Securitization and earnings management: evidence from the Sarbanes–Oxley act

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anin Rupp
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Asset Securitization ◽  
Exogenous Shock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Regulations ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
External Governance ◽  
Intended Effect

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether the opportunistic use of assets securitization for earnings management is systematically widespread. It is hypothesized that with the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002, which imposed more stringent governance over the financial reporting process, there should be a decrease in the opportunistic use of securitization among firms that were not compliant prior to the passage. Design/methodology/approach The author use the SOX Act as an exogenous shock to determine whether the act had the intended effect of mitigating opportunistic securitization. Findings The empirical results show that there was a significant decrease in securitization among the non-compliant firms relative to the compliant firms and this reduction is related to firms using securitization opportunistically. This evidence suggests that securitization for earnings management was a systematic phenomenon and that SOX was effective in mitigating such behavior. Originality/value The contribution of this paper to the literature is twofold. It will identify changes in the use of asset securitization for earnings management purpose by using the exogenous variation in the strength of external governance. Furthermore, it will provide additional evidence of the effectiveness of financial regulations and have potential implications at the policy maker level.

Are earnings strings restrained after SOX?

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Kohlbeck ◽  
Jomo Sankara ◽  
Errol G. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Monitoring ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Reporting Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether external monitors (auditors and analysts) constrain earnings strings, an indicator of earnings management, and whether this monitoring is more effective after the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), given the emphasis of SOX on improving auditing, financial reporting and the information environment. Design/methodology/approach Agency theory establishes the premise between external monitoring and earnings strings. Auditor tenure and number of analysts following provide measures for external monitoring quality. Using prior research, empirical models explaining the presence of an earnings strings and earnings strings trend are developed to test the hypotheses. Findings Pre-SOX, extreme auditor tenure, indicating lower quality external monitoring, is associated with greater earnings strings trend, and analyst coverage is associated with increased likelihood of earnings strings and greater earnings strings trend consistent with analyst pressure on management. More effective auditor and analyst monitoring occurs post-SOX in terms of reduced likelihood of earnings strings and earnings strings trend. Originality/value The authors provide evidence on how elements of external monitoring are associated with increased earnings strings pre-SOX. Further, they contribute to the debate on the impact of SOX on external firm monitoring and the overall financial information environment. By focusing on earnings strings, the outcome of earnings management, the authors provide a unique understanding of external monitoring that also provides insight on the overvaluation of equity and ultimate destruction of firm value. The evidence demonstrates how regulation has contributed to an improved financial reporting environment and external monitoring.

The effect of firm-specific litigation risk on independent director conservatism

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoping Liu ◽  
Jerry Sun
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Stock Exchanges ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Independent Director ◽  
Litigation Risk ◽  
Exogenous Shock ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley ◽  
Legal Fees

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether firm-specific litigation risk affects independent director conservatism in the oversight of financial reporting.Design/methodology/approachThis study considers the enactment of Sarbanes–Oxley Act and the main US stock exchanges' corresponding corporate governance regulations in 2002–2003 as an exogenous shock event to increase board independence. OLS regressions with fixed effects are conducted to test the hypothesis.FindingsChanges in discretionary accruals from the pre-event year (2001) to the post-event year (2004) are more negatively associated with an exogenous increase in board independence for firms with high litigation risk than for firms with low litigation risk.Originality/valueThe results suggest that independent directors are more conservative in overseeing financial reporting when they face higher litigation risk, consistent with the notion that they are still concerned about liability risk although they seldom have to pay damages or legal fees out of their own pockets.

scholarly journals Event-specific earnings management: additional evidence from US M&A pre-and post-SOX

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malek Alsharairi ◽  
Robert Dixon ◽  
Radhi Al-Hamadeen
Keyword(s):  
Mergers And Acquisitions ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Evidence ◽  
Public Firms ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Sarbanes Oxley

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to re-examine the motivation to manage earnings in US mergers and acquisitions (M&As) by investigating whether the enactment of Sarbanes-Oxley act (SOX) has affected pre-merger earnings management.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a sample of over 700 completed M&As of US public firms during 1999-2008. Using quarterly reports, they tracked down earnings management during the four quarters preceding the deal and consequently drew inferences about the implications of SOX on interim reporting practices.FindingsWe report evidence that in the post-SOX era, non-cash acquirers begin pre-merger upwards earnings management in an earlier quarter than in the pre-SOX era. Further, our evidence indicates that in the quarters prior to the takeover, targets engage in more aggressive upwards earnings management in the post-SOX era.Originality/valueUnlike what is anticipated regarding earnings management practices after SOX, the study reveals significant evidence of upward earnings management by firms engaging in M&A in post-SOX era.

