Real and Accrual‐Based Earnings Management in the Pre‐ and Post‐IFRS Periods: Evidence from China

The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of both accrual‐ and activities‐based earnings management for Chinese A‐share firms surrounding the adoption of substantially IFRS‐convergent accounting standards. Since 2007, all listed A‐share firms in China have been required to comply with a new set of accounting standards that have substantially conformed to IFRS. The new reform also produced a set of new auditing standards and internal control reporting requirements. Based on a sample of 4,050 firm‐year observations from 2002 to 2011, we find that Chinese firms in the post‐IFRS period (2007–2011) are less likely to engage in accrual‐based earnings management. The magnitude of discretionary accruals also declines after IFRS adoption. In response, we see firms turning to real activities manipulation as a substitute for upward earnings management. The reduction in accrual‐based earnings management could stem from higher quality accounting standards associated with IFRS adoption and/or concurrent changes in the governance regimes introduced with the IFRS mandate. A further analysis, however, indicates that the benefits of IFRS adoption in curbing upward accrual‐based earnings manipulation are not evenly distributed across firms. Specifically, the benefit diminishes for firms that are controlled by Chinese central or local governments, are located in less developed regions, and that have weak financial performance and therefore subject to delisting status. We also find that the benefit is less pronounced for manufacturing firms than for their non‐manufacturing counterparts.     

盈余管理的概念及辨析

本文对盈余管理的概念作了界定,并对相关的概念——会计政策选择和财务舞弊作了辨析。本文认为,盈余管理是在法律和会计准则的范围内进行的,其方法主要是会计方法,但也包括非会计方法。盈余管理与会计政策选择的主要区别在于实施盈余管理的企业管理当局有操纵盈余的动机,而盈余管理与财务舞弊的区别在其合法性上。     

How do the ownership structure and board of directors' features impact earnings management? The Spanish case

This paper examines how the ownership structure and board of directors' features determine the managerial opportunistic behavior exemplified in the management of accounting earnings. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the relationship of firm‐level and country‐level corporate governance systems on the earnings management in the Spanish corporate sector. Results reveal that the varying efficiency of the corporate governance systems is reflected in the way in which accounting discretion is performed. We found evidence that earnings management is reduced as the voting rights of the controlling shareholder increased and that there is an inverse U‐shaped relationship between insiders' ownership and the earnings manipulation. Regarding the board characteristics, we observe that larger, independent boards, those with a larger proportion of female members, and those with an audit committee compounded by a greater proportion of outside independent directors oversee managers more efficiently, constraining their capacity to manage earnings. To the contrary, board duality increases the likelihood of opportunistic manipulation of financial reporting. We found that when the institutional environment improves in the Spanish context, the discretionary power of the corporate sector to overstate the financial statements is reduced. The findings prove the necessity of reinforcing the rules and regulations toward a more transparent disclosure of the financial statements.     

机构投资者能抑制盈余管理吗?--基于退出威胁视角的经验证据

退出威胁是股东参与公司治理的重要方式。本文以2010?2017年A股上市公司为样本,检验机构投资者的退出威胁与企业盈余管理之间的关系。结果显示:机构投资者能够抑制企业的真实盈余管理,而对应计盈余管理的影响并不显著;机构投资者退出威胁能够降低真实和应计盈余管理水平。进一步考虑机构投资者异质性发现,相比敏感型机构投资者,抗压型机构投资者退出威胁更可能降低企业真实盈余管理水平;当管理层的薪酬对股价越敏感时,机构投资者退出威胁的作用越大;机构投资者退出威胁的影响效应在民营企业中更显著。本文的研究结论为认识我国机构投资者,尤其是以QFII和社保基金为代表的抗压型机构投资者在公司治理中的作用提供了新的思路。     

高管股权激励、盈余管理与审计定价——基于盈余管理异质性的视角

使用2009—2013年我国创业板、中小板上市公司数据，基于盈余管理异质性的视角实证检验了高管股权激励与审计定价的关系。通过对盈余管理类型及方向的细分，研究发现，在高管股权激励与审计定价两者关系的传导路径上，真实盈余管理存在部分中介效应，操纵性应计盈余管理间接效应不显著。通过调增方向与调减方向的真实盈余管理，高管股权激励与审计定价分别呈显著负相关、显著正相关关系，说明高管股权激励起到双向作用，并通过真实盈余管理行为对审计定价产生了影响。另外，调减方向的两类盈余管理都与审计定价呈显著正相关关系，说明审计机构更加注重调减方向的盈余管理所带来的风险，从而投入更多的审计资源，审计定价也随之提高。     

Earnings Management Vehicles for Korean Firms

We investigated the vehicles that Korean firms use when the firms manage earnings. We partitioned our sample into low, mid and high accrual sub‐samples based on discretionary accruals. Low accrual firms are defined as income‐decreasing firms whereas the high accrual firms are considered income increasing firms in this study. We decomposed accounting earnings into cash from operations and various components of accruals in a systematic way. Next we examined the types of accruals individual firms use when the respective firms increase reported earnings. The empirical results of the study indicate that there are clear discrepancies in the earnings management vehicles firm use when the firms manage earnings depending on the directions of earnings management. More specifically, income‐increasing firms frequently employ non‐cash revenues including asset‐disposal gains. Income‐decreasing firms employ non‐cash expenses including bad‐debt expenses and asset‐disposal losses. Firms also tend to use current accruals but to a limited extent as current accruals entail cash flow implications in the following years.     

