Real Earnings Management Practices Research Articles

The role of independent directors’ tenure and network in controlling real-earnings management practices

AbstractManipulating real activities is generally regarded as more damaging to a firm’s long-term growth and value than accrual-based manipulations. We consider this point of view and build on the agency theory framework for investigating the role of independent directors’ (INDs’) tenure and connection to several boards in controlling real-earnings management (REM) practices. We analyze a sample of UK listed non-financial companies over the period between 2005 and 2018. The potential endogeneity issue was controlled by the application of the two-step system-GMM estimations. The research findings suggest that REM was lower in those firms whose INDs were connected to several boards at a time. The findings also show that the association between INDs’ tenure and REM varied with the phases of their tenure. Directors in the early stage of their tenure are less effective at controlling REM, however, as their tenure grew, they generate better oversight over the management conduct, thereby reducing REM. Contrary to this, extended tenure is shown as positively associated with higher REM practices. The overall findings thus suggest that the board monitoring role protects the stakes of the shareholders by constraining REM when INDs have better expertise and rich information acquired through their presence on multiple boards—and when they have moderate board tenure, which is neither too short nor too long. We argue that due to the importance of the role of INDs in the current global scenario this study has policy implications.

Gender diversity, corporate social responsibility and real earnings management for policy management decision: evidence from emerging market

Purpose The study aims to examine whether board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) affect real earnings management (REM) practices of public companies in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes data of public companies for the period of 2011 through 2020. Data on board gender diversity, CSR and REM were collected from audited financial statements. Findings The empirical findings show that companies with greater diverse board are effective in restraining REM, thus supporting the theoretical framework of the study. Also, the result provides strong evidence of association between CSR performance and REM for policy management decision. Research limitations/implications The study is constrained by not considering all public companies in the country. Furthermore, it considered only gender among numerous important board attributes and environmental, social and governance (ESG) among numerous CSR attributes. Hence, future studies should consider other important attributes on REM and important attributes of board diversity and CSR on real earnings management. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the relationship between heterogeneous board gender diversity, CSR via ESG and REM in emerging markets such as Nigeria. Therefore, it provides appropriate treatment of CSR with science and technology via EGS viewpoint of organizational operations and behavior of managing earnings. Therefore, developing better policy management for sustainable development

Examining the bonus mechanisms’ role in real earnings management dynamics in an Indonesian manufacturing company

Real Earnings Management (REM) and financial success may have different relationships depending on how managers act. Bonus mechanisms are a significant factor that influences management behavior. The study seeks to examine the impact of bonus systems on the correlation between financial performance and REM practices in manufacturing companies in Indonesia. Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) is employed to evaluate the influence of bonus mechanisms in moderating the association of financial performance on REM. The technique of purposive sampling was used to pick the sample. The study utilized data from manufacturing firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2017 to 2021, including a total of 400 observed data points. The research findings demonstrate that sales growth is the sole factor that significantly influences REM in manufacturing organizations, as indicated by a p-value below 10%. Other financial performance factors, on the other hand, with p-values for each variable above 10%, have not been shown to have a significant impact on REM. These factors include ROA, leverage, operating cash flow, and cash. The findings also demonstrate that, with a p-value for each variable above 10%, the bonus mechanism is a variable that modifies the effect of all financial performance variables on REM.

Do corporate reputation concerns constrain real earnings management practices? A multidimensional analysis

