盈余管理的总体应计利润计量法综述

盈余管理实证研究的一个关键环节就是计量盈余管理程度,总体应计利润法是目前西方盈余管理研究文献中使用频率最高的一种盈余管理计量方法,但同时也是受到批评最多的一种方法。本文对总体应计利润法计量的原理、具体模型和优缺点作全面评述,并对未来的研究提出一点建议。     

盈余管理的总体应计利润计量法综述

盈余管理实证研究的一个关键环节就是计量盈余管理程度,总体应计利润法是目前西方盈余管理研究文献中使用频率最高的一种盈余管理计量方法,但同时也是受到批评最多的一种方法。本文对总体应计利润法计量的原理、具体模型和优缺点作全面评述,并对未来的研究提出一点建议。     

盈余管理度量方法的争议与思考

（--）盈余管理度量方法的争议1．总体应计利润法总体应计利润法是盈余管理实证研究中最常用的方法。其核心思想是：企业报告的收益由经营现金流量和应计利润两部分组成,其中,经营现金流量与会计方法的选择关系不大,盈余管理的成本较高,因此企业一般不予考虑。而应计利润则容易通过变化会计方法或微调业务时间来进行操控。但应计利润中只有部分利润是可操控的。     

上市公司会计估计变更的理论分析及实证研究

本文运用理论与实证分析相结合的方法,对上市公司利用会计估计调节利润问题进行了研讨。论述了会计估计变更的相关理论,归纳了会计选择的动机,引入了横截面修正Jones模型和应计利润总额模型,分析了可操控应计利润和应计利润总额。文中以我国钢铁行业上市公司为例,从会计选择变更的角度,通过对发生会计估计变更的年度、方向和原因的分析,进一步研究了上市公司利用会计估计变更进行利润操纵的特征。     

盈余管理计量模型综述

盈余管理一直是国内外学术界研究的热点。本文回顾了以应计利润分离法为主的微观盈余管理计量模型,以及从宏观角度研究不同国家间的盈余操纵计量模型,并对这些模型进行了评述,以期为研究中国股票市场盈余管理提供借鉴。     

应计的盈余管理计量模型比较分析

在回顾盈余管理计量模型的基础上,提出了改进的现金流收益调整模型,并选取相关样本,对6种盈余管理计量模型和现金流收益调整模型在我国上市公司盈余管理计量中的效力进行了比较,研究发现分段线性模型和现金流收益调整模型对我国上市公司的操控性应计利润具有更好的检测效果.     

操纵性应计利润对盈余管理度量影响的实证分析

文章通过1985年以来的文献回顾,将国内外对盈余管理研究的成果进行了归纳总结,在比较前人提出的Healy(1985)、ELO(1986)模型等12个估计模型捕获操纵性应计利润能力的基础上,分析、比较不同模型捕获操纵性应计利润时候的考虑,最终评价其优劣.指出适当的盈余管理是存在的并且不会产生经济危害,建议使用收入和生产能力控制非操纵性应计利润.     

减值计提、管理层变更与盈余管理——以四川长虹为案例所作的检验与度量

本文运用全部应计利润模型和均值回复应计利润模型,对四川长虹2004年通过计提巨额资产减值准备进行盈余管理的行为进行了检验和度量,并对其管理层变更背景下的盈余管理动机进行了探讨。     

减值计提、管理层变更与盈余管理──以四川长虹为案例所作的检验与度量

本文运用全部应计利润模型和均值回复应计利润模型,对四川长虹2004年通过计提巨额资产减值准备进行盈余管理的行为进行了检验和度量,并对其管理层变更背景下的盈余管理动机进行了探讨。     

应计盈余的计量比较及对资产负债表法的质疑

从两种计量应计盈余的原理和单一公司比较的基础上论述了采用资产负债表法计量应计盈余存在一定的误差,并用实证的方法将其与现金流量表法下应计盈余的计量进行了比较.实证研究结果表明,无论哪种方法,经营现金流量的持续性均高于应计盈余,但是现金流量表法下的经营现金流量持续性显著强于资产负债表法下的经营现金流量.现金流量表法下的应计盈余、经营现金流量更可靠.     

基于实际活动操控的盈余管理研究——国外文献述评及启示

基于应计利润的盈余管理研究过去一直是盈余管理研究的主流,但实务界日益呈现的证据表明,应计利润操控并非盈余管理的首要方式,管理层在面临实现特定盈余目标的动机、受限的应计利润会计自由裁量权、后安然时代国际上从紧的会计准则、管理审查和股东法律诉讼的风险时,都可能通过实际操控影响现金流从而管理盈余。对实际活动操控的盈余管理行为的探索能够拓展当前有限的盈余管理研究,有助干改善公司治理、提升盈余信息质量,促进证券市场更健康有序地发展。为此,本文首先对国际现有实际活动操控研究相关文献进行了梳理,具体包括实际活动操控方式识别的相关研究、实际活动操控经济后果及投资者反应的相关研究、应计项目操控与实际活动操控关系的相关研究;然后着重分析了实际活动操控手段的四种计量模型,最后总结了当前真实盈余管理研究的主要成果及局限性,为拓展我国的真实盈余管理研究及提高盈余质量提供了方向。     

Toward the Effect of Audit Quality on Earnings Management——Empirical Evidence from Manufacturing Enterprises Listed in Shanghai Stock Market

Nowadays, earnings management is a hot issue, but most of the researches focus on the incentives of earnings management and few of them refer to the effect of audit quality on earnings management. In this study, we directly examine the effect of external audit quality on earnings management by using discretionary accruals. We find that the discretionary accruals of non-dual audit companies are significantly greater than those of dual audit companies. We also find that clients of non-First Ten auditors intend to report greater discretionary accruals than those of First Ten auditors.     

