Panagiotis E. Dimitropoulos

The role of corporate governance in earnings management: experience from US banks

Purpose - The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the role of corporate governance in earnings management behaviour by US listed banks during the era of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2003-2008). Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines the issue of accounting quality and corporate governance within banking corporations through the use of two different measures of earnings management, namely small positive net income and the difference between discretionary realized security gains and losses and discretionary loan loss provisions (LLPs), by applying a corporate governance index estimated from 63 governance provisions. Findings - The research found convincing evidence that banks with efficient corporate governance mechanisms report small positive income to a lesser extent than banks with weak governance efficiency. Also well-governed banks engage less in aggressive earnings management behaviour through the use of discretionary loan loss provisions and realized security gains and losses. Practical implications - The findings could prove to be valuable to investors since they must take into consideration the efficiency of each banks corporate governance and demand supplementary information in order to reach a better investment decision when earnings are not highly informative. Social implications - The findings could prove to be useful for regulators since they are responsible for the acceptable level of corporate governance standards. Thus, they must consider strengthening governance mechanisms either though new legislation or stronger enforcement where earnings management is of such magnitude to that serious impedes information transparency and quality. Originality/value - The present study aims to bridge a gap in the literature by investigating corporate governance and earnings management behaviour during a period of transition to an intensively legalized governance environment (SOX Act). The results contribute further evidence to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of established corporate governance mechanisms.

The value relevance of financial statements and their impact on stock prices: Evidence from Greece

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to examine the relevance of financial reporting. In order to achieve this, a model that includes specific ratios is developed, which have proved to be indicators of falsified financial statements in the Greek capital market, and by estimating accruals quality, measured both by discretionary and non-discretionary accruals. Design/methodology/approach - The data were collected from a sample of 101 non-financial firms listed at the Athens stock exchange. The time frame spans from 1995 to 2004 and the methodology used was OLS regression models. Findings - The results indicate that the ratios of working capital to total assets and net profit to sales have a negative impact on stock returns, while the ratios of net profit to total assets and sales to total assets affect returns positively. Additionally, both types of accruals have incremental importance – with the non-discretionary appearing to be more important compared to the discretionary one – in explaining stock return movements. Thus, it is concluded that the Greek stock market depicts prices accruals. Originality/value - The present study adds to the existing literature by examining the issue of financial reporting relevance within the context of an emerging capital market such as Greece. This is believed to be the first study which considers the aforementioned issues in the Greek accounting setting.

Corporate Governance and Accounting Conservatism: Evidence from the Banking Industry

Research Question/Issue: In this paper, we empirically investigate whether US listed commercial banks with effective corporate governance structures engage in higher levels of conservative financial accounting and reporting. Research Findings/Insights: Using both market- and accrual-based measures of conservatism and both composite and disaggregated governance indices, we document convincing evidence that well-governed banks engage in significantly higher levels of conditional conservatism in their financial reporting practices. For example, we find that banks with effective governance structures, particularly those with effective board and audit governance structures, recognize loan loss provisions that are larger relative to changes in nonperforming loans compared to their counterparts with ineffective governance structures. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We contribute to the extant literature on the relationship between corporate governance and quality of accounting information by providing evidence that banks with effective governance structures practice higher levels of accounting conservatism. Practitioner/Policy Implications: The findings of this study would be useful to US bank regulators/supervisors in improving the existing regulatory framework by focusing on accounting conservatism as a complement to corporate governance in mitigating the opaqueness and intense information asymmetry that plague banks.

Corporate Governance and Earnings Management in the European Football Industry

Abstract The scope of this paper is to analyze the impact of corporate governance quality (namely board size, board independence, managerial ownership, institutional ownership and CEO duality) on the earnings management behaviour of European Unions football clubs over the period 2006–2009. Empirical results documented that corporate governance quality mitigates aggressive earnings manipulation (income smoothing, accrual manipulation and reporting small positive income) by football managers and specifically clubs with increased board independence, managerial ownership and institutional ownership and small board size are associated with high quality financial reporting through the deterioration of earnings management behaviour. These findings dictate the necessity of sound corporate governance principles to protect the interests of shareholders and various stakeholders, and prevent the expropriation of wealth by managers and maximize the clubs’ economic results and social return. The empirical findings are robust to several sensitivity tests concerning the functioning form of the models and the measures of earnings management.

