Share:


The effect of discretionary accruals on firm growth. Empirical evidence for SMEs from emerging Europe

    Sorin Gabriel Anton   Affiliation
    ; Mihai Carp   Affiliation

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to assess the effect of discretionary accruals on firm growth while controlling for firm characteristics and macroeconomic environment. Employing a large sample of 1.105 young and high-growth firms (gazelles) from 15 emerging European countries over the period 2006–2014, it has been found that the discretionary accruals negatively influence firm growth. The empirical results suggest that discretionary accruals are used as earnings management tools and this practice is more used over the high-growth period (2006–2009), with negative effects on future performance. Furthermore, the results of the quantile regression employed in the whole period suggest that the earnings management practices have a negative effect on firm growth. The results prove to be robust for different estimation approaches and different sub-samples of gazelles. The findings provide empirical evidence for the need for more detailed information provided by firms on the origin of the accruals, as well as for the use in the performance analysis of some indicators that eliminate the influence of accruals, such as cash flow based ratios.

Keyword : firm growth, discretionary accruals, gazelles, emerging Europe, quantile regression, earnings management, private firms, macroeconomic environment

How to Cite
Anton, S. G., & Carp, M. (2020). The effect of discretionary accruals on firm growth. Empirical evidence for SMEs from emerging Europe. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 21(4), 1128-1148. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2020.12734
Published in Issue
Jun 11, 2020
Abstract Views
1851
PDF Downloads
1516
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abernathy, J. L., Beyer, B., & Rapley, E. T. (2014). Earnings management constraints and classification shifting. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 41(5–6), 600–626. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12076

Anton, S. G. (2019). Leverage and firm growth: An empirical investigation of gazelles from emerging Europe. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 15(1), 209–232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-018-0524-5

Arun, T. G., Almahrog, Y. E., & Aribi, Z. A. (2015). Female directors and earnings management: Evidence from UK companies. International Review of Financial Analysis, 39, 137–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2015.03.002

Ben Amar, A., Ben Salah, O., & Jarboui, A. (2018). Do discretionary accruals affect firms’ corporate dividend policy? Evidence from France. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 16(2), 333–347. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-03-2017-0020

Beuselinck, C., Deloof, M., & Manigart, S. (2009). Private equity involvement and earnings quality. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 36(5–6), 587–615. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5957.2009.02147.x

Campa, D. (2015). The impact of SME’s pre-bankruptcy financial distress on earnings management tools. International Review of Financial Analysis, 42, 222–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2015.07.004

Capalbo, F., Frino, A., Mollica, V., & Palumbo, R. (2014). Accrual-based earnings management in state owned companies: Implications for transnational accounting regulation. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 27(6), 1026–1040. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-06-2014-1744

Chen, A., & Gong, J. J. (2019). Accounting comparability, financial reporting quality, and the pricing of accruals. Advances in Accounting, 45, 100415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adiac.2019.03.003

Chen, F., Hope, O. K., Li, Q., & Wang, X. (2011). Financial reporting quality and investment efficiency of private firms in emerging markets. The Accounting Review, 86(4), 1255–1288. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-10040

Collins, D. W., Pungaliya, R. S., & Vijh, A. M. (2016). The effects of firm growth and model specification choices on tests of earnings management in quarterly settings. The Accounting Review, 92(2), 69–100. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51551

Darmawan, I. P. E., Sutrisno, T., & Mardiati, E. (2019). Accrual earnings management and real earnings management: Increase or destroy firm value? International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 6(2), 8–19. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v6i2.551

Datta, S., Iskandar-Datta, M., & Singh, V. (2013). Product market power, industry structure, and corporate earnings management. Journal of Banking & Finance, 37(8), 3273–3285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2013.03.012

Davidsson, P., & Wiklund, J. (2006). Conceptual and empirical challenges in the study of firm growth. In P. Davidsson, F. Delmar, & J. Wiklund (Eds), Entrepreneurship and the Growth of Firms (pp. 39–61). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781009949.00010

Dechow, P. M., Hutton, A. P., Kim, J. H., & Sloan, R. G. (2012). Detecting earnings management: A new approach. Journal of Accounting Research, 50(2), 275–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-679X.2012.00449.x

Dechow, P. M., Larson, C. R., & Resutek, R. J. (2019). Discretion lost? Accrual heterogeneity and implications for accrual quality inferences. Retrieved 8 March, 2019 from SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3223968

Doukakis, L. C. (2014). The effect of mandatory IFRS adoption on real and accrual-based earnings management activities. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 33(6), 551–572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2014.08.006

Eurostat-OECD. (2007). Eurostat-OECD manual on business demography statistics. European Commission – OECD, Paris.

