• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.9 no.7
• /
• pp.185-196
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of split ratings on earnings management through cost adjustments based on asymmetric cost behaviors. Using a sample of 2,027 Korean firm-year observations over the 2002-2019 period, we analyze whether a firm deliberately reduces discretionary costs, such as selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses, to improve profits when it receives multiple ratings from credit rating agencies (CRAs). While examining earnings management incentives in the presence of split ratings, we also investigate the moderating effects of Chaebols, Korea's unique corporate governance structure. We find that split-rating firms show less stickiness in SG&A costs compared to non-split-rating firms when sales decrease. This result implies the deliberate reduction of discretionary costs to improve earnings in the presence of split ratings, which are more likely to change in future credit assessments. We also find that the incentives for earnings management of split-rating firms are limited in Chaebol firms, which have high levels of socio-economic surveillance and support affiliated firms through the internal market of corporate groups. This study contributes to existing research by identifying new determinants of cost behavior by using the framework of asymmetric cost behavior in relation to earnings management incentives.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.18 no.12
• /
• pp.243-249
• /
• 2020

This study analyzes the earnings management that can occur in the process of public offering in the process of SMEs reducing cost of capital, risks and seeking opportunities for direct financing. Since a company is subject to strict supervision during the IPO process, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon that the company value evaluated in the market is underestimated, or to perform earnings management in consideration of overestimation. This study attempted to verify the degree of earnings management through discretionary accruals and actual earnings management values that can affect the earnings ratio of the IPO of a company. For this study, total accruals were calculated and analyzed through discretionary accruals, sales, costs, and actual earnings management adjustments from production activities. As a result of the analysis, discretionary accruals, which are the countermeasures for earnings management during the listing process, have a positive(+) relationship in both the stock price return and the sales adjustment value, which can be viewed as a factor that induces high valuation. As a result of this, there may be a risk of adverse selection for the benefit amount, and information asymmetry may exist for public offering stocks. This study can provide useful guidelines for evaluating corporate value to domestic SMEs and investors that do business with Chinese companies as well as China through the current and type of earnings management of Chinese listed companies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.385-394
• /
• 2012

This study investigates whether earnings management behavior of chaebol firms differ from that of non-chaebol firms. The ownership structure of chaebol firms is characterized by the dominance of one largest shareholder and his family members who typically participate in the management of the firm directly or indirectly and influence most of the important management decision. This study adopts the random effect model and the hausman and talyor model, using a panel of 5092 firm-year over a period from 1991 to 2010 to control for potential heterogeneity and endogeneity that may cause sever bias. This study finds that there is no difference in accrual based earnings management level between chaebol firms and non-chaebol firms. However, chaebol firms appeared to engage less real earnings management that is known to negatively affect future earnings and share prices. The results are consistent when controlling for potential heterogeneity and endogeneity in the hausman and taylor model. The results may be of interest to various stakeholders, policy makers, standard setters and academic researchers.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.137-155
• /
• 2018

It has been reported that there is a significant positive relationship between the unexpected earnings on the earnings announcement date and the cumulative abnormal returns following the earnings announcement date. This study investigates whether the results of prior studies are because the public announcement of shareholders' meeting date was selected as the event date instead of either the preliminary earnings disclosure date or the profit/loss change announcement date. The results of this study are as follows. First, post-earnings-announcement drift(PEAD) occurs when unexpected earnings were computed based on the prior period earnings and the public announcement of the shareholders' meeting date as the profit disclosure date. Second, when analyzing the PEAD with the unexpected earnings calculated using the financial analysts' forecasts, no PEAD has been found both on the date of the shareholders' meeting and the earlier date of the preliminary earnings disclosure, profit/loss change announcement, or the public announcement of the shareholders' meeting. Foster et al. (1984) analyze the PEAD using time series model and earnings forecasting model and suggest that the PEAD appears only in the time series model. In this study, too, in the case of using analysts' profit forecasts, the lack of the PEAD shows that the PEAD can be changed according to the method of measuring the unexpected earnings.

• Resources Recycling
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.40-55
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study is to analyse whether the waste disposal volume level in the construction waste disposal industry makes a different effect on earnings management behaviour by size of the licensed storage capacity and by location of the waste disposal site. The empirical results of this study are as follows. First, the waste disposal volume significantly influences earnings management behavior. When it comes to the size of licensed storage capacity in the small-sized capacity firms, the smaller waste disposal volume firms make more aggressive earnings management by using discretionary accruals. On the other hand, in the large-sized capacity firms, more waste disposal volume firms report higher earnings by adjusting more discretionary accruals. Second, the effects of waste disposal volume on the earnings management show different pattern depending on the location of waste disposal site. When the firms are located in the non-capital regions, the smaller waste disposal volume firms report higher earnings by adjusting discretionary accruals as well as by using real activities earnings management. However, the firms located in the capital regions show more aggressive earnings management when they have higher waste disposal volume level.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.343-359
• /
• 2021

