scholarly journals Predictive ability of accruals before and after IFRS in the Brazilian stock market

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (78) ◽  
pp. 375-389
Author(s):  
Terence Machado Boina ◽  
Marcelo Alvaro da Silva Macedo

ABSTRACT This study aimed to analyze and assess the predictive ability of discretionary accruals (DAs) and non-discretionary accruals (NDAs) for forecasting future cash flows before and after the convergence with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Brazil. The study is warranted due to the scarcity of research in Brazil on the subject and is relevant because it aims to shed light on whether the changes occurring due to convergence with IFRS in Brazil have improved accounting quality. The accounting choices of managers and accountants in the Brazilian stock market, enabled by IFRS, contribute to an apparent improvement in accounting quality in terms of reliability, the faithful representation of entities’ equity and financial positions, and in particular, the predictive ability for forecasting future cash flows. The population was composed of publicly traded companies listed on the Bovespa and São Paulo Stock, Commodities, and Futures Exchange (BM&FBovespa) in 2004 to 2007 and 2010 to 2015. The non-probability convenience sample is composed of 715 enterprises, once companies from the “finance and insurance” and “funds” sectors and even those considered as “holding” were excluded. The data were pooled by year, as they contain different companies over the time series (unbalanced panel data). The DAs and NDAs produced prior to full convergence with IFRS are negative and statistically significant for predicting future cash flows in the Brazilian stock market, which indicated opportunistic/contractual earnings management. One of the possible explanations for this would be the influence of government tax authorities on Brazilian accounting norms, which could induce managers to manipulate accounting results with the aim of reducing earnings in order to pay fewer taxes, for example. The DAs and NDAs produced after IFRS are positive and statistically significant for predicting future cash flows in the Brazilian stock market, signaling the motivation of discretionary accounting choices under the informational aspect. Current DAs and NDAs add informational power compared to current aggregate accruals. It has also been observed that the current DAs and NDAs originating after IFRS in Brazil, compared to current aggregate accruals, have an informational gain in relation to those produced before.

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59
Author(s):  
Jimmy F. Downes ◽  
Tony Kang ◽  
Sohyung Kim ◽  
Cheol Lee

SYNOPSIS We investigate the effect of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in the European Union on the association between accounting estimates and future cash flows, a key concept of accounting quality within the International Accounting Standard Board conceptual framework. We find that the predictive value of accounting estimates improves after IFRS adoption. This improvement is largely driven by specific types of accounting estimates, such as accounts receivable, depreciation, and amortization expense. We also find that the improvement is concentrated in countries with larger differences between pre-IFRS domestic GAAP and IFRS. Our findings suggest that IFRS allow managers to exercise their judgment to provide information about future cash flows through the more subjective/judgmental portion of accounting accruals. JEL Classifications: M16; M49; O52. Data Availability: The data used in this study are from public sources identified in the study.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Al-Hiyari ◽  
Rohaida Abdul Latif ◽  
Noor Afza Amran

The accounting rules prescribed in Malaysian Financial Reporting Standard (MFRS) 3, Business combination, and (MFRS) 136, Impairment of Assets, give managers considerable reporting discretion in allocating goodwill and estimating its actual value. Agency theory predicts that managers may use the accounting discretion granted by the new rules to pursue their own interests at the expense of shareholders. Hence, auditors are required to exercise professional judgement when investigating hard-to-verify management assumptions and valuations. We exploit this issue by examining whether predictive ability of goodwill improved in the presence of Big 4 auditors. We provide evidence that goodwill has a significant predictive ability for second and third-year ahead cash flows which exists only in the firms audited by the large international reputable accounting firms. This suggests that Big 4 auditors play an important role in ensuring appropriate implementation of the present accounting for goodwill.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-65
Author(s):  
Reza Janjani

Purpose – The main objective of this paper is to compare the ability of US-generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) operating cash flows versus Iran-GAAP operating cash flows in predicting future cash flows. Design/methodology/approach – The sample comprises 240 firms (1,200 firm-years) during the period from 2004 to 2008 for which operating cash flows and other variables are available. Cross-sectional and panel data regression models are used in testing the hypotheses. Findings – This study finds that operating cash flows based on Iran-GAAP are no more effective in predicting future cash flows than those based on USA-GAAP, and the predictive ability of the model is improved by adding the earnings accrual components to the operating cash flows. Originality/value – The study suggests that the Iranian accounting standard setting committee recommends that the statement of cash flows be prepared based on the three-category model instead of the five-category model in an attempt to converge with the International Financial Reporting Standards. Consistent with Financial Accounting Standards Board and financial analyst recommendations, the results reveal that earnings are a better predictor than cash flows from operations.


