Nonaudit Services and Earnings Management in the Pre-SOX and Post-SOX Eras

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayanthi Krishnan ◽  
Lixin (Nancy) Su ◽  
Yinqi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Subsequent Reduction ◽  
Economic Dependence ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
The Impact

SUMMARY Concerns about the impact of auditor-provided nonaudit services (NAS) on auditor independence arise because of (1) auditors' economic dependence on their clients, and (2) some specific types of NAS which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) argues can harm auditor objectivity. The SEC's prohibition in 2003 of specific kinds of NAS led to a significant decline in NAS between 2000–2001 and 2004–2005. We argue that this decline in observed NAS fees can be used to identify firms that had a greater likelihood of impaired auditor independence in the pre-SOX period. Using discretionary accruals to proxy for earnings management, we find a positive association between discretionary accruals in the pre-SOX era and the subsequent reduction in NAS, but this was confined to income-decreasing accruals. Further, the association between downward earnings management and the decline in NAS was reduced in the post-SOX era.

Auditor Independence: Evidence on the Joint Effects of Auditor Tenure and Nonaudit Fees

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinand A. Gul ◽  
Bikki L. Jaggi ◽  
Gopal V. Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
Joint Effects ◽  
Auditor Tenure ◽  
Client Firm ◽  
The Impact

This study examines whether the impact of nonaudit fees on auditor independence is contingent on auditor tenure. The results, based on a sample of 4,720 U.S. firms for the years 2000 and 2001, show that there is a positive association between nonaudit fees and positive discretionary current accruals, a proxy for auditor independence, for firms with short auditor tenure of not more than three years. These findings suggest that nonaudit fees may impair auditor independence when auditor tenure is short and not when auditor tenure is long. Furthermore, exploratory analyses show that the positive association between nonaudit fees and earnings management for firms with short auditor tenure is significant for small clients but not for large clients. Taken together, these results suggest that the association between nonaudit fees and auditor independence is contingent upon auditor tenure, and that high nonaudit fees have a negative impact on auditor independence when audit tenure is short and client firm size is small.

Do Investors' Perceptions Vary with Types of Nonaudit Fees? Evidence from Auditor Ratification Voting

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suchismita Mishra ◽  
K. Raghunandan ◽  
Dasaratha V. Rama
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Auditor Independence ◽  
The Other ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Nonaudit Services ◽  
Recent Initiative

In FRR No. 68, the SEC (2003b) updated the rules related to the disclosure of fees paid to the independent auditor by requiring more detailed information about nonaudit fees. The SEC (2002, 2003b) asserted that the partition of nonaudit fees into the categories of audit-related, tax, and other fees would be useful for investors in assessing the auditor's independence and in voting on ratifying the auditor. The SEC suggested that investors would view audit-related and tax services more favorably than “other” nonaudit services. In this paper we test the SEC's assertions by examining shareholder ratification votes, during 2003, at 248 of the S&P 1500 firms. Our results support the SEC's assertion that investors would view audit-related fees differently than the other two types of nonaudit fees. However, contrary to the SEC's assertion, both the tax fee ratio and the other fee ratio have a positive association with the proportion of votes against auditor ratification. The results related to tax fees provide empirical support to the PCAOB's recent initiative to examine the association between tax services and auditor independence. Our results can be useful for client managements and audit committees considering purchases of nonaudit services from auditors. Our findings also suggest that it may be useful to replicate some prior studies (that use a single measure of nonaudit fees) using the newer, more finely partitioned, fee data.

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.

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.

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.

Earnings Management and Stock Liquidity

2021 ◽  
pp. 66-84
Author(s):  
Hakan Özkaya
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Market Liquidity ◽  
Stock Liquidity ◽  
Turnover Ratio ◽  
Liquidity Measures

This chapter tests whether the earnings management practices in Turkey are considered informative or opportunistic by outside investors by examining its effect on stock liquidity. Earnings management is measured by discretionary accruals calculated by two different competing methods. Stock liquidity is also proxied by two different measures: the illiquidity measure of Amihud and the turnover ratio. Amihud's illiquidity measure indicates firms' daily price responses associated with the trading volume and the turnover ratio indicates how many times a stock changes its owner in a year. Relevant control variables are also included in the models. A positive association between earnings management and stock liquidity implies informative earnings management and vice versa. Earnings management is found to be positively associated with stock market liquidity. Results favor the informative earnings management view for Turkish firms and are robust to alternative specifications of earnings management and stock liquidity measures.

Life Satisfaction and Occupational Retirement: Beyond the Impact Year

1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill D. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Voluntary Association ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Association Area ◽  
The Impact

This article examines three theoretical perspectives relative to the prediction of life satisfaction following retirement. Hypotheses derived from crisis, continuity, and consistency theories were systematically examined with regard to the pre- and post-retirement satisfaction scores of 114 male respondents (mean age 69 years). The data confirm one of four crisis hypotheses. Specifically, individuals underwent a decline in satisfaction with retirement. Similarly, only one of three continuity hypotheses was partially confirmed. A positive association obtained between satisfaction and orientational change in the voluntary association area. Contrary to the theory, however, respondents underwent a significant decline in satisfaction. Finally, only one of the consistency hypotheses was substantiated. In general, expectational disconfirmations relative to retirement did not result in lowered satisfaction.

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 The impact of earning management on market earnings value: the causal study on the level of accruals

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Muljanto Siladjaja ◽  
Yuli Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Discretionary Accruals ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Earning Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Financial Report ◽  
Public Firms ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this research is to test investors capability to detect earning management after the period of publication, when the information from financial report plays critical role in investment’s decision. Given the feedback of investor’s reaction, this research provides an empirical model, that point out the earnings management as a message or signal of firm performance, particularly of negative perception on accruals’s opportunisties. This research uses path model analysis and multivariate regression, where the data have been collected from 2.560 observations. The unit of analysis of this research was all the listed companies in the period 20012017. The method of sampling was purposive sampling, which based on annual financial report. The findings of this research showed that all public firms have systematic method for earnings management, by distinguishing the positive and negative accruals, the discretionary accruals have the negative influence on the market value significantly, when we used the earning market ratio. When financial report had high accruals quality, it had positive perception from investors, while estimating the future prospect with high accuracy by obtaining usefulness of financial report. The indicator of earnings management, and working capital had been sensitive for investors, because of accruals in reporting firm’s performance. Keywords: Discretionary Accruals, Working Capital, Dividend Pay Out, Quality of Accruals, Cost of Capital.

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