IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/futbus/v10y2024i1d10.1186_s43093-024-00361-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Firm level and country level determinants of earnings management in emerging economies: a systematic framework-based review

Author

Listed:
  • Manasi Gokhale

    (Symbiosis International (Deemed) University)

  • Deepa Pillai

    (Symbiosis International (Deemed) University)

Abstract

The present paper reviews the extant literature on Earnings Management (EM) in emerging economies using the integrated ‘Antecedents Decisions Outcomes (ADO)–Theory, Context, and Methods (TCM)’ framework to identify the firm-level and country-level factors influencing EM practices in these economies. Considering the increasing share of emerging economies in global Foreign Direct Investment and their unique institutional settings and opaque reporting environment, this review seeks to identify the key perspectives of EM studies in these economies. This review analyses 96 articles from 50 journals published between the period 2003 and 2021. Concentrated ownership structures at the firm level, weak regulatory mechanisms for investor protection, low level of enforcement, and culture at the country level are identified as key determinants influencing EM practices in emerging economies. The review finds a dearth of studies integrating the agency, institutional, and organizational theories which will help in better understanding the phenomena of EM in emerging economies. The review also identifies a contextual gap in terms of the need for more multi-country studies within the emerging economies which will provide a better insight into the diverse formal and informal institutions that shape incentives for EM in these economies. Similarly, there is a need to adopt a qualitative and mixed methods approach to study this phenomenon which helps strengthen the theoretical framework for studying EM in emerging economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Manasi Gokhale & Deepa Pillai, 2024. "Firm level and country level determinants of earnings management in emerging economies: a systematic framework-based review," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:futbus:v:10:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1186_s43093-024-00361-1
    DOI: 10.1186/s43093-024-00361-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1186/s43093-024-00361-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1186/s43093-024-00361-1?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. Jiraporn, Pornsit & Miller, Gary A. & Yoon, Soon Suk & Kim, Young S., 2008. "Is earnings management opportunistic or beneficial? An agency theory perspective," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 622-634, June.
    2. Xuan Vinh Vo & Thi Kim Huong Chu, 2019. "Do foreign shareholders improve corporate earnings quality in emerging markets? Evidence from Vietnam," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1698940-169, January.
    3. Fuad Fuad & Agung Juliarto & Puji Harto, 2019. "Does IFRS convergence really increase accounting qualities? Emerging market evidence," Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(48), pages 205-220, April.
    4. repec:eme:maj000:maj-01-2016-1310 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Neerav Nagar & Kaustav Sen, 2017. "Classification shifting: impact of firm life cycle," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(2), pages 180-197, July.
    6. Paul, Justin & Parthasarathy, Sundar & Gupta, Parul, 2017. "Exporting challenges of SMEs: A review and future research agenda," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 327-342.
    7. Jennifer Grafton & Anne M. Lillis & Habib Mahama, 2011. "Mixed methods research in accounting," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(1), pages 5-21, April.
    8. Lewellyn, Krista B. & Bao, Shuji 'Rosey', 2017. "The role of national culture and corruption on managing earnings around the world," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(6), pages 798-808.
    9. Mohamed Khalil & Jon Simon, 2014. "Efficient contracting, earnings smoothing and managerial accounting discretion," Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(1), pages 100-123, May.
    10. Saibal Ghosh, 2011. "Firm ownership type, earnings management and auditor relationships: evidence from India," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(4), pages 350-369, April.
    11. Firth, Michael & Rui, Oliver M. & Wu, Wenfeng, 2011. "Cooking the books: Recipes and costs of falsified financial statements in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 371-390, April.
    12. Lo, Agnes W.Y. & Wong, Raymond M.K. & Firth, Michael, 2010. "Can corporate governance deter management from manipulating earnings? Evidence from related-party sales transactions in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 225-235, April.
    13. Abhilash Abhilash & Sandeep S Shenoy & Dasharathraj K Shetty, 2023. "Overview of Corporate Governance Research in India: A Bibliometric Analysis," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2182361-218, December.
    14. Justin Paul & Gabriel R. G. Benito, 2018. "A review of research on outward foreign direct investment from emerging countries, including China: what do we know, how do we know and where should we be heading?," Asia Pacific Business Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 90-115, January.
