IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/crpeac/v90y2023ics104523542100099x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The myth of workforce reduction efficiency: The performativity of accounting language

Author

Listed:
  • Verdier, Marie-Anne
  • Boutant Lapeyre, Jennifer

Abstract

This paper draws on Austin’s conceptualization of performativity to show how the accounting strategies implemented before a workforce reduction can contribute to performing the myth of workforce reduction efficiency. To address this issue, we use both quantitative and qualitative methods. First, through quantitative analyses on a sample of 117 workforce reductions announced by 101 French listed firms from 2007 to 2012, we shed light how, by not taking accounting strategies into account in their models, prior mainstream studies may have conveyed false knowledge about improved performances after the operation and performed the workforce reduction efficiency supported by economic theories. Second, through a case study, we provide an in-depth illustration of the performativity effect of these accounting strategies and more precisely of downward earnings management, which can be considered a calculation act that contributes to performing the myth of the efficiency of these operations. Overall, this paper contributes to the workforce reduction literature by providing a critical illustration of how accounting numbers construct efficiency through the performative role given to earnings management. It also contributes to the critical accounting project by notably participating in the debate on the use of quantitative and mixed research methodologies in the critical accounting project.

Suggested Citation

  • Verdier, Marie-Anne & Boutant Lapeyre, Jennifer, 2023. "The myth of workforce reduction efficiency: The performativity of accounting language," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:90:y:2023:i:c:s104523542100099x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2021.102380
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104523542100099X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.cpa.2021.102380?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martin Freedman & Dennis M Patten, 2004. "Evidence on the pernicious effect of financial report environmental disclosure," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 27-41, March.
    2. She, Chaoyuan & Michelon, Giovanna, 2019. "Managing stakeholder perceptions: Organized hypocrisy in CSR disclosures on Facebook," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 54-76.
    3. Caroline Lambert & Samuel Sponem, 2005. "Corporate governance and profit manipulation: a French field study," Post-Print halshs-00170340, HAL.
    4. Peggy M. Lee, 1997. "A comparative analysis of layoff announcements and stock price reactions in the United States and Japan," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(11), pages 879-894, December.
    5. repec:eme:aaaj00:aaaj-10-2014-1841 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Richardson, Alan J., 2015. "Quantitative research and the critical accounting project," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 67-77.
    7. Niamh Brennan & Encarna Guillamon-Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Impression management : developing and illustrating a scheme of analysis for narrative disclosures – a methodological note," Open Access publications 10197/2905, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    8. Harris, Ts & Lang, M & Moller, Hp, 1994. "The Value Relevance Of German Accounting Measures - An Empirical-Analysis," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(2), pages 187-209.
    9. Anne-Laure Farjaudon & Jérémy Morales, 2013. "In Search of Consensus: The Role of Accounting in the Definition and Reproduction of Dominant Interests," Post-Print halshs-00864761, HAL.
    10. Juan Manuel García Lara & Beatriz García Osma & Araceli Mora, 2005. "The Effect of Earnings Management on the Asymmetric Timeliness of Earnings," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3‐4), pages 691-726, April.
    11. Dambrin, Claire & Robson, Keith, 2011. "Tracing performance in the pharmaceutical industry: Ambivalence, opacity and the performativity of flawed measures," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 428-455.
    12. Sikka, Prem & Willmott, Hugh, 2010. "The dark side of transfer pricing: Its role in tax avoidance and wealth retentiveness," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 342-356.
    13. Callen, Jeffrey L., 2015. "A selective critical review of financial accounting research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 157-167.
    14. Fayez A. Elayan & George S. Swales & Brian A. Maris & James R. Scott, 1998. "Market Reactions, Characteristics, and the Effectiveness of Corporate Layoffs," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3‐4), pages 329-351, April.
    15. Sarah J. Freeman & Kim S. Cameron, 1993. "Organizational Downsizing: A Convergence and Reorientation Framework," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(1), pages 10-29, February.
    16. Fayez A. Elayan & George S. Swales & Brian A. Maris & James R. Scott, 1998. "Market Reactions, Characteristics, and the Effectiveness of Corporate Layoffs," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3&4), pages 329-351.
