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Economic Relations Among Earnings Quality Measures

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  • Ralf Ewert
  • Alfred Wagenhofer

Abstract

type="main"> Empirical studies on earnings quality use various measures that capture particular dimensions of earnings quality. This paper provides a theoretical foundation to evaluate and compare several common earnings quality measures: value relevance; persistence; predictability; smoothness; and discretionary accruals. We use a rational expectations framework in which a manager has market price, earnings, and smoothing incentives and can bias earnings reports. Taking the information content of reported earnings as a natural benchmark, we determine how variations of management incentives, operating risk, and accounting noise affect earnings quality and examine whether the different measures point in the same or in the opposite direction. We find that value relevance and persistence are measures that are closely aligned with each other and with our benchmark, followed by predictability and smoothness. Discretionary accruals measures are less aligned because they are based on the level of accruals, which confounds their information content. Our results also support the notion that smoother earnings and higher discretionary accruals are associated with greater earnings quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Ralf Ewert & Alfred Wagenhofer, 2015. "Economic Relations Among Earnings Quality Measures," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 51(3), pages 311-355, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:abacus:v:51:y:2015:i:3:p:311-355
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/abac.12054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Manuela M. Dantas & Kenneth J. Merkley & Felipe B. G. Silva, 2023. "Government Guarantees and Banks' Income Smoothing," Papers 2303.03661, arXiv.org.
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    5. Martin Glaum, 2020. "Financial Reporting in Non-listed Family Firms: Insights from Interviews with CFOs," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 72(2), pages 225-270, April.

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