scholarly journals The Valuation Of Discretionary Accruals And Antitrust Merger Investigations

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Makar ◽  
Pervaiz Alam
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Managerial Discretion ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Earnings Components ◽  
Incremental Information ◽  
Management Context ◽  
Reported Earnings ◽  
The Impact

<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0.5in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">This study explores the impact of managerial discretion on the information content of reported earnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In particular, we extend the prior research by examining the pricing of discretionary accruals for firms subject to antitrust merger investigation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>To date, the empirical evidence on managerial discretion and earnings informativeness has been limited, and the pricing of discretionary accruals in the earnings management context of antitrust merger investigations has not been examined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We address this gap in the literature, and provide results that are consistent with our expectations. Specifically, the evidence indicates that investigated firms&rsquo; discretionary accruals are priced by the stock market, and that such earnings components have incremental information content regarding future profitability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In contrast, as expected, the accruals of non-investigated firms are not value-relevant. </span></span></p>

scholarly journals Management Entrenchment, Firm Characteristics and Earnings Management Of Conglomerate Companies In Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Temitope Olamide Fagbemi ◽  
Olubunmi Florence Osemene ◽  
Oyinlade Agbaje
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
P Value ◽  
Secondary Source ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Management Entrenchment ◽  
The Impact

Sometimes the rivalry between shareholders and management is an indication of the level of entrenchment within the corporate environment. Managers are believed to routinely manipulate earnings in order to mislead shareholders about their company's actual economic outlook or performance. As a result, the study investigated the impact of managerial entrenchment, firm characteristics and earnings management of conglomerate companies in Nigeria. Employing the ex-post facto research design, the data was gathered from secondary source of the 6 listed conglomerate companies for the 11-year period running (2008-2018). The study used discretionary accruals a proxy for earnings management and to calculate discretionary accruals, the study used modified Jones model. The result showed that management entrenchment and firm characteristics have Impact on multinational firms ' earnings management in Nigeria. Specifically, from the conglomerate’s entrenchment proxies, CEO’s tenure has a positive and significant impact on earnings management (coff. =1.062821, p-value =0.0367) and management entrenchment as measured by CEO’s shareholding has a negative and insignificant effect on earnings management (coff. =-6252391, p-value = 0.4090) while firm size, profitability and leverage indicated a significant and positive impact on earnings management (coff, = 0.124587, p-value = 0.0000; coff. = 0.006647, p-value = 0.0431 and coff. = 0.032065, p-value = 0.0000). The study therefore recommended among others that management should reduce the debt in their capital structure in order to improve their companies’ value and their capital structure should be majorly financed by equity rather than debt and reduce CEOs tenure to minimise earnings management practices.

Accounting Discretion, Horizon Problem, and CEO Retirement Benefits

2009 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 1553-1573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kalyta
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Pension Plans ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Retirement Benefits ◽  
Horizon Problem ◽  
Accounting Choices ◽  
Fortune 1000 ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT: Empirical research on the impact of managerial retirement on discretionary accounting choices is inconclusive, with most studies finding no evidence of earnings management in the pre-retirement period. I argue that income-increasing accounting choices in final pre-retirement years are particularly appealing to managers whose pension depends on firm performance in these years. Using primary data on retired CEOs of Fortune 1000 firms, I investigate the impact of CEO pension plans on discretionary accruals. Consistent with the prediction, I find evidence of income-increasing earnings management in the pre-retirement period only when CEO pension is based on firm performance. I also report evidence of negative abnormal market reaction to CEO retirement in firms with performance-contingent CEO pensions.

scholarly journals Information Content of Earnings Managements: Implications on Growth and Value Companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Windu Mulyasari ◽  
Slamet Sugiri ◽  
Heyvon Herdhayinta
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Information Content ◽  
Market Price ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Future Earnings ◽  
Cycle Growth ◽  
Incremental Information ◽  
Growth Firms ◽  
Management Behaviors

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the pattern of earnings management on growth and value companies in Indonesia. This study predicts that earnings management has information contents. Therefore, earnings management tends to degrade the quality of earnings, then affect the future profitability. This study analyzes the effect of earnings management information content to the company's future profitability. This study provides an understanding about accounting information at certain market price levels for growth and value companies. Findings: Findings of this study indicate the differences between earnings management influence on growth and value companies. The results also support the differences of relative incremental information content of earnings management on growth and value companies. The growth firms tend to do earnings management and have higher profitability compared to the value firms. The implication is that the incremental information content of earnings management on growth firms is lower than those of the value firms to predict future profitability.   Implication: The contribution of this research is to provide an in-depth review on earnings management study associated with company life cycle (growth and value), as well as  to give additional understanding about the existence of incremental information content of earnings management. Thus, firms show different earnings management behaviors and ultimately those behaviors affect the quality of profit to predict future earnings

scholarly journals Earnings Management And Privatisations: Evidence From Pakistan Evidence From Pakistan

