Earnings Management Practices Research Articles

Corporate Governance Mechanisms and Earnings Management Activities: Evidence from the UAE Banking Sector

This study investigates the impacts of corporate governance mechanisms (CGMs) on earnings management (EM). Data covering 12 years (2009–2020) were collected via annual reports of the listed national banks in the UAE. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator, generalized least square (GLS) estimator and panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) estimator. Discretionary accruals were estimated using the adjusted Jones model as suggested by Dechow ( Contemporary Accounting Research, 1996, vol. 13, pp. 1–36). The overall findings of the study indicate that audit committee and ownership structure are not effective in mitigating managers’ opportunistic earnings management activities in the UAE banking sector. Hence, the assumption that audit committee and ownership structure have a negative impact on earnings management could not be ascertained. However, board characteristic was found to exert a diminishing effect on earnings management. Given that weak CGMs could fail to deter earnings management practices, the policymakers of the financial institution such as the banking sector should ensure that the CGMs are strengthened, and efforts should be exerted to facilitate strict adherence to measures that will diminish earnings management activities. The present study has contextual limitations to the UAE. Hence, the interpretation of the result is limited within this context.

The Interplay of Leverage, Financing Constraints and Real Earnings Management: A Panel Data Approach

Organizations are formed to gain long-term benefits. However, sometimes myopic management for feigned value enhancement led to the early demise of the firm. Further, to the best of our knowledge empirical role of financing constraints has not yet been explored between the relationship of leverage and earnings management practices. Therefore, the present study aims to empirically examine the impact of leverage on Real Earnings Management (REM) practices and how financing constraints influence this association. Employs a panel dataset of 3250 non-financial Chinese listed firms for a time period spanning from 2009 to 2018. Leverage is categorized into short-term, long-term, and total leverage to check the individual effects of each leverage category on REM practices. The data were analyzed through panel data fixed-effects and random-effects techniques as an econometric approach. First, consistent with positive accounting theory, the impact of total leverage on REM is positive. Second, compared to the long-term leverage, short-term leverage has more pronounced effects on managers’ opportunistic behavior towards using REM. Third, the influence of total leverage is higher (lower) on REM practices in financially unconstrained (constrained) firms. Fourth, the influence of short-term leverage on REM practices compared to long-term leverage is also weak in the financially constrained firms. These findings imply that, to avoid the consequences of managerial myopia, investors should abstain to invest in the firms that use higher amount of short-term debt and are financially unconstrained. This study is the first research to examine the impact of different leverage categories on REM practices in an emerging market, i.e., China, where the legal and financial structure is much poor.

Dividend policy and earnings management: Do agency problem and financing constraints matter?

The present study aims to examine the relationship between dividend policy and earnings management by explicitly considering the role of the agency problem and financing constraints. The sample comprises 3250 non-financial Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2018. This study uses fixed- and random effect models as econometric techniques. Dividend policy is measured with dividend yield, payout ratio, large and small dividend payment status. Earnings management is measured with discretionary accruals, which are used as a proxy of accrual-based earnings management. The salient findings of the study are as follows: (1) overall, dividend payments restrict managers' involvement in earnings management practices; (2) compared with small dividend-paying firms, larger dividend-paying firms have less involvement in earnings management practices; (3) the agency problem does not affect the nature of the proposed relationship; (4) the dividend payments of non-financially constrained firms dampen managers’ opportunistic behavior toward earnings management practices and vice versa.

Audit committee composition and earnings management in a specific institutional environment: the case of Russia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the specifics of the relationship between audit committee characteristics and earnings management in Russian listed companies. This research is driven by the possibility of placing this relationship within the context of a specific institutional environment for company performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply a panel study of 184 Russian listed companies for the period 2014–2018. In addition to the standard fixed effects model, the authors test the results for potential endogeneity with two-stage least squares (2SLS) analysis.FindingsThe results show that audit committee representation on the board of directors results in some mitigation of earnings management. Results reveal that a higher level of audit committee independence and the presence of financial expertise on the committee are associated with lower earnings management. However, companies with relatively busy directors on audit committees are more inclined to practice earnings management. The study’s findings hold after testing for endogeneity of audit committee independence. The authors also reveal that some audit committee characteristics (for example, audit committee independence; its level of expertise) alleviate earnings management in listed state-owned companies (SOEs) more strongly than in listed non-SOEs.Originality/valueThe results add to the ongoing debate on the role of corporate governance mechanisms in mitigating earnings management in emerging markets by taking into account the type of ownership (state-owned vs private) as a moderating variable. This study reveals, in particular, that the effect of certain audit committee characteristics on earnings management is more prominent in listed SOEs than in listed non-SOEs.