Signalling by banks using loan loss provisions: the case of the European Union

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether bank managers of countries within the European Union (EU) engage in signalling, especially after implementation of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) commencing 2005. Design/methodology/approach – “Signaling” is the use of loan loss provisions (LLPs) to convey signals of fiscal prudence and future profitability to investors. The authors use data from 18 countries across the EU covering the pre and post IFRS regimes and apply univariate and multivariate tests in order to test signaling behavior under both accounting regimes. Findings – The findings indicate insufficient evidence that financially healthy banks engage in signaling behavior. However, banks facing financial distress appear to engage in aggressive signaling relative to healthy banks. Finally, the propensity to engage in signaling behavior is more pronounced for financially distressed banks in the post IFRS regime. While IFRS, under IAS 39 sort to mitigate the discretionary component of LLPs, our finding may be attributable to lax enforcement of IFRS. Practical implications – The findings have implications for both investors and regulators. Investors should be aware that troubled banks engage in signaling to convey positive information about their future prospects. Regulators should be aware that financially stressed banks have a greater propensity to engage in signaling and need to ensure that the provisions of IFRS (which attempts to limit discretion in estimating LLPs) are enforced more stringently. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the growing literature on bank signaling in a number of ways. First, the authors use a sample from 18 countries within the EU which has not been done before. Second, unlike prior studies which only examined healthy banks, the authors also include financially distressed banks in the sample. Third, the authors examine signaling behavior in the pre and post IFRS regimes to understand the influence of IFRS on the propensity to engage in signaling by bank managers.

Managing the European football industry: UEFA’s regulatory intervention and the impact on accounting quality

ABSTRACT Research question: European football clubs are known for an institutionalized management culture which prioritizes on-field success over financial performance. This creates an extremely competitive context within which most clubs operate, producing debts and deficits. However, in order to secure clubs’ long-term financial viability, Union of European Football Association (UEFA) has introduced regulatory and monitoring processes tied to accounting data in order to assess clubs’ financial performance. This study aims to determine whether UEFA’s framework has an impact on clubs’ management policies with regard to accounting quality. Research methods: The study employs a sample of 109 European football clubs for a seven-year period, 2008–2014 (three years before and four years after the regulatory intervention), to investigate the impact of the reform upon management practices related to accounting. Following prior literature, we employ the three most commonly used proxies of accounting quality: earnings management, conditional accounting conservatism and auditor switching. Results and findings: This study demonstrates that, at the expense of accounting quality, club management seeks to promote the image of a financially robust organization in order to secure licensing and, consequently, much needed funding from UEFA. In this manner, the dominance of a management culture which impairs financial performance is further cemented. Implications: UEFA should take into consideration that, in a financially distressed industry focused on achieving success on the field of play, the imposition of regulatory monitoring tied to accounting data inevitably leads to a loss of organizational credibility and transparency. Hence, UEFA’s intervention should be accompanied by the imposition of a corporate governance framework which would aim to rearrange club management priorities by facilitating a change in institutionalized mentalities.