Purpose: This study integrates Eisenegger and Imhof's (EI) reputation theory and the reputation-building hypothesis to explore how corporate reputation (CREP) concerns constrain real earnings management (REM). Motivation of the study: This study empirically tests the combined and individual effects of the dimensions of Eisenegger and Imhof's corporate reputation theory on real earnings management practices. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the least-square dummy variable (LSDV) two-way fixed effects estimator on a panel data constructed from 203 non-financial firms listed in 12 sub-Saharan African stock exchanges from 2014 to 2020. Main findings: The study provides empirical evidence that CREP, consistent with Eisenegger and Imhof’s reputation theory, curtails REM practices. Functional, social, and expressive reputation concerns reduce the managerial tendency to manipulate real activities, while considering other REM influencing factors. This result is consistent across REM components, country-level analysis, and endogeneity tests. Practical implications/Managerial impact: The results of this study are anticipated to motivate the use of corporate reputation building as a preventive strategy against REM, as it deters managers from manipulating business operations. The findings provide managers with a valuable approach to evaluating a firm's various reputations and how they can be leveraged to curb REM. Novelty/Contribution: The study offers new perspectives on assessing firm reputation from various stakeholder viewpoints and how CREP serves as a complement to existing CG mechanisms to mitigate managerial opportunism.

The Nexus between Corporate Lyfe Cycle and Earnings Management at Companies Listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange

This research investigates the nexus between the corporate life cycle (CLC) and accrual-based earnings management (AEM) and real earnings management (REM) practices. Companies listed on the main segment of the Bucharest Stock Exchange between 2007 and 2021 are analyzed through fixed effects and random effects models. The regression analysis uncovers that earnings management practices vary based on the developmental stage of the company. In the introduction stage, Romanian companies tend to prefer AEM techniques, while in the growth and maturity phases, REM practices are more prevalent. The conditions in which firms operate, the pressure from the capital market and the discretion over costs characteristic of each stage of development explain the preference for a certain method of earnings management. Overall, this investigation helps clarify CLC's role in adopting earnings management techniques (AEM/REM) and signals the need to pay particular attention to the quality of financial reporting of companies in the early stages of development. The findings hold significance for auditors, financial analysts, investors, lenders, and regulators alike.

Standardized corporate social responsibility disclosure, assurance, and real earnings management: evidence from developing countries

Research aims: This study aims to present empirical evidence on the effect of social responsibility disclosure on real earnings management and the role of assurance in this relationship. This is based on a paradox, i.e., companies that publish standardized corporate social responsibility disclosures to project ethical business practices are also associated with accounting and financial scandals.Design/Methodology/Approach: This study was conducted on non-financial sector companies in developing countries that are members of ASEAN-4, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, which issued GRI-based social responsibility disclosures in the period 2013-2019, amounting to 285 companies with a total of 859 observations.Research findings: The results demonstrated that companies with standardized social responsibility disclosures tend to reduce their real earnings management practices. However, the assurance variable mitigates the negative effect of corporate social responsibility on real earnings management, implying that assurance provides false credibility. In an additional analysis, the samples were grouped based on board structure. The findings of this study are consistent with two-tier board structures, suggesting that a one-tier system provides better information quality.Theoretical contribution/Originality: The originality of this study lies in a comprehensive measurement of social responsibility disclosure variables using an index that gauges a combination of accountability and performance aspects. Furthermore, this study takes into account assurance as a variable representing the credibility of information, which surprisingly moderates the negative effect of social responsibility disclosure on real earnings management.Practitioner/Policy implication: The findings of this study underscore the importance of standardized social responsibility disclosure in mitigating managerial opportunistic behavior. The findings also highlight the need to enhance the assurance function to prevent its use as an opportunistic management tactic.

Earnings management and corporate governance during COVID-19: Evidence from the European capital market

The objective of this paper is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the earnings manipulation of firms and whether corporate governance has a mitigating effect. The methodological approach consists of two steps: in the first stage, a pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model has been implemented to compute the earnings management proxies, whereas in the second stage panel data regression analysis has been adopted to test the effects of corporate governance variables on the earnings management proxies themselves. Using data from STOXX Europe 600 as a proxy for the European capital market, it is found that the level of companies’ earnings manipulation increased during the pandemic. In particular, companies have engaged in more accounting and real earnings management (REM) practices. The findings show that a larger board helps to mitigate the positive relationship between COVID-19 and earnings manipulation, whereas no mitigating effect for board independence, board diversity and chief executive officer (CEO) duality has been found. In addition, an industry analysis has been developed both for robustness purposes and in order to check which sectors have been most and least affected by the pandemic. In particular, the findings show how the most affected industries reported a higher level of earnings management, resulting in a worse reporting quality. This paper provides additional evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on earnings management using a strong multi-country level governance setting. The results of this study provide useful suggestions for business practice, investors and policymakers.

