This study has examined whether managers use income-increasing or decreasing
discretionary accruals under different financial distress situations. The .study is
based on financially distressed firms with debt covenant violations and/or debt
restructuring during the 1989-96 period. The firms with debt covenant violations
are categorized into waiver and nonwaiver firms, and permanent and temporary
waivers firms. Discretionary accruals are calculated based on modified Jones's
time-series and cross-sectional models as well as CFO and performance-matched
models.