Capital structure and corporate governance of soccer clubs: European evidence

Purpose - – The present study aims to examine the impact of corporate governance quality on the capital structure of European soccer clubs and specifically on the level of debt that soccer clubs decide to issue. Design/methodology/approach - – A sample from 67 European soccer clubs over the period of 2005-2009 was analyzed, and panel data techniques were performed to assess the impact of specific corporate governance provisions on the capital structure of football clubs (FCs). Findings - – Evidence indicate that efficient corporate governance mechanisms such as the increased board size and independence and the existence of more dispersed ownership (managerial and institutional) result in a reduction in the level of leverage and debt, thus reducing the risk of financial instability. Practical implications - – This evidence suggests that corporate governance could be used as a monitoring mechanism for reducing the fictitious level of debt that characterizes the majority of European soccer clubs. This study could prove useful to Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) regulators because it provides an additional insight for the importance of establishing sound governance principles in European soccer so as to enhance the effectiveness of the recent “financial fair play” regulation which was launched in 2010, as well as to improve the financial status of the clubs and sustain their future viability. Originality/value - – This is the first study internationally that examines capital structure within FCs, thus extending the existent empirical evidence in the literature and adding to a growing body of research on the issues of corporate governance and financing decisions.

Intellectual capital and profitability in European football clubs

The scope of this study is to examine the impact of intellectual capital on the profitability of European listed football clubs which are characterised as a human intensive industry. Selecting a sample from nine European countries over the period 2005-2010, the paper incorporates panel data methodologies in order to examine the impact of intellectual capital (measured via the value added intellectual coefficient - VAIC) on the financial performance of listed football clubs. Evidence indicates a positive association between intellectual capital and profitability. Specifically, the human capital efficiency indicator presents the most significant association with profitability, suggesting that managers who spent more on their employees (players, technical staff, etc.) add higher value to the organisation which leads to enhanced financial performance. This study can provide the impetus for managers and regulators to consider the management and reporting of IC components on a regular basis as an additional tool for alleviating the immense financial problems of European football clubs.

Accounting relevance and speculative intensity: empirical evidence from Greece

Purpose - The aim of this paper is twofold: first, it aims to examine the relevance of earnings and book values on stock prices, and second, to test for the effect of speculative intensity on the relevance of accounting information between 1995 and 2004. Design/methodology/approach - The data were collected from a sample of 101 non-financial firms listed at the Athens Stock Exchange over the period 1996-2004 and were analyzed using OLS regression models. Findings - Results indicated that book values are not relevant when they are considered solely, but both earnings and book values are more relevant when they are simultaneously included in the model. Finally, taking into consideration the effect of speculative intensity, we observed that it has a positive and significant effect on stock prices yet the value relevance of earnings and book values has not changed even after controlling for speculation. Practical implications - The findings can be used by analysts and capital market researchers since both must bear in mind the fact that the quality of the capital market and the quality of the stock prices are not constant over time. Consequently, the classical valuation models are misspecified and could yield significant bias if speculative intensity is not taken under consideration. Originality/value - The findings provide a further insight on the issue of accounting relevance within the context of an emerging capital market like Greece. According to our knowledge this is the first study which concerns speculation as an important factor of accounting value relevance in an European country.

Ownership structure and financial performance in European football

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the relationship between ownership structure and financial performance in the five major European football leagues from 2007-2008 to 2012-2013 and examine the impact of the financial fair play (FFP) regulation. Design/methodology/approach The sample used comprises 94 teams that participated in the major European competitions: German Bundesliga, Ligue 1 of France, Spanish Liga, English Premier League and the Italian Serie A. The estimation technique used is panel-corrected standard errors. Findings The results confirm an inverted U-shaped curve relationship between ownership structure and financial performance as a consequence of both monitoring and expropriation effects. Moreover, the results show that after FFP regulation, the monitoring effect disappears and only the expropriation effect remains. Research limitations/implications The lack of transparency of the information provided by some teams has limited the sample size. Practical implications One of the main issues that the various regulating bodies of the industry should address is the introduction of a code of good practice, not only for aspects related to the transparency of financial information but also to require greater transparency in the information concerning corporate governance. Social implications Regulating bodies could also consider other additional control instruments based on corporate governance, such as for example, corporate governance practices, corporate governance codes, greater transparency, control of the boards of directors, etc. Originality/value This study tries to provide direct evidence of the impact of large majority investors in the clubs and FFP regulation on the financial performance of football clubs.