Do globalisation and adoption of IFRS by banks in Africa lead to less earnings management?

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Amidu ◽  
Haruna Issahaku
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Accounting Information Quality ◽  
National Economies

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the implications of globalisation and the adoption of international standards (International Financial Reporting Standards [IFRS]) for accounting information quality. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a sample of 329 banks across 29 countries leading up to and beyond the implementation of IFRS to test for related hypotheses. Findings First, banks’ financial statements are prepared on the basis of international standards as national economies are integrated when social norms are diffused. Building on these results, the second test suggests that the relatively high-quality earnings among banks in Africa during the period is attributable to the adoption of and interaction of IFRS with globalisation and the strategy of banks to diversify within and across interest and non-interest income. Originality/value The authors investigate how globalisation and the adoption of IFRS affect accounting information quality.

Corporate social responsibility and earnings management in the EU: a panel data analysis approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis E. Dimitropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Eu

Purpose Over the past decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been considered as a significant corporate strategy and also has been documented as a main information dissemination mechanism of corporations to shareholders, creditors and other external stakeholders. This fact makes the CSR activities and CSR performance interconnected with the quality of firms’ financial reporting. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of CSR performance on the earnings management (EM) behaviour using a sample from 24 European Union (EU) countries summing up to 121,154 firm-year observations over the period 2003–2018. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a multi-country data set with various dimensions of CSR performance including indexes regarding workforce, community relations, product responsibility and human rights protection. The empirical analysis is conducted with panel data regressions. Findings Evidence supports the negative association between CSR and EM indicating that high CSR performing firms are associated with less income smoothing and discretionary accruals, thus with higher financial reporting quality. Practical implications Regulatory agencies in the EU could use the findings of the study for the improvement of the accounting framework via enhancing the use and publications of social and environmental responsibility information and reports. Social implications Also, the current paper could be of interest not only to academic researchers but also to potential and existing investors in European corporations. The negative association between CSR performance and EM could be used by investors in assessing the risk of firms and the quality and reliability of their financial information. Originality/value This is the first study within the EU, which considers the multi-facet characteristics of CSR on the quality of accounting earnings and offers useful policy implications for regulators and investors.

Nonprofit expense management and the zero-profit threshold

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Monteiro Miller
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Profit Motive ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonprofit Firms

Purpose In a wide variety of settings, individuals target round-numbered thresholds, relaxing effort when they are out of reach. This paper aims to investigate whether this phenomenon occurs in nonprofits as well. Design/methodology/approach The paper empirically examines nonprofits’ propensity to cut expenses relative to the attainability of the zero-profit threshold. Findings This paper finds nonprofit firms are more likely to cut expenses when faced with small expected losses than with larger losses, and this pattern varies predictably with incentives to reach the zero-profit threshold. Research limitations/implications This suggests managers are motivated by desire to reach the zero-profit threshold rather than to improve firms’ economic situations, as the propensity to cut expenses is lower when the threshold is out of reach. Social implications Additionally, the results suggest that even the lack of explicit profit motive may not quell earnings management behavior. Originality/value These results begin to close the gap in our understanding of expense management in nonprofit firms, showing how operating expenses can be used to manage earnings.

The relationship between cost stickiness and financial reporting quality in Tehran Stock Exchange

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 1550-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Nasrin Ziba ◽  
Ali Daemi Gah
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Statistical Software ◽  
Testing Hypotheses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Cost Stickiness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between financial reporting and cost stickiness in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange. Design/methodology/approach Data of all Iranian manufacturing listed companies gathered for testing hypotheses during 2010–2016 and R statistical software are employed in order to analyzing data. Findings The results of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between administrative, sale, material, labor and overhead costs and the financial reporting qualities of the companies under study. Originality/value The study focuses on relationship between financial reporting and cost stickiness in companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange, which is the first study of its type in Iran.

