Measures Of Earnings Management Research Articles

Telaah Konseptual atas Berbagai Model Pengukuran Earnings Management: Edisi Revisi

As explained by Healy and Wahlen (1999), earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers’.  Several accounting researchers have proposed models for detecting the earnings management, e.g, Healy model (1985), De Angelo model (1986), Jones model (1991), Industry model (1991), Modified Jones Model (1995), Dechow & Dichev model (2002), Kothari Model (2005), Classification Shifting Model (McVay, 2006), Stubben Model (2010), the new approach model (2011), etc.  This study aims to evaluate those of earnings management models, which is the most accurate in measuring earnings management.  After comparing those earnings management models, this study concludes that the new approach model is able to overcome the weaknesses in other models, thus, so far it is the most accurate model in measuring the earnings management.

Standard Jones and Modified Jones: An Earnings Management Tutorial

ABSTRACT Context: measurement of earnings management usually requires multi-step models for computation. After examining the literature through bibliometrics studies, literature review, and research databases, we found that the Standard Jones model and its subsequent modifications are those that have more prominent use. Much of this research is potentially interesting for business theories related to earnings quality and accounting manipulation; however, it is difficult to be understood by junior researchers and practitioners, because they are not clearly described in the literature or the steps may be easy to confuse. Objective: in this tutorial, we present several key concepts about earnings management and explain, step by step, how to measure it. Method: our tutorial considers measurement using the following models: Standard Jones, Modified Jones, Modified Jones with return on assets (ROA), and Modified Jones using Cash Flows and Accruals Reversals. Conclusions: our main contribution with this tutorial is to provide a step-by-step guide for future studies, so that they can be more comparable with each other when using measurement methods of earnings management.

The impact of leverage on earnings management: A case study of listed manufacturing companies in Viet Nam in the period of 2017-2019

The research examines the impact of leverage on earnings management: a case study of listed manufacturing companies in Viet Nam in the period of 2017-2019. Leverage is measured by the ratio of long-term debt to the total book value of equity. Earnings management is measured by using accrual-based measures (AEM) and real earnings management measures (REM). Data comprises 45 manufacturing companies on Vietnam stock markets (HNX and HOSE) that have increasing or high leverage in the period 2017-2019, forming 135 observations. Multiple regression analysis with panel data is used to estimate the impact of leverage on earnings management. Results research show that firm leverage has a positive effect on earnings management using accrual-based measures (AEM) and has a negative effect on earnings management using real earnings management (REM) measures but with no statistical significance. Results research suggest that leverage changes and leverage levels may have differing impacts on earnings management based on AEM and REM. Additionally, the research finds that firm performance (ROA) is associated with positive earnings management, and firm size (SIZE) is associated with negative earnings management.

Earnings Management and Dividend Policy: Evidence from a Frontier Market

Profit or the earnings figure of an entity plays a vibrant role in transmitting information to the decision-makers especially, for the investors. However, if that figure is manipulated, the main objective of the financial reporting becomes valueless. This study investigates the manifestation of earnings management in two selected sectors at the Colombo Stock Exchange and tests the impact of earnings management on dividend policy. The study selected the manufacturing sector and hotel and travel sector companies from 2012 to 2019 as the sample. We employed descriptive statistics, rankings, and panel regression analysis as the main tools of analysis in the study. Dividend policy is measured via dividend yield and dividend payout ratio, while real earnings management approach and total accruals are used as proxies to measure earnings management. In addition, the size of the firm and leverage are used as control variables of the study. The findings reveal that there is no significant impact of earnings management on dividend policy in both sectors. However, the results discovered that the company's preceding year dividend policy is the primary concern to decide the current year dividend policy of the selected sectors. The study becomes original as the first attempt to investigate the impact of earnings management on dividend policy in the Sri Lankan context and compare two vital sectors. The findings assist stakeholders, especially investors and managers, in their decision-making process.