Filip, A., & Raffournier, B. (2014). Financial crisis and earnings management: The European evidence. The International Journal of Accounting, 49(4), 455–478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2014.10.004

Filip, A., Labelle, R., & Rousseau, S. (2015). Legal regime and financial reporting quality. Contemporary Accounting Research, 32(1), 280–307. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12071

Fischer, M., & Rosenzweig, K. (1995). Attitudes of students and accounting practitioners concerning the ethical acceptability of earnings management. Journal of Business Ethics, 14(6), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00872085

Francis, J., LaFond, R., Olsson, P., & Schipper, K. (2005). The market pricing of accruals quality. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 39(2), 295–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2004.06.003

Gao, J., Cong, L. M., & Evans, J. (2015). Earnings management, IPO underpricing, and post-issue stock performance of Chinese SMEs. The Chinese Economy, 48(5), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/10971475.2015.1067085

Gavious, I., Segev, E., & Yosef, R. (2012). Female directors and earnings management in high-technology firms. Pacific Accounting Review, 24(1), 4–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/01140581211221533

Ge, W., & Kim, J. B. (2014). Real earnings management and the cost of new corporate bonds. Journal of Business Research, 67(4), 641–647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.01.021

Habib, A. (2013). Financial distress, earnings management and market pricing of accruals during the global financial crisis. Managerial Finance, 39(2), 155–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074351311294007

Haga, J., Höglund, H., & Sundvik, D. (2018). Stock market listing status and real earnings management. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 37(5), 420–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2018.09.002

Healy, P. M., & Wahlen, J. M. (1999). Review of the earnings management literature and its implications for standard setting. Accounting Horizons, 13, 365–383. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch.1999.13.4.365

Heese, J. (2018). The role of overbilling in hospitals’ earnings management decisions. European Accounting Review, 27(5), 875–900. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2017.1383168

Hsiao, C. (2003). Analysis of panel data (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511754203

International Monetary Fund. (2020). The financial sector in the 2020s: Building a more inclusive system in the new decade. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/01/17/sp01172019-the-financialsector-in-the-2020s#_edn20

Jenkins, D. S., & Velury, U. K. (2012). Auditor tenure and the pricing of discretionary accruals in the post-SOX era. Accounting and the Public Interest, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.2308/apin-10204

Jones, J. J. (1991). Earnings management during import relief investigations. Journal of Accounting Research, 29(2), 193–228. https://doi.org/10.2307/2491047

Karampinis, N. I., & Hevas, D. L. (2013). Effects of IFRS adoption on tax-induced incentives for financial earnings management: Evidence from Greece. The International Journal of Accounting, 48(2), 218–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2013.04.003

Koenker, R., & Bassett, G. (1978). Regression quantiles. Econometrica, 46(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/1913643

Koerniadi, H., & Tourani-Rad, A. (2011). The role of accruals as a signal in earnings and dividend announcements: New Zealand evidence. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 12(2), 108–122. https://doi.org/10.1108/09675421111160682

Krasniqi, B. A., & Desai, S. (2016). Institutional drivers of high-growth firms: country-level evidence from 26 transition countries. Small Business Economics, 47(4), 1075–1094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-016-9736-7

Kuo, J. M., Ning, L., & Song, X. (2014). The real and accrual-based earnings management behaviors: Evidence from the split share structure reform in China. The International Journal of Accounting, 49(1), 101–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2014.01.001

Lehmann, N. (2016). The role of corporate governance in shaping accruals manipulation prior to acquisitions. Accounting and Business Research, 46(4), 327–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2015.1116969

Lo, K., Ramos, F., & Rogo, R. (2017). Earnings management and annual report readability. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 63(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2016.09.002

Megaravalli, A. V., & Sampagnaro, G. (2018). Predicting the growth of high-growth SMEs: Evidence from family business firms. Journal of Family Business Management, 9(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-09-2017-0029

