Ochuko Benedict Emudainohwo
The extant literature links manageress incentives to earnings management. It has globally accounted for the collapse of some well-known, established firms, since it depicts a low financial reporting quality. This study employed data from the 77 nonfinancial firms listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange for the period 2013-2019 in order to examine the determinants of earnings management. The result showed strong evidence of an incentive to manage earnings. Profitability (Return on Assets – ROA) and the size of a firm have a strong positive impact on earnings management, while the non-debt tax shield and operating cash flows have a strong negative influence on earnings management. The study suggests that external stakeholders should observe a firm’s factors influencing its assets, non-debt tax shield and operating cash flows (such as accelerating/delaying cash receipts/payment through the use of credit sales and granting discounts), these being the crucial factors influencing earnings management even when the firm is increasing in size. Management should minimally use the above-mentioned factors of a firm as an earnings management instrument.
Edesiri Godsday Okoro1 and Confidence Joel Ihenyen2
Regardless of the viewpoints of prior studies on earnings management, no study has been carried out on whether earnings management exerts pressure on firms’ return on assets and equity, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa in a single study. Drawing inferences from the existing earnings management models, a dissimilar model of earnings management, unlike those used in prior studies, which may match the peculiarity of Sub-Saharan Africa is developed in this paper. The data used were obtained from the Stock Exchange database of Sub-Saharan African countries by employing the fixed and random effects statistical technique. Using the proposed earnings management model, the study finds the intriguing results that may contribute to knowledge and magnify the literature that, notwithstanding the fact that earnings management exerts significant pressure on firms’ performances, it is even more so deemed as high in South Africa, only to be followed by West Africa, and low in East Africa. Interestingly, the study finds that the size of a firm plays a vital role in moderating the nexus between the earnings management and performances of Sub-Saharan African firms.
Olubunmi Florence Osemene1, Joshua Solomon Adeyele2 and Pauline Adinnu3
In many countries, there are a certain number of organizations going through severe crises due to a failure in corporate governance. In this study, the main aim is to determine how the ownership structure and the characteristics of the boards of Nigeria’s listed deposit money banks (DMBs) affect aggressive earnings management for a period of 5 years (2011-2016). The panel least-square method was used to analyze the data collected. The findings revealed that private, foreign and government shareholdings have a negative and significant impact on aggressive earnings management. Also, directors’ tenures status has a significant effect on aggressive earning management, while the board size, the gender and the size of the firm have no such significant effect in the period observed. Based on these findings, the study concludes that the ownership structure has a significant impact on aggressive earnings management, whereas the characteristics of the board, excluding directors’ tenures status, do not have any significant effect. Hence, the study recommends that the 10% threshold imposed by the CBN on the government shareholding should be maintained, while regulatory and supervisory agencies are advised to pay adequate attention and conduct the monitoring of the activities performed by the CEOs of the banks, especially upon expiry of the directors’ tenure, so as to protect shareholders.