The summary results for the variance of the unexplained
change in earnings are reported in Table 4. The variance
increased for 11 of the 12 accounting standards. The
mean change is 0.0548, but the mean is not significantly
different from zero. However, these results are strongly
influenced by SFAS 143 (the accounting standard for asset
retirement obligations), the one decrease in variance. If
SFAS 143 is ignored, the mean difference is significant.
These results indicate that there is less earnings manage