    17. Antonia Botsari & Geoff Meeks, 2008. "Do Acquirers Manage Earnings Prior to a Share for Share Bid?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5‐6), pages 633-670, June.
    18. E. Geoffrey Love & Nitin Nohria, 2005. "Reducing slack: the performance consequences of downsizing by large industrial firms, 1977–93," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(12), pages 1087-1108, December.
    19. Morgan, Gareth, 1988. "Accounting as reality construction: Towards a new epistemology for accounting practice," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 477-485, August.
    20. Chen, Peter & Mehrotra, Vikas & Sivakumar, Ranjini & Yu, Wayne W., 2001. "Layoffs, shareholders' wealth, and corporate performance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 8(2), pages 171-199, May.
    21. Christina Boedker, 2010. "Ostensive versus performative approaches for theorising accounting‐strategy research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 23(5), pages 595-625, June.
    22. Antonia Botsari & Geoff Meeks, 2008. "Do Acquirers Manage Earnings Prior to a Share for Share Bid?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5-6), pages 633-670.
    23. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    24. Kari Lukka & Jan Mouritsen, 2002. "Homogeneity or heterogeneity of research in management accounting?," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 805-811.
    25. Sven Modell, 2015. "Theoretical triangulation and pluralism in accounting research: a critical realist critique," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1138-1150, September.
    26. Niamh M. Brennan & Encarna Guillamon‐Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Methodological Insights," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(5), pages 789-832, June.
    27. Claire Dambrin & Keith Robson, 2011. "Tracing performance in the pharmaceutical industry: ambivalence, opacity and the performativity of flawed measures," Post-Print hal-00687848, HAL.
    28. Robert D. Nixon & Michael A. Hitt & Ho‐Uk Lee & Eui Jeong, 2004. "Market reactions to announcements of corporate downsizing actions and implementation strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(11), pages 1121-1129, November.
    29. Louis, Henock, 2004. "Earnings management and the market performance of acquiring firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 121-148, October.
    30. Christophe Godowski & Emmanuelle Nègre & Marie-Anne Verdier, 2020. "Toward dialogic accounting? Public accountants’ assistance to works councils − A tool between hope and illusion," Post-Print hal-03118048, HAL.
    31. Morales, Jérémy & Sponem, Samuel, 2017. "You too can have a critical perspective! 25 years of Critical Perspectives on Accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 149-166.
    32. Roberts, Robin W. & Wallace, Dana M., 2015. "Sustaining diversity in social and environmental accounting research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 78-87.
    33. repec:dau:papers:123456789/10730 is not listed on IDEAS
    34. Christina Boedker, 2010. "Ostensive versus performative approaches for theorising accounting‐strategy research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 23(5), pages 595-625, June.
    35. Anne-Laure Farjaudon & Jérémy Morales, 2013. "In search of consensus: The role of accounting in the definition and reproduction of dominant interests," Post-Print hal-01630501, HAL.
    36. McSWEENEY, BRENDAN, 1997. "The Unbearable Ambiguity Of Accounting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 22(7), pages 691-712, October.
    37. Jérémy Morales & Samuel Sponem, 2017. "You too can have a critical perspective! 25 years of Critical Perspectives on Accounting," Post-Print hal-01479941, HAL.
    38. James P. Guthrie & Deepak K. Datta, 2008. "Dumb and Dumber: The Impact of Downsizing on Firm Performance as Moderated by Industry Conditions," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 108-123, February.
    39. Skærbæk, Peter & Tryggestad, Kjell, 2010. "The role of accounting devices in performing corporate strategy," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 108-124, January.
    40. Godowski, Christophe & Nègre, Emmanuelle & Verdier, Marie-Anne, 2020. "Toward dialogic accounting? Public accountants’ assistance to works councils − A tool between hope and illusion," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    41. Farjaudon, Anne-Laure & Morales, Jérémy, 2013. "In search of consensus: The role of accounting in the definition and reproduction of dominant interests," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 154-171.
    42. Peter Chalos & Charles J. P. Chen, 2002. "Employee Downsizing Strategies: Market Reaction and Post Announcement Financial Performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5‐6), pages 847-870.
