Intro
A term used to describe the practice of applying inappropriate accounting policies or entering into complex or “special purpose” transactions with the objective of making a company’s financial statements appear to disclose a more favourable position, particularly in relation to the calculation of certain ‘key’ ratios
Undesirable as it is intended to mislead users of financial statements
Following the law (regulations), thestandards (IASs, IFRSs) and therecommended practice, and even withthe results audited by externalcompanies, the scope for creativeaccounting remains large
Definition
The accounting process consists of dealing with many matters of judgment and of resolving conflicts between competing approaches to the presentation of the financial events and transactions ….this flexibility provides opportunities for manipulation, deceit and misrepresentation (Michael Jameson 1988)
A process whereby accountants use knowledge of accounting rules to manipulate figures reported in the accounts of a business (Blake, Amat & Dowds 1998)
Transformation of financial accounting figures from what they actually are to what preparers desire by taking advantage of existing rules and/or ignoring some or all of them (Kamal Naser 1993)
Why use creative accounting?
The shareholder and market reaction isrelated more and more to managers actionsand directors are increasingly judged onprofit, growth and EPS and have largebonuses at stake.So companies (and directors) want to usethe report to present the message they wantinvestors to see, and at times this needscreative accounting.
Creative accounting used to:
Hide a particularly bad year for the company
Force an exceptionally good year
Continue the pressure to always be the best
Smooth out results to give an impression of stability or sustained improvement
Boost assets to avoid take-over
NB. To distort in one year often increases the need to distort the next year too
Creative accounting methods/categories
Allow company to choose between different accounting methods such as writing of development costs or amortising it
Certain entries in the account involve unavoidable degree of estimation, judgment and prediction
Artificial transactions can be used to manipulate balance sheet and move profits between accounting periods
Genuine transactions can be timed to give desired impression in the accounts
How accounting regulators curbcreative accounting above?
Reduce scope for choice of accounting methods
Minimise use of judgment/ reduce scope for estimate
Invoke concept of substance over form
Prescribe revaluation
Reasons for creative accounting
Income smoothing
• Report a steady trend of growth in profit rather than to show volatile profits with a series of dramatic rises and falls
• Avoids raising expectations so high in good years that company is unable to deliver what is required subsequently
• May conceal long-term changes in profit trend
• Big bath – company making a bad loss seeks to maximise the reported loss in that year so that future years will appear better
Reasons (cont’d)
Manipulate profit to tie in with forecast
Keep an income-boosting accounting policy change to distract attention from unwelcome news
To maintain or boost share price by reducing apparent levels of borrowing and by creating appearance of a good profit trend
To delay release of information for market (if engage with insider dealing)
Some common methods of accountingmanipulation (Rees 1995, p 60-61)
Excessive provision (revised)
Extraordinary items (not allowed anymore)
Off balance sheet finance
Capitalised cost
Non-trading profits
Brand accounting
Etc.
Is creative accounting ethical?
There are legitimate techniques that can be employed when computing certain items in accounts
How creative can managers and accountants be before their actions are considered unethical?
Difficult to draw an ethical line on creative accounting because
• GAAP often allow multiple accounting methods that a company can choose from
•Estimates are employed
Technically not illegal but could fall into unethical area if the true values are grossly misrepresented and inflating the performance.
Is creative accounting ethical?
Proponents of creative accounting
•GAAPs give various accounting methods to select from and when applying certain methods, companies are going to choose the ones that make their financial statements better. This is the nature of business – to make company succeed as well as possible. Creative accounting assists in this endeavor.
Is creative accounting ethical?
Opponents of creative accounting
• Creative accounting is “accounting manipulation”
• To get desired results in short run but hurts the ultimate goal of increasing stock value
Conclusion
Creative accounting should be used if it is within the ramifications of the law and achieves the company’s ultimate goal of increasing stock value.
Must benefit company in the short run and long run.
Not to mislead users of F/S