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 Around Zero: A motivation to local politician signalling competence

Abstract

Literature earnings management aims to determine what causes/motivates managers to disclose earnings close to zero and to use this as an instrument to influence users' decisions. However, limited research has been carried out on this subject in the public sector. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether local politicians (in Portuguese municipalities), aiming to demonstrate their high level of competence and skills, engage in earnings management in such a way as to ensure that earnings are positive but close to zero. We examined whether political competition is a determining factor of earnings management close to zero and if managers use discretionary accruals in order to do this. Results indicate that, in order to report positive net earnings close to zero, discretionary accruals are used. This study identified the overriding tendency to avoid the reporting of losses in those municipalities where political competition is greatest.     

Camouflaged Indicators of Earnings Management†

Abstract

We argue that, in response to increased scrutiny and greater attention to accruals versus sales, firms become more likely to engage in accrual conversion (AC) cash management aimed at aligning cash and accruals with earnings and sales (e.g. by factoring of receivables). In doing so, they reduce the statistical power of standard indicators of accrual-based earnings management – in effect, camouflaging their earnings management activity. This proposition is of interest because many influential papers on earnings management have utilized accrual-based indicators to reach their conclusions. Our results indicate that firms indeed became more likely to engage in AC cash management after the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and that this tendency was particularly pronounced among firms with strong incentives (or enhanced ability) to perform and hide earnings management. In particular, our findings suggest that the post-SOX decrease in standard measurements of accrual-based earnings management, identified in prior research, is partially attributable to firms’ increased engagement in AC cash management activity.     

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.     

The role of cash flows and accruals in explaining security returns: evidence for the UK

The assessment of earnings usefulness in returns studies has been at the forefront of accounting research since the seminal work of Ball and Brown (1968). Recently, regulatory bodies worldwide have paid increased attention to cash flow reporting. Empirical research provides evidence that earnings information dominates cash flows in market-based accounting research. This study extends the growing empirical literature on the association of earnings and cash flows with security returns. We hypothesize that the association of cash flows with security returns improves (i) the smaller the absolute magnitude of aggregate accruals, (ii) the longer the measurement interval and (iii) the shorter the firm's operating cycle. The dataset consists of all UK firms included in the Global vantage database for the period 1984–1992. This study provides evidence that cash flows play a more important role in the marketplace when the operating cycle, magnitude of accruals and the measurement interval are taken into consideration. Moreover, results indicate that cash flows have more information content than earnings in explaining security returns.     

SFAS 133 and income smoothing via discretionary accruals: The role of hedge effectiveness and market volatility

This study investigates whether the Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 133 (SFAS 133) influences firms’ income smoothing via discretionary accruals decisions. Moreover, we investigate whether the level of hedge effectiveness and market volatility affects the impact of SFAS 133 on firms’ income smoothing via discretionary accruals decisions. Consistent with our predictions, we find a significant increase in income smoothing via discretionary accruals activity after the adoption of SFAS 133. We also find that income smoothing via discretionary accruals after the adoption of SFAS 133 increases with the level of hedge ineffectiveness. By contrast, we find that perfect hedgers do not engage in more income smoothing via discretionary accruals after the adoption of SFAS 133. Finally, we find that the higher the market volatility is the larger the income smoothing is via discretionary accruals after the adoption of SFAS 133. This implies that higher market volatility makes it more difficult for firms to meet hedge accounting requirements, thereby increasing unmanaged earnings volatility and income smoothing. Prior studies suggest that regulators are expressing concern about the effect of earnings management on the quality of reported earnings and the functioning of capital markets (e.g., Barton, 2001 ). In this regard, our findings imply that accounting standard setters should take into account the trade‐off between transparency and income smoothing.     

Valuation effects of earnings management on hotel firm value

This study investigates the valuation effects of earnings quality on a hotel’s firm value between 1991 and 2017. A unique perspective from the financial crisis period is utilized to explore the changes further when hotel firms face financial distress. We adopt the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression method in this study. Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression and Petersen’s Clustered Standard Error Model to confirm the validity of results. Seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR) analysis is adopted to compare the impact of the financial crisis on subsamples of low and high Altman Z-scores and subsamples of non-Big-4 and Big-4 firms. Substantial evidence supports our assertion that increased discretionary accruals and earnings management bring down earnings quality and, in turn, decrease a hotel’s firm value. Results reinforce that the 2008 financial crisis had an impact on the relationship between earnings management and hotel firm value. The negative effect that discretionary accruals and earnings management have on hotel firm value is mitigated for hotel firms with low credit strength or not audited by one of the Big-4 firms. Stockholders of hotel firms should be aware of the impact and enforce additional measures to control earnings management activities during a financial crisis.     

The Effect of CEO Stock-Based Compensation on the Pricing of Future Earnings

This paper examines whether CEO stock-based compensation has an effect on the market’s ability to predict future earnings. When stock-based compensation motivates managers to share their private information with shareholders, it will expedite the pricing of future earnings in current stock prices. In contrast, when equity-compensated managers attempt to temporarily manipulate the stock price to maximize their own benefit rather than that of shareholders, the market may not fully anticipate future performance. We find that a CEO’s stock-based compensation strengthens the association between current returns and future earnings, indicating that more information about future earnings is reflected in current stock prices. In addition, we find that the positive effect is weaker for firms that have a high level of signed discretionary accruals or a low management forecast frequency. Overall, our study suggests that on average, equity-based compensation improves the informativeness of stock prices about future earnings, while opportunistic discretionary accruals or lowered earnings guidance hamper this improvement.