Miroshnychenko, I., Bozzi, S., & Barontini, R. (2018). Firm growth and legal environment. Economic notes: Review of banking. Finance and Monetary Economics, 48(1), 12116. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecno.12116

Momente, F., Reggiani, F., & Richardson, S. (2015). Accruals and future performance: Can it be attributed to risk? Review of Accounting Studies, 20(4), 1297–1333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11142-015-9319-x

Omar, N., Rahman, R. A., Danbatta, B. L., & Sulaiman, S. (2014). Management disclosure and earnings management practices in reducing the implication risk. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 145, 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.06.014

Owens, E. L., Wu, J. S., & Zimmerman, J. (2016). Idiosyncratic shocks to firm underlying economics and abnormal accruals. The Accounting Review, 92(2), 183–219. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51523

Panda, D. (2015). Growth determinants in small firms: Drawing evidence from the Indian agro-industry. International Journal of Commerce and Management, 25(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCoMA-12-2012-0080

Pelucio-Grecco, M. C., Geron, C. M. S., Grecco, G. B., & Lima, J. P. C. (2014). The effect of IFRS on earnings management in Brazilian non-financial public companies. Emerging Markets Review, 21, 42–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2014.07.001

Perotti, P., & Wagenhofer, A. (2014). Earnings quality measures and excess return. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 41(5–6), 545–571. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12071

Pham, H. Y., Chung, R. Y. M., Roca, E., & Bao, B. H. (2017). Discretionary accruals: signalling or earnings management in Australia? Accounting & Finance, 59(2), 1383–1413. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12275

Rahaman, M. (2011). Access to financing and firm growth. Journal of Banking and Finance, 35(3), 709–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.09.005

Robin, A., & Wu, Q. (2015). Firm growth and the pricing of discretionary accruals. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 45(3), 561–590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-014-0447-3

Rodrigues, R. M. R. C., Melo, C. L. L. D., & Paulo, E. (2019). Earnings management and quarterly discretionary accruals level in the Brazilian stock market. Brazilian Business Review, 16(3), 297–314. https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2019.16.3.6

Sial, M., Zheng, C., Khuong, N., Khan, T., & Usman, M. (2018). Does Firm performance influence corporate social responsibility reporting of Chinese listed companies? Sustainability, 10(7), 2217. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072217

Sun, N., Salama, A., Hussainey, K., & Habbash, M. (2010). Corporate environmental disclosure, corporate governance and earnings management. Managerial Auditing Journal, 25(7), 679–700. https://doi.org/10.1108/02686901011061351

Szczesny, A., & Valentincic, A. (2013). Asset write-offs in private firms – The case of German SMEs. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 40(3–4), 285–317. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.12017

Teoh, S. H., Welch, I., & Wong, T. J. (1998). Earnings management and the underperformance of seasoned equity offerings. Journal of Financial Economics, 50(1), 63–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00032-4

Tsipouridou, M., & Spathis, C. (2012). Earnings management and the role of auditors in an unusual IFRS context: The case of Greece. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 21(1), 62–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2012.01.005

Vafeas, N., Trigeorgis, L., & Georgiou, X. (1998). The usefulness of earnings in explaining stock returns in an emerging market: The case of Cyprus. European Accounting Review, 7(1), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/096381898336600

Vladu, A. B., Amat, O., & Cuzdriorean, D. D. (2017). Truthfulness in accounting: how to discriminate accounting manipulators from non-manipulators. Journal of Business Ethics, 140(4), 633–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3048-3

Walker, M. (2013). How far can we trust earnings numbers? What research tells us about earnings management. Accounting and Business Research, 43(4), 445–481. https://doi.org/10.1080/00014788.2013.785823

Wilson, M., & Wang, L. W. (2010). Earnings management following chief executive officer changes: the effect of contemporaneous chairperson and chief financial officer appointments. Accounting & Finance, 50(2), 447–480. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-629X.2009.00324.x

World Bank. (2016). World development indicators. Resource document. http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators

Zang, A. Y. (2012). Evidence on the trade-off between real activities manipulation and accrual-based earnings management. The Accounting Review, 87, 675–703. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-10196

Zéghal, D., Chtourou, S., & Sellami, Y. M. (2011). An analysis of the effect of mandatory adoption of IAS/IFRS on earnings management. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 20(2), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2011.06.001