The effect of the interest coverage covenants on classification shifting of revenues

ABSTRACT

While prior studies focus on real/accrual-based earnings management and expense misclassification to investigate earnings manipulation in avoiding covenant violations, this paper extends such research in a new direction. In particular, it examines whether firms employ classification shifting of revenues when they are subject to interest coverage EBITDA-based covenants close to their threshold values or limits. This earnings management tool allows firms to increase reported EBITDA by misclassifying non-operating revenues as operating revenues to remain within covenant limits that include EBITDA. Using a sample of 559 UK listed firm-years for the period 2005–2014, it establishes that the use of classification shifting of revenues is high when interest coverage covenants are close to their limits. Further analysis suggests that firms also employ revenue shifting when all their loan covenants are EBITDA-related.     

Earnings management by classification shifting and IPO survival

The study examines the effect of earnings management by classification shifting on firm success, focusing on the survival of newly listed firms. We argue that shifting income-decreasing expenses from core to special items should negatively associate with future operating performance because of improper signaling of actual repeatable core profitability. We find that classification shifting strongly and negatively affects future Initial Public Offering (IPO) success and survival. We further identify the economic mechanisms that drive this finding and observe that our results are mitigated when the quality of external corporate governance alleviating agency concerns is stronger, also for IPO firms operating within stronger business contexts. Therefore, in an environment that facilitates firm survivability, the existence of weaker than reported sustainable performance may not end up materializing in the form of lower firm survivability as these factors aid firms' continuing operations from a business perspective. Our findings provide evidence of the longer-term implications of a method of earnings management that has long been considered “soft” and without any longer-term reversing consequences.     

Predictors of revenue shifting and expense shifting: Evidence from an emerging economy

Prior literature established that managers engage in Revenue Shifting (RS) and Expense Shifting (ES) with an intent to report favourable operating performance; our paper extends such research in a new direction by investigating both forms based on the need, ease, and advantage of each form of shifting strategy. The study identifies firm-specific factors that incentivize firms to prefer RS over ES and vice-versa. We undertake a longitudinal study (2001–2019) using a sample size of 39,634 firm-years, enlisted in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Our results show that peer-performance, size, financial leverage, growth opportunities, accounting flexibility, and age of the firm are important determinants of RS and ES. Specifically, our results exhibit that large, levered, old, and high-growth firms are engaged in RS, whereas small, young, firms with lesser accounting flexibility, and firms operating below peer-performance are involved in ES. These results are robust to controlling for accruals earnings management, real earnings management, endogeneity, self-selection bias, and alternative measures of RS and ES. Our findings are helpful to auditors and investors in improving awareness of forms of classification shifting.     

Direct and substitution effects of regulations impacting the scope for classification shifting

We exploit two historic changes to Australian accounting standards to examine the direct and substitution effects of regulations impacting the scope for classification shifting. First, we consider whether reforms to the standard prescribing the format of the income statement (AASB 1018) introduced during 2001/02 reduced the extent to which core expenses were opportunistically misclassified as ‘abnormal’ in an attempt to boost ‘core earnings’ (the ‘direct effect’), and whether any reduction in classification shifting behavior induced greater use of accrual-based earnings management (the ‘substitution effect’). We then examine the impact of the introduction of AASB 101 in 2005, which effectively reversed the constraints on classification shifting introduced in 2001/02. We find that classification shifting using abnormal items was significantly reduced following the 2001/02 reform. However, this reform also appears to have induced an increased use of accruals management to manipulate core earnings, thus potentially impairing earnings quality. We find some weak evidence of an increase in classification shifting behavior following the adoption of AASB 101, but no evidence of any substitution effects involving accrual-based earnings management.     

Earnings management of seasoned equity offering firms in Korea

We investigated 249 Korean seasoned equity offering (SEO) firms during the period 1995-1997 to determine if the SEO firms manage earnings in the year before a planned issue of seasoned equity stocks. Using three test methods (accrual difference, correlation, and sign-change), we found that the Korean firms contemplating SEOs in the following year do manage earnings particularly when their relative performances have been poor. The results are robust irrespective of control samples. Analysis of operating performances around SEOs shows that SEO firms tend to increase reported earnings in the year immediately preceding and the year of SEOs, but no differences were found in operating cash flows between the SEO firms and the control firms. By using a regression analysis for discretionary accruals, we found that SEO firms are more likely to manage earnings if the operating performances are poor and if the offer sizes are relatively large. Association tests between stock returns and discretionary accruals indicate that the market reacts positively to net income but negatively to discretionary accruals. The results indicate that the market correctly analyzes the cash flow implications of the SEO firms' opportunistic use of discretionary accruals.     