Assets Impairment Disclosure (IAS 36) and Real Earnings Management Practices of Listed Consumer Goods Companies in Nigeria

Assets Impairment Disclosure (IAS 36) and Real Earnings Management Practices of Listed Consumer Goods Companies in Nigeria

Can CSR constrain accruals and real earnings management during the COVID-19 pandemic? An international analysis

PurposeThis paper aims to provide insights into the complicated relationship between earnings management (EM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) during the financial downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachParametric t-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum tests accompanied by ordinary least squares regression analysis, augmented with Newey–West procedure approaches, are used for a sample that consists of 1,984 firms from 47 countries for the period of 2014–2020. EM was proxied once with discretionary accruals using the modified Jones model (1995) and once with real earnings management (REM) using the Roychowdhury model (2006). This study uses environmental, social, and governance scores from the Thomson Reuters database as a proxy for CSR.FindingsThe results reveal that firms tend to engage more in EM practices during the pandemic and that more socially responsible firms tend to be honest and transparent during the financial reporting process. Interestingly, it was found that more socially responsible firms engaged less in REM practices during the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this research help lenders, investors, policymakers and managers gain a better understanding of EM practices during a negative shock and shed light on the importance of CSR in being ethical.Originality/valueThe findings extend both the literature on the role of CSR in promoting financial reporting quality and the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on accrual and REM practices.

Do Chief Audit Executives Able to Influence Real Earnings Management Practices? Evidence from Indonesia

Purpose : This study aims to investigate the relationship between financial expertise and tenure of the Chief Audit Executive [CAE] on real earnings management [REM] practices
 Method : This study uses a sample of 797 observations from companies in the manufacturing sector in Indonesia during the period 2012 – 2019. For data analysis, regression of feasible generalized least squares was used. Data related to financial expertise and tenure of CAE were manually collected from the annual report and financial data was obtained from Thomson-Reuters Database. 
 Findings : The results of this study indicate that CAE with better financial expertise is associated with lower REM. Conversely, this study also indicates that CAE tenure has an association with higher REM. This result is robust by using an alternative REM measurement. By breaking down the indicators of CAE’s financial expertise, namely CAE’s certification, experience in financial positions within/inside the company or outside the company, the results show that CAE certification has the largest effect on REM.
 Novelty : This study contributes to the real earnings management and internal audit literature by demonstrating the importance of attributes possessed by CAEs as leaders of the internal audit function in mitigating REM practices.
 Keywords : Chief Audit Executive, Financial Expertise, Tenure, Real Earnings Management

Do Independent Directors Affect Real Earnings Management Practices? The Case of Indonesian Two-Tier Board System

The question regarding the role of independent directors in corporate governance in general and in limiting real earnings management practices in particular has long been debated. This study, therefore, attempts to address this question by investigating the influence of independent directors on real earnings management (REM) from the perspective of Indonesian two-tier board system.

Research and development spending in the pharmaceutical industry: Does board gender diversity matter?

The focus of this paper is twofold; the primary objective is investigating the impact of board gender diversity on firms’ research and development (R&D) investment as an innovation driver. The secondary objective is looking at R&D expenditure from an opportunistic earnings management practice, suggesting that this expenditure could be used as a real earnings management technique to enhance firms’ earnings. The study sample comprised all pharmaceutical firms listed in the Bloomberg database between the years 2018 and 2021. The study’s findings indicated that the presence of female directors is correlated with greater innovation as firms are prone to invest more in R&D projects, hence, practising their strategic role effectively. Furthermore, a significant negative relationship is found between the presence of female directors and real earnings management practices, indicating that female directors would effectively contribute to board monitoring and as a result, the managerial opportunistic practices are eliminated. Our findings remain robust after using alternative econometric methods to address the endogeneity issue and applying alternative gender diversity proxies. This paper contributes to the literature by providing additional insight into the vague relationship between female directors and R&D spending by specifically looking into this relationship through different theoretical lenses: upper echelons theory and agency theory. The findings of the study are valuable for both pharmaceutical firms and policymakers interested in boosting innovation investment and improving monitoring mechanisms within a corporate governance structure.

