Results
Confidence Interval Plots
I start by plotting the mean and the confidence interval of the discretionary accruals for the
quarters around a new violation. Figure 1 presents this plot. Notice from the plot that the
firms tend to manipulate earnings upward in quarters leading up to a violation, and then
manage earnings downward during the violation. In Figure 1, t = 0 is the quarter when a
new violation occurs;21 to 28 are quarters preceding a violation where 21 means one