Earnings management strategies in Brazil: Determinant costs and temporal sequence

This paper describes a study that analyses earnings management strategies involving accounting choices or real activities in Brazil. An analysis is conducted of the relationships between earnings management strategies their determinant costs and of the temporal sequence in which these management strategies are applied. The results of empirical tests indicate that adoption of management strategies is dependent on their relative costs. There is a temporal relationship between the two types of strategies for manipulation of year-end results, with real activities preceding accounting choices. It was also observed that the level of manipulation by accruals (real activities) reduced (increased) after adoption of the IFRS in Brazil.     

An analysis of the effect of mandatory adoption of IAS/IFRS on earnings management

This paper examines whether mandatory adoption of international accounting standards, IAS/IFRS, by French companies is associated with lower earnings management. In addition, the impact of six factors that may be related to earnings management level are also considered: the independence and the efficiency of the board of directors, the separation of roles of CEO and Chairman of the board, the existence of an independent audit committee, the existence of block shareholders, the quality of the external audit and the listing on foreign financial markets.Based on a sample of 353 French listed groups relating to the period 2003–2006, our results show that the mandatory adoption of IAS/IFRS is associated with a reduction in the earnings management level. In addition, the independence and the efficiency of the board of directors, the existence of an independent audit committee, the existence of block shareholders, the quality of the external audit and the listing on foreign financial markets are important factors for enforcement of IAS/IFRS in France. Mandatory adoption of IAS/IFRS has decreased earnings management level for companies with good corporate governance and those that depend on foreign financial markets.     

Modelling bank customer behaviour using feature engineering and classification techniques

This study investigates customer behaviour and activity in the banking sector and uses various feature transformation techniques to convert the behavioural data into different data structures. Feature selection is then performed to generate feature subsets from the transformed datasets. Several classification methods used in the literature are applied to the original and transformed feature subsets. The proposed combined knowledge mining model enable us to conduct a benchmark study on the prediction of bank customer behaviour. A real bank customer dataset, drawn from 24,000 active and inactive customers, is used for an experimental analysis, which sheds new light on the role of feature engineering in bank customer classification. This paper’s detailed systematic analysis of the modelling of bank customer behaviour can help banking institutions take the right steps to increase their customers’ activity.     

Asset Disposal as a Method of Real Earnings Management: Evidence from the UK

We examine asset sales as a method of real earnings management around the benchmarks of loss avoidance and last year's earnings. Evidence is reported of asset sales to boost or reduce earnings near the benchmark of last year's earnings. For the zero earnings benchmark our results are moderated by the opening balance of accruals: only firms with high levels of accruals use asset sales to boost earnings to avoid a loss and only firms with low levels of accruals use asset sales as part of a big bath. We suggest that firms with high accrual balances find it difficult to use additional income-increasing accruals but find it more convenient to write off accruals rather than sell assets to artificially reduce earnings. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are associated with reduced use of asset sales for gains and especially with reduced asset sales for losses. We ascribe this to IFRS introducing additional judgement and estimation in relation to the valuation of both long-lived and current assets on a recurring basis.     

Islamic versus conventional banks in the GCC countries: A comparative study using classification techniques

This paper contributes to the empirical literature on Islamic finance by investigating the feature of Islamic and conventional banks in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries over the period 2003–2010. We use parametric and non-parametric classification models (Linear discriminant analysis, Logistic regression, Tree of classification and Neural network) to examine whether financial ratios can be used to distinguish between Islamic and conventional banks. Univariate results show that Islamic banks are, on average, more profitable, more liquid, better capitalized, and have lower credit risk than conventional banks. We also find that Islamic banks are, on average, less involved in off-balance sheet activities and have more operating leverage than their conventional peers. Results from classification models show that the two types of banks may be differentiated in terms of credit and insolvency risk, operating leverage and off-balance sheet activities, but not in terms of profitability and liquidity. More interestingly, we find that the recent global financial crisis has a negative impact on the profitability for both Islamic and conventional banks, but time shifted. Finally, results show that Logit regression obtained slightly higher classification accuracies than other models.     

