We analyse to what extent the accrual anomaly is related to the choice of the accounting system as well as firm-level heterogeneity in corporate governance mechanisms. Using a unique dataset of listed German firms over the period 1995 to 2005 we first corroborate former results indicating that...

Prior literature shows that choices regarding board composition are associated with earnings management. We add to this literature by examining the effects of the presence of a foreign board member on earnings management. Using a sample of 3,249 firm-year observations representing 586...

We show that firms 'in danger' of being delisted from a stock market (NASDAQ) report higher performance-adjusted discretionary accruals and the inflated accruals are associated with an increased likelihood of maintained listing. Accruals of firms 'in danger' are less positive in fiscal quarters...

Using 180 manufacturing firms from 1998 to 2004, the paper proves that insiders with controlling interest more than 36.78% increase earnings management (discretionary accruals) by 10.6%. However, they are risk-adverse and avoid inefficient investment after the financial crisis. On the other...

Corporate ethical behavior is influenced by the social context in which a corporation operates. The social context consists of legal rules, law enforcement as well as shared norms (culture). Prior literature explores the effects of legal rules and law enforcement on private control benefits and...

Not surprisingly, the recent accounting scandals look different when viewed from the perspectives of the political/regulatory process and of the market for corporate governance and financial reporting. We do not have the opportunity to observe a world in which either market or...

This paper examines the implications of mandatory IFRS adoption on the accounting quality of banks in twelve EU countries. Specifically, we analyse how the change in the recognition and measurement of banks' main operating accrual item, the loan loss provision, affects income smoothing behaviour...

We examine the association between board independence and the characteristics of non-GAAP earnings. Our results suggest that companies with less independent boards are more likely to opportunistically exclude recurring items from non-GAAP earnings. Specifically, we find that exclusions from...

We examine time-series variations in accounting conservatism in the Japanese market. Previous studies have found that the Japanese market has low accounting conservatism. Over the last 30 years, however, the Japanese market has experienced significant institutional changes. Thus, we examine...