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Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Mary P. Mindak, Pradyot K. Sen and Jens Stephan

The purpose of this paper is to document at the firm-specific level whether firms manage earnings up or down to barely miss or meet/beat three common earnings threshold targets…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to document at the firm-specific level whether firms manage earnings up or down to barely miss or meet/beat three common earnings threshold targets, namely, analysts’ forecasts (AFs), last year’s earnings and zero earnings, and whether the market rewards or punishes up versus down earnings management.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors assign each firm to its most likely earnings target using an algorithm that reflects management’s economic incentives to manage earnings. The authors place reported (managed) earnings in standard width intervals surrounding the earnings target. Jacob and Jorgensen’s (2007) proxy for unmanaged earnings is also placed into the intervals. Thus, a firm with unmanaged earnings in the interval just below the target and reported earnings in the interval just above the target would be deemed to have managed earnings up. The authors also document whether the market rewarded or punished the earnings management strategy with three-day cumulative abnormal returns.

Findings

The authors find that most firms which barely meet/beat their target did so by managing earnings up. The market rewarded this earnings management strategy. The market did not, however, reward firms that managed earnings down (i.e. created a cookie jar of reserves) to barely meet/beat their target. Thus, the meet/beat premium does not apply to all firms. The authors’ explanation is that most earnings targets are set by AFs; that these are usually the highest of the three targets; and that these are, therefore, considered to be “good” firms by the market because they have the ability to find that extra penny to meet/beat the target. Firms that were assigned to the last year’s earnings and/or zero earnings thresholds are not as “good” because they usually do not target the highest threshold and must manage earnings down, as they are more likely to have to reverse income-increasing accruals booked during interim quarters.

Research limitations/implications

The primary limitation in this study is the algorithm used to assign firms to their threshold target. It is ad hoc in nature, but relies on reasonable assumptions about the management’s incentives to manage earnings.

Practical implications

This study has practical implications because investors and regulators can adopt this methodology to identify potential candidates for earnings management that would allow further insight into accounting and reporting practices. This methodology may also be useful to the auditor who wants to understand the tendencies of a new client. It may also be a useful tool for framing auditing hypotheses in a way that would be appropriate for clients who manage earnings.

Originality/value

This paper documents for the first time at the firm-specific level the market reaction to upward versus downward earnings management designed to barely meet/beat the earnings threshold. It also documents the frequency with which firms target the three earnings thresholds and the frequency with which firms miss or meet/beat their threshold.

Details

Review of Accounting and Finance, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1475-7702

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 May 2023

Mete Feridun

The EU prudential regime for investment firms comprising the Directive (EU) 2019/2034 (IFD) and Regulation (EU) 2019/2033 (IFR) introduces a fit-for-purpose capital framework for…

Abstract

Purpose

The EU prudential regime for investment firms comprising the Directive (EU) 2019/2034 (IFD) and Regulation (EU) 2019/2033 (IFR) introduces a fit-for-purpose capital framework for investment firms. The capital impact on the practice of investment management can be material depending on firms’ specific business models and risk profiles, which may require them to take strategic decisions with respect to the services they provide. Despite the importance of this issue for the practice of investment management, there exists no study among the existing studies that focuses on this issue. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the calibration approaches the European Banking Authority (EBA) has used by exploring the deficiencies of the regime with respect to the calibration of categorization thresholds and coefficients that are used by the EBA to calculate regulatory capital requirements.

Findings

This paper sets out that the choice of the relevant percentile for setting the firm categorization thresholds was not based on any theoretical rule. It also discusses that the calibration of the K-factors was subjective and lacked consistency. In addition, it criticizes the sample that the EBA used for business model coverage on the grounds that it was unbalanced, resulting in certain K-factors driving the overall capital impact.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed on the calibration of thresholds as this will remain a crucial factor for the effectiveness of the new regime. In particular, a more data-driven and transparent approach would be necessary to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the thresholds.

Practical implications

This paper leads to the policy implication that, despite its merits that overweigh its shortcomings, potential market competition and financial stability issues that may stem from inconsistencies and a general lack of objectivity in certain aspects of the regime should not be underestimated by the EU policy makers.

Originality/value

The present paper contributes to the existing knowledge primarily by reviewing the EBA’s calibration approaches with respect to the K-factor coefficients and firm categorization thresholds, concluding that lack of objectivity and precision in the relevant methodologies could distort capital allocation decisions in the practice of investment management.

Details

Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, vol. 31 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1358-1988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2021

Manish Bansal and Vivek Kumar

This study aims to investigate the impact of mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending legislation on the earnings management strategies of firms.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending legislation on the earnings management strategies of firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use panel data regression models to analyze the data for this study. This study covers the post-legislation period, which spans over five years from the financial year ending March 2015 to the financial year ending March 2019.

