Bakgrund Resultatmanipulering innebär att ledningen använder sig av redovisningsval för att justera bolagets resultat. Resultatmanipulering associeras i regel med något negativt. Hållbarhetsarbete däremot, anses ha en mer positiv innebörd och redovisning av hållbarhetsarbete är sedan tre år lagstadgat i Sverige. Det innebär att bolag har ett ekonomiskt, socialt och miljömässigt ansvar gentemot samhället. Frågan kring begreppens olika föreställningar ledde studien till att förklara sambandet mellan resultatmanipulation och hållbarhetsarbete. Syfte Studiens syfte är att förklara sambandet mellan resultatmanipulation och hållbarhetsarbete hos noterade svenska bolag med ett marknadsvärde över en miljard euro. Metod Studien har utgått från en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats där den avser att testa hypoteser formulerade utifrån teori. Datainsamling har skett genom sekundärdata via Thomson Reuters Eikon där två urvalsgrupper undersökts. Både longitudinell design och tvärsnittsdesign använts för att studera resultatmanipulering. Studien har använt både DeAngelo modellen och modifierade Jones modellen vid beräkning av resultatmanipulation. Resultat Studiens resultat visar att det finns ett signifikant positivt samband mellan hållbarhetsarbete och resultatmanipulering mätt enligt DeAngelo modellen för en av urvalsgrupperna. Resterande tester för sambandet mellan hållbarhetsarbete och resultatmanipulering visade ingen signifikans och det kan därför inte dras någon ytterligare slutsats. / Background Earnings Management (EM) is a term used for when management use accounting choices to manipulate earnings. Earnings Management is usually perceived as something negative while Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has a positive perception. CSR-reporting has been statutory in Sweden for three years and entails companies financial, social, and environmental responsibility towards society. Reflection upon their different perceptions has led the study to explain the relation between EM and CSR. Purpose This study aims to explain the relation between EM and CSR in Swedish listed companies with a market cap over one billion euro. Method The study is based on a quantitative method with a deductive approach where it intends to test hypotheses formulated based on theory. Data collection was done through secondary data via Thomson Reuters Eikon where two sample groups were examined. Both longitudinal design and cross-sectional design have been used to study EM. The study has used both the DeAngelo model and the modified Jones model when estimating EM Results The result of the study shows a significant positive correlation between EM and CSR measured with The DeAngelo model for one group. Remaining test  for the correlation between EM and CSR showed no significance and therefore no further conclusion can be drawn.

IFRS 15 trädde i kraft 1 januari 2018, och innebar en stor förändring för intäktsredovisningen. Det saknas studier genomförda i en svensk kontext som undersöker om IFRS 15 haft någon påverkan på redovisningskvaliteten. Studien visar att redovisningskvaliteten, som mäts genom graden av resultatmanipulering, har ökat sedan införandet av IFRS 15 med avseende på de intäktsrelaterade periodiseringarna. Sett till de totala periodiseringarna har ingen förbättring skett, vilket innebär att det fortfarande förekommer resultatmanipulering hos företagen noterade på Stockholmsbörsen. / IFRS 15 took effect January 1st 2018, and resulted in a major change in revenue recognition. There are no studies conducted in a Swedish setting that examine whether IFRS 15 has had any impact on the accounting quality. The study shows that the accounting quality, which is measured by the extent of earnings management, has increased since the introduction of IFRS 15 with respect to the revenue related accruals. In terms of the total accruals, no improvement has been made, which implies that there is still earnings management conducted by the companies listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Resultatjustering är ett hot mot trovärdigheten i den finansiella rapporteringen, och är ett ämne som erhållit mycket uppmärksamhet i tidigare forskning. Dock domineras den tidigare forskningen av studier på publika bolag, trots att det givits indikationer på att resultatjustering förekommer mer i en privat kontext. Under senare år har det dessutom framkommit att redovisningsval kan förklaras utifrån ledande befattningshavares individuella karaktärsdrag, förenligt med upper echelons theory. En förutsättning för resultatjustering är således att upprättaren av redovisningen är benägen till det. Förekommandet av resultatjustering i de finansiella rapporterna är utöver en benägenhet från upprättaren även beroende av revisorns förmåga att förhindra det. Eftersom forskning saknas i en svensk privat kontext, finns ett behov av en ökad förståelse om situationer utsatta för resultatjustering både från upprättarens och revisorns perspektiv. Studiens resultat indikerar att resultatjustering förekommer mindre i de svenska privata bolag som drivs av en gift VD. Därtill antyder resultatet att resultatjustering förekommer mindre i de svenska privata bolag som revideras av en kvinnlig revisor, samt i de svenska privata bolag som betalar ett högre revisionsarvode. / Earnings management is a reliability threat in financial reporting, and is a subject which has gained considerable attention in previous research. However, most previous research has focused on public companies, even though indications has been given that earnings management is more prominent in private companies. In recent studies, choices of accounting methods have also showed to be explained by characteristics of the top management, consistent with upper echelons theory. Hence, a precondition for earnings management to occur is a willingness by the accountor to implement it. Besides this willingness, earnings management is affected by the auditor’s ability to prevent it. Due to the empirical gap in a Swedish private context, there is a need for increased understanding of conditions where earnings management tends to occur, both from the perspective of the accountor and the auditor. The study ́s result indicates that earnings management is less present in Swedish private companies with a married CEO. The result further suggests that earnings management is less present in Swedish private companies audited by a female auditor, and in Swedish private companies paying a higher audit fee.