Impact of Green Management and Earning Management of Energy Companies in Indonesia

This study examines the effect of green management on earnings management in energy companies in Indonesia. The green management variable is proxied by environmental management, environmental performance, and environmental environment by using secondary data. The data used in this study is a regression panel data analysis for the 2015-2019 period. This study finds that green management does not have an impact on earnings management, but the size of the company that determines earnings management. The implication is that energy companies in Indonesia that implement green management do not determine companies to practice earnings management. On the other hand, the practice of earnings management is determined by the size of the company. Large companies tend to practice earnings management in providing financial statement information. Simultaneously, the green management variable and the size of the company together determine the company's earnings management practices in energy companies in Indonesia.

The effect of corruption on the level of real and accrual earnings management in cases of target firms

PurposeThis paper attempts to investigate the effect of corruption on the real and accrual earnings management of target firms in the process of mergers and acquisitions.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes target firms from the European area that participate in mergers or acquisitions announced during 2010–2020. The preliminary empirical part estimates the level of earnings management during the period two years before the deal's announcement to identify whether the sample follows the manipulation behavior that the literature suggests for target firms. The primary empirical analysis focuses on the impact of corruption on real and accrual-based earnings management proxies, employing regression models and two alternative proxies for corruption. The existing literature points out that the combination of low levels of corruption and an integrated legal system reduces earnings manipulation.FindingsThe findings provide strong evidence for systematic downwards accounting manipulation practices, whereas the findings for real earnings management are not significant. The findings of the main empirical part show that corruption is positively associated with accrual-based manipulation and negatively related to real earnings management. In essence, in economies with a high level of transparency, managers adopt the manipulation of operating activities as a less detectable practice of earnings management instead of engaging in accounting procedures.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature highlighting the diversification of these firms' manipulation strategies according to the national level's corruption status.

Linking Islamic Corporate Social Responsibility, Sharia Governance Practices, and Earnings Management in the Islamic Banks

This paper examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility, sharia governance, and earning management in the Islamic bank industry sector. This study uses secondary data, which is analyzed using a regression panel with a fixed-effect model. Samples were obtained from 48 Islamic banks in 16 countries from 2009 to 2018. The sample criteria in this study are the banks that disclose their zakat payments in their annual reports. The empirical results prove that CSR and SSB expertise contributes significantly to reducing earnings management practices, while SSB size is not significantly influencing earnings management practices. The contribution to policymakers in developing CSR instruments following Sharia principles; Islamic bank manager aligns CSR intentions based on the concept of monotheism to enrich the literature review on CSR, sharia governance, and earning quality.

Good Corporate Governance And The Impact On Earnings Management Actions

This research aimed to examine the effect of managerial ownership, independent commissioners, and audit committees which are proxies of Good Corporate Governance (GCG), and their effect on earnings management in the population of companies listed on the IDX with a research sample of 11 companies for the 2015 – 2019 periods. From the results of purposive sampling, 55 samples of data were obtained from basic and chemical industrial manufacturing companies. Quantitative methods were used in this study. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS software with multiple Linear Regression analyses where managerial ownership and the Audit Committee do not affect Earnings Management practice. However, the composition of the Independent Board of Commissioners has a significant negative effect on Earnings Management.

Supplier Concentration and Earnings Management

In this paper, I empirically examine the association between supplier concentration and earnings management. A firm’s major suppliers use its accounting performance to evaluate its ability to fulfill trading obligations and honor implicit claims, giving rise to its stronger incentives to manipulate earnings. However, the firm may face punishment and termination of relationships if major suppliers detect its earnings management with their information and bargaining advantages. Employing a comprehensive sample of firms with supply chain data, I find a negative association between a firm’s supplier concentration and earnings management using discretionary accruals and real activities. My results suggest that customer firms are concerned about major suppliers’ close monitoring and bargaining power, thereby decreasing their earnings management practices.