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between earnings management and the disclosure effect of share repurchase. In addition, we analyze whether the relationship between earnings management and share repurchase is affected by executive stock options. Design/methodology/approach - We calculate the discretionary accrual amount for the year immediately preceding the share repurchase and the cumulative excess return around the announcement of the share repurchase, and examine the relationship between the two by regression analysis. Findings - We confirmed a negative relationship between discretionary accrual in the year immediately preceding the share repurchase and the market response to the share repurchase disclosure. In particular, it was found that the negative relationship between discretionary accrual and stock price return on share repurchase announcement was found to decrease in companies to which executive stock options were granted. Research implications or Originality - When uncertainties exist in the motives for share repurchase, we find that earnings management and executive stock options can be useful tools for reducing the adverse selection risk inherent in share repurchase announcements.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.109-121
• /
• 2022

Purpose - This study investigates how earnings volatility influences current stock price informativeness about expectations of future earnings. Design/methodology/approach - I adopt the FERC model developed by Collins et al. (1994) and modified by Lundholm and Myers (2002) to investigate the connection between earnings volatility and future earnings reflected in current returns. I define five-year rolling standard deviations of earnings and components as earnings volatility measures and the degree of deviation of earnings from cash flows over the same five-year, which is developed by Jayaraman (2008). Finding - My results show that earnings volatility delays current stock price response to future operation expectations. They also verify that as earnings are more divergent from cash flows, current returns are less timely incorporating value-relevant future operation. Research implications or Originality This study shows that when volatile earnings deliver obscure and unreliable information about future operation expectations, they cause the market to be conflicting in understandings their implications and make it difficult in attaining correct future cashflow estimates.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.821-832
• /
• 2021

Earnings management is very important for companies that aim for decision-making. The research was conducted to analyze the quality of earnings and income smoothing motives in manufacturing companies in Indonesia. The research approach is carried out with a quantitative approach. The sampling method using purposive sampling was associated with several criteria so that a sample of 130 was determined, which was analyzed during the 4 years of the study. The partial least square method was used for data analysis. The results of the study state that institutional ownership has no effect on earnings quality, institutional ownership has a negative effect on income smoothing, leverage has a negative effect on income smoothing, independent commissioners have a positive effect on earnings quality as well as independent commissioners have a positive effect on income smoothing. We assume that the tendency of income smoothing can affect the quality of efficient earnings. Meanwhile, income smoothing affects the quality of company earnings. Management that performs income smoothing is more aimed at conveying the company's prospects for generating profits rather than opportunistic motives.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.213-221
• /
• 2017

This study examines the influence of CEO(Chief Executive Officer) turnover on earnings management in public institutions. We classified sample into four portfolios based on the joint types of departing CEO(Forced/Voluntary) and incoming CEO(Expert/Nonexpert), and we explore whether earnings management are distinguishable depending on the types of CEO turnover. Empirical findings are summarized as following. The different patterns of earnings management are observed for each portfolio in the turnover year. In particular, when departing CEO leaves the company forcibly and incoming CEO is an expert in that business, there is an evidence of downward earnings management in the turnover year. This means that the incoming CEO takes a bath in his first year by recording big charges to shift blame for failed management on to the predecessor. The results documented in this paper provide an important implication for diverse interest groups participating in the CEO turnover decisions at the present time when normalization of management of public institutions is viewed more important than ever.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.271-289
• /
• 2020

Purpose - This paper examined the relation between Correction of Annual Reports and Earnings management. The annual reports are used as key reports for critical decision making by providing useful information to various stakeholders across the firm. Design/methodology/approach - The sequence of this study is analysed that each of the following two cases affects the earning management: 1. that corrections have been made; 2. Where financial information have been modified or non-financial information have been modified during the correction of the annual report. We draw an initial sample of firms listed on the Korea Stock Exchange from 2014 to 2017. Among these, we excluded firms that were not able to obtain the variables needed to measure the correction of Annual Reports and the earnings management. Finally, we use the 7,035 firm-year observations. Findings - Our empirical results of this study are as follows; First, it turned out that the earnings management of companies that report business reports on corrections is larger than those that do not. Second, among the types of annual report corrections, the correction of non-financial information is significantly larger on earnings management than the correction of financial information. Research implications or Originality - The correction disclosure of business reports is a very important issue in terms of accounting information accuracy and reliability. The results of this study will provide policy implications for correction disclosures and regulations due to an important issue as accounting information. An entity that initially prepares accounting information should advanced in such a way that it provides high quality accounting information and then complements and accepts it by various stakeholders.