Earnings Management Activities Research Articles

Corporate integrity culture and credit rating assessment

Recent research has started to acknowledge the vital role of soft information in shaping credit rating outcomes. We extend this literature by investigating the effect of corporate integrity culture on the credit rating process and document a significant positive relationship between a culture of integrity and corporate credit ratings. We further show that this relationship is from both an indirect effect of integrity on a reduced financial risk, and a direct effect of integrity in signalling the creditworthiness of the underlying firm. When an alternative signalling device, such as firm reputation, earnings management activity, and Carbon Disclosure Project involvement, contradicts with integrity culture, integrity is no longer a significant predictor of credit ratings. Our results suggest that corporate culture plays an important role in the credit rating assessment process.

Multiple large shareholders, earnings management, and operating risk: Empirical evidence from China

This study uses the annual financial data of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2020 to investigate the relationship between multiple large shareholders (MLS) and earnings management (EM). After analyzing the samples using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model and endogenous switching regression (ESR) model, the empirical results show that the presence of MLS can increase corporate EM activities and the MLS have a significantly positive effect on EM in both the treatment and control groups. In addition, this conclusion still holds after conducting multiple robustness tests. The cross-section analysis shows that the external audit supervision quality, institutional shareholders, and the uncertainty of the external economic environment have significant impacts on the baseline model results. Lastly, mediation effect analysis shows that the presence of MLS increases the corporate operating risk through EM activities. The conclusions of this paper are critical for policymakers to supervise China’s capital market, improve the level of corporate governance of China’s listed firms, and further promote reform of ownership structure.

Does conservatism influence earnings management activities?: The Case of Singapore and Indonesian Firms

Does conservatism influence earnings management activities?: The Case of Singapore and Indonesian Firms

The Impact of Audit Quality on Earnings Management: Evidence from Listed Companies in Sri Lanka

Earnings Management (EM) is related to the manipulation of reported income through accounting practices and decisions. With the occurrence of numerous financial collapses and failures, the reliability of the audit function has been challenged, as auditors play a critical role in expressing an opinion on the financial statements. This study investigates the impact of Audit Quality on EM in Sri Lankan listed companies. This study employs Modified Jones model to examine earnings management practices through Discretionary Accruals (DA). The selected proxies of audit quality which are Length of Audit Tenure, Audit Firm Size and Auditor Independence are the independent variables. The data is collected from annual reports for the financial periods 2015 - 2020 and audit reports for the financial period 2012 - 2020 of listed companies on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). This study employed descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multivariate analysis to analyze the data. Based on the quantitative analysis, the results demonstrated that the association between audit firm size and earnings management in Sri Lankan listed companies is negative and significant. It was found that the level of EM between companies using Big 4 auditors and those using non-Big 4 auditors is much lower. This study revealed that auditor independence and EM have a significant negative association. It was suggested that independent auditors have a greater ability to regulate and identify EM activities through company management. Further, this study exposed that there is an insignificant association between the length of audit tenure and earnings management. These findings are useful to shareholders in appointing or reappointing auditors. Furthermore, this study enables stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, to examine the presence of EM practices in listed companies of CSE.

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOUR IN POLAND

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic turbulence on the extent and intensity of earnings management practices according to the opinions of representatives of non-financial companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). Methodology. This study is based on the method of standardised computer-assisted questionnaire interviews (CATI). The research sample consisted of 37.1% of all companies indexed on the WSE Main Market that do not operate in the banking, insurance or capital market services sectors. The target respondents were managers, employees of financial and accounting services and other persons authorised by the company's managerial staff representatives. Results. The survey findings showed that the economic turbulence caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic contributed to an increase in earnings management activities in public companies. Respondents who reported that the companies they represented deliberately manipulated earnings were much more confident about the negative impact of the pandemic crisis on the quality of reported data. An interesting finding of the research is that respondents who had experienced earnings management in their professional practice were more likely to believe that the pandemic had distorted the credibility of reported earnings. Finally, the study provided statistical evidence that respondents from larger companies were more likely than respondents from smaller companies to say that the economic crisis related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic contributed to an increase in earnings management activities. Practical implications. This investigation may draw the attention of market participants to the deterioration in the financial reporting of non-financial public companies during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The intensification of profit manipulation may not only distort the current perception of the company's economic performance, but also deteriorate the future value of companies. In addition, the findings provide valuable information for statutory auditors, as they highlight potential audit risks that may arise with the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Value/originality. Unlike most studies on the subject, this research does not focus on the estimated values of discretionary accruals, but on the knowledge and experience of financial professionals who are familiar with the specifics of the Polish capital market. An original contribution to the literature is the inclusion in the study of potential factors that could influence the respondents' perception of the impact of the consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 turbulence on the pattern and intensity of the earnings management phenomenon.