EFFECT OF PROFIT MANAGEMENT, FINANCIAL RATIO AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MECHANISM ON BOND RATING

Bond ratings issued by rating agencies assist investors in selecting bonds. Bond ratings are very useful for investors and issuers, namely providing information about the company's ability to pay off the bonds issued. The rating issued gives a signal to investors on the quality and risk of a bond. The rating process is carried out by the rating agency by taking into account various factors, such as financial factors through financial ratios, earnings management measures and corporate governance mechanisms. This study aims to provide empirical evidence that earnings management, financial ratios and corporate governance mechanisms affect bond ratings. The subjects of this research are companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and listed on PT. PEFINDO 2008-2011. The sample selection was done by purposive sampling method, in order to obtain 11 companies that meet the criteria with 4 years of observation. The data used in the form of secondary data derived from the financial statements and bond rating database of PT. PEFINDO, while the data analysis used logistic regression analysis. The results show that earnings management, liquidity ratios, managerial ownership and audit quality have an effect on bond ratings. Meanwhile, the activity ratio, market value ratio, institutional ownership and independent commissioners have no effect on bond ratings. The conclusion of this study is that of the 8 variables used in this study only earnings management variables, liquidity ratios, managerial ownership and audit quality can be used to predict a company's bond rating. Suggestions that can be given are that the next researcher can replace the research sample using financial companies, add a complete corporate governance variable and be careful in interpreting a company's financial ratios.

The Effect of Stock Market Listing on Real Earnings Management: Evidence From Algerian Companies

Abstract This paper aims to explore the effect of the Algiers Stock Exchange listing on real earnings management. The study included 14 non-financial non-listed companies during the period 2015-2019 and six non-financial listed companies during the period 2010-2019. Due to the small number of companies listed on the Algiers Stock Exchange, the period of study was extended in the case of listed companies to provide enough observations. The measurement of real earnings management is based on the model of abnormal cash flows from operations (Roychowdhury, 2006), while the hypothesis testing is based on a model of multiple linear regression. The results indicate that the company size and the nature of financial statement (consolidation) do not have any effect on real earnings management in Algerian companies. The results are not consistent with the author’s hypothesis about the positive effect of stock market listing on real earnings management. The empirical evidence suggests that the Algiers Stock Exchange listing has had a negative effect on real earnings management in Algerian companies. This might be due to the scrutiny of auditors and regulators as the number of companies is easy to control, which decreases the opportunity for Algerian companies to rely on real earnings management in accordance with the opportunistic or informational view.

PENGARUH NARSISME CEO TERHADAP KUALITAS LABA DALAM LAPORAN KEUANGAN DENGAN VARIABEL KONTROL SIZE DAN EDUC

This study was conducted to determine the effect of CEO narcissism on earnings quality by using SIZE and EDUC as control variables. The population in this study were all state-owned companies that were listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2015 to the observation period in 2018. The total population was 20. The method used was purposive sampling to determine the sample. CEO narcissism is measured by the size of the CEO's self-image in the company's annual report. Measurement of accrual earnings management is done using the Modified Jones Model. The results of the study concluded that CEO narcissism and the control variable SIZE had an effect on earnings quality. The EDUC control variable has no significant effect on the quality of earnings of BUMN companies in Indonesia.

Financial Distress, the Severity of Financial Distress and Direction of Earnings Management: Evidences from Indian Economy

This paper investigates the relationship between earnings management and financial distress and considers whether this relationship varies based on the severity of financial distress and signs of discretionary accruals (a proxy for earnings management). For this purpose, multiple regression analysis has been employed on a sample of 192 financially distressed Indian firms during the period 2011–2018, counting to 1,272 firm-year observations. Discretionary accruals are estimated by the Modified Jones model and Raman and Shahrur (2008) model, while Altman’s Z-score and distance-to-default model are used to detect the degree of financial distress. The findings disclose that the low distressed firms are indulged in higher earnings management than high distressed firms. Also, the low distressed firms are engaged more in income-decreasing earnings management. However, the results are not consistent across both earnings management and distress measures. The findings have significant implications for investors and creditors. They need to be aware of this fact while evaluating creditworthiness of a firm since firms with even a low degree of financial distress can indulge in earnings management to camouflage their true financial condition.

