scholarly journals Accounting Standards, Reporting Incentives, and Earnings Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Song ◽  
Jennifer L. Bannister
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Reporting Behavior ◽  
Domestic Firms ◽  
External Monitoring ◽  
Reporting Incentives ◽  
The U.S

In this study, we examine which factor, firms’ accounting standards or firms’ reporting incentives, has a greater impact on firms’ earnings management behavior. To answer this question, we utilize unique hand-collected data that consists of foreign firms cross-listed in the U.S. using U.S. GAAP. This interesting setting allows us to control for differing accounting standards and external monitoring from the SEC between foreign firms and their U.S. domestic counterparts. Therefore, if there is any observed difference in the level of firms’ earnings management, that difference can be mainly attributed to firms’ reporting incentives rather than firms’ accounting standards. Our findings suggest that cross-listed foreign firms using U.S. GAAP exhibit more accruals-based and real activities earnings management relative to domestic firms. The results suggest that accounting standards, regulations, and enforcement is not enough to eliminate opportunistic reporting behavior. Firm incentives will still impact the magnitude of earnings management. This finding is particularly important given the hot debate regarding whether the U.S should adopt IFRS or not. No matter what accounting standards firms choose, U.S GAAP or IFRS, firms’ earnings quality can still vary with differing reporting incentives.

The impact of the global economic crisis of 2008 on earnings quality in Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-421
Author(s):  
Jose Miranda-Lopez ◽  
Ivan Valdovinos-Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Income Smoothing ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Economic Crisis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the earnings quality of companies listed on Mexico’s primary stock market, the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (Bolsa) before and during the global economic crisis of 2008. Previous research has shown that these economic events can have potentially conflicting effects on the quality of earnings of listed companies in capital markets around the world. Design/methodology/approach This paper operationalizes earnings quality based on earnings management. Therefore, four constructs to proxy for earnings quality are developed from previous literature, and multiple regression analysis along with tests of differences across two time periods, 2005–2007 and 2008–2010, are used to determine if there is a significant change in the accounting quality of companies listed on the Bolsa before and after the start of the global economic crisis. Findings Results indicate a statistically significant decrease of earnings quality on three out of the four constructs used to proxy for earnings management. There is only one construct in this category that shows a significant increase of earnings quality. Research limitations/implications There are different number of constructs and methodologies used to test for earnings quality. This study draws on four different constructs on two dimensions of earnings quality from previous literature, but other methodologies and constructs can potentially be used as well, such as discretionary accruals. Furthermore, there is a chance that there can be confounding factors affecting the results of this study besides the effects of the global economic crisis. Finally, the sample used in this study comprises non-financial public companies listed on the Bolsa, which can affect the generalization of the results to countries other than Mexico. Practical implications The results of this study can be of interest to Mexican and foreign investors, standard setters and regulators of the Bolsa, as the results show a strong incentive to manage companies’ earnings using income smoothing in an emerging economy during an economic crisis even after converging to a higher-quality set of accounting standards. Results can also be of interests to investors and regulators in other Latin-American countries with economies similar to that of Mexico. Originality/value This is the first study to test the quality of earnings of Mexican companies before and during the global economic crisis of 2008. Thus, this study contributes to the accounting quality literature by offering evidence showing a significant increase of income smoothing during the global economic crisis for companies listed in a developing economy with a relevant history of economic crises, even when these companies were using recently converged, higher-quality accounting standards.

scholarly journals Influence of board interlocking on earnings management

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (74) ◽  
pp. 179-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Roberto da Cunha ◽  
Marcio Roberto Piccoli
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Board Member ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Degree Centrality ◽  
Management Behavior ◽  
Governance Practices