    43. Russell Craig & Joel Amernic, 2004. "The deployment of accounting‐related rhetoric in the prelude to a privatization," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(1), pages 41-58, February.
    44. Richard W. Pouder & Hugh D. Hindman & R. Stephen Cantrell, 2004. "How Unions Affect Shareholder Wealth in Firms Announcing Layoffs," Journal of Labor Research, Transaction Publishers, vol. 25(3), pages 495-502, July.
    45. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513570410525201 is not listed on IDEAS
    46. Sven Modell, 2015. "Theoretical triangulation and pluralism in accounting research: a critical realist critique," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1138-1150, September.
    47. Kothari, S.P. & Leone, Andrew J. & Wasley, Charles E., 2005. "Performance matched discretionary accrual measures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 163-197, February.
    48. Hines, Ruth D., 1988. "Financial accounting: In communicating reality, we construct reality," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 251-261, April.
    49. Franck Aggeri, 2017. "How can performativity contribute to management and organization research? Theoretical perspectives and analytical framework [Qu'est-ce que la performativité peut apporter aux recherches en managem," Post-Print hal-01609172, HAL.
    50. Laure Cabantous & Jean-Pascal Gond, 2011. "Rational Decision Making as Performative Praxis: Explaining Rationality's Éternel Retour," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 573-586, June.
    51. Espahbodi, Reza & John, Teresa A & Vasudevan, Gopala, 2000. "The Effects of Downsizing on Operating Performance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 107-126, September.
    52. Donald MacKenzie, 2006. "An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial Models Shape Markets," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262134608, December.
    53. repec:dau:papers:123456789/1373 is not listed on IDEAS
    54. Patten, Dennis M., 2015. "An insider's reflection on quantitative research in the social and environmental disclosure domain," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 45-50.
    55. Burchell, Stuart & Clubb, Colin & Hopwood, Anthony & Hughes, John & Nahapiet, Janine, 1980. "The roles of accounting in organizations and society," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 5-27, January.
    56. Ball, Ray & Kothari, S. P. & Robin, Ashok, 2000. "The effect of international institutional factors on properties of accounting earnings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 1-51, February.
    57. Young, Joni J., 2003. "Constructing, persuading and silencing: the rhetoric of accounting standards," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 621-638, August.
    58. Ed Vosselman, 2014. "The 'performativity thesis' and its critics: Towards a relational ontology of management accounting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(2), pages 181-203, April.
    59. Graham, Cameron, 2013. "Teaching accounting as a language," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 120-126.
    60. Tania Marques & Isabel Suarez Gonzalez & Pedro Cruz & Manuel Portugal Ferreira, 2011. "Downsizing and Profitability: An Empirical Study of Portuguese Firms in 1993¡V2005," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 10(1), pages 13-26, April.
    61. Gendron, Yves, 2018. "On the elusive nature of critical (accounting) research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1-12.
    62. Ionela Andreicovici & Nava Cohen & Silvia Ferramosca & Alessandro Ghio, 2021. "Two Wrongs Make a ‘Right’? Exploring the Ethical Calculus of Earnings Management Before Large Labor Dismissals," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(2), pages 379-405, August.
    63. Kakkuri-Knuuttila, Marja-Liisa & Lukka, Kari & Kuorikoski, Jaakko, 2008. "Straddling between paradigms: A naturalistic philosophical case study on interpretive research in management accounting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(2-3), pages 267-291.
    64. Himick, Darlene & Brivot, Marion & Henri, Jean-François, 2016. "An ethical perspective on accounting standard setting: Professional and lay-experts’ contribution to GASB’s Pension Project," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 22-38.
    65. Marie-Anne Verdier & Jennifer Boutant, 2016. "Do managers reduce reported earnings before a workforce reduction announcement? Evidence from French listed firms [Les dirigeants gèrent-ils les résultats comptables avant d’annoncer une réduction ," Post-Print halshs-01522595, HAL.
    66. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513571011054909 is not listed on IDEAS
    67. Peter Chalos & Charles J. P. Chen, 2002. "Employee Downsizing Strategies: Market Reaction and Post Announcement Financial Performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5&6), pages 847-870.
