Professional Documents
Culture Documents
11 EARNINGS MANAGEMENT
Earnings Management
A Summary
Overview
Earnings management is a managers choice of accounting policies that achieves some
specific objective. Even under GAAP, managers still retain some flexibility in accounting policy
selection that may be able to positively impact their personal satisfaction and/or the market value
of their firm.
Accounting policy choice can be divided into two categories: accounting policies per se
and discretionary accruals. Examples of the latter include the timing and amounts of
extraordinary items such as write-offs and provisions for reorganization, credit losses, inventory
values, etc., whereby managers are able to determine when and how much of revenue and
expense to classify on a current income statement. The former, accounting policies per se, are
more rigid in the sense that they dictate when and how much revenue and expense to classify in a
certain period. Examples of these include amortization policies and revenue recognition.
Amount of Bonus
Bogey (L)
Cap (U)
PRACTICE TEST
Amount of Bonus
Bogey (L)
Cap (U)
Questions 1 and 2 refer to the above diagram
Reported Net Income
1) If the firms reported net income is at point A, the manager in charge may do which of the
following to increase future bonuses:
a)
b)
c)
d)
2) If the firms reported net income were at point B, what would be the main reason a manager
would want to decrease reported net income?
a) To appear more profitable to shareholders
b) To pay less tax
c) To allow for extra income to be reported in future years to hopefully increase future
bonuses
d) All of the above
Taxation Motivations
Contractual Motivations
Political Motivations
Better communication of fiscal information to investors
5) Murphy and Zimmermans 1993 study of changes in discretionary variables (research and
development, advertising, capital expenditures, and accruals) as companies change CEOs
showed that:
a) Most of the unusual behaviour in these variables was due to poor operational
performance
b) CEOs do not maximize income as they approach retirement age
c) Some incoming CEOs of poor performing firms take baths during the first years
d) All of the above
6) What is NOT a reason an executive would partake in income smoothing:
a)
b)
c)
d)
To maintain reported net income between the bogey and cap levels
The manager in charge is risk-averse
To communicate the firms expected persistent earnings power to the external world
To reduce corporate income tax
Keep accurate and complete documentation of why the decision was made to state
that the amounts were immaterial
c) What implications would such misstatements have for the efficient markets theory?
The market price of the firm would not reflect the true price of the firm
The financial picture presented is different from the actual economic state of the
firm
When it comes to accounting firms providing audit services and non-audit services to
clients, especially when the revenues to the firm from non-audit services are greater than
revenues from audit services, at least two viewpoints exist. One viewpoint is that the provision
of non-audit services results in lower audit quality and an increased likelihood that the auditor
will waive earnings management attempts. A competing viewpoint is that provision of non-audit
services strengthens audit quality and can thus reduce earnings management. From your
knowledge of earnings management, present a discussion and analysis of these opposing
viewpoints.
(12 minutes)
Solution:
Lower Audit Quality:
Stock markets are likely to react negatively and bid down the price of
the firm to levels that would ensure a just return for the higher risk
Firms have a lot to loose business, market trust, and risk of lawsuits
As a result, firms would audit more carefully to make sure that all information
is presented fairly
When conflict arises, it is the standard setters, security commissions and the
courts who decide between the shades of gray
If left to companies, they would want the maximum flexibility in recording how
they do things they may not be fully driven by the purpose of providing reliable
information to investors to base their investment decisions
If this level of check is taken out, investors may be prone to a lot more creative
accounting, persistent earnings management which may not be in the best
interests of the stockholders
If No,
Management has the best knowledge of the true state of the company
When officers have been selected, trust and reliance should be placed on their
judgments
The above would hold true if good governance structures have been set up to
ensure full accountability