    15. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Lim, Weng Marc & Kumar, Satish & Donthu, Naveen, 2022. "Guidelines for advancing theory and practice through bibliometric research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 101-115.
    16. Lim, Weng Marc & Rasul, Tareq, 2022. "Customer engagement and social media: Revisiting the past to inform the future," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 325-342.
    17. Mohammad Badrul Muttakin & Arifur Khan & Dessalegn Getie Mihret, 2017. "Business group affiliation, earnings management and audit quality: evidence from Bangladesh," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(4/5), pages 427-444, April.
    18. Li, Shaomin & Selover, David D. & Stein, Michael, 2011. ""Keep silent and make money": Institutional patterns of earnings management in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 369-382, October.
    19. Lan Anh Nguyen & Brendan O'Connell & Michael Kend & Van Anh Thi Pham & Gillian Vesty, 2021. "The likelihood of widespread accounting manipulation within an emerging economy," Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 11(2), pages 312-339, February.
    20. Fuad, Fuad & Juliarto, Agung & Harto, Puji, 2019. "Does IFRS convergence really increase accounting qualities?Emerging market evidence," Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, Universidad ESAN, vol. 24(48), pages 205-220.
    21. Marco Bellucci & Damiano Cesa Bianchi & Giacomo Manetti, 2022. "Blockchain in accounting practice and research: systematic literature review," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(7), pages 121-146, March.
    22. Bao, Shuji Rosey & Lewellyn, Krista B., 2017. "Ownership structure and earnings management in emerging markets—An institutionalized agency perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 828-838.
    23. Li, Chihua & Tseng, Yijie & Chen, Tsung-Kang, 2016. "Top management team expertise and corporate real earnings management activities," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 117-132.
    24. Eng, Li Li & Fang, Hanqing & Tian, Xi & Yu, T. Robert & Zhang, Hongxian, 2019. "Financial crisis and real earnings management in family firms: A comparison between China and the United States," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 184-201.
    25. Mohamed Elbannan, 2011. "Accounting and stock market effects of international accounting standards adoption in an emerging economy," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 207-245, February.
    26. Desai, Naman & Nagar, Neerav, 2016. "A research note: Are auditors unable to detect classification shifting or merely not willing to report it? Evidence from India," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 111-120.
    27. Aggarwal, Raj & Jindal, Varun & Seth, Rama, 2019. "Board diversity and firm performance: The role of business group affiliation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1-1.
    28. Eman F. Attia & Wafa Khémiri & Messaoud Mehafdi, 2023. "Does ownership structure reduce earnings manipulation practice of Egyptian listed firms? Evidence from a dynamic panel threshold model," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-18, December.
    29. Li, Sihai & Wu, Huiying & Zhang, Jian & Chand, Parmod, 2018. "Accounting reforms and conservatism in earnings: Empirical evidence from listed Chinese companies," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 32-44.
    30. Sam Han & Tony Kang & Stephen Salter & Yong Keun Yoo, 2010. "A cross-country study on the effects of national culture on earnings management," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(1), pages 123-141, January.
    31. Nguyen Thanh Liem, 2021. "Accounting comparability and accruals-based earnings management: Evidence on listed firms in an emerging market," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1923356-192, January.
    32. Subramanyam, K. R., 1996. "The pricing of discretionary accruals," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1-3), pages 249-281, October.
    33. Michael N. Young & Mike W. Peng & David Ahlstrom & Garry D. Bruton & Yi Jiang, 2008. "Corporate Governance in Emerging Economies: A Review of the Principal–Principal Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 196-220, January.
    34. Ahsan Habib & Dinithi Ranasinghe & Julia Yonghua Wu & Pallab Kumar Biswas & Fawad Ahmad, 2022. "Real earnings management: A review of the international literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4279-4344, December.
    35. Fan, Joseph P.H. & Wei, K.C. John & Xu, Xinzhong, 2011. "Corporate finance and governance in emerging markets: A selective review and an agenda for future research," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 207-214, April.
    36. Lim, Weng Marc & Yap, Sheau-Fen & Makkar, Marian, 2021. "Home sharing in marketing and tourism at a tipping point: What do we know, how do we know, and where should we be heading?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 534-566.
    37. Enomoto, Masahiro & Kimura, Fumihiko & Yamaguchi, Tomoyasu, 2015. "Accrual-based and real earnings management: An international comparison for investor protection," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 183-198.
    38. Leuz, Christian & Nanda, Dhananjay & Wysocki, Peter D., 2003. "Earnings management and investor protection: an international comparison," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 505-527, September.
