Financial Accounting
Abbas Aflatooni; Kefsan mansouri; Zahra Nikbakht
Abstract
The accounting information quality and its relationship with financing decision-making is one of the important issues that attract interest from researchers. However, the way accounting information quality affects financing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic is a topic that has not been explored in domestic ...
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The accounting information quality and its relationship with financing decision-making is one of the important issues that attract interest from researchers. However, the way accounting information quality affects financing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic is a topic that has not been explored in domestic research. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the accounting information quality on the cost of debt and to explore how this effect mainfested during the pandemic of COVID-19. In this regard, the data from 137 firms listed on Tehran Stock Exchange for 2012-2022 (1057 firm-years) have been analyzed. The generalized least squares (GLS) approach was employed to fit the models and fixed effects for years and industries were also controlled. The research results for the entire period demonstrate that an increase in accruals quality (as a proxy for accounting information quality) leads to the cost of financing through debts and this decrease is more pronounced for innate accruals quality than for discretionary accruals quality. Furthermore, the findings suggest that during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of accruals quality and its innate and discretionary components on the cost of debt diminished. The results of the robustness tests using decile-ranked values of accruals quality support the main findings.IntroductionThe global pandemic of COVID-19 and the economic recession related to it brought many challenges to companies in most countries (Barai & Dhar, 2021). Due to the widespread effects of this disease and the various and costly measures taken by countries to control this pandemic, during the outbreak of COVID-19, the economic activities of companies faced a serious challenge (Aljughaiman et al., 2023). COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the employment level of the workforce, reduced economic activity, and created high levels of uncertainty in many financial markets (Zhang et al., 2020). These conditions have most likely hurt the accounting information quality (Pham et al., 2023; Chen et al., 2023) and due to the inverse relationship between the accounting information quality and the cost of debt, it has led to an increase in the cost of debt. However, most of the empirical evidence in this regard is related to developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and the evidence on emerging markets (such as the Iranian capital market) is limited in this regard. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the accruals quality and the cost of debt and to compare the extent of this relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic and other years.Literature ReviewIn accounting, accruals refer to a part of earnings that does not carry cash flow and is a product of the accrual accounting system. Therefore, accruals represent the difference between earnings and cash flows (Nallareddy et al., 2020). Since accruals are affected by managerial discretion, the accruals quality can be used to evaluate the accounting information quality and predict future cash flows (Le et al., 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the global economy (Zhu & Song, 2021), involved many businesses in financial difficulties (Albitar et al., 2020) and intensified their dependence on resources provided by creditors and investors (Shen et al., 2020). Most likely, these conditions have affected the accounting information quality (Pham et al., 2023). During the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies have had enough motivation for earnings management (Lassoued & Khanchel, 2021). However, earnings management causes the financial information reported by companies to be inconsistent with their actual situation, and this means reducing the accounting information quality (Tariverdi et al., 2012). According to these materials, the research hypotheses are presented as follows:H1: An increase in the quality of accruals causes a decrease in the cost of debt.H2: In the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the intensity of the effect of accruals quality on the cost of debt has decreased.MethodologyThis research is practical, analytical, quasi-experimental, correlational in terms of research purpose, and retrospective and post-event in terms of the time dimension of the data. To collect financial and accounting data, Rahvard Novin database and reports published on Codal website were used, and Stata software was used to analyze the data. To fit the models, the generalized least squares approach was used.ResultsThe results show that compared to other years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the accruals quality (the cost of debt) has decreased (increased) by 27% (35%). Also, the results indicate that an increase in accruals quality decreases the cost of debt. Furthermore, our results show that compared to other years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the intensity of the effect of the accruals quality on the cost of debt has decreased.DiscussionThe research findings show that an increase in accruals quality significantly decreases the cost of financing. So, in order to reduce financing costs from debts, managers are advised to be diligent in improving the companies' accounting information quality. Finally, our results show that the cost of debt has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the decline in accruals quality and its components.ConclusionOur results show that with the increase in the quality of accruals, the cost of financing through debts has a significant decrease, and this decrease is more for the innate components of accruals quality than for its discretionary part. In addition, the findings indicate that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the intensity of the effect of the accruals quality and its innate and discretionary components on the cost of debt has decreased. The results of supplementary tests confirm the research main findings.
Accounting report
Ali Saqafi; Ghasem Blue; HosseinAli Sohrabi Varzaneh
Abstract
Development of Earnings quality measures, especially Accruals quality measures, has been a critical line of research over more than three decades. Literature indicates that linear-regression-based measures are subject to (suffer from) significant estimation error in non-discretionary accruals estimation. ...
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Development of Earnings quality measures, especially Accruals quality measures, has been a critical line of research over more than three decades. Literature indicates that linear-regression-based measures are subject to (suffer from) significant estimation error in non-discretionary accruals estimation. Therefore, recent research used machine learning algorithms including multilayer perceptron and radial basis neural networks, in order to address the issue. However, being founded on Blackbox approach limits future development and applicability of these methods. So, to address the limitations, we have used Group Method of Handling Data (GMDH) approach, as a Whitebox approach, in order to estimate the accruals. Findings using data from 299 Tehran Securities Exchange listed companies during 1385 to 1397 suggests that GMDH-based models perform superior to regression models and multilayer perceptron neural networks in terms of estimation error measured by mean squared error. Moreover, Cash flow approach in total accruals calculation leads to less estimation error compared to balance sheet approach. As a result, the model developed in this article can be used by market participants such as regulators, analyst and auditors in order to detect probable financial reporting misstatements.