The determinants and valuation effects of classification choice on the statement of cash flows

In this paper we exploit the choice allowed by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) regarding the presentation of interest payments on the cash flow statement to answer two related questions: First, whether the classification choice is explained by firm reporting incentives and second, whether it is value relevant. Using a UK sample, we find that firms reporting losses, with a greater proportion of their debt stemming from public sources, with CFO-based covenants and greater increases in leverage in the year of adoption are less likely to report interest payments in cash flows from operating activities (CFOA). Results also suggest that the incentive to meet or beat analyst CFO forecasts decreases, but strong corporate governance increases the probability of including interest payments in CFOA. Based on the assumption that the decision not to classify interest payments in CFOA captures lower disclosure quality or poor future expected performance, we posit that these firms should also exhibit lower valuations. Results obtained after correcting for self-selection bias confirm this assertion. We conclude that managers’ decision not to classify interest payments in CFOA is consistent with the opportunistic use of the choice allowed by IFRS.     

Impact of Earnings,Dividends and Cash Flows on Stock Returns: Case of Taiwan's Stock Market

The study uses Taiwan's stock market, a newly developed market with different characteristics from that of the U.S., as an experimental case to examine the influences of the market's characteristics on the relationship between stock returns and fundamental accounting information, such as earnings, dividends and cash flows. The testing period is from 1990 to 1994, right after the promulgation of Taiwan's accounting standard for statement of cash flows in 1989.Similar to the findings of U.S. studies, the study shows that earnings data is key information for investors. Unlike the U.S. results, however, both operating income and non-operating income are positively related to stock returns. The usefulness of non-operating income to explain stock returns is due mainly to its recurrent characteristic in Taiwan. The market views non-operating income, mostly from disposal of real-estate and short-term equity investments, as a complementary factor to operating income. It is a possible common phenomenon in a booming economy. Unlike from the results of U.S. studies, Taiwan's stock returns are strongly associated with stock dividends. Cash dividends, however, are relatively less important information to the market. The fast booming economy as well as Taiwan's free tax rate on capital gains are the explanations for the different findings. The results also support McNicholes and Dravid's (1990) and etc. results that stock dividends may act as a signal for favorable future earnings. Examining the association between stock returns and cash flow information, the results indicate that stock returns are positively associated with cash flows from both operating and financing activities. The phenomenon implies that the market appreciates not only the cash inflows from operating activities, but also cash inflows from new issues of bonds or stocks for further expansion. It is consistent to Taiwan's booming economy. The finding also supports Ross (1977) and Leland and Pyles' (1977) signaling hypothesis.The study concludes that the relationships between stock returns and fundamental variables are subject to the market's characteristics. The case of the Taiwan stock market shows that usefulness of accounting information depends upon the different roles of the information in the tested market. The results of the study also indicate that directly applying the U.S. experiences without any adjustment may cause incorrect conclusions for empirical studies.     

Reply to the Discussion Note on the “The Effect of IFRS Adoption Conditional Upon the Level of Pre-adoption Divergence”

Pathak (2014) has raised both conceptual and methodological questions about Cai, Rahman, and Courtenay (2014). In this reply, we attempt to address the questions. The discussion arising from these questions suggests that IFRS adoption and the implications of IFRS are complex issues. Cai et al. (2014) try to illustrate that IFRS adoption is not a single-step solution. It has various stages. Some countries take gradual steps towards IFRS adoption and others embrace IFRS in one big step. Cai et al. (2014) also explain that IFRS adoption is associated with other institutional arrangements within a country. The issue of the manner in which IFRS is adopted across countries needs further investigation to better assess the country level impediments of IFRS adoption and how IFRS adoption affects market efficiency.     

Relevance of Differences between Net Income based on IFRS and Domestic Standards for European Firms

Net income adjustments resulting from mandatory 2005 IFRS adoption in Europe are value relevant for financial and non‐financial firms. Differences in relevance of the aggregate adjustment and adjustments related to several IFRS standards, for financial and non‐financial firms and across country groups, suggest differences in domestic standards and institutions affect investors’ assessment of the relevance of IFRS accounting amounts. Despite these differences, except for French/German non‐financial firms, investors view net income measured using IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement as more relevant than that measured using domestic standards, which is notable because IAS 39 was highly controversial in Europe.     

