure reduces the ability of managers to make use of earnings management. On the contrary, it was found that leverage and the tendency of firms to avoid reporting declines in earnings are the main drivers of the phenomenon of earnings management in Egypt. Practical implications This paper has important implications for both domestic and overseas investors in Egypt as well as the regulatory authorities in the developing economies. Originality/value The main contribution of this paper is its focus on the extent of voluntary disclosure in a developing country such as Egypt, which has a high potential for economic growth in the near future. Besides, this paper is the first to examine the relationship between the level of voluntary disclosure and the phenomenon of earnings management in the Egyptian context.

Determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosures of UAE national banks: a multi-perspective approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 631-654
Author(s):  
Elie Menassa ◽  
Nancy Dagher
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
The World ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the determinants and extent of corporate social disclosure (CSD) by UAE national banks and to investigate the changes in CSD before, during and after the latest financial crisis.Design/methodology/approachDeductive in nature, this paper uses content analysis of annual reports of 16 UAE banks over a period of six years (2006-2011) to test eight hypotheses related to size, financial performance and other variables as potential explanatory variables of the CSD extent over different periods.FindingsThe findings show that human resources and community disclosures exhibited the highest extent of CSD over the six years. Moreover, the size and financial performance variables appear to be significant explanatory factors for the extent of CSD. The findings also indicate a strong variation in disclosure between banks with international presence and those with no such presence, while there is no significant disclosure variation between Islamic and conventional banks or during the different periods under investigation (pre, during and post recent financial crisis).Research limitations/implicationsStudies allowing a greater understanding of how banks with extensive governmental ownership define and disclose CSR in this particular region of the world are scarce and exploratory in nature. Consequently, the structure of national UAE banks provides a unique opportunity to understand the CSR mechanisms and disclosure of similar institutions in the world (particularly in the Arab world). This presents an interesting direction for further research.Practical implicationsThese findings could assist UAE bankers and policymakers in integrating CSD in their corporate strategies and help the local and international business communities in understanding the characteristics of CSD in the UAE.Originality/valueComprehensive in scope, this paper provides a complete assessment of the potential explanatory proxies of CSD by UAE local banks before, during and after the recent global financial crisis. Comparable studies of the UAE banking sector have mainly focused on particular bank types (i.e. Islamic or conventional) and did not consider the effect of the recent adverse financial climate.

scholarly journals Inefficiency patterns in family-owned banks in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Asmild ◽  
Dorte Kronborg ◽  
Tasmina Mahbub ◽  
Kent Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

PurposeMulti-directional efficiency analysis (MEA) is an alternative methodology to data envelopment analysis (DEA) that investigates the improvement potentials in each input and output dimension and identifies a benchmark proportional to these potential improvements. This results in a more nuanced picture of the sources of the inefficiency providing opportunities for additional conclusions about which variables the inefficiency is mainly located on. MEA provides insights into not only the level of the inefficiency but also the patterns within the inefficiency, i.e. its sources and location. This paper applies this methodology to Bangladeshi banks to understand the differences in the inefficiency patterns between different subgroups.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses the difference in the pattern of inefficiency between the older family-dominated banks and the newer non-family-owned banks in Bangladesh using the recently developed MEAs technology, which enables analysis of patterns within inefficiencies rather than only levels of (in)efficiency. The empirical results show that whilst there are few significant differences in the levels of variable-specific efficiency scores between the two subgroups, there are clearer differences on the inefficiency contributions from particular outputs in most of the study period and also on most variables in the time window of 2007–2009. This finding provides clues to differences in business models and management practice between the two types of banks in Bangladesh.FindingsThe empirical results show that whilst there are few significant differences in the levels of variable-specific efficiency scores between the two subgroups (older family-dominated banks and the newer non-family-owned banks), there are clearer differences on the inefficiency contributions from particular outputs in most of the study period and also on most variables in the time window of 2007–2009, during the Global Financial Crisis (GFCs). This finding provides clues to differences in business models and management practice between the two types of banks in Bangladesh.Practical implicationsDEA is a conventional tool for benchmarking in management science. However, conventional benchmarking exercises based on DEA do not reveal significant differences in the sources of inefficiency that show differences in business models. While DEA remains the most utilized technique in the efficiency literature, we think that a more flexible and deeper analysis requires something like MEA.Originality/valueThe contribution is twofold. First, examination of performances of family-owned firms is a well-established but analysis of performances of family-dominated banks is relative scarce. Secondly, isolating the sources of inefficiency which differs between types of banks even if there is no difference in inefficiency levels is absolutely new for a complete data set of conventional banks in Bangladesh. It turns out that there are few (significant) differences between the groups in terms of the inefficiency levels, whereas clear patterns emerge in terms of differences in inefficiency contributions between family-dominated and non-family-owned banks, during the Global Financial Crisis

A review of the influence of political connections on management’s decision in non-US settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-705
Author(s):  
Ines Amara ◽  
Hichem Khlif
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Given the interest in better understanding the economic effects of political connections, this paper aims to review empirical studies in the accounting and finance domain investigating the effects of firms’ political connections on management’s decision in non-US settings. Design/methodology/approach Key words used to search for relevant studies include “political connections” linked with “tax avoidance,” “earnings quality” “voluntary disclosure.” The authors consult several editorial sources including Elsevier, Electronic Journals Service EBSCO, Emerald, Springer, Palgrave Macmillan, Sage, Taylor & Francis and Wiley-Blackwell. The authors’ search yields 46 published studies since 2006. Findings The review reveals a prevalence of studies conducted in Asia. A narrative synthesis of empirical findings shows mixed effects of political connections on earnings management, as measured by accrual-based or real earnings management practices. Mixed evidence also exists for the association between political connections and reporting policy (e.g. corporate social responsibility reporting). The review also reveals that firms with political ties adopt an aggressive tax policy aimed at reducing effective tax rates and are more likely to choose a Big 4 auditor. Originality/value The review discusses the political connections literature focusing on studies outside of the USA and the effect of such connections on decision-making by management. It identifies some limitations of this literature and offers guidance for future research avenues. The synthesis suggests that political connections can adversely or beneficially impact management’s decisions depending on the legal, institutional and cultural characteristics prevailing in a particular setting.

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