An issue that has long been of interest in financial accounting research is the question of whether firms take advantage of areas in which flexibility exists in financial reporting standards in order to improve reported performance in the annual financial statements. In the early 1980s, a...

Firms enjoy wide discretion in their disclosure of patent-related events, which investors generally view as "good news" announcements. This study examines patent disclosure behavior before earnings announcements in light of managers incentives to avoid the stock price-related consequences of...

This study assesses the unintended effects of recent accounting regulation (SFAS 144) on a specificform of real activities earnings management, namely the timing of asset sales to smooth income. Thispaper finds that, by changing the qualifying criteria for discontinued operations, SFAS 144...