Impact of Improved Corporate Governance and Regulations on Earnings Management Practices—Analysis of 7 Industries from the Indian National Stock Exchange

This study investigates discretionary earnings management practices, tracing the changes over the years in selected top performing and highly liquid listed Indian firms. It empirically measures the impact of corporate governance, financial legislation and global reporting standards on the firms’ earnings management practices. The study analyses a sample of 712 firm-year data comprising 89 listed Indian companies across 7 different sectoral indices of the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) over 8 years (2011–2018). The Modified Jones model was used to compute Discretionary Accruals to measure Earnings Management based on data obtained using Bloomberg terminals. Statistical results and plots generated in Stata offer evidence that instances of earnings management have significantly reduced after the enactment of the Companies Act 2013 and the adoption of Indian Accounting standards which are converged with the IFRS. Findings suggest that services firms are engaging in relatively higher levels of earnings management compared to manufacturing firms. This study reveals the positive impact of improved corporate governance, regulation, and enforcement by significantly reducing the levels of earnings management among listed firms in India.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Earnings Management: Moderating Impact of Economic Cycles and Financial Performance

This study analyses the relationship between earnings management and corporate social responsibility. To this end, we use a sample of 568 listed companies from the European Union between 2010 and 2018. We use discretionary accruals as the measure of earnings management, under the Modified Jones model. Corporate social responsibility is proxied by the Combined Environmental, Social and Governance Score from the ASSET4 database. We find a negative relation between earnings management and corporate social responsibility, suggesting that managers from more socially responsible companies have a more ethical behavior and, thus, financial reporting of higher quality. Additional analysis provides evidence that economic cycles and financial performance play important roles in the relation between earnings management and corporate social responsibility. During periods of crisis or of losses, the relationship is positive, suggesting that under unfavorable economic conditions, management makes opportunistic use of a sustainable company’s status to manage earnings.

For whom (and for when) is the firm governed? The effect of changes in corporate fiduciary duties on tax strategies and earnings management

AbstractThe proper object of the fiduciary duties of corporate directors and officers is frequently described as the central question in all corporate law. We use the adoption of constituency statutes, which shift the loci of corporate managers' duties from shareholders to a wide range of stakeholders, as a quasi‐natural experiment to determine the actual impact of fiduciary duties. We find that though the adoption of constituency statutes has no significant effect on measures of earnings management, it has a robust effect on firms' effective tax rate, which increases in a range between 0.570% and 1.903%. These results are robust in terms of various measures of the firm's effective tax rate. We provide explanations for why fiduciary duties apparently do not influence manager behaviours in relation to shareholders but do affect their behaviours in relation to the taxing authority. We argue that a change to fiduciary duties does not appear to alter the motivation of managers to maximize shareholder welfare outcomes, but rather it allows them to eschew short‐term strategies that often impair long‐term outcomes.

Why Firms Announce Good News Late: Earnings Management and Financial Reporting Timeliness*

ABSTRACTPrior studies find that delayed earnings announcements tend to communicate unfavorable news, and investors react negatively when firms delay earnings announcements. However, these findings do not explain why investors discount delayed earnings, even after controlling for the earnings news, and why firms sometimes announce good news late. Motivated by theory from Trueman (1990) that attempts to explain these phenomena, we examine whether announcement delays indicate earnings management. We predict and find that good news firms with higher discretionary accruals are more likely to announce earnings late. Consistent with post fiscal year‐end activities driving announcement delays, we fail to find a relation between measures of real earnings management and late announcements. Using a last‐chance earnings management measure based on tax expense manipulation, we also predict and find strong evidence that good news firms engaging in last‐chance earnings management are more likely to delay earnings announcements. Consistent with Trueman's (1990) theory that earnings management explains why investors discount delayed earnings announcements, we find that, on average, earnings announcement returns are 1.4% lower for late announcers relying on last‐chance earnings management to report good news. Overall, our findings suggest that announcement delays provide information about not only the sign of the earnings news but also the potential for earnings management.

For Whom (and For When) is the Firm Governed? The Effect of Changes in Corporate Fiduciary Duties on Tax Strategies and Earnings Management

The proper object of the fiduciary duties of corporate directors and officers is frequently described as the central question in all corporate law. We use the adoption of constituency statutes, which shift the loci of corporate managers’ duties from shareholders to a wide range of stakeholders, as a quasi-natural experiment to determine the actual impact of fiduciary duties. We find that while the adoption of constituency statutes has no significant effect on measures of earnings management, it has a robust effect on firms’ effective tax rate, which increases in a range between 0.570% and 1.903%. These results are robust in terms of various measures of the firm’s effective tax rate. We provide explanations for why fiduciary duties apparently do not influence manager behaviors in relation to shareholders, but do affect their behaviors in relation to the taxing authority. We argue that a change to fiduciary duties doesn’t appear to alter the motivation of managers to maximize shareholder welfare outcomes, but rather it allows them to eschew short-term strategies that often impair long-term outcomes.

