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Earnings management to exceed thresholds: Evidence from Singapore and Thailand

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  • Charoenwong, Charlie
  • Jiraporn, Pornsit

Abstract

Earnings play a vital role in portraying a company's economic health. Hence, executives have incentives to manage earnings. Motivated by Degeorge et al. [Degeorge, F., Patel, J., Zeckhauser, R., 1999. Earnings management to exceed thresholds. Journal of Business 72, 1-33] and Burgstahler and Dichev [Burgstahler, D., Dichev, I., 1997. Earnings management to avoid earnings decreases and losses. Journal of Accounting and Economics 24, 99-126], this study applies the behavioral framework developed by Degeorge et al. [Degeorge, F., Patel, J., Zeckhauser, R., 1999. Earnings management to exceed thresholds. Journal of Business 72, 1-33] to investigate earnings management to exceed thresholds in Singapore and Thailand. The empirical evidence reveals that earnings management exists in Singapore and Thailand to avoid reporting losses and negative earnings growth. This earnings management practice, however, varies between financial and non-financial firms, between Singaporean and Thai firms, and between before and after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Moreover, corporate governance structure is found to impact the extent of earnings management to exceed thresholds in Singapore.

Suggested Citation

  • Charoenwong, Charlie & Jiraporn, Pornsit, 2009. "Earnings management to exceed thresholds: Evidence from Singapore and Thailand," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 221-236, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:mulfin:v:19:y:2009:i:3:p:221-236
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Degeorge, Francois & Patel, Jayendu & Zeckhauser, Richard, 1999. "Earnings Management to Exceed Thresholds," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 72(1), pages 1-33, January.
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    2. Hsueh-Li Huang & Lien-Wen Liang & Hai-Yen Chang & Hsiu-Yuan Hsu, 2021. "The Influence of Earnings Management and Board Characteristics on Company Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Chowdhury, Abu & Mollah, Sabur & Al Farooque, Omar, 2018. "Insider-trading, discretionary accruals and information asymmetry," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 341-363.
    4. Manish Kumar & Madhu Vij & Rishabh Goswami, 2021. "Effect of Real Earnings Management on Firm Performance: Evidence from India," Vision, , vol. 27(3), pages 386-396, June.
    5. Alexandra Fernandes & António Cerqueira & Elísio Brandão, 2017. "Tax and financial reporting aggressiveness: evidence from Europe," FEP Working Papers 597, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    6. Fatima Alali & Bikki Jaggi, 2011. "Earnings versus capital ratios management: role of bank types and SFAS 114," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 105-132, January.
    7. Joanna Lizińska & Leszek Czapiewski, 2023. "Earnings Management amid the COVID-19 Financial Crisis: The Experience of Poland," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 1, pages 93-112.
    8. Stavros Degiannakis & George Giannopoulos & Salma Ibrahim & Ivana Rozic, 2019. "Earnings management to avoid losses and earnings declines in Croatia," International Journal of Computational Economics and Econometrics, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 9(3), pages 219-238.
    9. Fatima Abdul Hamid & Chaabane Oussama Houssem Eddine & Abdullah Mohamed Ayedh & Abdelghani Echchabi, 2014. "Firms' Financial And Corporate Governance Characteristics Association With Earning Management Practices: A Meta-Analysis Approach," Economic Review: Journal of Economics and Business, University of Tuzla, Faculty of Economics, vol. 12(2), pages 49-72.
    10. Julia, 2011. "About some difficulties with interpreting and measuring corporate performance," Bank i Kredyt, Narodowy Bank Polski, vol. 42(5), pages 41-60.
    11. Rachappa Shette, 2018. "Earnings Management to Avoid Losses: Evidence from India," Working papers 255, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode.

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