Adoption of IFRS in Japan: challenges and consequences

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noriyuki Tsunogaya ◽  
Andreas Hellmann ◽  
Simone Domenico Scagnelli
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Institutional Complementarity ◽  
Accounting Environment ◽  
Social Organizational

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to provide a rigorous and holistic analysis of the main features of the Japanese accounting environment. It also raises issues related to the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Japan. Design/methodology/approach – For the purpose of investigating the Japanese accounting system, this study applies the accounting ecology framework developed by Gernon and Wallace (1995) and provides a content analysis of relevant meetings of the Business Accounting Council of Japan. Findings – The findings of this study provide evidence that it would be problematic to require the adoption of IFRS for all listed companies in Japan. The main reason for this is that the Japanese policymakers and standard-setting bodies follow two objectives: enhancing the international comparability of financial reporting and maintaining institutional complementarity between financial reporting and other infrastructures such as accounting-related laws. Research limitations/implications – This study is relevant for accounting researchers and professionals with an interest in Japanese accounting practices. It is also useful for the International Accounting Standards Board and representatives of countries planning to adopt IFRS in the future. Originality/value – The findings of this study show that contextual issues such as social, organizational and professional environments cannot be ignored in the adoption of IFRS in Japan.

Earnings management and goodwill impairment

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Davide Caruso ◽  
Elisa Rita Ferrari ◽  
Vincenzo Pisano
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Income Smoothing ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Managerial Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Goodwill Impairment ◽  
Research Questions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether managerial behavior in impairing goodwill arising from M & As has changed after the adoption of IAS/IFRS, searching for evidences of earnings management (EM) practices. Thus, our goal is to provide a response to the following research questions. Are goodwill impairments used by listed firms’ managers to manipulate earnings? If so, what kind of EM practice is mostly used? Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors tested the following hypothesis: H1. In the year of the deal’s closure and in the following four years, the management detects impairment of goodwill in difformity with the previous Italian regulations and related accounting practices. Moreover, the authors tried to determine, for each considered firms, potential symptoms of typical DEM practices widely debated in the financial accounting literature (income smoothing, income minimization, income minimization, or big bath accounting). Findings – Our analysis does not prove evidence of certain EM practices, but it highlights very clearly that, after the adoption of IAS/IFRS, managers’ behavior has deeply changed. Moreover, the analysis shows that there is no univocal choice in favor of a specific EM practice and that every firm pursues its own “strategy.” Originality/value – Considering the importance of the topic from both the perspectives of managerial (with regard to M & As valuation processes) and financial accounting (with regard to intangibles valuation fulfilled by applying the impairment test instead of the amortization), this work aims to provide a multi-dimensional contribution to the current debate.

scholarly journals Political and financial background in board interlocking and earnings management in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Baú Dal Magro ◽  
Roberto Carlos Klann
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
The Political ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Of Accounting Information

Purpose Although board interlocking underlying forces are largely hidden, the purpose of this paper is to provide managers, auditors, analysts, regulators and other stakeholders with sociological board interlocking information considering the different backgrounds of their members. Design/methodology/approach The research sample gathered 1,606 observations from 2010 to 2017. For data analysis, the direct and indirect board interlocking linkages, considering the different backgrounds of board members, established the centrality indicators. Subsequently, the authors used these indicators according to each measured background in the regression models. Findings The results indicate that the political background of board interlocking members is positively related to real earnings management practices, while the financial background has a mitigating effect on such practices. Research limitations/implications The findings suggest that individual skills and interests conveyed across the corporate social network have shaped corporate governance, with distinct impacts on the quality of accounting information. Practical implications The authors conclude that both backgrounds could have implications on agency conflicts, increasing (policy) or reducing (financial) information asymmetry between the company and its various stakeholders, which indicates that the authors must consider sociological and not just economic aspects within corporate governance. Social implications The sociological background of individuals is necessary for the congruence of monitoring mechanisms, and consequently, the quality of accounting information. Originality/value This study examines the influence of the political and financial background of board interlocking members on real earnings management practices in Brazilian publicly traded companies in the International Financial Reporting Standards post-adoption period.

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