However, the current accepted idea among accountants, regulators and standard setters is that, more often than not, earnings management is detrimental. It deceives investors and reduces the dependability of financial reporting. Thus a clearer understanding of earnings management is vital before any persistent discussion of the subject. Mulford and Comiskey (2002) defined earnings management as “the active manipulation of earnings toward a predetermined target” (p.51). Healy and Whalen (1998) offer a much more detailed definition, stating that: “Earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying economic performance of the company or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers”. Finally, the Assurance Handbook defines earnings management to include “the recording of accounting entries, without any event to justify the accounting or the failure to record or correctly record transactions for the purpose of altering results” (Assurance Handbook, 2003). The common subject about the above definitions is one of altering results.
The issue of earnings management has always been an anxiety for the reliability of published accounting reports. Indication from the academic literature has shown that the practice of earnings management is quite extensive among publicly traded firms (Barth et al. 2008; Burgstahler and Dichev, 1997). In emerging markets, like India due to their relatively weak legal enforcement capabilities, earnings management issue is more universally practiced (e.g., Jian and Wong, 2004
However, the current accepted idea among accountants, regulators and standard setters is that, more often than not, earnings management is detrimental. It deceives investors and reduces the dependability of financial reporting. Thus a clearer understanding of earnings management is vital before any persistent discussion of the subject. Mulford and Comiskey (2002) defined earnings management as “the active manipulation of earnings toward a predetermined target” (p.51). Healy and Whalen (1998) offer a much more detailed definition, stating that: “Earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial reports to either mislead some stakeholders about the underlying economic performance of the company or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers”. Finally, the Assurance Handbook defines earnings management to include “the recording of accounting entries, without any event to justify the accounting or the failure to record or correctly record transactions for the purpose of altering results” (Assurance Handbook, 2003). The common subject about the above definitions is one of altering results.
The issue of earnings management has always been an anxiety for the reliability of published accounting reports. Indication from the academic literature has shown that the practice of earnings management is quite extensive among publicly traded firms (Barth et al. 2008; Burgstahler and Dichev, 1997). In emerging markets, like India due to their relatively weak legal enforcement capabilities, earnings management issue is more universally practiced (e.g., Jian and Wong, 2004
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