Findings

The results show that firms manipulate accounting measures to avoid breaching the cut-off criteria for mandatory CSR. In particular, the results show that firms operating around the operating revenue threshold misclassify operating revenue as non-operating revenue. In contrast, firms operating around the net worth and net profit thresholds do downward real and accrual earnings management. These results are consistent with several robustness measures.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the impact of mandatory CSR spending on earnings management.

Details

Review of Accounting and Finance, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1475-7702

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 August 2007

Timothy B. Folta and Jonathan P. O’Brien

We examine a central tenet of real option theory – whether real options influence managerial thresholds for investment. In contrast to prior studies that have focused on whether…

Abstract

We examine a central tenet of real option theory – whether real options influence managerial thresholds for investment. In contrast to prior studies that have focused on whether real options influence discrete investment decisions, our focus is on empirically isolating real options’ effects on thresholds. In particular, we examine the real options inherent in acquisition decisions. Our model posits that there are good reasons why we might expect there to be information asymmetry around the value of real options. Accordingly, if managers have unique information about growth options we might expect to observe them lowering their thresholds, perhaps to the point where they are willing to accept negative market returns. We further expect that the degree of information asymmetry for firm-specific growth options should be higher than for industry-specific growth options. Finally, we believe that managerial thresholds will be more prone to influence from growth options than deferment options. While thresholds are unobservable, we are able to isolate the effects of real options on acquisition thresholds by borrowing a method used originally in labor economics to isolate the determinants of reservation wages. Using a sample of over 28,000 acquisitions in the U.S., we find strong support for the model. These findings suggest that firms with low thresholds may choose to acquire despite comparatively low expected performance.

Details

Real Options Theory
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1427-0

Article
Publication date: 30 July 2020

Xiaoxue Zhou, Yu Li and Yao Zhang

The purpose of this paper is to explore the threshold effect of firm size on technological innovation using panel data from 2007 to 2012 for listed enterprises in China's…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the threshold effect of firm size on technological innovation using panel data from 2007 to 2012 for listed enterprises in China's manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the aim of research question is to examine the nonlinear relationship, this paper utilizes the threshold regression proposed by Hansen's (2000).

Findings

Based on a threshold regression model using panel data from 2007 to 2012 for listed enterprises in China's manufacturing sector, we find a series of new results. This nonlinear relationship is under the restrictions and impacts of various factors, such as industry characteristics and government subsidies. The results suggest that the threshold regression model well explains the complicated nonlinear relationship and transition process, and it can also shed light on management practice and policy.

Originality/value

There are categorical arguments regarding why firm size is not as effective as before in explaining the monotonic principle of industrial innovation, especially for establishing an effective industrial policy in a particular situation. One of the important reasons is that we have begun to adopt a new perspective from the nonlinear view on the relationship between firm size and industrial innovation. In this study, we have examined the threshold effect of firm size on industrial technological innovation, which is the most representative nonlinear relationship.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 48 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2010

Sherry Fang Li

Previous research has provided mixed evidence on the relative importance of three earnings thresholds that managers seek to achieve: avoiding losses, avoiding earnings declines…

Abstract

Purpose

Previous research has provided mixed evidence on the relative importance of three earnings thresholds that managers seek to achieve: avoiding losses, avoiding earnings declines and avoiding negative earnings surprises. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether firm‐specific factors influence management's preferences for an earnings threshold.

Design/methodology/approach

Logit models are estimated to explore the relationships between firm‐characteristics and management's perceptions of the relative importance of each threshold.

Findings

This paper finds that: large firms, firms with high growth prospects and firms with high trading volume are more concerned with avoiding negative earnings surprises, while small firms, firms with low growth prospects and firms with low trading volume are more prone to avoid earnings declines and losses; for firms with high analyst forecast accuracy (relative to a random walk model forecast), avoiding negative earnings surprises is more important than avoiding earnings declines and losses; and firms with low analyst forecast dispersion focus more on avoiding negative earnings surprises and losses, while firms with high analyst forecast dispersion focus more on avoiding earnings declines. Overall, this paper shows that firm characteristics do affect management's perceptions of the relative importance of each threshold.

Originality/value

This study recognizes the cross‐sectional differences in the earnings threshold hierarchy. The results suggest that regulators and practitioners should focus on different thresholds for different types of firms when investigating the mechanisms used to achieve the thresholds.