ABSTRACT The participation of directors on more than one board is called “board interlocking”. This phenomenon contributes to the spread of management and governance practices, through directors sharing their knowledge and experiences on other boards. Thus, directors could “carry” the earnings management practices present in one company into another in which they sit on the board. It is assumed that the greater directors’ direct or indirect connections on boards, the greater the sharing of information, especially information that can be reflected in company earnings quality. In light of the above, the aim of this study is to verify the influence of board interlocking on earnings management in companies listed on the São Paulo Stock, Commodities, and Futures Exchange (BM&FBovespa). The study is characterized as descriptive, quantitative, and documentary, and uses a sample of companies listed on the BM&FBOVESPA between 2011 and 2013. For earnings management, the model from Kang and Sivaramakrishnan (1995) was used, while for interlocking, degree centrality measures were used for direct board member connections, and intermediation centrality for indirect connections. The results indicate that earnings management is influenced by the interlocking of board members. It is concluded that the greater the degree centrality, the greater positive earnings management is, and that variations in positive and negative accruals are influenced by board member intermediation. The results reinforce the idea that earnings management behavior can be transferred between companies by the directors that make up their boards.

Restoring the Tower of Babel: How Foreign Firms Communicate with U.S. Investors

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 1453-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell J. Lundholm ◽  
Rafael Rogo ◽  
Jenny Li Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Home Country ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Institutional Ownership ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Stock Exchanges ◽  
Press Releases ◽  
Tower Of Babel ◽  
Earnings Press Releases ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT: We examine the readability of text and the use of numbers in the annual filings and earnings press releases of foreign firms listed on U.S. stock exchanges. We find that foreign firms generally write clearer text and present relatively more numerical data than their U.S. firm counterparts. More importantly, we find that the readability of the text and use of numbers increases as the foreign firms get geographically further from the U.S. It also increases as the foreign firm's home country has greater differences in accounting standards or investor protection laws relative to the U.S. Further corroborating our results, we also find that these communication efforts are partially successful. Within a country, firms that produce relatively more readable disclosures attract relatively more U.S. institutional ownership. Collectively, our results suggest that foreign firms are responding to a perceived reluctance on the part of U.S. investors to own them and attempt to lower the investors' information disadvantage or psychological distance by providing clearer and more concrete disclosures.

scholarly journals Storming the Beachhead: An Examination of Developed and Emerging Market Multinational Strategic Location Decisions in the U.S.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Denise R. Dunlap ◽  
Roberto S. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Regional Development ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Domestic Firms ◽  
Location Patterns ◽  
The U.S

Entering a foreign market is challenging given the fierce competition posed by local incumbents. The literature suggests that when entering a foreign market, it is advantageous to locate where there are agglomeration benefits. Given the dynamic nature of regional development, foreign firms have multiple location options. While the literature has primarily focused on developed country multinationals’ (DMNEs) location decisions, emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) are increasingly becoming influential in high-tech industries. Due to differences in DMNE and EMNE resource endowments, they may consider alternative options when locating abroad and, thus, we examine these nuances. Using multinomial logistic regression, we investigate domestic and foreign location patterns of firms within the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry as of 2018. We constructed a unique dataset of 19,962 U.S. locations and examined the location patterns of DMNEs and EMNEs from 61 countries and territories. Given the heterogeneity of regional development in the U.S., we developed a typology that stratifies regions into four categories (developed, growth, transitioning, and nascent). Counterintuitively, we find that foreign multinationals are more likely to be attracted to less developed regions than domestic firms and have different location patterns, not only compared to domestic firms, but also with respect to each other.

Economic Effects of Tightening Accounting Standards to Restrict Earnings Management

2005 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Ewert ◽  
Alfred Wagenhofer
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Rational Expectations ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Economic Effects ◽  
Real Earnings Management ◽  
Accounting Earnings ◽  
Marginal Benefit ◽  
Accounting Earnings Management

This paper examines the usual claim that tighter accounting standards reduce earnings management and provide more relevant information to the capital market. We distinguish between accounting and real earnings management and assume that a standard setter can only influence accounting earnings management by the tightness of standards. In a rational expectations equilibrium model, we find that earnings quality increases with tighter standards, but we identify several consequences that may outweigh this benefit. First, managers increase costly real earnings management because the higher earnings quality increases the marginal benefit of real earnings management. Second, tighter standards can increase rather than decrease expected accounting and total earnings management. Third, the expected total costs of earnings management can also increase. We provide conditions for the occurrence of each of these effects.

Why Are Foreign Firms Listed in the U.S. Worth More?

CFA Digest ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-55
Author(s):  
William H. Sackley
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Firms ◽  
The U.S
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