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Muhammad Iqbal ◽  
Iram Khan ◽  
Zeeshan Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Jones Model ◽  
Reported Earnings

This study examines the incidence of earnings management around the time of the privatisation of State Owned Enterprises in Pakistan during 1991-2005. Using the modified Jones model and a sample of large privatisations (minimum US$1 million), it shows that the sampled firms experienced increase in earnings, decrease in cash flows, and increase in current discretionary accruals in the year prior to and/or in the year of privatisation. The SOEs used both short term and long term accruals to inflate reported earnings. These accruals were reversed in the post-privatisation period. These findings suggest that managers of the firms slated for privatisation were engaged in earnings management to inflate their firms‘ financial worth to maximise the privatisation proceeds. Hence, we cannot reject the incidence of earnings management during privatisations in Pakistan. The results imply that the investors should carefully evaluate the to-be-privatised firms and keep in view the possibility of earnings management by the SOEs. JEL Classification: G14, G34, G38, L33, M41 Keywords: Earnings Management, Privatisations, SOEs, Pakistan, Accruals

Do discretionary accruals affect firms’ corporate dividend policy? Evidence from France

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anis Ben Amar ◽  
Olfa Ben Salah ◽  
Anis Jarboui
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Dividend Policy ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Additional Measure ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In financial literature, dividend payout decisions are determined by factors such as debt, liquidity, profitability, size and risk. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of earnings management measured by discretionary accruals based on Dechow et al.’s (1995) model on dividend policy. Design/methodology/approach This research will use panel data analysis to test the effect of earnings management on dividend policy. The authors selected 280, French non-financial companies, listed on the CAC All Tradable index for the 2008-2015 period. Findings Using a sample of 2108 firm-year observations, the authors find a positive impact of earnings management on dividend policies of firms. Besides, there is a positive/negative relationship between the size of the firm and the dividend policy. Moreover, this paper has dealt with some factors such as debt, the risk of the firm and liquidity which may affect the corporate dividend policy. The results are robust as the authors adopted an additional measure of dividend policy. Practical implications The findings may have important implications for analysts, investors, regulators and academics. First, the study shows that earnings management is a common practice in the French context and constitutes a major objective of dividend policy. Better still, identifying the other variables that influence the dividend policy provides a clearer understanding of dividend policy for investors, analysts and academics alike. Second, the study provides ample evidence of agency problems between various partners in French capital markets, highlighting the necessity to establish new corporate governance mechanisms. This is highly relevant for policymakers in their quest for a better financial market. Originality/value This study extends the literature on the impact of dividend thresholds on earnings management by showing that firms run earnings to inform the market that the company can distribute dividends.

Comparing the informativeness of sustainability disclosures versus ESG disclosure ratings

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li Eng ◽  
Mahelet Fikru ◽  
Thanyaluk Vichitsarawong
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Company Valuation ◽  
Incremental Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of sustainability disclosures and disclosure ratings on firm value. This paper compares the informativeness of sustainability disclosures in company reports versus environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure ratings. The authors examine the extent to which they provide incremental information. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of panel data from over 2,600 publicly-listed non-financial US companies for the period 2014–2018. The authors obtain sustainability disclosures from Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Navigator and ESG disclosure scores from Bloomberg. The authors regress market value and/or stock price on sustainability disclosures and ESG scores to evaluate information content. Findings ESG scores are positively associated with market value and price. Sustainability disclosures in the form of metrics and company-tailored narratives provide incremental information content on market value and/or price. Boilerplate disclosures reduce market value and price. Sustainability disclosures and ESG scores provide incremental information, suggesting that it would be beneficial to harmonize standards for reporting sustainability disclosures. Research limitations/implications The limitation is that the authors have only considered sustainability disclosures for a sample of US companies from two sources – SASB Navigator and Bloomberg. Practical implications The paper provides some evidence that may be pertinent to the debate on whether to harmonize the guidance on reporting sustainability issues. Social implications The paper provides evidence on the benefits to firms for reporting sustainability issues. Originality/value This paper is among the first to analyze company sustainability disclosures obtained from two different sources – SASB Navigator and ESG disclosure ratings – and compare them for relevance for company valuation. With SASB Navigator, the authors obtain further refinement into the nature of the information provided in the sustainability disclosures, that is, boilerplate, company-tailored or metrics disclosures.

