Share:


Earnings management among industries: between the old and new economies

    Adam Sadowski Affiliation
    ; Michał Comporek Affiliation
    ; Magdalena Osińska Affiliation
    ; Ewa Walińska Affiliation
    ; Per Engelseth Affiliation

Abstract

This paper investigates sectoral prevalence and patterns of accrual-based earnings management in public companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. This research intro­duces a novel perspective by analysing differences in discretionary accruals proxies among in­dustries, with particular emphasis on statistical variation of the earnings management through accruals in the old and new economies companies. Moreover, this paper fills a research gap in the literature regarding a shortfall of broader analyses on the industry-specific attributes explaining earnings management behaviours.
Our findings confirmed that the extent of accrual-based earnings management in public com­panies varies significantly depending on the industry in which they operate. We demonstrated that companies from the new economy industries and those operating in less concentrated markets engaged in accrual-based earnings management practices more than others. On the other hand, we did not find a statistically significant relationship between the accounting-type earnings management and company-specific product market power from the perspective of the pooled sample and subsamples characterized by the specific directions of earnings games.

Keyword : earnings management, new economy, old economy, market concentration, product market power

How to Cite
Sadowski, A., Comporek, M., Osińska, M., Walińska, E., & Engelseth, P. (2025). Earnings management among industries: between the old and new economies. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 31(2), 364–387. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2025.23117
Published in Issue
Mar 17, 2025
Abstract Views
72
PDF Downloads
43
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Alaminos, D., Salas, M. B., & Fernández-Gámez, M. A. (2024). Global patterns and extreme events in sovereign risk premia: A fuzzy vs deep learning comparative. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 30(3), 753–782. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2024.20488

Atkinson, R., & Court, R. (1999). Technology, innovation and new economy project. Progressive Policy Institute.

Bachtijeva, D., & Tamulevičienė, D. (2022). Comparing earnings management and creative accounting. A general review. The Theoretical Journal of Accounting, 46(2), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0015.8812

Bagnoli, M., & Watts, S. G. (2010). Oligopoly, disclosure, and earnings management. The Accounting Review, 85(4), 1191–1214. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr.2010.85.4.1191

Bartov, E., Gul, F. A., & Tsui, J. S. L. (2001). Discretionary-accruals models and audit qualifications. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 30(3), 421–452. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-4101(01)00015-5

Belas, J., Gavurova, B., Kubak, M., & Novotna, A. (2023). Risk management level determinants in Visegrad countries – Sectoral analysis. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 29(1), 307–325. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2023.18415

Calkins, S. (1983). The new merger guidelines and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. California Law Review, 71(2), 402–429. https://doi.org/10.2307/3480160

Callao, S., Jarne, J., & Wróblewski, D. (2014). The development of earnings management research. A review of literature from three different perspectives. Theoretical Journal of Accounting, 79(135), 135–177. https://doi.org/10.5604/16414381.1133395

Callao, S., Jarne, J. I., & Wroblewski, D. (2021). A systematic approach to the motivations for earnings management: A literature review. International Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences, 10, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.20448/2001.101.1.20

Chang, H.-Y., Liang, L.-H. & Yu, H.-F. (2019). Market power, competition and earnings management: Accrual-based activities. Journal of Financial Economic Policy, 11(3), 368–384. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFEP-08-2018-0108

Chiang, L. (2008). Hidden innovation: A reconsideration of ‘old economy’ industries within ‘new economy’ regions. Geography Compass, 2, 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2007.00071.x

Conrad, J., Cornell, B., & Landsman, W. R. (2002). When is bad news really bad news? The Journal of Finance, 57(6), 2507–2532. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6261.00504

Costa, C. M., & Soares, J. M. M. V. (2021). Standard Jones and Modified Jones: An earnings management tutorial. Journal of Contemporary Administration, 26(2), Article e200305. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2022200305.en

Datta, S., Iskandar-Datta, M., & Sharma,V. (2011). Product market pricing power, industry concentration and analysts’ earnings forecasts. Journal of Banking and Finance, 35(6), 1352–1366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.10.016

Datta, S., Iskandar-Datta, M., & Singh, V. (2013). Product market power, industry structure, and corporate earnings management. Journal of Banking & Finance, 37(8), 3273–3285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2013.03.012

De Almeida, J.E. F., Broedel Lopes, A., da Costa, F., & Toniato, J. B. (2005). Earnings management and industry classification in Brazil: An exploratory investigation. Corporate Ownership and Control, 3, 144–149. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv3i1c1p3

Dechow, P. M., Sloan, R. G., & Sweeney, A. P. (1995). Detecting earnings management. The Accounting Review, 70(2), 193–225.