Application of gender and optimizing the function of the board of commissioners in supervising the practice of corporate earnings management

The urgency of this research is importantto empirically examine the impact of the characteristics of the board of commissioners on earnings management practices in Indonesia by considering gender diversification factors in optimizing the supervisory function of the company's board of commissioners. The sampling method used is purposive sampling with specific criteria on companies listed on the IDX with a research period of 2018-2019 with a total sample of 368 firm years of observation. The results showed that the independence of the board of commissioners was not proven to affect accrual earnings management. However, it was proven to have a negative effect on real earnings management practices. In addition, the size of the board of commissioners is proven to have a positive effect on accrual earnings management and company real earnings management. The role of gender diversification in reducing earnings management practices is proven. Three or more female commissioners can reduce accrual earnings management practices and increase real earnings management practices in companies. In addition, the role of gender diversification is not proven to strengthen the negative effect of the independence of the board of commissioners on earnings management. However, the role of gender diversification where there are three or more people in the size of the company's board of commissioners can further reduce accrual earnings management and real earnings management.

An Empirical Investigation on Ownership Structure and Earnings management: Evidence from PSX and FTSE-350 Listed Firms

The current research aims to highlight the impact of ownership structure on real earnings management by comparing the firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. The secondary data of 167 Pakistani and 233 UK listed firms is analysed from 2011-2019. The results obtained for both countries shows that ownership structure influences the real earnings management. The results also suggest that real earnings management practices are significantly different in big and small size firms. Further, the impact of ownership structure on real earnings management among the big and small sized firms is different. The results of the study are helpful to the policymakers in reducing the real earnings management. The limitations and future aspects are also elucidated comprehensively.

Trends in Earning Management (EM) Practices: A Cross Country and Industrial Analysis

This paper analyzes the trends in earnings management (EM) practices of 500 non-financial firms across 8 major industries operating in both developing and developed economies for the period 2008-2017. It significantly contributes to the literature by identifying the country-specific, industry-specific, and over the time trends in accrual and real earnings management practices prevailing in the non-financial sector of both developed and developing economies of the world. EM trends are analyzed across countries, across industries, and over the sample period. The sample consists of 500 non-financial firms from 8 different industries of 22 developed and developing economies for the period 2007-2018. Accrual and real earnings management are alternatively used in the non-financial sector across the world. This study uses the Modified Jones Model (Dechow et al., 1996) and the Roychowdhury model (2006) to estimate accrual and real earnings management. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to examine the mean differences between countries and industries as well as over the time differences. The country-wise analysis concludes that Pakistan is on the top of the list in managing earnings followed by Canada, particularly in accrual-based earnings management. It may be attributed to poor accounting standards and regulatory frameworks. The industry-wise analysis shows that the mining industry, characterized by high dependency on capital markets and the uncertainty associated with the prospects of mineral reserves, is highly involved in EM. Finally, the year-wise analysis determines that the year 2009 was highly escorted with accrual and real earnings management practices, which may be the result of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. The findings imply that the policymakers of developing economies should strongly emphasize improving the general macroeconomic environment of the economy by controlling inflation, improving law and order conditions, and ensuring political stability. Additionally, the findings have potential implications for corporate managers while formulating strategies to restrict them from EM that may diminish both firm value and the economy.