COVID-19 and earnings management: a comparison between Chinese family and non-family enterprises

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on earnings management practices in China using a sample of family and non-family enterprises. More specifically, this study aims to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic causes variation in Chinese listed family and non-family enterprises' operations, as reflected in the level of real earnings management (REM).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses three standardised REM indicators, namely, the abnormal level of cash flows from operations, the abnormal level of production costs and the abnormal level of discretionary expenses. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions are applied to compare the earnings management of Chinese family and non-family enterprises during the pre-pandemic period (2017–2019) and the pandemic period (2020).Findings The authors find that Chinese listed non-family enterprises tend to participate in more REM activities than family enterprises before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the opposite is true during the pandemic. The authors also find that COVID-19 has increased the involvement of family and non-family enterprises in REM activities.Originality/valueThe results of previous studies based on REM using Chinese listed firms may not be applicable under the new social background of COVID-19. As the period after the COVID-19 outbreak is relatively recent, Chinese researchers have yet to study it comprehensively. The present study is amongst the first empirical attempts investigating the effect of a pandemic financial reporting by investigating whether and how the burst of the COVID-19 crisis affected financial reporting through the earnings management practices of listed Chinese family and non-family enterprises. Such information is crucial because it can provide analysis for all stakeholders to make better decisions.

Does the introduction of CSR criteria into CEO incentive pay reduce their earnings management? The case of companies listed in the SBF 120

This study examines the effect of introducing CSR criteria into CEO incentive pay on earnings management practices in French firms listed on the SBF 120 index. Based on panel data for 106 companies over a five-year period between 2014 and 2019, the empirical analysis shows that the inclusion of CSR criteria in compensation contracts reduces the extent of earnings management (as measured by discretionary accruals and real earnings management).

Pengaruh Ukuran Perusahaan, Leverage dan Profitabilitas terhadap Manajemen Laba dengan Kompensasi Bonus sebagai Variabel Moderating

This study aims to find empirical evidence regarding the effect of firm size, leverage and profitability on earnings management with bonus compensation as a moderating variable. A total of 194 manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period 2018 to 2019 were used as the study population. Purposive sampling was used as a sampling method which obtained 87 companies with 126 units of analysis. Data collection in the study was carried out using the documentation method. This study uses the method of moderated regression analysis (MRA) which is processed through IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. This study proves empirically that there is a negative effect between firm size on earnings management, and there is a positive effect between profitability on earnings management and there is no influence between leverage to earnings management. Furthermore, bonus compensation can be used to moderate the effect of profitability on earnings management, but cannot moderate the effect of firm size and leverage on earnings management. The conclusion of this study is earnings management practices will increase when the company has a high level of profitability. High profitability from management tends to maximize profits by maximizing bonuses received by managers, increasing company performance so that it looks good and gains the trust of investors.

Earnings quality determinants in pre-corona crisis: another insight from bank core capital categories

PurposeDiscretionary accruals are earnings quality proxies that illustrate that the greater the value of discretionary accruals, the greater the practice of earnings management and vice versa. High-quality financial reports (especially earnings quality) are expected to help investors and potential investors to make decisions. This study analyses the factors that affect earnings quality, such as pre-managed earnings, liquidity and efficiency. Furthermore, the authors identify the moderating effect of the governance mechanisms proxied by the proportion of independent commissioners in conventional commercial banks listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses 226 banking data in the pre-corona crisis period 2013 until 2019. The data were analyzed using EViews 10 for hypothesis and MS Excel for a differential test.FindingsThe results show that pre-managed earnings, liquidity and efficiency affect earnings quality. The governance mechanisms can moderate liquidity and efficiency on earnings quality, while pre-managed earnings cannot be moderated. The different bank categories (BUKU) of earnings management mechanisms are shown for each BUKU (BUKU 1, 3 and 4 perform earnings management by increasing earnings, BUKU 2 lowering earnings). Another thing is information on the earnings quality between BUKU 2 with BUKU 3 and BUKU 4 because of differences in capital and bank operating coverage regulations.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research expects to analyze the factors affecting banking earnings quality concerning applying IFRS 9 (PSAK 71) in Indonesia. Future researchers expect to apply mixed methods to verify the financial statement data and provide comprehensive discussion and genuine insight from their study. Future research requires more samples from companies or an international scale (cross country) to obtain maximum results and be generally accepted.Practical implicationsThis study implies that managers should have more control over pre-managed earnings and bank liquidity as manager's incentive to do earnings smoothing. Managers should also pay attention to cost-efficiency and effective implementation of governance mechanisms to maximize earnings quality. This study also implies that policymakers can encourage commercial banks to apply more prudential principles in terms of a reserve for failed loans to minimize earnings management in banking.Originality/valueThe significance of this study revealed in the discussion of the difference test between bank core capital categories (BUKU) and its relation to earnings quality.

