IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ausact/v25y2015i4p428-444.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Improvements in Institutional Oversight on IFRS Accrual Quality in Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Humayun Kabir
  • Fawzi Laswad

Abstract

type="main"> This study examines the impact of improvements in institutional oversight specifically for compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards on accrual quality in Europe. The sample comprises 9339 firm-year observations from a treatment sample of three European countries that had either non-existent or relatively weak institutional oversight systems at the start of the sample period 2006–2010 but improved oversight systems thereafter, and a benchmark sample of six other European countries that had institutional oversight systems from the start of this sample period. After controlling for legal system, rule of law and other variables, we find incremental improvement in accrual quality in the treatment sample relative to the benchmark sample from the pre-enforcement period 2006–2007 to the enforcement period 2008–2010. The results suggest that institutional oversight has an incrementally positive impact on accrual quality over and above that attributable to legal system, rule of law and other variables. The results are robust to different measures of accrual quality, alternative enforcement proxy and alternative samples.

Suggested Citation

  • Humayun Kabir & Fawzi Laswad, 2015. "The Impact of Improvements in Institutional Oversight on IFRS Accrual Quality in Europe," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 25(4), pages 428-444, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ausact:v:25:y:2015:i:4:p:428-444
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/auar.12084
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    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. Susana Callao & José Ignacio Jarne, 2010. "Have IFRS Affected Earnings Management in the European Union?," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 159-189, December.
    2. Peter F. Pope & Stuart J. McLeay, 2011. "The European IFRS experiment: objectives, research challenges and some early evidence," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 233-266, August.
    3. Jones, Stewart & Finley, Aimee, 2011. "Have IFRS made a difference to intra-country financial reporting diversity?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 22-38.
    4. Dechow, Patricia M. & Sloan, Richard G., 1991. "Executive incentives and the horizon problem : An empirical investigation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 51-89, March.
    5. Ole‐Kristian Hope, 2003. "Disclosure Practices, Enforcement of Accounting Standards, and Analysts' Forecast Accuracy: An International Study," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 235-272, May.
    6. Naomi Soderstrom & Kevin Jialin Sun, 2007. "IFRS Adoption and Accounting Quality: A Review," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(4), pages 675-702.
    7. Philip Brown, 2011. "International Financial Reporting Standards: what are the benefits?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 269-285, August.
    8. Isidro, Helena & Raonic, Ivana, 2012. "Firm incentives, institutional complexity and the quality of “harmonized” accounting numbers," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 407-436.
    9. Geoffrey Whittington, 2005. "The adoption of International Accounting Standards in the European Union," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 127-153.
    10. Jeanjean, Thomas & Stolowy, Hervé, 2008. "Do accounting standards matter? An exploratory analysis of earnings management before and after IFRS adoption," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(6), pages 480-494.
    11. 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.
    12. DeFond, Mark L. & Jiambalvo, James, 1994. "Debt covenant violation and manipulation of accruals," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1-2), pages 145-176, January.
    13. Kaufmann, Daniel & Kraay, Aart & Mastruzzi, Massimo, 2007. "Governance Matters VI: Aggregate and Individual Governance Indicators, 1996-2006," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4280, The World Bank.
    14. Rick Cuijpers & Willem Buijink, 2005. "Voluntary adoption of non-local GAAP in the European Union: A study of determinants and consequences," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 487-524.
    15. Philip Brown & Ann Tarca, 2005. "A commentary on issues relating to the enforcement of International Financial Reporting Standards in the EU," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 181-212.
    16. Katherine Schipper, 2005. "The introduction of International Accounting Standards in Europe: Implications for international convergence," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 101-126.
    17. Dechow, Patricia M., 1994. "Accounting earnings and cash flows as measures of firm performance : The role of accounting accruals," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 3-42, July.
    18. Christensen, Hans B. & Hail, Luzi & Leuz, Christian, 2013. "Mandatory IFRS reporting and changes in enforcement," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 147-177.
    19. Erlend Kvaal & Christopher Nobes, 2012. "IFRS Policy Changes and the Continuation of National Patterns of IFRS Practice," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 343-371, August.
    20. Christopher Nobes, 2011. "IFRS Practices and the Persistence of Accounting System Classification," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 47(3), pages 267-283, September.
    21. Roychowdhury, Sugata & Watts, Ross L., 2007. "Asymmetric timeliness of earnings, market-to-book and conservatism in financial reporting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1-2), pages 2-31, September.
    22. Holger Daske & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz & Rodrigo Verdi, 2008. "Mandatory IFRS Reporting around the World: Early Evidence on the Economic Consequences," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 1085-1142, December.
    23. Clarkson, Peter & Hanna, J. Douglas & Richardson, Gordon D. & Thompson, Rex, 2011. "The impact of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of book value and earnings," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17.
    24. DeFond, Mark L., 2010. "Earnings quality research: Advances, challenges and future research," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 402-409, December.
    25. Jones, Jj, 1991. "Earnings Management During Import Relief Investigations," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 193-228.
    26. Robert W. Holthausen, 2009. "Accounting Standards, Financial Reporting Outcomes, and Enforcement," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 447-458, May.
    27. Duke, Joanne C. & Hunt, Herbert III, 1990. "An empirical examination of debt covenant restrictions and accounting-related debt proxies," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1-3), pages 45-63, January.
    28. Goodwin, John & Ahmed, Kamran & Heaney, Richard, 2008. "The Effects of International Financial Reporting Standards on the Accounts and Accounting Quality of Australian Firms: A Retrospective Study," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 89-119.
    29. 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.
    30. Healy, Paul M., 1985. "The effect of bonus schemes on accounting decisions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(1-3), pages 85-107, April.
    31. Gul, Ferdinand A. & Fung, Simon Yu Kit & Jaggi, Bikki, 2009. "Earnings quality: Some evidence on the role of auditor tenure and auditors' industry expertise," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 265-287, June.
    32. Md Humayun Kabir & Fawzi Laswad & Md Ainul Islam, 2010. "Impact of IFRS in New Zealand on Accounts and Earnings Quality," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 20(4), pages 343-357, December.
    33. Ali, A & Hwang, LS, 2000. "Country-specific factors related to financial reporting and the value relevance of accounting data," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 1-21.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kabir, Humayun & Su, Li & Rahman, Asheq, 2020. "Firm life cycle and the disclosure of estimates and judgments in goodwill impairment tests: Evidence from Australia," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3).