Institutional Investors' Response to Earnings Management Before Initial Public Offering in Poland

The aim of the paper is to analyse the association between the use of accrual-based and real earnings management practices before the company goes public and the decision of institutional investors on buying or refraining from buying shares offered in initial public offering (IPO). The sample consists of 258 Polish new stock companies over the period 2005-2020. We find that such companies refrain from massive earnings management in the pre-IPO period: both real and accrual-based. However, we find evidence that the presence of institutional investors in the IPO is related to earnings inflation (selling, general and administrative expenses). Our study contributes to the debate on the role of institutional ownership in the IPO process in Central and Eastern Europe.

Political Connection, Auditor Quality, Family Ownership, and Earnings Management: Real and Accrual

This study aims to explore the effect of political connections, external auditor quality, and family ownership on real and discretionary accrual earnings management practices in public companies in Indonesia. So far, previous studies have shown inconclusive and mixed results. The samples used in this study are companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the last 10 years (2010-2019) prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of this study show that political connections have an effect on reducing both real and discretionary accrual earnings management practices in public companies. High quality external auditors have a significant effect on reducing discretionary accrual earnings management practices only. Meanwhile, the high level of family ownership has an effect on reducing real earnings management practices. The results of this study can be a consideration for public companies to appoint former ministers or high-ranking state officials as company directors or commissioners to suppress earnings management practices.

Residual audit fee and real income smoothing: evidence from quoted non-financial firms in Nigeria

PurposeThe study investigated the relationship between residual audit fee and real income smoothening, proxied as real operating cash flow and production expenditure smoothing of non-financial firms in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study relied on secondary data from annual financial statements of 75 firms in the non-financial sector from 2010 to 2019. The study estimated the residual audit fee using a modified model from several contexts to suit the Nigerian environment. The hypotheses were tested using the dynamic panel GMM estimation procedure.FindingsThe results showed a significant negative effect of residual audit fee on (real) operating cash flow smoothing and production expenditure smoothing of non-financial firms. The control variables showed mixed effects for the industry-related (firm size and profitability), auditor attribute (audit quality and audit report lag) and the board related (board size and board independence).Research limitations/implicationsThe firms included in the analysis were selected based on data availability from MachameRatios® and the occurrence of missing values for some of the variables used in the various estimation models may bias results.Practical implicationsThe study identifies the nexus between RAF and real earnings management practices of non-financial firms; and shows the implication of fee payment to the overall conduct of the audit. More so, the mixed findings from the CVs suggest that in the context of developing economies, shareholders and capital markets regulators should be watchful of residual audit fees and utilise it as a gauge for audit quality and also an indicator of opportunism and weak internal control in the firm in the future assessments.Social implicationsThe implication of the study stems from its relevance to the capital market stability and the potential negative disastrous effect of corporate failure from earnings management practices.Originality/valueThe study develops a newly residual audit fee model to explore the effect of RAF on real income smoothing rather than the widely used models from prior literature; secondly, the focus on real activities manipulation may present additional evidence that applies to developing countries rather the widely used accrual measurement technique from an economic bonding perspective.

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.

IMPACT OF BOARD AND AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARACTERISTICS ON ACCRUALS AND REAL EARNINGS MANAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN

Purpose: Despite a large number of regulations and standards governing the financial reporting process, earnings management is increasing at an alarming rate in organizations today. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of board and audit committee characteristics on accruals and real earnings management practices in Pakistan.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: Earnings management as dependent variable is measured by using two model: Kothari et al., (2005) and Roy chowdhury (2006). Whereas, board size, board independence, CEO duality, audit committee size, audit committee independence and audit committee activity are the independent variables. This study was based on data collected from 235 non-financial firms listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) from 2008 to 2015. The relationship was investigated by means of panel data estimation.
 Findings: The result revealed CEO duality is positively related with accruals earnings management. Whereas, board independence is negatively related and CEO duality, board activity and audit committee independence are positively related with real earnings management.
 Implications/Originality/Value: The findings of the study are important for investors, regulators, and legislators in their attempt to constrain the incidence of earnings management and improve financial reporting quality.