MANAGEMENT OF EARNINGS
French authors Thomas Jeanjean and Hervé Stolowy examined the effect of IFRS conversion on earnings quality—specifically on management manipulation of earnings to avoid recognition of losses. Their work examined more than 1,100 firms in three countries to determine whether the earnings management appeared to increase or decrease after implementation of IFRS.
The authors measured financial reporting quality as a reduction in earnings management. Earnings management was assessed as the frequency of small profits compared to small losses—an established statistical research design used in similar past studies. Australia, France and the U.K. were selected for examination, as these three countries were unable to adopt IFRS before the mandatory transition date, thus eliminating any early adoption benefits.
Based on the author’s research, earnings management remained consistent in Australia and the U.K. after IFRS adoption. However, in France, earnings management appeared to increase, suggesting that, overall, earnings quality was not improved by adopting IFRS.
The research further discusses the subjectivity of IFRS accounting standards and the necessary use of management discretion for quality reporting. The authors suggest that the efforts of the standard-setting bodies should be focused on enhancing IFRS adoption reporting incentives and strict enforcement as opposed to “harmonizing accounting standards.” They state that “sharing rules is not sufficient in itself to create a common business language.”
“Do Accounting Standards Matter? An Exploratory Analysis of Earnings Management Before and After IFRS Adoption” was published in the November/December 2008 issue of the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy.