Earnings Management, Asset Restructuring, and the Threat of Exchange Delisting in an Earnings-Based Regulatory Regime
19 Pages Posted: 15 Sep 2010
Abstract
This study examines the effect of an earnings-based listing regulation on corporate financial reporting management. In 2001, China revised its listing standards requiring compulsory stock suspension for firms reporting three-year consecutive losses. Suspended stocks are further delisted if they continue to report losses in the year of stock suspension.
Our results show that firms approaching the delisting procedure use more earnings management, although the effect is minor. Meanwhile, we observe that delisting risk induces extensive performance-enhancing asset restructuring activities. For firms turning losses into profits, our evidence suggests a negative relationship between earnings management and asset restructuring.
This study extends the earnings management literature by suggesting that earnings management to avoid losses is likely to increase with the severity of the losses and decline with asset restructuring activities. In addition, this research adds to the literature on the economic consequences of the delisting process.
The study provides evidence that an earnings-based delisting regulation is a double-edged sword which leads to either earnings management or performance-enhancing asset restructuring activities. By pointing out the earnings management and restructuring effects of the Chinese delisting regime, we may inform policy makers of the economic consequences of an earnings-based regime. This adds to prior evidence on the effects of market-based delisting thresholds. In addition, the study highlights that the earnings-based delisting regulation does not create a level playing field, since state-controlled firms are at an advantage to use more government-led asset restructurings through state-owned shareholders in order to avoid delisting.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
Audit Committee, Board of Director Characteristics, and Earnings Management
By April Klein
-
Audit Committee, Board of Director Characteristics, and Earnings Management
By April Klein
-
Audit Committee Composition and Auditor Reporting
By Joseph V. Carcello and Terry L. Neal
-
Corporate Governance and Accounting Scandals
By Anup Agrawal and Sahiba Chadha
-
Audit Committee Characteristics and Auditor Reporting
By Joseph V. Carcello and Terry L. Neal
-
Earnings Management and Corporate Governance: The Roles of the Board and the Audit Committee
By Biao Xie, Wallace N. Davidson, ...
-
Restoring Trust after Fraud: Does Corporate Governance Matter?
-
Board Characteristics, Accounting Report Integrity, and the Cost of Debt
By Ronald C. Anderson, Sattar Mansi, ...
-
Does the Market Value Financial Expertise on Audit Committees of Boards of Directors?
By Mark L. Defond, Rebecca N. Hann, ...
-
Does the Market Value Financial Expertise on Audit Committees of Boards of Directors?
By Mark L. Defond, Rebecca N. Hann, ...