Aggregate accruals and market returns: The role of aggregate M&A activity

Extant literature documents that aggregate accruals positively predict future market returns and attributes this relation to either changes in discount rates or systematic earnings management. We offer an alternative explanation: aggregate merger and acquisition (M&A) activity drives this relation. M&A activity affects the magnitude of accruals, which in turn drives the market return predictability of aggregate accruals. We find that the ability of both aggregate accruals and discretionary aggregate accruals (a measure of systematic earnings management) to predict market returns disappears after controlling for aggregate M&A activity. Furthermore, aggregate M&A activity predicts future market returns, consistent with a price response to improvements in macroeconomic outcomes due to aggregate M&A activity.

The Role of Institutional Ownership in Moderating the Determinants of Earnings Management (A Study on Manufacturing Companies in Indonesia)

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of deferred tax expense, tax planning, and managerial ownership on earnings management moderated by institutional ownership in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2015-2018. The number of research samples is 16 companies. The sampling technique used in the study is purposive sampling method. This study uses multiple linear regression analysis and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) assisted by the IBM SPSS 24 program. The results of this study show that deferred tax expense and managerial ownership haveno effect on earnings management, while tax planning has an effect on earnings management. Institutional ownership is not able to moderate the effect of deferred tax expense and managerial ownership on earnings management, but institutional ownership is able to moderate the effectof tax planning on earnings management. The limitation of this study is that the measurement technique used for earnings management is only accrual earnings management. In addition, researchers do not measure earnings management from real earnings management techniques so that the results obtained cannot explain the extent of deviations from normal business practices. The results of this study are expected to provide considerations for potential investors who wish to invest in a company so that they do not experience losses on their invested capital. Company managers are expected to be able to reconsider everything so that there will be no more fraud that can cause losses to the company and have a bad impact in the future.

DETEKSI FRAUDULENT FINANCIAL REPORTING MENGGUNAKAN FRAUD PENTAGON

Abstract— The purpose of this research is to analyze the effects of variables, which were derived from the Fraud Pentagon framework, on earnings management. Beneish M-Score was used to measure earnings management, which serves as a proxy fraudulent financial reporting. The independent variables consist of financial target, financial stability, external pressure, personal financial need, nature of industry, effective monitoring, change in auditor, change in director, and CEO duality. One hundred and sixteen publicly traded manufacturing companies were examined for the period 2016-2018 (n=348). Our balanced dataset was analyzed using fixed-effects panel regression. Our investigation finds that financial target, external pressure, personal financial need, nature of industry, change in auditor, and CEO duality significantly affect fraudulent financial reporting. Meanwhile, financial stability, ineffective monitoring, and change in director do not significantly affect fraudulent financial reporting.
 
 Keywords: Earnings Management; Fraud, Fraud Pentagon; Fraudulent Financial Reporting

Nexus between corporate social responsibility and earnings management: Sustainable or opportunistic

This study examines the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and earnings management (EM) among manufacturing firms from a developing economy, Pakistan. To deal with the CSR measurement and data bias, a multimethod approach has applied to measure CSR (both qualitative and quantitative approaches). This research has also established CSR disclosure indices and CSR monetary spending ratio (CSR MSR). Moreover, this research examines both types of EM (accrual‐based as well as real activities‐based) and used annual data set from 2009 to 2018 for 160 nonfinancial firms. For empirical analysis, the two‐stage least square (2SLS) and pooled ordinary least square (POLS) regressions are used. This study finds a negative relationship between CSR and EM, and it supports the notion that firms' commitment to CSR is largely driven by long‐term perspective. However, with respect to each measure of EM and CSR, this relationship is asymmetric.