Earnings Management and the Accrual Anomaly: Evidence from China

Using the unique Chinese setting in which the “delisting regulation” is based on accounting numbers, we separate earnings management into (1) earnings management responding to regulation and (2) earnings management prompted by market pressures and further document that earnings management responding to market pressures produces the accrual anomaly (Sloan, 1996) and earnings management responding to regulation does not. Initially unable to detect the accrual anomaly in China's stock market, we were reluctant to conclude that China's market is more efficient than that in the United States. After observing a disproportionate number of “big‐bath” loss firm‐years in the lowest decile of accruals for our sample, we estimated the apparent earnings distortion induced by the delisting regulation. When we excluded this distortion from our analysis, we documented the presence of the accrual anomaly in China's stock market. We conclude that the delisting regulation creates an artificial distribution of firm earnings in China that affects the market pricing of accruals and masks the accrual anomaly. The results have implications for policy makers and regulators in general, and those in emerging markets in particular.     

新会计准则下盈余管理研究

盈余管理通常是指企业管理层为了给企业或个人谋取利益,而通过使用会计手段,或通过采取实际行动使企业的账面盈余达到所期望的水平的操作性行为,是公司普遍存在的现象,与会计准则有着紧密联系。文章拟从会计准则与盈余管理的关系出发,分析新会计准则对盈余管理的影响及新准则下企业进行盈余管理可采用的手段,并对新会计准则下完善盈余管理提出一些建议。     

IFRS的强制趋同、盈余动机与应计及真实盈余操纵

本文运用我国2005年至2008年A股市场的数据,实证研究了新会计准则的实施、盈余动机与应计及真实盈余管理的关系。结果发现:与国际财务报告准则趋同的新准则强制实施以后,公司的应计盈余管理空间扩大了,公司的真实盈余管理也明显地增加了,其中应计盈余管理空间的扩大可能是由于会计稳健的结果;公司为满足盈余管理的各种动机需要,会灵活地同时使用应计与真实盈余管理来协调互补地达到恰当调节利润的目的;除了股票增发(Zengfa)动机以外,其余各种动机在一定程度上都利用了新会计准则的强制实施来进行应计或各种真实盈余管理,以达到操纵利润的目的。     

IFRS的强制趋同、盈余动机与应计及真实盈余操纵

本文运用我国2005年至2008年A股市场的数据,实证研究了新会计准则的实施、盈余动机与应计及真实盈余管理的关系。结果发现:与国际财务报告准则趋同的新准则强制实施以后,公司的应计盈余管理空间扩大了,公司的真实盈余管理也明显地增加了,其中应计盈余管理空间的扩大可能是由于会计稳健的结果;公司为满足盈余管理的各种动机需要,会灵活地同时使用应计与真实盈余管理来协调互补地达到恰当调节利润的目的;除了股票增发(Zengfa)动机以外,其余各种动机在一定程度上都利用了新会计准则的强制实施来进行应计或各种真实盈余管理,以达到操纵利润的目的。     

不同视角下的盈余管理

文章以财务会计理论的基本问题为起点,对盈余管理存在的普遍性、管理者的行为动因与投资者的市场反应,以及盈余管理对会计信息披露质量进行分析,以期解决运用盈余管理协调会计信息时财务呈报与有效契约之间的矛盾,以满足企业管理者与市场投资者的利益需求。     

浅谈新准则对上市公司盈余管理的影响

盈余管理是公司普遍存在的现象,与会计准则有着紧密联系。新准则的制定和发布一方面对公司盈余管理有所遏制,另一方面又为盈余管理提供了新空间。本文通过审视新会计准则下盈余管理手段的变化,对我国准则的制定和上市公司会计行为的解读有着重要的意义。     

混合股权制衡度与真实盈余管理行为

混合所有制改革形成了非国有股与国有股相互制衡的股权结构。通过研究国有企业中非国有股权和国有股权相互制衡的程度与真实盈余管理行为的关系发现：混合股权制衡度显著抑制了国有企业的真实盈余管理行为，但当国有性质股权占比小于非国有性质股权占比时上述抑制作用减弱。另外,参与混合所有制改革的金融类、外资类股权相比民营类股权制衡度，对真实盈余管理行为发挥了更显著的治理作用。机制检验发现，混合股权制衡一方面通过提升业绩，提高对真实盈余管理动机的抑制作用，从而缓解了真实盈余管理行为；另一方面通过提升内部控制对真实盈余管理的抑制作用，降低了真实盈余管理行为。以上结论有助于深化国有企业混合所有制改革，为提升混改中的审计监管质量提供参考。     