Author(s):  
Marilyn A. Waldron ◽  
Charles E. Jordan

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">As set forth in SFAC No. 1, a primary objective of financial reporting is to provide information useful to decision makers. Predicting future cash flows represents a major goal of investors and creditors, and accrual and cash flow accounting information present two alternative factors useful in such predictions. The current research investigates the comparative abilities of accrual basis net income and historical cash flows from operations as predictors of future cash flows during both the economic boom leading up to the IT Bubble and the period of economic duress following the burst of that Bubble. Generally, results indicate that historical cash flows outperform accrual net income in predicting future cash flows during these periods of economic turbulence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Additionally, the evidence reveals great variability in the predictive ability of accrual earnings during the time period studied, suggesting that accrual accounting estimates lose some of their precision during periods of extreme economic fluctuation. </span></span></p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 597-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadi Farshadfar ◽  
Reza Monem

We examine whether discretionary and non-discretionary accruals improve the predictive ability of earnings for forecasting future cash flows in an Australian context. Using both within-sample and out-of-sample forecasting tests; we demonstrate that discretionary accruals improve the predictive ability of earnings in the forecast of future cash flows. Further, discretionary and non-discretionary accruals and direct method cash flow components together are more useful than (i) aggregate earnings, (ii) aggregate cash flow from operations and total accruals, and (iii) aggregate cash flow from operations, discretionary accruals and nondiscretionary accruals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Buchheit ◽  
Austin L. Reitenga ◽  
George Ruch ◽  
Daniel A. Street

ABSTRACT While the popular press has documented Chief Financial Officer (CFO) role expansion into traditional operations functions, recent research suggests that time spent on non-core CFO activities harms financial reporting quality. We examine the operational acumen of CFOs and potential negative reporting consequences stemming from one person simultaneously holding the role of CFO and Chief Operations Officer (COO) (CFO/COO duality). Empirically, CFO/COO duality occurs with increasing frequency during our sample period (2000–2016); duality is not uncommon (among firms with a COO, over 10 percent have a unified CFO/COO executive). We find no evidence that combining the CFO and COO positions adversely affects operations. Regarding financial reporting quality, we find some evidence that CFO/COO duality firms have relatively more volatile discretionary accruals; however, these accruals are also relatively more predictive of future cash flows. Collectively, our results suggest that unifying control of operations and reporting can be an effective corporate reconfiguration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Hui Zhou ◽  
Worapree Ole Maneesoonthorn ◽  
Xiangjin Bruce Chen

A fundamental role of financial reporting is to provide information useful in forecasting future cash flows. Applying up-to-date time series modelling techniques, this study provides direct evidence on the usefulness of quarterly data in predicting future operating cash flows. Moreover, we show that the predictive gain from using quarterly data is larger for asset-heavy industries and industries with higher levels of earnings smoothness. This study contributes to the accounting literature by examining the usefulness of quarterly financial statements in predicting the realization of future cash flows. Our results help fill the gap in knowledge on quarterly financial statements and provide new insights on why the frequency of financial reporting matters. In addition, our findings have important policy implications for the ongoing debate over interim reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions around the world.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 4832
Author(s):  
Jaehong Lee ◽  
Eunsoo Kim

A company’s sustainability is generally determined by whether it is able to create a positive long-term cash flow. This paper investigates whether the predictive ability of cash flows and earnings in forecasting future cash flows differs depending on the foreign investors’ ownership. Based on firms listed in the Korea Stock Exchange market from 2000 to 2017, we find that earnings and cash flow components of financial statements enhance the predictability of future cash flow in the Korean stock market. Conversely, foreign investors showed a tendency to decide on investments based on operating cash flow instead of earnings when predicting future cash flow. These findings indicate that reliability towards earnings may fall since foreign investors’ concerns are on the prospects of earnings management. These results were strengthened by the addition of several more analyses including cluster analyses, consideration of information asymmetry and the chaebol governance.


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