Real earnings manipulation surrounding mergers and acquisitions: the targets’ perspective

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether UK public targets manage their earnings using real activities manipulation in the period prior to the announcement of a mergers and acquisition (M&A). It also examines whether the payment method in M&As affects the degree to which takeover targets manipulate earnings. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 131 UK listed targets acquired over the period 1995–2013, this paper examines real earnings management (REM) by employing OLS regression models. The data related to deals have been mainly collected from Thomson One Banker and Thomson Reuters Eikon databases. REM is examined by investigating abnormal cash flow from operations, abnormal discretionary expenses and abnormal production costs. This analysis was supplemented by conducting additional robustness checks. Findings The results show that UK takeover targets manage earnings upwards through cutting discretionary expenses in the year prior to the acquisition, while they do not do so by manipulating sales or production costs. Moreover, targets of cash-only or mixed-payment deals do not have the same strong motivation to manage their earnings as stock-financed deal target counterparts do. Our results continue to hold after using alternative accrual earnings management (EM) measures, controlling for unobservable firm heterogeneity using the fixed-effect model and controlling for endogeneity using the two-stage Heckman (1979) model. Practical implications The main findings of this study could be beneficial for various parties involved M&As, such as standard setters and regulators. A need arises to improve disclosure rules and enhance overall financial reporting quality in the capital markets with the aim of reducing information asymmetry and agency conflicts. Originality/value As far as the literature on EM around M&As is concerned, only EM by acquirers has been examined, and not much attention has been paid to targets’ EM.

Social responsibility or smoke screening: evidence from India

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether the choice of a firm to spend resources on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities is associated with its actual social impacts as measured by its energy consumption and the quality of its financial reporting. Based on legitimacy theory, the authors argue firms in India use CSR expenditures as mere smoke screens to build a positive public image.Design/methodology/approachBy using energy consumption per unit of sale as a measure of real environmental impact, the authors model firms' CSR investment behavior. Additionally, the authors use earnings management measures to examine whether CSR spenders engage in manipulating reported earnings, a practice socially responsible firms would not engage in. These hypotheses are tested using a panel data set of Indian firms for the period 2012–2014.FindingsConsistent with legitimacy theory, the authors show firms that participate in socially undesirable activities such as heavy energy consumption and accounting manipulation are more likely to pursue CSR voluntarily. Additionally, the authors find evidence suggesting firms that voluntarily engage in CSR tend to have lower firm values.Originality/valueThis study examines the social and environmental concerns of firms that invest in CSR, especially in an emerging market context. The findings help understand the motivation for CSR behavior of corporate firms and may well explain the observed negative relationship between firm value and voluntary CSR spending observed in many emerging market contexts, especially in India.

DIVIDEND POLICY, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND EARNINGS QUALITY: A CASE OF NON-FINANCIAL LISTED FIRMS OF PAKISTAN

Purpose of the study: This research empirically examined the impact of the dividend policy and corporate governance attributes (board size, board meetings, audit quality, nomination committee, board independence, remuneration committee, and CEO duality) on earnings quality (EQ) of the firms in Pakistan.
 Methodology: The study used secondary data of 148 non-financial listed companies of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) with 1450 firm-year observations over 10 years from 2010 to 2019. Earning quality was assessed by the earnings management, while the values of the discretionary accruals were used to measure earnings management by employing the Modified jones model (1995). Panel regression analysis examined the impact of independent variables (dividend policy & characteristics of CG) on the dependent variable (EQ).
 Main Findings: Results revealed that the dividend policy showed no significant impact on earnings quality. Also, the results indicated that the audit quality and remuneration committee have a significant negative impact on earning management and a positive impact on earning quality. However, the results illustrate that the large board size, board meetings, CEO duality, firm size, and leverage have a positive influence on earnings management and a negative impact on earnings quality. Overall the study found that the corporate governance characteristics, firm size, and leverage influence the earnings quality of the firms in Pakistan.
 Applications of this study: The empirical results of the study will help to improve the understanding of dividend policy & corporate governance attributes in relationship with the EQ. Second, as dividend is considered one of the most important factors influencing investment decisions, so this endeavour will clarify to the investors and regulators that whether dividend will predict the quality of earnings in Pakistani firms.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: This study extends the literature of earnings quality that is very thin in Pakistan.