EARNING MANAGEMENT IN BANKING SECTOR ON INDONESIA STOCK EXCHANGE


 The practice of earnings management could not be separated from the process of preparing financial statements. It could occur in all business sectors including banking. This study aims to analyze earnings management in financial statements of banks on Indonesian Stock Exchange. This research is a descriptive study of banks listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2020. Earnings management in bank financial statements is proxied by discretionary accruals. The population and sample of this research are 42 banks. The results show that 31 banks have a negative Discretionary Accruals and 11 banks have a positive Discretionary Accruals. A negative discretionary accruals indicates that the company performs earnings management by decreasing earnings while a positive discretionary accruals indicates that the company performs earnings management by increasing the earnings in the financial statements.
 

Relation among corporate environmental disclosure, earnings management and accounting conservatism: evidence from Chinese listed firms

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relationship among corporate environmental disclosure (CED), earnings management (EM) practices and accounting conservatism in Chinese listed firms and determine how internal corporate governance (CG) mechanisms moderate these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses two different EM practices, accrual-based EM (AEM) and real EM (REM), to analyze the relationship between CED and EM practices, as well as accounting conservatism. The final sample consisted of 1,619 observations, documented between 2015 and 2019. The panel data method was applied to estimate the relationship among CED, AEM and REM, as well as the moderating effect of CG on this relationship.FindingsThis study finds a negative relationship between CED and EM (both AEM and REM) and a positive relationship between CED and accounting conservatism. Further, CG, measured as the independent director ratio, institutional ownership and state-owned entities, was found to moderate these relationships.Practical implicationsChinese policymakers should reinforce CED because it reduces corporate EM practices and improves accounting conservatism. Further, CED, as a mandatory requirement, may be expanded to all industries, that is, beyond the highly polluting industries listed on China’s stock exchanges.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to examine the relationship between CED and EM practices from both the AEM and REM perspectives and the one between CED and accounting conservatism. It also extends extant analyses by investigating the moderating effect of CG on these relationships in China.

Discretionary choices of commercial banks in Bangladesh: an earnings management approach

ABSTRACT Purpose- The study aims to trace out the factors contributing to earnings management practices in the commercial banks of Bangladesh. Methodology- The study used secondary data sources from the published audited annual reports of 32(Thirty-Two) commercial banks of Bangladesh from the year 2005-2018 of 425 observations. The study conducted preliminary diagnoses like normality, unit root, and Granger causality test to identify the data's nature and response. Moreover, the study performed the heteroscedasticity test, autocorrelation test, and fixed and random effect of the model to confirm the output's accuracy. Based on the above statistical diagnosis, the study has selected Robust Least Square (RLS) regression model to show the practice of discretionary choices in the banking sector of Bangladesh. Following Kanagaretnam et al.’s (2003), this study also derived discretionary and non-discretionary accruals from loan loss provisions. Findings- This study considered several factors like bank size (SIZEit), loan to deposit ratio (L/DEPit), non-performing loan to previous year’s total loan ratio (NPLRit-1), changes in non-performing loan to current total loan ratio (∆NPL/TLit), and changes in total asset to total loan ratio (∆TA/TLit) to show the effects on banks’ earnings management. It is found that SIZEit, NPLRit-1, ∆NPL/TLit and ∆TA/TLit have a positive and significant (p<0.01; p<0.05) effect on Bank‘s discretionary choice. However, L/DEPit positively affects earnings management but is statistically insignificant. Conclusion- Despite being a legal tool, earnings management is often involved with the controversy of being an unethical practice. However, there has been a lot of research on tracing earnings management in corporate firms based on discretionary and non-discretionary accruals. The study contributes to the existing literature and tries to explain the role of discretionary accruals in banks performance mostly in the submerged economy. Along with identifying significant variables, the study has tried to explain the implication of these findings suggesting some crucial steps that may help reduce the practice of earnings management as earnings management distorts the banks' financial position or any firm and misleads the investors. Keywords: Earnings management, discretionary accruals, panel data, commercial banks, Bangladesh. JEL Codes: C22, C23, G21

