Nguyen Huu Anh, Nguyen Ha Linh

Main Article Content

Abstract

Abstract

Earnings management is considered to be one of the most important issues related to financial statements, which has been well-documented in accounting theory and practice for a long time. Earnings management has become a critical topic in accounting, but few researchers have addressed this issue in the Vietnamese context. This paper examines earnings management detection among Vietnamese companies listed on the Hochiminh Stock Exchange (HOSE) by using the Beneish M-score model for a sample of 229 non-financial Vietnamese companies listed on the HOSE during 2013-2014. The results showed that 48.4% non-financial Vietnamese companies listed on the HOSE were involved in earnings management and the sample observations fit the Beneish M-score model. In conclusion, this study suggests that the M-score model is one of the useful techniques in detecting earnings manipulation behaviors of the companies and it could be applied for an improvement in financial reporting quality and a better protection for investors.

Received 15 July 2015, revised 9 June 2016, accepted 28 June 2016

Keywords: Earnings management, detecting, M-score model, non-financial Vietnamese listed companies.

References

[1] Healy, P. M., & Wahlen, J. M., “A review of the earnings management literature and its implications for standard setting”, Accounting Horizons, 13 (1999), 365-383
[2] Schipper, K., “Commentary on earnings management”, Accounting Horizons, 3 (1989), 91-102.
[3] Beneish, M. D., Lee, M. C. C. & Nichols, D. C., “Earnings manipulation and expected returns”, Financial Analyst Journal, 69 (2013) 2, 57-82.
[4] Warshavsky, M., “Analyzing earnings quality as a financial forensic tool”, Financial Valuation and Litigation Expert Journal, 39 (2012), 16-20.
[5] Beneish, M. D., “The detection of Earnings Manipulation”, Financial Analyst Journal, 55 (1999) 5, 24-36.
[6] Paolone, F. & Magazzino, C., “Earnings manipulation among the main industrial sectors: Evidence form Italy”, Economia Aziendale, 5 (2014), 253-261.
[7] Kaur, R., Sharma, K. & Khanna, A., “Detecting earnings management in India: A sector - wise study”, European Journal of Business and Management, 6 (2014) 11.
[8] Nguyễn Công Phương, “Cash - basis Accounting and Earnings Management”, Accounting Journal, 77 (2009).
[9] Nguyễn Thị Phương Thảo, “The impact of income tax rate change on earnings management: Cases of listed companies in Hochiminh stock market”, Master dissertation, Đà Nẵng University, 2011.
[10] Jones J., “Earnings Management during Import Relief Investigations”, Journal of Accounting Research, 29 (1991), 193-228.
[11] Dechow, P. M., Sloan, R. & Sweeney, A., “Detecting earnings management”, The Accounting Review, 70 (1995) 2, 193-225.
[12] Burgstahler, D., & Dichev, I., “Earnings management to avoid earnings decreases and losses”, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 24 (1997), 99-126.
[13] Degeorge, F., Patel, J., & Zeckhauser R., “Earnings management to exceed thresholds, Journal of Business”, Working Paper, 1999, Boston University.
[14] Chen, S., Lin, B., Wang, Y., & Wu, L., “The frequency and magnitude of earnings management: Timeseries and multi-threshold comparisons”, International Review of Economics and Finance, Working Paper, 2010, University of Rhode Island.
[15] McNichols, M., & G. P. Wilson, “Evidence of Earnings Management from the Provision for Bad Debts”, Journal of Accounting Research 26 (1988) 3, 1-31.
[16] Franceschetti B. M. & Koschtial C., “Do bankrupt companies manipulate earnings more than the non-bankrupt ones?”, Journal of Finance and Accountancy, 12 (2013), 1-22.
[17] Marinakis, P., An investigation of earnings management and earnings manipulation in the UK, Doctoral dissertation, Nottingham University, UK, 2011.
[18] Dechow, P. M, Ge, W., Larson, C. R. & Sloan, R., “Predicting material accounting misstatements”, Contemporary Accounting Research, 28 (2011) 1, 17-82.
[19] Mahama, M., “Detecting corporate fraud and financial distress using the Atman and Beneish models”, International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 3 (2015) 1, 1-18.
[20] Omar, N., Koya, R. K., Sanusi, Z. M. & Shafie, N. A., Financial statement fraud: A case examination using Beneish Model and ratio analysis, International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, 5 (2014) 2, 184-186.
[21] Nguyễn Công Phương & Nguyễn Trần Nguyên Trân, “Beneish Model in Predicting Materiality Errors in Financial Statements”, Economics and Development Journal, 206 (2014), 54-60.
[22] Joseph, T. W., The Numbers Raise a Red Flag, Texas: ACFE, 2001.
[23] Aris, N. A., Othman, R., Arif, S. M. M., Malek, M. A. A & Omar, N., “Fraud detection: Benford’s Law vs Beneish Model”, IEEE Symposium on Humanities, Science and Engineering Research, (2013) 726-731.
[24] Nwoye, U. J., Okoye, E. I & Oraka, A. O, “Beneish Model as effective complement to the application of SAS No. 99 in the conduct of audit in Nigeria”, Management and Administrative Sciences Review, 2 (2013) 6.