Details

Review of Accounting and Finance, vol. 9 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1475-7702

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 March 2015

Galina Shirokova, Gina Vega and Dmitri Knatko

The purpose of this paper is to bring together a strategic choice perspective and an institutional perspective in order to address the key research questions: how do Russian…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to bring together a strategic choice perspective and an institutional perspective in order to address the key research questions: how do Russian founder-CEOs perceive the institutional environment when succession issues are taken into consideration?; how do the perceived characteristics of different formal and informal institutions affect the founder-CEO’s decision to delegate authority to a professional CEO?; and what are the main barriers to founder-CEO succession in threshold firms in emerging markets such as Russia?

Design/methodology/approach

Using a data set of 500 entrepreneurial companies from fast growing industries in Russia, the paper defines and studies threshold firms and analyses how various perceived characteristics of the institutional environment in emerging markets influence the likelihood of transition from founder management to professional management.

Findings

Institutional factors such as poor security of property rights and dependence of the business on relationships with government officials have a negative impact on the likelihood of founder-CEO succession in threshold firms in emerging markets. At the same time, the perception of contract law as insecure increases the likelihood of transition from founder management to professional management.

Originality/value

Most research on initial succession deals with internal organisational factors and does not consider external environments and their influence on founder-CEO departure and willingness to exit from company management. This study is unique in its focus on the external environment and institutional factors and their impact on management transitions in threshold firms in emerging economies.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 June 2023

Abdelaziz Hakimi, Rim Boussaada and Majdi Karmani

This paper aims to investigate the reciprocal nonlinear relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance (FP).

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the reciprocal nonlinear relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm performance (FP).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a sample of 814 European firms over the period 2008–2017. The Panel Smooth Transition Regression (PSTR) model was performed as an econometric approach.

Findings

Firstly, results show a threshold effect in the CSR–FP relationships within the two directions. More specifically, the authors found that firms are more likely to engage in CSR by surpassing a threshold of 1.231% for return on assets (ROA) and 0.821% for Tobin’s Q ratio. Secondly, the authors also found that the impact of CSR on FP is positive and significant only if the environment, social and governance score surpasses the threshold of 56.780% when the dependent variable is ROA and 41.02% when Tobin’s Q ratio measures performance.

Research limitations/implications

A significant part of the literature supports the linear relationship between CSR and FP from the unique direction (CSR → FP). This study comes to fill this gap by assessing the possible nonlinear relationship. In addition, this nonlinear relationship is tested under the two directions. Therefore, defining the threshold of FP that allows companies to engage in CSR, on the one hand, and the threshold of engagement in CSR that improves FP, on the other hand, could be an exciting topic.

Practical implications

To get the full benefit from CSR effects, firms should be with better financial performance to be socially responsible.

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, few studies have explored the nonlinear relationship between CSR and FP. In addition, this study raises the question of whether this relation is causal. The authors assess the two nonlinear relationships between CSR ? FP and FP ? CSR by determining the optimal thresholds.

研究目的

本文旨在探究企業社會責任 (以下簡稱企社責) 與公司業績之間的相互非線 性關係。

研究設計

研究所採用的樣本為814間歐洲公司, 涵蓋期為2008年至2017年。研究人 員使用縱橫平滑轉換模型、作為經濟計量方法和工具去進行研究。

研究結果

研究結果顯示、在有關的兩個方向內, 企社責與公司業績之間的關聯上是 存在著閾值效應的。更具體地說, 研究人員發現, 若企業的資產報酬率超過1.231%的 水平, 以及托賓的Q比率 (Tobin’s Q Ratio) 0.821%的水平的話, 它們會更願意承擔企 社責。其次, 研究結果亦顯示, 企社責對企業的業績會產生積極的影響; 另外, 只有 當資產報酬率是因變數、而環境、社會和公司治理的分數 (ESGS) 超過56.780%, 以 及當托賓的Q比率用來測量績效、而數值為41.02%時, 企社責對企業的業績所產生的 影響會較為顯著。

研究的啟示

過去的學術文獻、大部份都是以唯一的方向 (企社責 ->公司業績) 去確認 企社責與企業業績之間的線性關係。本研究評估了兩者之間可能存在的非線性關係; 而且, 這非線性關係是在有關的兩個方向下而進行測試的; 因此, 本研究一方面給可 讓公司以企社責的精神和理念去營運的企業業績的閾值下了定義; 另一方面, 又給參 與企社責為公司帶來業績的改善的閾值下了定義。這均為令人興奮的課題。

實務方面的啟示

企業若想取得因參與企社責而帶來的完全好處, 它們必須擁有更佳 的財務績效、以能盡其社會責任。

研究的原創性

盡我們所知, 探究企社責與企業業績之間的非線性關係的研究實在不 多; 而且, 本研究對這兩者的關係是否是因果關係提出了質疑; 就此, 我們藉著釐定 最佳的相對閾值、來評估企社責 ->企業業績與企業業績 ->企社責之間的兩個非線性的 關係。