THE EFFECT OF CSR ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT: MODERATING ROLE OF BOARD DIVERSITY IN PAKISTANI LISTED FIRMS

This study examines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Earnings Management (EM) relationship with moderating role of board diversity of two types, i.e., female and foreign directorships on board. Content analysis is used for measurement of CSR through a data sample of 274 firms from the non-financial sector listed on Pakistan stock exchange for years 2012, 2014, and 2015. However, EM is measured over three discretionary accruals models Jones, Modified Jones, and Kothari models. Based on the results of descriptive analysis, it has been found that the level of CSR reporting has been improved in the post-CSR guidelines period as compared to the pre-CSR guidelines period. While results of regression analysis report that the higher CSR level of an organization the lesser would be the EM activities. This study suggests managers to concentrate upon CSR and board diversity for better earning management. Impact of board diversity on relationship as a moderator makes this study more novel because, as far as our research and previous literature is concerned, there has been very limited literature on this topic.

Assessing the Practice of Earnings Management in COVID-19 Era. Landscape of European Companies: An International Comparison

Beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 crisis holds for firms all over the world. Under these circumstances, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the landscape of the European countries in terms of the earnings manipulation in COVID-19 era. Therefore, we compared companies from 15 European countries. The results show that the deteriorating economic conditions caused by COVID-19 are reflected in the managers’ activity for earnings management in the context of European companies. Moreover, the panorama of earnings management activities in Europe is quite heterogeneous and inconsistent as we observe significant differences between European countries in the practice of earnings management. Additionally, rather than a single incentive or factor, we find a wide range of variables that affected managers’ decisions to engage in earnings manipulation in COVID-19 times. Indeed, the results show that lack of growth opportunity caused by the pandemic, increased amount of debt, volatility of cash flow or sales, even size, age, or book value, were variables that influenced managers’ decisions to manipulate earnings in pandemic. In addition, the industry effect cannot be separated from the impact of COVID-19.  Surprisingly, institutional mechanisms of control, including audit quality or board monitoring, which are widely documented in the literature as limiting earnings management, were ineffective in the COVID-19 period. The presence of mechanisms of control is considered essential variables that limit the practices of earnings management, but even these can occasionally fail, as confirmed our study.

Apakah Komisaris Independen Memoderasi Hubungan Koneksi Politik, Kepemilikan Institusional, Dan Manajemen Laba?

Purpose: This research aims to empirically prove the influence of political connections, institutional ownership and independent commissioners on earnings management in non-cyclical consumer sector manufacturing companies listed on the IDX in 2018 - 2022. Methodology/approach: this research uses quantitative methods whose data is obtained from the official website of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI). The method used in sampling was purposive sampling, so that the sample obtained in this research was 17 companies with 85 observation data. The data analysis method used is multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS version 25 data processing application software. Findings: The results of this study found that the presence of independent commissioners in the company will create tighter and more objective supervision of the financial reporting process so that it will prevent earnings management actions carried out by politically connected managers and with high institutional ownership within the company the institutions will be able to control company and will avoid earnings management practices. Practical and theoretical contributions/Originality: this research provides benefits for related parties such as investors. The results of this research provide new knowledge and insight for investors when they want to invest in a company. With this research, investors are able to assess and analyze a company whether the company is worthy of investment or not. Research limitations: this research has limitations, namely the difficulty in accessing data on each company's website because there are several companies whose data is incomplete. Apart from that, the sample used was too small due to certain criteria so that the sample was limited and the researcher only focused on one sector.

EARNING MANAGEMENT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INSAN KAMIL

This article aims to analyze earnings management actions from the perspective of Insan Kamil, characterized as an ideal and perfect human figure. In the portrayal of Insan Kamil, there exist strength, insight, deeds, and wisdom. The interpretative method is employed to analyze earnings management actions ontologically, epistemologically, and axiologically. From an ontological standpoint, earnings management is regarded as a science that can be observed and measured based on empirical evidence. In the epistemological context, Insan Kamil is considered to have a profound understanding of ethical and moral values, such as honesty, integrity, transparency, and adherence to professional ethical standards. Earnings management practices involving manipulation or concealment of information are viewed as violations of these values. Axiologically, earnings management actions may be considered as a potential failure to align rationality with moral values, unless such practices do not violate principles of morality and ethics.

Emission rights mortgage and earnings management

Utilizing Chinese A-share listed firms from 2008 to 2021, we examine the impact of emission rights mortgage (ERM) policy on firms’ earnings management practices. We find that ERM can significantly reduce earnings management. Moreover, cross-sectional analysis suggests that the main effect is more pronounced for non-SOEs, firms located in regions with higher levels of marketization, those in more competitive industries, and those facing more severe financial constraints. Our study offers valuable insights into the crucial role of ERM in shaping firms' earnings management activities.

