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The Role of Institutional and Economic Factors in the Strategic Use of Non-GAAP Disclosures to Beat Earnings Benchmarks

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  • Helena Isidro
  • Ana Marques

Abstract

We use hand-collected data for a sample of large European firms to investigate the influence of countries' institutional and economic factors on managers' non-generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) disclosures. We find that managers are more likely to use non-GAAP measures to meet or beat earnings benchmarks that GAAP earnings would miss in countries with efficient law and enforcement, strong investor protection, developed financial markets, and good communication and dissemination of information. We also find that managers in countries with developed institutional and economic conditions are more likely to adjust non-GAAP earnings for recurring expenses such as R&D, depreciation, and stock-based compensation expenses. Our findings suggest that in environments in which there is more pressure to achieve earnings benchmarks and less opportunity to manipulate GAAP earnings, managers use more non-GAAP earnings disclosures to meet the benchmarks.

Suggested Citation

  • Helena Isidro & Ana Marques, 2015. "The Role of Institutional and Economic Factors in the Strategic Use of Non-GAAP Disclosures to Beat Earnings Benchmarks," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 95-128, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:euract:v:24:y:2015:i:1:p:95-128
    DOI: 10.1080/09638180.2014.894928
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    Cited by:

    1. Florian Meier, 2020. "The Age of Cheap Money and Passive Investing: Are Pro Forma Earnings Value Relevant?," Journal of Finance and Investment Analysis, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 9(2), pages 1-1.
    2. Eng, Li Li & Vichitsarawong, Thanyaluk, 2022. "Comparing the usefulness of two profit subtotals: Operating income and earnings before interest and taxes," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    3. Richard A. Cazier & Theodore E. Christensen & Kenneth J. Merkley & John S. Treu, 2024. "The joint effects of litigation risk and regulation on non‐GAAP reporting," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3-4), pages 783-818, March.
    4. Huang, Wei & Liu, Junjun & Zhang, Rui-Zhong (R.Z.), 2024. "Local newspaper closures and non-GAAP reporting quality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    5. Chen, Xia & Jiang, Xuejun & Lu, Louise Yi & Yu, Yangxin, 2021. "Local political corruption and Firm's non-GAAP reporting," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Visani, Franco & Di Lascio, F. Marta L. & Gardini, Silvia, 2020. "The impact of institutional and cultural factors on the use of non-GAAP financial measures. International evidence from the oil and gas industry," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    7. Black, D.E. & Christensen, T.E., 2018. "Policy implications of research on non-GAAP reporting," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 1-7.
    8. Claudia Arena & Simona Catuogno & Nicola Moscariello, 2021. "The unusual debate on non-GAAP reporting in the current standard practice. The lens of corporate governance," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(3), pages 655-684, September.
    9. Felix Thielemann & Tami Dinh & Helen Kang, 2019. "Non-GAAP Reporting and Debt Market Outcomes: Evidence from Regulation G," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 71(2), pages 169-203, May.
    10. Dinh, Tami & Kang, Helen & Zhao, Chang, 2024. "Non-IFRS earnings information in financial highlights of annual reports," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    11. Gaelle Lenormand & Hoang Nguyen & Lionel Touchais, 2023. "The information content of alternative performance measures in the European context [Le contenu informationnel des indicateurs alternatifs de performance dans le contexte européen]," Post-Print hal-04672673, HAL.
    12. Silvia Gardini & F. Marta L. Di Lascio & Franco Visani, 2017. "Opportunism in disclosing pro-forma indicators: rationale and contextual drivers," BEMPS - Bozen Economics & Management Paper Series BEMPS42, Faculty of Economics and Management at the Free University of Bozen.
    13. Mark A. Clatworthy & Tuan Ho & Jude Mengzhu Zhu, 2022. "Disagreement about the past: An empirical assessment of bank analysts' GAAP and non‐GAAP earnings measures," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3-4), pages 588-624, March.
    14. Charitou, Andreas & Floropoulos, Nikolaos & Karamanou, Irene & Loizides, George, 2018. "Non-GAAP Earnings Disclosures on the Face of the Income Statement by UK Firms: The Effect on Market Liquidity," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 183-202.
    15. Tobias Steindl, 2021. "Cultural rule orientation, legal institutions, and the credibility of corporate social responsibility reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 310-332, January.
    16. Elizabeth A. Rainsbury, 2017. "The Impact of the FMA Guidelines on Non†GAAP Earnings Disclosures," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 27(4), pages 480-493, December.
    17. Sascha B. Herr & Peter Lorson & Jochen Pilhofer, 2022. "Alternative Performance Measures: A Structured Literature Review of Research in Academic and Professional Journals," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 389-451, September.
    18. Thielemann, Felix & Dinh, Tami, 2019. "Non-GAAP earnings disclosures around regulation G – The case of “implicit non-GAAP reporting”," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 1-1.
    19. Mark Brosnan & Keith Duncan & Tim Hasso & Janice Hollindale, 2023. "Non‐GAAP earnings and executive compensation: An experiment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4375-4398, December.

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