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The impact of conservatism on management earnings forecasts

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  • Hui, Kai Wai
  • Matsunaga, Steve
  • Morse, Dale

Abstract

We investigate the empirical relation between a firm's accounting conservatism and management's issuance of quantitative earnings forecasts. Using three measures of conservatism from prior literature, along with two aggregate measures, we find a negative association between conservatism and the frequency, specificity, and timeliness of management forecasts. The results are robust to estimating the regression in changes, using firm fixed-effects, and using a two-stage instrumental variables approach. Overall, these results suggest that accounting conservatism acts as a substitute for management forecasts by decreasing information asymmetry in the market and reducing potential litigation through the timely reporting of bad news.

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  • Hui, Kai Wai & Matsunaga, Steve & Morse, Dale, 2009. "The impact of conservatism on management earnings forecasts," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 192-207, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaecon:v:47:y:2009:i:3:p:192-207
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    7. Kannan, Yezen & Khallaf, Ashraf & Gleason, Kimberly & Bostan, Ibrahim, 2023. "The relationship between R&D intensity, conservatism, and management earnings forecast issuance," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    8. Xiaodong Xu & Xia Wang & Nina Han, 2012. "Accounting conservatism, ultimate ownership and investment efficiency," China Finance Review International, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 2(1), pages 53-77, January.
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    10. Cao, Viet Nga & Pham, Anh Viet, 2021. "Behavioral spillover between firms with shared auditors: The monitoring role of capital market investors," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    11. Thorsten Knauer & Andreas Wömpener, 2011. "Prognoseberichterstattung: Externalisierung der Planung?," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 483-491, April.
    12. Ruch, George W. & Taylor, Gary, 2015. "Accounting conservatism: A review of the literature," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 17-38.
    13. Iwasaki, Takuya & Kitagawa, Norio & Shuto, Akinobu, 2023. "Managerial discretion over initial earnings forecasts," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    14. Abed Al-Nasser Abdallah & Wissam Abdallah & Feras M. Salama, 2018. "The Market Reaction to the Adoption of IFRS in the European Insurance Industry," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 43(4), pages 653-703, October.
    15. Francis, Bill & Hasan, Iftekhar & Wu, Qiang & Park, Jong Chool, 2014. "Gender differences in financial reporting decision-making: Evidence from accounting conservatism," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 1/2014, Bank of Finland.
    16. Yu, Zeng, 2024. "Essays on incentive contract and corporate finance," Other publications TiSEM 6f66f49e-d710-44f6-943d-9, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    17. Wenjun Kuang, 2023. "Accounting comparability and the accuracy of management earnings forecasts in Japan," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 23-07, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    18. Liu, Yurou, 2023. "Judicial independence and crash risk: Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    19. Araceli Mora & Martin Walker, 2015. "The implications of research on accounting conservatism for accounting standard setting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(5), pages 620-650, August.
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    21. Rahimah Mohamed Yunos Author_Email: rahim221@johor.uitm.edu.my & Malcolm Smith & Zubaidah Ismail & Syahrul Ahmar Ahmad, 2011. "Inside Concentrated Owners, Board Of Directors And Accounting Conservatism," Annual Summit on Business and Entrepreneurial Studies (ASBES 2011) Proceeding 2011-053-178, Conference Master Resources.
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