The impact of ERP utilization and ESG practices on earnings management—An empirical study of Taiwan

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system utilization and Environmental, Governance, Social (ESG) practice incorporation have jointly wielded significant influence on various aspects of accounting operations. On the other side, leveraging the robust information infrastructure, Taiwanese firms have widely implemented ERP systems and have been aligning with international ESG initiatives in recent years. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of ERP utilization and ESG practices on real and accrual earnings management among firms listed in Taiwan over an 19-year span from 2003 to 2021. The results of this study suggest duration of ERP implementation has a negative impact on accruals earnings management, but has a positively influence on real management. The results underscore the significant influence of ERP utilization duration on the different aspects of corporate earnings management activity. Additionally, our investigation illustrates a negative association between the corporate assimilation of ESG practices and both real and accrual earnings management. This reveals that enterprises committed to implementing ESG practices highlight long-term substantive operations over the short term periodic performance of financial statements.

Managers’ perception of product market competition and earnings management: a textual analysis of firms’ 10-K reports

PurposeIn this study, the author examines the effect of managers’ perception of product market competition on accruals and real earnings management.Design/methodology/approachThe author develops a new text-based measure of the emphasis managers place on product market competition by conducting a textual analysis of firms’ 10-K filings. Using this measure, the author conducts a battery of econometric analyses and robustness checks to investigate the impact of this measure of product market competition on measures of accruals and real earnings management.FindingsThis study finds robust evidence that when management perceives more competitive threats, they are more likely to engage in accruals-based earnings manipulation but are less likely to engage in real earnings management activity. The author argues that these findings are due to managers’ career concerns enticing them to manage earnings via accrual when competition is high, but that greater product market competition discourages real earning management activity as it can diminish firms’ competitiveness.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper have important policy and practical implications since it signals that managers’ perceptions of product market competition is able to affect accounting choices, information environments and economic outcomes in firms.Originality/valueThis study develops a new text-based measure of managers’ perception of product market competition with the aid of GPT-4. The author then using this measure provides firm-level evidence on how this relates to earnings management.

The governance involvement in the relationship between earnings management and surplus free cash flow

The purpose of this study is to examine empirically the association between surplus free cash flow (SFCF) and earnings management (EM), and the moderating effect of governance on this relationship. The study used a sample of non-financial companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over the ten-year period (2011–2020) with all the information necessary to estimate the study variables. The modified Jones (1991) model is used to estimate discretionary accruals, a widely used proxy for earnings management. Based on the regression analysis of the related panel data collected, the study’s findings indicate that SFCF is positively associated with EM activities. This result is consistent with most prior related study’s findings (Nouri & Gilaninia, 2017; Rahmawati, 2020) and suggests that when growth opportunities are limited, the free cash flow induces management to involve in upward management practices. Additionally, results indicate a significant negative impact of the interaction variable SFCF*AQ (audit quality) on EM, suggesting that, in an SFCF situation, AQ reduces manager’s tendency to involve in upward EM practices. The study’s results are likely to be useful for accounting researchers, local governmental bodies, and policymakers who are concern with the impact of EM practices on the quality of earnings.

기업의 ESG 활동이 이익조정에 미치는 영향

[Purpose]This study emphasizes the importance of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, proposing that it provides incentives for companies to achieve transparent and sustainable management. The study aims to analyze the impact of ESG management on corporate earnings management, particularly focusing on the effect of one financial characteristic, the Return on Sales (ROS), and how ESG influences this relationship. [Methodology]The study utilizes ESG rating data publicly disclosed by the Korea ESG Standards Authority from 2015 to 2022, focusing on manufacturing companies with available ESG ratings. The discretionary accruals were measured using the Jones model as the earnings management variable, and ROS was used to reflect financial characteristics. [Findings]The study found that ESG management tends to reduce corporate earnings management activities. Moreover, while companies with higher ROS were found to engage in more earnings management, the interaction between ROS and ESG management, particularly in terms of ESG integration, environmental (S), and governance (G) components, showed a negative relationship with earnings management. This suggests that ESG management contributes to reducing earnings management. [Implications]The study suggests that ESG management plays a crucial role in enhancing financial transparency and ethical standards in corporations. It was observed that companies with higher total sales profitability, when implementing ESG management, tend to show a decrease in earnings management activities. This indicates that ESG management can be a vital tool for enhancing financial soundness and transparency.