Earnings management,market discounts and the performance of private equity placements

Private equity placement data allow us to determine whether sophisticated investors can uncover the true value of firms. This can be done by defining sophisticated investors as those who meet the stringent participation requirements of the private equity market. Our results show private equity issuing firms overstate their earnings in the quarter preceding private equity placement announcements and that sophisticated investors do not ask for a fair discount when purchasing the shares of the private issuing firms. We also find evidence showing that the reversal of the effects of pre-issue earnings management is a significant determinant of the long-term performance of private issues. Results further show that post-issue stock performance and operating performance of firms using “aggressive” earnings management significantly underperform those using more “conservative” earnings management.     

会计准则改革、实际控制人性质与盈余管理

以2003～2005、2008～2010年间沪、深A股制造业上市公司为样本,考察会计准则改革对实际控制人性质不同公司盈余管理程度的影响。结果表明,会计准则改革后,中央控股公司的盈余管理程度没有发生显著变化,地方控股公司和民营公司的盈余管理程度均显著提高,且二者盈余管理程度提高的幅度不存在显著差异。     

The SEC's Proposed IFRS Roadmap: An analysis of comment letters using content analysis and textual software

We examine comment letters written in response to the SEC's Proposed IFRS Roadmap using traditional content analysis and CLUTO, a unique text clustering software. We find that while there is strong support for the idea of one set of high quality global accounting standards, a majority of respondents are opposed to the proposed roadmap. Additionally, our results suggest that comments received systematically differ with respondent characteristics such as respondent type, firm characteristics, and industry affiliation. Finally, the complementary use of CLUTO with manual content analysis and the robust results obtained from CLUTO, provide support for the potential use of CLUTO to examine large textual databases in future accounting research.     

Analyst revenue forecast reporting and the quality of revenues and expenses

We decompose earnings quality into revenue and expense quality and examine their associations with analyst propensity to supplement their earnings forecasts with revenue forecasts. Analysts report more revenue forecasts to I/B/E/S when expense quality is low to compensate for the low accuracy of their earnings estimates, which has a positive association with expense quality. Expense quality is unassociated with revenue forecast accuracy, thus revenue forecasts become increasingly useful for valuing firms when expense quality is low. Analysts report fewer revenue forecasts when revenue quality is low because both earnings and revenue forecast accuracy decline as revenue quality deteriorates. To control for endogeneity, we use firm‐fixed effects to control for unobserved time‐invariant heterogeneity across firms, instrumental variables regressions and regression in changes.     

Cash management using multi-stage stochastic programming

We consider a cash management problem where a company with a given financial endowment and given future cash flows minimizes the Conditional Value at Risk of final wealth using a lower bound for the expected terminal wealth. We formulate the optimization problem as a multi-stage stochastic linear program (SLP). The company can choose between a riskless asset (cash), several default- and option-free bonds, and an equity investment, and rebalances the portfolio at every stage. The uncertainty faced by the company is reflected in the development of interest rates and equity returns. Our model has two new features compared to the existing literature, which uses no-arbitrage interest rate models for the scenario generation. First, we explicitly estimate a function for the market price of risk and change the underlying probability measure. Second, we simulate scenarios for equity returns with moment-matching by an extension of the interest rate scenario tree.     

Earnings management and initial public offerings: The case of the depository industry

In a typical IPO, insiders are “net sellers” of IPO shares; however, in a demutualizing thrift, insiders are “net buyers” of IPO shares. Using a sample of mutual depository IPOs, we find evidence consistent with earnings management prior to the conversion of mutual thrifts. We find on average that mutuals report lower ROA and increased loan loss provisions and loan loss reserves in the period prior to the demutualization. Using a two-stage approach, we also find that the level of discretionary loan loss provisions and discretionary reserves are positively related to both the level of insider participation in the IPO and the first-day returns to investors. Our results are consistent with management of mutual thrifts benefiting at the conversion from reduced pre-IPO earnings and book equity resulting from earnings management.