We study the impact of earnings management prior to bankruptcy filing on the passage of firms through Chapter 11. Using data on 261 U.S. public firms, we construct three measures of earnings management, two of which are accounting (accrual) manipulation measures (discretionary accruals and...

Objective – This study investigates the effects of financial constraints on the conservatism practices of Brazilian firms.Design/methodology/approach – A sample totaling 1,086 observations of Brazilian publicly traded companies listed on BM&FBovespa was developed from 2000 to 2012. In the...

Previous literature finds that situations that put managers under significant levels of pressure (e.g. IPO, upcoming credit rating changes, violation of debt covenant, etc.) might affect the way earnings are manipulated. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the pressure caused by the...

We document the distortionary effects of accounting-based regulation on reported earnings. In India only firms with negative book value of equity (networth) can seek bankruptcy protection. Using a novel dataset of bankrupt firms from India, we show that firms manage earnings downward to seek...

Throughout their business life cycle, firms may experience financial distress. Successful emergence from such distress is important to their multiple stakeholders. Using a sample of publicly listed firms in China that emerged from Special Treatment (an indicator of delisting risk), we focus on...

This study examines the association between real earnings management, governance attributes, and IPO failure risk. Using a sample of 4174 IPOs firms that went public over the period of 1998-2011, we find evidence that real earnings management and governance attributes are associated with IPO...

This paper investigates if and how a peer's bankruptcy affects financial reporting by other firms within the industry. Prior research documents that the bankruptcy filing of a peer firm has a negative capital market effects on other firms within the industry (lower stock market value and higher...

We investigate, using data on US manufacturing firms, how and when corporate governance affects managers’ decisions to use discretionary accruals and thereby artificially influence company financial reports. We employ 3SLS to study the relationship between financial status, corporate...

We analyse whether Spanish non-listed bankrupt firms are more inclined to manage earnings in comparison with their non-bankrupt pairs during the years preceding a legal procedure for bankruptcy. We also investigate the techniques these companies employ to manage earnings and when they start...

Using firm-level union membership data for the period of 2002–2016, we show that firms with higher union membership are more likely to engage in real earnings management than accrual-based earnings management, with abnormal production as the dominant form of real earnings management. We...