Durana, P., Valaskova, K., Siekelova, A., & Michalkova, L. (2022). Appraisal of earnings management across the sectors. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 23(2), 399–425. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2022.16563

Elliott, J. A., & Shaw, W. H. (1988). Write-offs as accounting procedures to manage perceptions. Journal of Accounting Research, 26, 91–119. https://doi.org/10.2307/2491182

Eurostat. (2008). NACE Rev.2: Statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/3859598/5902521/KS-RA-07-015-EN.PDF.pdf/dd5443f5-b886-40e4-920d-9df03590ff91?t=1414781457000

Ewert, R., & Wagenhofer, A. (2005). Economic effects of tightening accounting standards to restrict earnings management. The Accounting Review, 80(4), 1101–1124. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr.2005.80.4.1101

Goel, S. (2012). Demystifying earnings management through accruals management: An Indian corporate study. Vikalpa, 37(1), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1177/0256090920120104

González Sánchez, M., Ibáñez Jiménez, E. M., & Segovia San Juan, A. I. (2022). Causes of country-specific effect related to the value relevance of cash flows and earnings: Evidence from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), Article 2121225. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2121225

Grant, R. M. (2018). Contemporary strategy analysis (10th ed.). Wiley.

Haggard, K. S., Howe, J. S., & Lynch, A. A. (2015). Do baths muddy the waters or clear the air? Journal of Accounting and Economics, 59(1), 105–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2014.09.007

Hassan, S. U., & Ahmed, A. (2012). Corporate governance, earnings management and financial performance: A case of Nigerian manufacturing firms. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2(7), 214–226.

Healy, P. M., & Wahlen, J. M. (1999). A review of the earnings management literature and its implications for standard setting. Accounting Horizons, 13(4), 365–383. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch.1999.13.4.365

Holthausen, R. W., Larcker, D. F., & Sloan, R. G. (1995). Business unit innovation and the structure of executive compensation. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 19(2–3), 279–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-4101(94)00385-I

Hribar, P., & Collins, D. W. (2002). Errors in estimating accruals: Implications for empirical research. Journal of Accounting Research, 40, 105–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.00041

Hsiao, D. F., Hu, Y., & Lin, J. W. (2016). The earnings management opportunity for US oil and gas firms during the 2011 Arab Spring event. Pacific Accounting Review, 28(1), 71–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/PAR-03-2014-0013

Hsu, P.-H., & Jan, C.-L. (2023). Accrual-based earnings management and the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 25(5), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v25i5.6512

Ittner, C. D., Larcker, D. F., & Rajan, M. V. (1997). The choice of performance measures in annual bonus contracts. The Accounting Review, 72(2), 231–255.

Jeppson, N., & Salerno, D. (2017). Innovation focused strategy and earnings management. Economic and Business Review, 19(1), 19–49. https://doi.org/10.15458/85451.36

Kallunki, J.-P., & Martikainen, M. (1999). Do firms use industry-wide targets when managing earnings? Finnish evidence. The International Journal of Accounting, 34(2), 249–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7063(99)00004-7

Karuna, C., Subramanyam, K., & Tian, F. (2015). Competition and earnings management (Working paper). University of Southern California.