    68. Dillard, Jesse & Vinnari, Eija, 2017. "A case study of critique: Critical perspectives on critical accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 88-109.
    69. Emmanuelle Negre & Marie-Anne Verdier & Charles H. Cho & Dennis Patten, 2017. "Disclosure strategies and investor reactions to downsizing announcements: A legitimacy perspective," Post-Print halshs-01698634, HAL.
    70. Thornburg, Steven & Roberts, Robin W., 2008. "Money, politics, and the regulation of public accounting services: Evidence from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(2-3), pages 229-248.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sorola, Matthew, 2022. "Q methodology to conduct a critical study in accounting: A Q study on accountants’ perspectives of social and environmental reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    2. Schulz, Ann-Christine & Johann, Sarah, 2018. "Downsizing and the fragility of corporate reputation: An analysis of the impact of contextual factors," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 40-50.
    3. Boedker, Christina & Chong, Kar-Ming & Mouritsen, Jan, 2020. "The counter-performativity of calculative practices: Mobilising rankings of intellectual capital," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Gendron, Yves, 2018. "On the elusive nature of critical (accounting) research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Godowski, Christophe & Nègre, Emmanuelle & Verdier, Marie-Anne, 2020. "Toward dialogic accounting? Public accountants’ assistance to works councils − A tool between hope and illusion," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. Berninger, Marc & Gärtner, Henrik & Schiereck, Dirk, 2018. "Kapitalmarktreaktionen auf die Ankündigung von Personalabbauplänen – ein Überblick über drei Jahrzehnte empirische Evidenz," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 72(4), pages 289-325.
    7. Santiago Velásquez & Juho Kanniainen & Saku Mäkinen & Jaakko Valli, 2018. "Layoff announcements and intra-day market reactions," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 203-228, January.
    8. van Erp, Wil & Roozen, Frans & Vosselman, Ed, 2019. "The performativity of a management accounting and control system: Exploring the dynamic relational consequences of a design," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(4).
    9. David Hillier & Andrew Marshall & Patrick McColgan & Samwel Werema, 2007. "Employee Layoffs, Shareholder Wealth and Firm Performance: Evidence from the UK," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(3‐4), pages 467-494, April.
    10. Stenka, Renata & Jaworska, Sylvia, 2019. "The use of made-up users," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Modell, Sven & Vinnari, Eija & Lukka, Kari, 2017. "On the virtues and vices of combining theories: The case of institutional and actor-network theories in accounting research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 62-78.
    12. Marie-Anne Verdier, 2014. "Quelles Strategies De Diffusion Pour Les Annonces De Reduction D'Effectifs ? Le Cas Des Entreprises Francaises Cotees," Post-Print hal-01899749, HAL.
    13. Morales, Jérémy & Sponem, Samuel, 2017. "You too can have a critical perspective! 25 years of Critical Perspectives on Accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 149-166.
    14. José Allouche & Patrice Laroche & Florent Noël, 2008. "Restructurations et performances de l’entreprise:une méta-analyse," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 11(2), pages 105-146, June.
    15. Kao, Chun-Lin & Chen, Ming-Yuan, 2020. "Employee downsizing, financial constraints, and production efficiency of firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 59-73.
    16. Karim, Mohammad A & Sarkar, Sayan & Zhang, Shaorong, 2016. "Earnings management surrounding M&A: Role of economic development and investor protection," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 207-215.
    17. Reilley, Jacob & Löhlein, Lukas, 2023. "Theorizing (and) the future of interdisciplinary accounting research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    18. Neu, Dean & Saxton, Greg & Rahaman, Abu & Everett, Jeffery, 2019. "Twitter and social accountability: Reactions to the Panama Papers," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 38-53.
    19. Gendron, Yves & Rodrigue, Michelle, 2021. "On the centrality of peripheral research and the dangers of tight boundary gatekeeping," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    20. Brennan, Niamh M. & Daly, Caroline A. & Harrington, Claire S., 2010. "Rhetoric, argument and impression management in hostile takeover defence documents," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 253-268.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:90:y:2023:i:c:s104523542100099x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/critical-perspectives-on-accounting/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.