Financial Reporting on Earnings Management

Abstract or Introduction

This paper discusses the motives behind earnings management and explains some of the methods used by firms to manage their earnings. Earnings management has been defined differently by a number of scholars. It is important to note that there is a thin line between fraud and earnings management. Hamid, Hashim and Salleh citing the works of Brown, Perols and Lounge and Erickson, Hanlon and Maydew noted the difference in the definitions that are offered by the scholars. According to Perols and Lounge organizations will engage in fraud due to the constraints on earnings management. The research found out that the firms that had engaged in earnings management will be more likely to be involved in cases of fraud. Brown and Erickson et al noted that the difference between earnings management and fraud is that earnings management is usually within the scope of the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) while fraud is outside of the boundaries of GAAP.

Earnings management has been defined as the manipulation of the financial statements and reports by the managers so that the firms can earn extra profit. It has also been defined as the action where the management of the organizations apply their own self-assessment in the communication of the financial information and transactions to modify the financial data for two main reasons: 1) influencing contractual businesses that solely rely on the financial information or 2) providing the stakeholders with a wrong impression about the financial position of the firm.