Conservatism as a moderating variable on the determinants of earnings management

This study aims to provide empirical evidence about the determinants that can impact earnings management, through board diligence, ownership concentration, CEO ownership, and CEO tenure, as well as testing conservatism as a moderating variable. Secondary data, specifically information derived from annual financial reports, are utilized in this study. Information for financial reports is acquired from the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) data stream and website from 2013 to 2022, the population of this study comprises all banking institutions listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study’s findings demonstrate that the presence of board diligence significantly hinders earnings management. Moreover, the findings of this study demonstrate that organizations characterized by a significant concentration of ownership will have the capacity to mitigate the prevalence of earnings management practices. Additionally, this study’s findings demonstrate that a reduction in earnings management activities is associated with greater CEO ownership. The findings of this study offer a practical illustration for stakeholders regarding the responsibilities of shareholders, which may prove beneficial in overseeing an organization’s operations. This study shows that high conservatism in companies actually mitigates the good effects of the ownership concentration and CEO ownership variables on earnings management. In summary, this study establishes that companies characterized by elevated levels of conservatism do not actively engage in earnings management practices that are beneficial to the organization. AcknowledgmentThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.

Tone of narrative disclosures and earnings management: UK evidence

This paper investigates whether a relationship exists between the tone of narrative disclosures and engagement in earnings management activities. Using FTSE all-share nonfinancial firms, our estimates show a significant association between the tone of narrative disclosure (measured by the percentage of positive words, negative words, and net tone) and the prevalence of earnings management. The results also suggest that manipulating firms, which represent extreme cases of earnings management, are more likely to use less negative tone to conceal their fraudulent practices. In contrast, non-manipulating firms tend to use more positive tone to mask their involvement in managing earnings. Additionally, the paper examines the market reaction to both earnings management and the tone of narrative disclosure. The findings reveal that earnings management and net tone are positively associated with abnormal market returns for non-manipulating firms, but have no significant association for manipulating firms. Overall, the paper highlights the important role of the tone of narrative disclosures in providing clarity to the numbers presented in annual reports.

The Effect of Real-Profit Management Operations on the Market Returns of Jordanian Industrial Enterprises’ Shares

This research aims to examine the impact of actual earnings management activities on stock market returns. The study utilizes data from 56 industrial corporations listed on the Amman Stock Exchange (AXE) between 2011 and 2020. After removing entities with insufficient data, the sample size was reduced to 43 enterprises. The research findings indicate a significant positive relationship between actual earnings management activities and the market returns of industrial enterprise shares. This study contributes to the existing literature on earnings management by providing evidence on real activity manipulation, which has received less attention so far. Real activity manipulation refers to management actions that deviate from typical business operations to achieve specific profit targets. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to understanding the role of actual earnings management activities in influencing market returns. The results have implications for investors, regulators, and financial analysts, who can use this knowledge to make informed investment decisions, monitor financial reporting practices, and identify potential earnings management activities.

Earnings management and sustainability assurance: The moderating role of CSR committee

AbstractThis study examines the effect of earnings management on the decision to acquire sustainability assurance (SA) reports. It also offers insight into the moderating impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee over the earnings management‐SA nexus. To test the hypotheses, a logit regression for panel data is employed for a sample of 2972 firm‐year observations of non‐financial firms listed on the STOXX Europe 600 during the period 2012–2018. The findings reveal that firms that involve in earnings management, either accrual earnings management or real activities manipulation, tend to obtain SA reports to gain, repair, or maintain their legitimacy. Furthermore, the outcomes show that the existence of CSR committee alleviates the symbolic use of SA. Overall, this study highlights that the sustainability reporting assurance process can be used as a tool to deviate or shift stakeholders' attention from the earnings management techniques used in their reporting. The results, therefore, will benefit standard‐setters, policymakers, and stakeholders to be more cautious in differentiating between the substantial and symbolic SA reports.

Institutional ownership, earnings management and earnings surprises: evidence from 39 years of U.S. data

PurposeAs the influence of institutional investors over managerial decision-making grows, so does the importance of understanding the effect of institutional investor ownership (IO) on firm outcomes. The authors take a comprehensive approach to studying the effect of IO on earnings management (EM).Design/methodology/approach The authors study the relation between IO and EM using a sample of 59,503 listed U.S. firm-year observations from 1981–2019. The authors proxy EM with earnings surprises and with accrual-based and real activity measures. The authors test for nonlinear relations and analyze changes resulting from the passage of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act.FindingsThe findings support a positive IO-EM relation overall, but show that the relation is dynamic and heavily context-dependent with evidence of nonlinearity. The authors also find evidence that IO positively affects accrual-based EM and real activities EM negatively.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of the IO-EM relation to consider evidence of nonlinearity in the U.S. context, measuring changes to the relation over time, and with the use of several measures of EM.

Does stock market liberalisation reduce earnings management? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT This paper employs the Stock Connect programme to examine the impact of stock market liberalisation on the earnings management activities of listed firms in China. Using the time-varying difference-in-difference model, we find that both accrual-based and real earnings management activities decrease after firms join the Stock Connect programme. This reduction effect disappears once the firms leave the programme. These firms may even resume their earnings management activities. We further find that the participation of international investors, the improvement of the information environment, and the strengthening of monitoring power are potential transmission channels for this reduction effect.