    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. Md Humayun Kabir & Fawzi Laswad & Md Ainul Islam, 2010. "Impact of IFRS in New Zealand on Accounts and Earnings Quality," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 20(4), pages 343-357, December.
    2. Ahmed, Kamran & Chalmers, Keryn & Khlif, Hichem, 2013. "A Meta-analysis of IFRS Adoption Effects," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 173-217.
    3. Oz, Ibrahim Onur & Yelkenci, Tezer, 2018. "Examination of real and accrual earnings management: A cross-country analysis of legal origin under IFRS," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 24-37.
    4. Juan Carlos Navarro-García & Antonia Madrid-Guijarro, 2014. "The Influence of Improvements in Accounting Standards on Earnings Management: The Case of IFRS," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 24(2), pages 154-170, June.
    5. Anagnostopoulou, Seraina C., 2017. "Accounting Quality and Loan Pricing: The Effect of Cross-country Differences in Legal Enforcement," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 178-200.
    6. Isidro, Helena & Raonic, Ivana, 2012. "Firm incentives, institutional complexity and the quality of “harmonized” accounting numbers," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 407-436.
    7. Cai, Lei & Rahman, Asheq & Courtenay, Stephen, 2014. "The Effect of IFRS Adoption Conditional Upon the Level of Pre-adoption Divergence," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 147-178.
    8. Kim, Jong-Hoon & Fujiyama, Keishi & Koga, Yuya, 2024. "The effect of voluntary international financial reporting standards adoption on information asymmetry in the stock market: Evidence from Japan," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. John Preiato & Philip Brown & Ann Tarca, 2015. "A Comparison of Between-Country Measures of Legal Setting and Enforcement of Accounting Standards," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(1-2), pages 1-50, January.
    10. Rajat Deb & Mukesh Nepal & Sourav Chakraborty, 2023. "IFRS and Audit Quality: A Systematic Literature Review," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(1), pages 118-138, February.
    11. Ulf Br&?ggemann & J?rg-Markus Hitz & Thorsten Sellhorn, 2013. "Intended and Unintended Consequences of Mandatory IFRS Adoption: A Review of Extant Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 1-37, May.
    12. Walid Guermazi, 2023. "International financial reporting standards adoption in the European Union and earnings conservatism: a review of empirical research," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 200-211, June.
    13. Dechow, Patricia & Ge, Weili & Schrand, Catherine, 2010. "Understanding earnings quality: A review of the proxies, their determinants and their consequences," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 344-401, December.
    14. Beatriz García Osma & Ana Gisbert & Elena Heras Cristóbal, 2017. "Public oversight systems for statutory auditors in the European Union," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 517-552, December.
    15. Karampinis, Nikolaos I., 2021. "A cross-national analysis on the impact of enforcement on impairments of tangible assets under IFRS," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    16. Belén Gill de Albornoz Noguer & Simona Rusanescu, 2017. "Foreign ownership and financial reporting quality in private subsidiaries," Working Papers. Serie EC 2017-02, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    17. Eliwa, Yasser & Haslam, Jim & Abraham, Santhosh, 2021. "Earnings quality and analysts’ information environment: Evidence from the EU market," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    18. Trimble, Madeline, 2018. "A reinvestigation into accounting quality following global IFRS adoption: Evidence via earnings distributions," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 18-39.
    19. Macías, Marta & Muiño, Flora, 2011. "Examining dual accounting systems in Europe," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 51-78, March.
    20. Lueg, Rainer & Punda, Pawel & Burkert, Michael, 2014. "Does transition to IFRS substantially affect key financial ratios in shareholder-oriented common law regimes? Evidence from the UK," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 241-250.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:ausact:v:25:y:2015:i:4:p:428-444. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1035-6908 .

    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.