Details

European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2444-8451

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Ons Triki and Fathi Abid

The objective of this paper is twofold: first, to model the value of the firm in the presence of contingent capital and multiple growth options over its life cycle in a stochastic…

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this paper is twofold: first, to model the value of the firm in the presence of contingent capital and multiple growth options over its life cycle in a stochastic universe to ensure financial stability and recover losses in case of default and second, to clarify how contingent convertible (CoCo) bonds as financial instruments impact the leverage-ratio policies, inefficiencies generated by debt overhang and asset substitution for a firm that has multiple growth options. Additionally, what is its impact on investment timing, capital structure and asset volatility?

Design/methodology/approach

The current paper elaborates the modeling of a dynamic problem with respect to the interaction between funding and investment policies during multiple sequential investment cycles simultaneously with dynamic funding. The authors model the value of the firm in the presence of contingent capital that provides flexibility in dealing with default risks as well as growth options in a stochastic universe. The authors examine the firm's closed-form solutions at each stage of its decision-making process before and after the exercise of the growth options (with and without conversion of CoCo) through applying the backward indication method and the risk-neutral pricing theory.

Findings

The numerical results show that inefficiencies related to debt overhang and asset substitution can go down with a higher conversion ratio and a larger number of growth options. Additionally, the authors’ analysis reveals that the firm systematically opts for conservative leverage to minimize the effect of debt overhang on decisions so as to exercise growth options in the future. However, the capital structure of the firm has a substantial effect on the leverage ratio and the asset substitution. In fact, the effect of the leverage ratio and the risk-shifting incentive will be greater when the capital structure changes during the firm's decision-making process. Contrarily to traditional corporate finance theory, the study displays that the value of the firm before the investment expansion decreases and then increases with asset volatility, instead of decreasing overall with asset volatility.

Research limitations/implications

The study’s findings reveal that funding, default and conversion decisions have crucial implications on growth option exercise decisions and leverage ratio policy. The model also shows that the firm consistently chooses conservative leverage to reduce the effect of debt overhang on decisions to exercise growth options in the future. The risk-shifting incentive and the debt overhang inefficiency basically decrease with a higher conversion ratio and multiple growth options. However, the effect of the leverage ratio and the risk-shifting incentive will be greater when the capital structure changes during the firm's decision-making process.

Originality/value

The firm's composition between assets in place and growth options evolves endogenously with its investment opportunity and growth option financing, as well as its default decision. In contrast to the standard capital structure models of Leland (1994), the model reveals that both exogenous conversion decisions and endogenous default decisions have significant implications for firms' growth option exercise decisions and debt policies. The model induces some predictions about the dynamics of the firm's choice of leverage as well as the link between the dynamics of leverage and the firm's life cycle.

Details

China Finance Review International, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 November 2023

Yan Han, Rodney B.W. Smith and Laping Wu

This paper aims to examine the impact of six possible foreign direct investment (FDI) spillover channels on the total factor productivity (TFP) of Chinese agricultural enterprises…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of six possible foreign direct investment (FDI) spillover channels on the total factor productivity (TFP) of Chinese agricultural enterprises and investigate the moderating role of absorptive capacity (technological acumen) on TFP spillover effects.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data from 118 agricultural and related Chinese industries, the authors employ a multithreshold regression model to empirically analyze the impact of FDI on the TFP of agricultural enterprises and the threshold effect of absorptive capacity. To overcome potential endogeneity problems, the authors select the FDI stock of corresponding USA industries and the industrial access policy index as instrumental variables and re-estimate the model.

Findings

The results suggest foreign-invested agricultural enterprises are more likely to benefit from FDI, while the “aggregate” FDI spillover effect is negative for domestic agricultural enterprises. However, once threshold effects are introduced, the authors find firms “close to” (“far from”) the technological frontier experience statistically significant positive (negative) spillover effects. Similar results are obtained for virtually all FDI spillover channels for firms in both upstream and downstream industries. FDI spillovers, when they occur, can be a two-edged sword – benefiting some firms at the expense of others.

Originality/value

The authors introduce six FDI spillover channels to examine the impact of FDI on the productivity of foreign-invested and domestic agricultural enterprises. Moreover, the authors analyze the threshold effect of firms' absorptive capacity. These findings can help formulate foreign investment introduction policies based on the characteristics of agricultural enterprises with different ownership structures. These results are also beneficial for agricultural enterprises to better exploit FDI spillover effects and improve their productivity.

Details

China Agricultural Economic Review, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-137X

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 27000