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Did Firms Manage Earnings more Aggressively during the Financial Crisis?

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  • Pandej Chintrakarn
  • Pornsit Jiraporn
  • Young S. Kim

Abstract

We investigate the extent of earnings management during the financial crisis of 2008 (The Great Recession). Based on a large sample of 14,000 observations across 15 years, our results show that firms managed earnings less aggressively during the crisis. We also show a severe decline in firm value and profitability during the crisis. Our results are consistent with the notion that, during the crisis, firm performance was so far below the target that no amount of earnings management would have been sufficient to reverse the poor earnings picture. As a result, managers were less motivated to manage earnings. Furthermore, the crisis serves as a convenient excuse for poor performance, lessening the motivation and necessity for managers to manage earnings. Additional analysis including fixed‐effects regressions, propensity score matching, and GMM dynamic panel data estimation shows that our results are robust and are not driven by unobserved heterogeneity. Further analysis documents similar findings for the Dot‐com crisis in 2001 and the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997–1998.

Suggested Citation

  • Pandej Chintrakarn & Pornsit Jiraporn & Young S. Kim, 2018. "Did Firms Manage Earnings more Aggressively during the Financial Crisis?," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 18(3), pages 477-494, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:irvfin:v:18:y:2018:i:3:p:477-494
    DOI: 10.1111/irfi.12135
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    Cited by:

    1. Ying Chen & Don Capener & Eric Valenzuela, 2023. "Valuation effects of earnings management on hotel firm value," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 82(3), pages 167-185, May.
    2. Lin Li & Peter Lam & Wilson H.S. Tong & Justin Law, 2024. "CEO Turnovers Due to Poor Industry Performances: An Examination of the Boards' Retention Criteria," Post-Print hal-04425594, HAL.
    3. Md Helal Uddin*, 2024. "CEO Compensation and Earnings Management-The Moderating Role of COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Bangladesh," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(1), pages 1605-1622, January.
    4. Aljughaiman, Abdullah A. & Nguyen, Tam Huy & Trinh, Vu Quang & Du, Anqi, 2023. "The Covid-19 outbreak, corporate financial distress and earnings management," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Prianto Budi Saptono & Gustofan Mahmud & Intan Pratiwi & Dwi Purwanto & Ismail Khozen & Lambang Wiji Imantoro & Maria Eurelia Wayan, 2024. "Book-Tax Differences during the Crisis: Does Corporate Social Responsibility Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-38, August.
    6. Toni Šušak, 2020. "The effect of regulatory changes on relationship between earnings management and financial reporting timeliness: The case of COVID-19 pandemic," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 38(2), pages 453-473.

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