• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.173-188
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• 2023

This paper analyzed the Earnings management of firms selected as preliminary Unicorn. If a manager is selected as a preliminary unicorn firm, he can receive financial support of up to 20 billion won, creating a factor in managing the manager's earnings. The motive for management's earnings management is related to the capital market. Accounting information is used by investors and financial analysts, and corporate profits affect corporate value. Therefore, if the accounting earning is adjusted upward, the corporate value will be raised and investment conditions will be favorable. In this paper, earnings quality was measured by the modified Jones model of Dechow et al.(1995) by the ROA control model of Kothari et al.(2005) among the discretionary accruals estimated using an alternative accrual prediction model. Competing similar companies in the same market as the selected companies were formed, and the discretionary accruals were mutually compared to verify the research hypotheses, and only the selected companies were analyzed for the audit year and after the audit year. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the companies selected as preliminary unicorns had higher earnings management compared to the corresponding companies in question, which had a negative impact on the quality of accounting profits. It was found that the companies selected as preliminary unicorns continued to receive incentives for management's earnings management even after being selected. These results indicate that the companies selected as prospective unicorns are recognized for their value in the market through external growth rather than internal growth, and thus, incentives for management's earnings management to attract investment from external investors under favorable conditions are continuing. In the future preliminary unicorn selection evaluation, it was possible to present what needs to be reviewed on the quality of accounting earning. The implication of this paper is that the factors of management's earnings management eventually hinder investors and creditors from judging the reliability of accounting information. It was suggested that a policy alternative for the K-Unicorn Project, which enhances reliability were presented by reflecting the evaluation of earnings quality through discretionary accruals.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.125-140
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• 2015

KOSDAQ market reorganized their division system from two types to four types of division departments such as blue chip, venture, medium, and technology development departments in 2011. However, under the current new division system, financially unhealthy firms attempting to take advantage of the classifying opportunity of blue chip department are likely to engage in pernicious earnings management. The objective of this study is to investigate the earnings management behavior surrounding the time of KOSDAQ firms entering the blue chip department via new division system. More specifically, we test whether the firms classified blue chip department tend to engage in upward earnings management using accruals and real activities before and after they achieve blue chip status. In this study, we analyzed 111 firms classified blue chip department in 2011 according to new division system in KOSDAQ market. Major test results indicate that firms entering the blue chip department according to current KOSDAQ division system in general, tend to inflate reported earnings by means both of accruals and real activities right before the entering year. This result suggests that the firms classified blue chip department engage in opportunistic earnings management with a view to uplifting their market values. Our study is expected to provide clues useful for searching policy directions which intend to ameliorate adverse side effects of the current KOSDAQ division system. In sum, the regulatory authorities and enforcement bodies need to exercise caution in deliberating more stringent review procedures so that financially healthy and promising candidates are properly segregated from their poor and risky counterparts, thus enhancing the beneficial effects, while mitigating adverse side effects of the system.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.123-140
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• 2016

This study investigates whether tax subsidy is associated with the information effect of future earnings (Future Earnings Response Coefficient, hereafter 'FERC'). Prior studies related with tax subsidy suggest that high- tax subsidy is associated with high-Conservatism. And high-tax subsidy is associated with low-information asymmetry. The hypothesis is tested by using sample firms listed on the Korean Stock Exchange from the year of 2002 to the year of 2009 inclusively. We followed methodology of Tucker and Zarowin (2006). We find that the regression coefficient for tax $subsidy{\times}X_{t3}$ shows a significant positive sign. Also, we performed additional test after controlling for variables related with FERC. The regression coefficient for tax $subsidy{\times}X_{t3}$ is consistent with main results. This result means that the changes in the current stock price of higher-tax subsidy contain more information about their future earnings than the changes in the stock price of lower-abnormal audit hours. The evidence suggests that investors positively understand high-tax subsidy.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.66-92
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• 2019

Purpose - Foreign Exchange Rates (FER) have been one of the most significant factors for both Korean exporters and the economy of Korea. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether exporters with a high level of Exchange Rate Elasticity of Sales (ERES) make the use of earnings management for Income Smoothing (IS). Design/methodology - Income smoothing was obtained using the methodology suggested by Leuz, Nanda and Wysocki (2003). Accruals-based Earnings Management (AEM) was estimated using Discretionary Accruals (DA) calculated by the operant Jones Model developed by Dechow, Sloan and Sweeney (1995). Real Earnings Management (REM) was obtained using the methodologies suggested by Roychowdhury (2006) and Cohen and Zarowin (2010). Data were 2,402 firm years of public listed companies on the KRX, which were not in the financial industry and had a settlement of accounts in December for the period from 2013 to 2017. Findings - Results of the evaluation are as follows. First, companies with higher levels of ERES have relatively lower levels of smoothing of reported income. This might be because a fluctuation in sales caused by an exchange rate fluctuation has a direct impact on the volatility of the reported income. Second, companies with high levels of both ERES and IS have a positive correlation with both AEM and REM. This might be because companies with high levels of IS engage in earnings management to smooth reported income. Specifically, it is possible to assume that for smoothing the reported income, not only AEM but also REM is practiced. Third, companies with high levels of ERES but low levels of IS have a negative correlation with both AEM and REM. This could be interpreted as companies exhibiting low levels of IS due to higher levels of ERES tend to control IS. In addition, such results were supported by firms relying highly on exporting, and are consequently sensitive to exchange rate fluctuation. Therefore, it may conclude that companies with high levels of ERES make the use of earnings management as a means of IS. Originality/value - This study can find its significance from the fact that it is the first study, empirically verifying that companies of Korea, where exportation is a large part, use both AEM and REM as a means for smoothing reported income upon facing exchange rate fluctuations. In addition, it is highly expected that the results of this study could be useful for participants of financial markets when making IS-related decisions.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.25-38
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• 2022