D. Forooghi; N. Hamidian; M. Mohammadian2F
Abstract
AbstractThe present study aims at investigating the influence of earnings quality measures on excess stock return and the capability of each one of those measures in explanation for this excess. For so doing, in the current research, eight measures for earnings quality in four total categories have been ...
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AbstractThe present study aims at investigating the influence of earnings quality measures on excess stock return and the capability of each one of those measures in explanation for this excess. For so doing, in the current research, eight measures for earnings quality in four total categories have been used: time series measures (persistence and earnings predictability), smoothness measures (volatility of earnings or accruals to operating cash flows volatility), accruals-based measures (abnormal accruals and accruals quality) and market-based measures (earnings response coefficient and value relevance). Research sample consists of 62 firms listed in Tehran Stock Exchange in time interval of 1376-1392 (1997-2013). Findings indicate that among measures for earnings quality, accruals-based measures and value relevance have negative and significant influence on the absolute of excess stock return. Time series measures, accruals volatility to operating cash flows volatility (earnings smoothing), and earnings response coefficient have significant but positive influence on the absolute of excess stock return. Furthermore, earnings volatility to operating cash flows volatility (earnings smoothing) does not have significant influence on the absolute of excess stock return. Also, among the Criteria for earnings quality, accruals-based measures have more ability than other measures in explanation of the absolute of excess stock return.
Abstract
Considering the importance of discretionary accruals in reporting and its influenceon stock return, and also growth opportunities and information assymetry in highgrowth companies, it is expected that management of high growth companies haveincentives to use discretionary accruals for signaling positive ...
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Considering the importance of discretionary accruals in reporting and its influenceon stock return, and also growth opportunities and information assymetry in highgrowth companies, it is expected that management of high growth companies haveincentives to use discretionary accruals for signaling positive fiture performance ofthe firm. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of growth changes onstock return sensitivity to discretionary accruals, positive accruals and the quality ofaccruals. The study is performed in TSE listed companies and 192 companies databetween 1388 to 1394 were selected. The coefficient and multivariate regressionwere used for hypothesis testing. The results revealed that the sensitivity of stockreturn to discretionary and positive accruals and accruals quality is high for highgrowth companies compared to low growth ones.
Mohamad Namazi; gholamreza Rezaie
Volume 11, Issue 44 , March 2015, , Pages 37-69
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to study the effects of the accruals quality and the information relevance on the agency costs for the companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). Hence, an attempt will be made to answer the following question: “Is there a significant relationship between the ...
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The purpose of this research is to study the effects of the accruals quality and the information relevance on the agency costs for the companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). Hence, an attempt will be made to answer the following question: “Is there a significant relationship between the accruals quality and the information relevance and agency costs?”. To find the answer, this research utilizes the operating expenses to sales ratios, asset turnover ratios, and Q-tobin’s ratios were employed as proxies for the agency costs. The statistical population of the study consists of 67 companies of the TSE during 2003 to 2010; and the multivariate regression is used. The results suggest that there is a reverse relationship between accruals quality, accruals quality that is adjusted according to performance and information relevance, and the agency costs criteria (i.e., operating expenses to sales ratios, asset turnover ratios, and Q-tobin’s ratios).
Bahman Banimahd; Reza Jafari Moafi
Volume 9, Issue 33 , April 2011, , Pages 81-98
Abstract
This study investigates relation between accruals quality and auditor selection in the listed firms of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during a five-year period from 2007 to 2011. Using correlation method and logistic regression technique, the results of this study indicate that client size, management ...
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This study investigates relation between accruals quality and auditor selection in the listed firms of Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during a five-year period from 2007 to 2011. Using correlation method and logistic regression technique, the results of this study indicate that client size, management change and accruals quality impact on selection of the big audit firms. The results of this research also revealed that selection of the big audit firms has no relation with financial leverage, profitability and net loss. Research evidence also reveals that audit privatization and competition in audit market increase auditor rotation in the study sample. Also, when accruals quality is low, the probability of the big audit firm's selection is high.
G. Boulou; Y. Hassas Yeganeh; R. Harasani
Volume 8, Issue 29 , April 2010, , Pages 65-95
Abstract
This paper investigates earnings quality’s trend in Tehran stock exchange listed companies over the period 1380-1387 using a sample of 64 companies in 4 industries. In this paper, earnings quality was measured across 4 dimensions: accruals quality, earnings persistence, earnings predictability ...
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This paper investigates earnings quality’s trend in Tehran stock exchange listed companies over the period 1380-1387 using a sample of 64 companies in 4 industries. In this paper, earnings quality was measured across 4 dimensions: accruals quality, earnings persistence, earnings predictability and smoothness. The results provided no evidence of decline in earnings quality over the sample period. Further statistical analysis showed that the earnings quality data are descriptive of a random walk model. Only regressing the measures of earnings quality on time provided some evidence of slight improvement in accruals quality in one of the industries.