盈余重述与真实活动操控——以高报盈余的重述公司为例

近年来日趋频繁的盈余重述受到了投资者、学术界及监管当局的广泛关注,探究盈余重述发生的深层次动因成为提高会计信息披露质量必须要解决的问题.以高报盈余的重述公司为对象,通过分析盈余重述与真实活动盈余管理的关系后发现,与非重述公司相比,高报盈余的重述公司在财务报告发生错误的年度经营现金流较低,生产成本较高.这说明重述公司利用真实经济活动正向调整了盈余,盈余重述的主要原因是公司以前年度的盈余管理行为.     

“微利”上市公司盈余管理实证研究

"微利"上市公司存在盈余管理的动机和条件。本文选取沪深两市A股2004～2006三年净资产收益率(ROE)落在(0%,1%)区间内的公司为样本,实证检验了"微利"上市公司存在正向的盈余管理行为;并进一步以利润构成的角度,利用多元线性回归方法间接证实了盈余管理方式选择具有偏好性,而且反映在营业外收支净额上的盈余管理手段是"微利"上市公司最为偏好的方式。这为证券和会计监管提供了重要线索。     

盈余管理、关联交易与审计师特征

上市公司利用关联交易进行盈余管理必须得到会计师事务所的"配合"才有可能顺利实施,而与之"配合"的审计师因承担更高的审计风险,必以收取更高的审计费用作为补偿.实证研究表明,关联交易是上市公司盈余管理的重要手段,上市公司关联交易量越大,会计师事务所的品牌、规模越有利于抑制公司盈余管理行为,审计任期过长不利于抑制公司盈余管理行为.上市公司关联交易量越大,就越倾向于选择非国际"四大"和国内非"十大"会计师事务所,即小规模会计师事务所是上市公司的选择目标,因盈余管理进行关联交易的上市公司支付了更高水平的审计费用.     

The Stewardship Role of Analyst Forecasts,and Discretionary Versus Non-discretionary Accruals

We examine the interaction between discretionary and non-discretionary accruals in a stewardship setting. Contracting includes multiple rounds of renegotiation based on contractible accounting information and non-contractible but more timely non-accounting information. We show that accounting regulation aimed at increasing earnings quality from a valuation perspective (earnings persistence) may have a significant impact on how firms rationally respond in terms of allowing accrual discretion in order to alleviate the impact on the stewardship role of earnings. Increasing the precision of more timely non-accounting information (analyst earnings forecasts) increases the ex ante value of the firm and reduces costly earnings management. There is an optimal level of reversible non-discretionary accrual noise introduced through revenue recognition policies. Tight rules-based accounting regulation, as opposed to leaving firms more choice over non-discretionary accrual policies, may lead firms to rationally respond by inducing costly earnings management. More generally, regulating both earnings persistence and the tightness of admissible auditing policies may not result in less equilibrium earnings management.     

Improvements onthe Earnings Forecast Model——Based on Correlation between Financial Ratio, Auditor Opinion and Future Earnings

This paper aims to find evidence for the improvements on the present earnings forecast models through analyzing the correlation among financial ratios, auditor opinion of listed companies and their future earnings. This paper uses two statistical regression methods including Logistic model and Linear model to examine the inner interaction between financial ratios and future earnings from qualitative and quantitative perspectives respectively. Empirical tests find that financial ratios, especially ROE, can help to predict future earnings. Then we add auditor opinion variable into Logistic model to test whether going concern opinion in the auditor reports can be helpful for earnings forecast. Result shows the degree of optimistic statement of going concern opinion is significantly correlated with future earnings but with the disturbance of earnings management.     

我国上市公司盈余管理的成因、手段及识别

上市公司通过盈余管理掩盖企业亏损,粉饰会计报告,造成会计信息失真,阻碍了证券市场的健康发展。本文通过对我国上市公司盈余管理的成因,手段分析,提出了识别盈余管理的方法。     

频繁并购重组与异常审计收费

以2012—2017年A股上市公司为样本，采用异常审计费用衡量审计师对上市公司频繁并购重组的风险溢价，探究企业频繁并购重组与审计师风险溢价收费的关系，研究发现企业频繁并购重组会导致审计师风险溢价提高。从商誉和盈余管理角度探究其路径机制发现，商誉和真实盈余管理是频繁并购重组导致更高审计师风险溢价两个重要中介变量，而应计盈余管理并没有发挥中介作用，即频繁并购重组企业操纵利润的手段倾向于采用真实盈余管理，而非应计盈余管理。