    39. Halabi, Hussein & Alshehabi, Ahmad & Zakaria, Idlan, 2019. "Informal institutions and managers’ earnings management choices: Evidence from IFRS-adopting countries," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    40. Belal Ali Abdulraheem Ghaleb & Hasnah Kamardin & Mosab I. Tabash & Muhammad Shafiullah, 2020. "Family ownership concentration and real earnings management: Empirical evidence from an emerging market," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1751488-175, January.
    41. Trang Cam Hoang & Indra Abeysekera & Shiguang Ma, 2017. "The Effect of Board Diversity on Earnings Quality: An Empirical Study of Listed Firms in Vietnam," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 27(2), pages 146-163, June.
    42. Sattar Khan & Yasir Kamal & Muhammad Abbas & Shahid Hussain, 2022. "Board of directors and earnings manipulation: evidence from regulatory change," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, December.
    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. Eman Fathi Attia & Messaoud Mehafdi, 2023. "The Dynamic Endogeneity Issue between Corporate Ownership Structure and Real-Based Earnings Manipulation in an Emerging Market: Advanced Dynamic Panel Model," Risks, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-27, October.
    2. Ruqia Shaikh & Guo Fei & Muhammad Shaique & Muhammad Rizwan Nazir, 2019. "Control-Enhancing Mechanisms and Earnings Management: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Wil Martens & Prem Yapa & Maryam Safari, 2021. "Earnings Management in Frontier Market: Do Institutional Settings Matter?," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, February.
    4. Hui-Wen Tang & Chong-Chuo Chang, 2015. "Does corporate governance affect the relationship between earnings management and firm performance? An endogenous switching regression model," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 33-58, July.
    5. Haga, Jesper & Huhtamäki, Fredrik & Sundvik, Dennis, 2022. "Employee effort and earnings management," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    6. Kingsley Hung Khai Yeo & Weng Marc Lim & Kwang-Jing Yii, 2024. "Financial planning behaviour: a systematic literature review and new theory development," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(3), pages 979-1001, September.
    7. Bao, Shuji Rosey & Lewellyn, Krista B., 2017. "Ownership structure and earnings management in emerging markets—An institutionalized agency perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 828-838.
    8. Mariasole Bannò & Emilia Filippi, 2024. "Women in top echelon positions and firm internationalisation strategies: What do we know? How do we know? Where should we be heading?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(4), pages 1257-1302, December.
    9. Lim, Weng Marc & Rasul, Tareq, 2022. "Customer engagement and social media: Revisiting the past to inform the future," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 325-342.
    10. Muhammad Kaleem Khan & Yixuan Qin & Chengsi Zhang, 2022. "Financial structure and earnings manipulation activities in China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(8), pages 2593-2621, August.
    11. 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.
    12. Nguyen, Quynh & Kim, Maria H. & Ali, Searat, 2024. "Corporate governance and earnings management: Evidence from Vietnamese listed firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 775-801.
    13. Elena Francke, Anna & Carrete, Lorena, 2023. "Consumer self-regulation: Looking back to look forward. A systematic literature review," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    14. Khlystova, Olena & Kalyuzhnova, Yelena & Belitski, Maksim, 2022. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the creative industries: A literature review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1192-1210.
    15. Belal Ali Abdulraheem Ghaleb & Shaker Dahan Al-Duais & Abdulwahid Ahmed Hashed, 2021. "Audit Committee Chair s Legal Expertise and Real Activities Manipulation: Empirical Evidence from Malaysian Energy and Utilities Sectors," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(1), pages 65-73.
    16. Wil Martens & Prem W. S. Yapa & Maryam Safari, 2020. "The Impact of Financial Statement Comparability on Earnings Management: Evidence from Frontier Markets," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-25, November.
    17. Hussein A. Abdou & Nouran N. Ellelly & Ahmed A. Elamer & Khaled Hussainey & Hassan Yazdifar, 2021. "Corporate governance and earnings management nexus: Evidence from the UK and Egypt using neural networks," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 6281-6311, October.
    18. Andrea Pavón-Guinea & Mónica Codina, 2024. "Public diplomacy: a framework-based literature review and decentering research agenda," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(3), pages 255-274, September.
    19. Leon Li & Nen-Chen Richard Hwang, 2017. "Prospect Theory and Earnings Manipulation: Examination of the Non-Uniform Relationship between Earnings Manipulation and Stock Returns Using Quantile Regression," Working Papers in Economics 17/25, University of Waikato.
    20. Al-Shattarat, Basiem & Hussainey, Khaled & Al-Shattarat, Wasim, 2022. "The impact of abnormal real earnings management to meet earnings benchmarks on future operating performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

    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:spr:futbus:v:10:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1186_s43093-024-00361-1. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.