Kay, J. (2002). What became of the new economy? National Institute Economic Review, 177, 56–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/002795010117700106

Kothari, S. P., Laguerre, T. E., & Leone, A. J. (2002). Capitalization versus expensing: Evidence on the uncertainty of future earnings from capital expenditures versus R&D outlays. Review of Accounting Studies, 7, 355–382. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020764227390

Le, M., Tran, T., & Ngo, T. (2021). Innovation and earnings quality: A Bayesian analysis of listed firms in Vietnam. In N. Ngoc Thach, V. Kreinovich, & N. D. Trung (Eds.), Data science for financial econometrics: Vol. 898. Studies in computational intelligence (pp. 479–491). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48853-6_33

Leuz, C., Nanda, D., & Wysocki, P. D. (2003). Earnings management and investor protection: An international comparison. Journal of Financial Economics, 69(3), 505–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(03)00121-1

Li, S. (2022). Industry classification, industry momentum and short-term reversal. Finance Research Letters, 48(1), Article 102860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102860

Lizińska, J., & Czapiewski, L. (2023). Earnings management amid the COVID-19 financial crisis: The experience of Poland. Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, 313(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.33119/GN/159032

Lobo, G. J., Xie, Y., & Zhang, J. H. (2018). Innovation, financial reporting quality, and audit quality. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 51, 719–749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-017-0686-1

Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195092691.001.0001

Parada, F., Sanhueza, R., & Węgrzyńska, M. (2020). Accrual adjustment: Applying the Modified Jones model to selected companies listed on the stock exchanges in Poland and Chile. The Theoretical Journal of Accounting, 109(165), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0014.4342

Parfet, W. U. (2000). Accounting subjectivity and earnings management: A preparer perspective. Accounting Horizons, 14(4), 481–488. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch.2000.14.4.481

Roychowdhury, S. (2006). Earnings management through real activities manipulation. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 42(3), 335–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2006.01.002

Saona, P., Muro, L., San Martín, P., & Baier-Fuentes, H. (2019). Board of director’s gender diversity and its impact on earnings management: An empirical analysis for select European firms. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 25(4), 634–663. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2019.9381

Sanusi, F., Januarsi, Y., Purbasari, I., & Akhmadi. (2023). The discipline vs complement role of product market competition and market power: Evidence from real earnings management in an emerging market. Cogent Business & Management, 10(1), Article 2170072. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2170072

Schipper, K. (1989). Commentary on earnings management. Accounting Horizons, 3(4), 91–103.

Shen, C.-H., & Chih, H.-L. (2005). Investor protection, prospect theory, and earnings management: An international comparison of the banking industry. Journal of Banking & Finance, 29(10), 2675–2697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2004.10.004

Srivastava, A. (2014). Why have measures of earnings quality changed over time? Journal of Accounting and Economics, 57(2–3), 196–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2014.04.001

Sun, L., & Rath, S. (2009). An empirical analysis of earnings management in Australia. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 4(14), 1069–1085.

Tang, H.-W., & Chen, A. (2020). How do market power and industry competition influence the effect of corporate governance on earnings management? The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 78, 212–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2020.02.001

Tapscott, D. (1997). The digital economy: Promise and peril in the age of networked intelligence. McGraw-Hill.

Thai, V. H., Dinh, V. T., Nguyen, V. S., Nguyen, M. H., Nguyen, C. T., & Pham, T. L. P. (2021). The influence of earning management and surplus free cash flow on the banking sector performance. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 23(1), 403–417. https://doi.org/10.17512/pjms.2021.23.1.25

Trotman, M. (1993). Comptabilité britannique, mode d’emploi [British accounting, user manual]. Economica.

Vagner, L., Valaskova, K., Durana, P., & Lazaroiu, G. (2021). Earnings management: A bibliometric analysis. Economics and Sociology, 14(1), 249–262. https://doi.org/10.14254/2071-789X.2021/14-1/16

Valaskova, K., Adamko, P., Frajtova Michalikova, K., & Macek, J. (2021). Quo Vadis, earnings management? Analysis of manipulation determinants in Central European environment. Oeconomia Copernicana, 12(3), 631–669. https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2021.021

Van Ark, B. (2002). Measuring the new economy: An international comparative perspective. Review of Income and Wealth, 48, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4991.00036-i1

Wasiuzzaman, S. (2018). Industry characteristics and earnings management: A study of Malaysian industries. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 13(5), 837–854. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJoEM-09-2017-0336