The purpose of this paper is to verify the cost behavior of non-listed companies in Mongolia from 2013 to 2018. And we investigate the relationship between cost behavior and earnings management. Earnings management was measured using the Big-Bath and avoiding loss incentives. Big-Bath suspected firms report a very large loss and avoiding loss suspected firms have a bite profit. The results of this study are as follows. First, non-listed firms in Mongolia, operating costs(oc) and selling, general and administrative(sga) costs show the cost stickiness. Second, cost stickiness was different depending on the earnings management. The suspected avoiding loss firms have upward earnings management incentives, operating costs and sga costs all present anti-cost stickiness. The suspected big bath firms strengthen the cost stickiness of operating costs and sga costs. This study is meaningful in that it first analyzed the relationship between earnings management and cost stickiness of non-listed firms in Mongolia using empirical data. It will be meaningful in that it provides relevant information to those interested in research and investment.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.103-115
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• 2019

Purpose - We attempted to verify the level of ethics of firms achieving sustainable management from the aspect of reliability of accounting information. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of sustainable management on accruals-based earning management (AEM) and real earning management (REM). Research design, data, and methodology - We employed the issuance of sustainability reports in addition to the indices of social responsibility and environmental-management evaluation of the Korea Corporate Governance Service in order to measure sustainability management. AEM was measured using discretionary accruals and calculated using the operant Jones model. Specifically, REM was measured using the methodology suggested by prior studies. The sample of our study consisted of 1,418 years of public listed firms in the Korea Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2017. Results - First, the level of AEM in firms achieving sustainable management was lower than the other. Second, the level of REM in these firms was lower than the other. Nonetheless, another analysis showed that the level of governance control affects the level of earning management and that the levels of AEM and REM were generally lower in firms achieving sustainable management than the others. Conclusions - We expected that firms achieving external ethics tend to have a higher level of internal ethics than others.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.27-53
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• 2010

This paper examines whether and how much vocational training raises an individual's earnings in Korea, using the Economically Active Population Survey. To overcome endogeneity of training, we apply fixed-effects and propensity-score matching (PSM) methods. Fixed-effects (PSM) results suggest that work-related training received in the previous one year increases a worker's monthly earnings by 2.6 to 4.7 (7.5 to 9.8) percent. Taken altogether, work-related training enhances a worker's earnings by a minimum of 2.6 and a maximum of 9.8 percent in Korea.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.365-371
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• 2021

In the wake of several high-profile corporate accounting scandals, there has been evidence that companies are more eager to hire Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) with an accounting background. This signals that CEOs with an accounting background are recognized and trusted by the corporate world to boost the quality of financial reporting of a company. If it is so, in the context of combating the earnings management, hiring CEOs with an accounting background (being a conservative accounting practitioner), could become one of the effective internal corporate governance mechanisms (CGM) to bring down the earnings management activities. This study attempts to provide insight into the level of conservatism of the CEO with an accounting background. Following Basu (1997) and Khan and Watt (2009), the firm-year measure of conservatism (C_Score) was obtained, which later was associated with the accounting education of the CEO to determine their relationship. As expected, CEOs with accounting background exhibit a higher level of moral reasoning than their non - accounting educated counterparts. The finding of this study is useful to persuade the policymaker to consider lifting the trend of hiring a CEO with an accounting background as one of the best practices that the companies can work out to lessen earnings management activities.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.105-112
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• 2021

This study aims to find empirical evidence of the effect of increasing income on the potential transfer of wealth from manufacturing companies that go public to stakeholders. Earnings management with an accrual approach with the Modified Jones model is an identifier of the availability of earnings management practices, without paying attention to both positive and negative symbols. The interpretation of the results of the discretionary accrual measurement between positive and negative symbols has different meanings. Positive discretionary accruals indicate that management uses income-increasing techniques. Meanwhile, negative discretionary accruals indicate that management uses income-reducing techniques. Income-increasing techniques tend to be viewed as opportunistic behavior of managers. This study used 111 data from manufacturing companies listed on the IDX (Indonesia Stock Exchange) from 2015-2018. Path analysis is used to test the hypothesis. The results of this study are in line with the point of view of management strategy, increasing income is used as a way to transfer potential welfare from the company to stakeholders. Social welfare (tax) and managerial remuneration are proven to be mediators in increasing the effect of increasing income on future company value. Further research can complete the potential welfare transfer against the shareholders related to income-increasing strategy.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1090-1100
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• 2024

While the incorporating ESG indicator is recognized as crucial for sustainability and increased firm value, inconsistent disclosure of ESG data and vague assessment standards have been key challenges. To address these issues, this study proposes an ambiguous text-based automated ESG rating strategy. Earnings Call Transcript data were classified as E, S, or G using the Refinitiv-Sustainable Leadership Monitor's over 450 metrics. The study employed advanced natural language processing techniques such as BERT, RoBERTa, ALBERT, FinBERT, and ELECTRA models to precisely classify ESG documents. In addition, the authors computed the average predicted probabilities for each label, providing a means to identify the relative significance of different ESG factors. The results of experiments demonstrated the capability of the proposed methodology in enhancing ESG assessment criteria established by various rating agencies and highlighted that companies primarily focus on governance factors. In other words, companies were making efforts to strengthen their governance framework. In conclusion, this framework enables sustainable and responsible business by providing insight into the ESG information contained in Earnings Call Transcript data.