Financial distress, earnings management and Big 4 auditors in emerging markets

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the association between financial distress and accruals-based earnings management in emerging markets, and the role that auditors play in that association.Design/methodology/approachThis study relies on a sample of 33,455 firm-year observations from 20 emerging markets, covering a large period of analysis of 20 years. A multivariate analysis is performed by considering the level of financial distress as the dependent variable, and the accruals-based earnings management and dummies for the type of auditor as the main independent ones.FindingsThe authors predict and find empirical evidence that firms facing greater financial distress engage in income-increasing accruals-based earnings management in emerging markets, and that such engagement is lower in firms audited by Big 4 firms compared to those audited by non-Big 4 auditors. The authors also find significant differences across Big 4 audit firms in their role of constraining income-increasing earnings management strategies in firms with high levels of financial distress.Originality/valueThe study adds to previous literature by investigating the association between financial distress and accruals-based earnings management in a comprehensive sample of 20 emerging markets, by providing important overall cross-country empirical evidence that has not been addressed by previous literature. The authors also bring new knowledge by discussing the role played by the Big 4 audit firms in limiting earnings management practices by firms with high levels of financial distress. Such a limitation serves as an important external corporate governance mechanism to restrain managers’ opportunistic behaviour in firms facing financial distress – especially in emerging economies characterized overall by institutional voids.

Manajemen Laba Sebelum dan Setelah Penerapan PSAK 71 pada Perusahaan Subsektor Perbankan di Indonesia

The adoption of IFRS 9 through PSAK 71 impacts the greater discretionary space for managers to practice earnings management. This study investigates the difference in earnings management practices before and after the implementation of PSAK 71 in the banking sub-sector in Indonesia. This study uses quantitative methods, with data derived from the www.idx.co.id, www.ojk.go.id, and the company's official website for the 2019 and 2020 reporting periods. Based on purposive sampling, the total sample is 56 observations. This study's multiple linear regression test was employed to determine earnings management level. The earnings management results in 2019 and 2020 are then tested for differences to determine changes in managers' behavior in carrying out earnings management. This study finds no significant difference in earnings management practice that comes before and after the implementation of PSAK 71. The factors that caused no difference are the early adoption of PSAK 71 and the relaxation provisions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This research is expected to be useful for investors as a basis for decision-making, as well as standard-setting bodies and the OJK in regulating and monitoring company earnings management practices.

Effect of Audit Committee Characteristics on Real Earnings Management through Abnormal Cash Flow

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of audit committee characteristics on real earnings management (REM) through abnormal cash flow from operations of listed companies in Nigeria. The study was conducted on non-financial listed companies in Nigeria for the period of five years (2016-2020). The data were extracted from the sample of firm's annual reports and Thompson Reuters database. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression was employed to test the study model. The analysis is based on a sample of 76 listed non-financial companies for five years with 380 firm-year observations. The finding shows that audit committee size and financial expertise reduces management opportunistic earnings manipulations. Also, the result demonstrates that the presence of independent directors in the audit committee is significantly associated with lower earnings management practices. However, the result further establishes that audit committee meeting frequency and real earnings management are positively related. The findings will give an insight to investors, policymakers, and regulators by enabling them to better understand the importance of audit committee in improving the financial reporting quality (FRQ), and the effect of audit committee characteristics in mitigating earnings manipulations.

Managerial ability, corporate governance, and IFRS adoption as determinants of earnings management: Evidence from Indonesia

Earnings management practices revealed in companies are primarily determined by the role of management in providing the best performance reports for shareholders. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of managerial ability, independent commissioners, audit committees, quality of external auditors, and the application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on earnings management practices. The research data were retrieved from manufacturing sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2018. These data are analyzed using a panel data regression model. The empirical findings of the study prove that managerial ability, quality of external auditors, and the application of IFRS have a positive effect on earnings management.In contrast, independent commissioners have a negative effect. The audit committee does not affect earnings management. This study also reveals that the variables of corporate governance mechanisms, which consist of independent commissioners, audit committees, and the quality of external auditors, have different effects on earnings management practices. This indicates that corporate governance principles have not been appropriately implemented in a company. The managerial ability has a dominant role in carrying out old management practices with various manipulations of financial statements.