The role of audit committees in mitigating earnings management: evidence from Jordan

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taha Almarayeh ◽  
Modar Abdullatif ◽  
Beatriz Aibar-Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between audit committees (ACs) and earnings management (EM) in the developing country context of Jordan. In particular, it investigates whether audit committee attributes, including their size, independence, expertise and meetings, are able to restrict discretionary accruals as a proxy for EM.Design/methodology/approachThe generalized least square (GLS) regression was used to study the association between audit committee attributes and discretionary accruals, as a proxy of EM, for a sample of industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) during the period 2012–2020. Data were obtained from the firms' annual reports.FindingsThe regression results indicate that audit committee independence is the only audit committee attribute that seems to improve the effectiveness of ACs, in that it is significantly associated with less EM, while other audit committee attributes that were tested do not show statistically significant associations.Research limitations/implicationsIn emerging markets, like Jordan, ACs may not be an efficient monitoring mechanism; therefore, it can be argued that the prediction made by the agency theory about the role of ACs in mitigating opportunistic EM activities does not necessarily apply to all contexts.Practical implicationsA better understanding of audit committee effectiveness in developing countries could help regulators in these countries assess the impact of planned corporate governance (CG) reforms and to better monitor and enhance the performance of ACs.Social implicationsIn a setting characterized by closely held companies, high power distance and low demand for high-quality CG mechanisms, this study contributes to understanding how this business system operates, and how improving CG mechanisms could be successful in such cultures.Originality/valueThis study investigates the under-researched relationship between audit committee characteristics and EM in developing countries. In so doing, it aims to provide new insights into this relationship within the developing context case of Jordan, including if and how the institutional setting influences this relationship.

scholarly journals The impact of CEOs’ accounting backgrounds on earnings management and conservatism

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-24
Author(s):  
Nan Hu ◽  
Rong Huang ◽  
Xu Li ◽  
Ling Liu
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Good News ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Research ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Existing literature in experimental accounting research suggests that accounting professionals and people with accounting backgrounds tend to have a lower level of moral reasoning and ethical development. Motivated by these findings, this paper aims to examine whether chief executive officers (CEOs) with accounting backgrounds have an impact on firms’ earnings management behavior and the level of accounting conservatism. Design/methodology/approach The authors classify CEOs into those with and without accounting backgrounds using BoardEx data. Using discretionary accruals from several different models, they do not find that CEOs with accounting backgrounds are more likely to engage in income-increasing accruals. However, the authors find that CEOs with accounting backgrounds exhibit lower levels of conservatism, proxied by C-scores and T-scores (Basu, 1997). This finding suggests that CEOs with accounting backgrounds recognize bad news more quickly than good news, consistent with the accounting principle of “anticipating all losses but anticipating no gains”. Findings The authors show that firms whose CEOs have accounting backgrounds exhibit lower levels of accounting conservatism. However, these firms do not exhibit higher levels of income-increasing discretionary accruals. This study documents the impact of CEOs’ educational backgrounds on firms’ accounting choices and confirms prior findings in experimental accounting research using large sample archival data. Originality/value This paper is the first study that investigates the impact of CEOs’ accounting backgrounds on firms’ financial reporting policy. The findings may have some policy implications. If accounting backgrounds of CEOs can make a significant difference on firms’ behavior, it is reasonable to make CEOs accountable for the quality of financial reporting. This paper is one of the first to empirically test inferences drawn by experimental accounting research. There has been a gap between archival and experimental accounting studies. The authors propose that interesting research questions can be addressed by filling in such a gap.

scholarly journals EARNINGS MANAGEMENT TO ACHIEVE BENCHMARK TARGETS: A CASE OF SERBIAN LISTED COMPANIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18
Author(s):  
Awidat Marai ◽  
Vladan Pavlovic ◽  
Goranka Knezevic ◽  
Yousf Almahrog
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Reported Earnings

The aim of this study is to investigate whether and how Serbian companies manage earnings to avoid losses and to avoid earnings decreases. The empirical evidence found in this study shows that there is a discontinuity in the distribution of reported earnings around the zero earnings benchmark suggesting that Serbian companies engage in earnings management to avoid reporting losses.  Furthermore, this continuity disappears when we subtracted discretionary accruals from reported earnings indicating that Serbian companies use discretionary accruals as a tool for earnings management. However, the distribution of earnings does not provide evidence that Serbian companies manage earnings to avoid earnings decreases. These results are robust to alternative methods of scaling earnings and various ways of estimating discretionary accruals.

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