En redovisning enligt IFRS ska ge en rättvisande bild för de finansiella rapporternas användare. För att uppnå den rättvisande bilden har IFRS olika värderingsmetoder, en av dessa är värdering till verkligt värde. Den standarden som hanterar verkligt värde är IFRS 13. Inom verkligt värde finns en värderingshierarki, som innehar tre nivåer. Vid Nivå 3 minskar tillförlitligheten mer än de andra nivåerna. Detta är på grund av möjligheten till att bolaget kan använda sig av subjektiva bedömningar. En standard inom IFRS som tillåter en värdering till verkligt värde är IAS 41. Denna standard hanterar redovisningen av biologiska tillgångar (till exempel skog). Två länder som innehar mycket skogsmark är Sverige och Kanada. Skog har en lång produktionscykel vilket leder till att det är en komplex tillgång att värdera och därför värderas den oftast till Nivå 3. Resultatmanipulering kan uppstå då det sker subjektiva bedömning, vilket kan ge en missledande bild av företagets finansiella ställning. Den problematik med resultatmanipulering och biologiska tillgångar har varit grunden för studiens forskningsfrågor och syfte. Studiens syfte är att förklara hur IAS 41 påverkar tillförlitligheten vid värdering till verkligt värde i de finansiella rapporterna. Det ska även studeras skillnader i resultatmanipuleringens befintlighet inom företag verksamma inom skogsbranschen i Sverige och Kanada. Med hjälp av att analysera olika skogsbolags årsredovisningar gav studien svar på om resultatmanipulering förekommer vid tillämpning av IAS 41 och om skillnader mellan skogsbolag i graden resultatmanipulering belägna i olika länder. I denna studie består datainsamling huvudsakligen av numeriska data ifrån årsredovisningar och därför har en kvantitativ metod valts. Ansatsen är deduktiv och studien bygger på hypoteser för att kunna besvara forskningsfrågorna. För att verifiera eller falsifiera hypoteserna användes olika T-test, regressionsanalyser och även The Modified Jones Model som visar resultatmanipuleringens befintlighet genom att beräkna de godtyckliga periodiseringarna. Populationen i studien består av skogsbolag som tillämpar IFRS. Urvalet kommer vara totalt 14 skogsbolag belägna både Sverige och Kanada. Hälften av de valda skogsbolagen använder sig av IAS 41 och äger biologiska tillgångar. Från urvalet kommer varje företags årsredovisningar under räkenskapsåren 2012 till 2020 att undersökas. Det resultat som undersökningen gett är att skogsbolag tenderar att värdera biologiska tillgångar till Nivå 3. Undersökningen visar också att det förekommer resultatmanipulering i skogsbolag som värderar enligt IAS 41, dock i mindre grad. Regressionsanalysen i undersökningen upplyser att det inte finns ett samband mellan godtyckliga periodiseringar och att redovisa enligt IAS 41. Vidare fanns inga skillnader mellan Sverige och Kanada i graden av resultatmanipulering. Slutsatsen som framgår är att det inte förekommer resultatmanipulering i någon större utsträckning i kanadensiska och svenska skogsbolag. / Accounting in accordance with IFRS must give a true and fair view to the users of the financial statements. To achieve the true and fair view, IFRS has different measurement methods, one of which is fair value. The standard that provides the guidance on fair value measurement is IFRS 13. Within fair value, there is a hierarchy, which has three levels. At the Level 3, the reliability decreases more than the other levels. This is due to the possibility that the company can use subjective assessments. An IFRS standard that allows a fair value measurement is IAS 41. This standard deals with the recognition of biological assets (for example, forests). Two countries that hold a lot of forestland are Sweden and Canada. Forests have a long production cycle andis a complex asset to value, therefore it is most often valued at Level 3. Earnings management can occur when there is a subjective assessment, which can mislead the true and fair view of the company's financial position. The problem of earnings management and biological assets has been the basis for the study's research questions and purpose. The purpose of this study is to explain how IAS 41 affects the reliability of fair value measurement in the financial statements. Differences in the existence of earnings management within companies operating in the forest industry in Sweden and Canada will also be studied. Annual reports of the forest companies are use in this study to provide the answers to whether earnings management occurs, in the application of IAS 41 and if there are any differences between forest companies in the degree of earnings management located in different countries. In this study, data collection consists mainly of numerical data from annual reports and therefore a quantitative method has been chosen. The approach is deductive and this study is based on hypotheses to be able to answer the research questions. To verify or falsify the hypotheses, various T-tests, regression analyzes and The Modified Jones Model were used to show the existence of the earnings management by calculating the discretionary accruals. The population in this study consists of forest companies that applies IFRS. The selection will be a total of 14 forest companies located in both Sweden and Canada. Half of the selected forest companies use IAS 41 and own biological assets. From the sample, each company's annual reports during the financial years 2012 to 2020 will be examined. The result given by the survey is that forest companies tend to value biological assets at Level 3. The survey also shows that there is earnings management in forest companies that value in accordance with IAS 41, but at a lower extent. The regression analysis in the survey states that there is no connection between discretionary accruals and reporting in accordance with IAS 41. Furthermore, in this study there were no differences between Sweden and Canada in the degree of earnings management. The conclusion that emerges is that there is no manipulation of earnings to a large extent in Canadian and Swedish forest companies. This paper is written in swedish.

[pt] A dissertação é composta por três artigos independentes, uma introdução unificada, um referencial teórico (junto com nossa revisão sistemática) e uma discussão geral. No primeiro artigo, revisamos a crescente literatura sobre discricionariedade contábil. Com base na literatura anterior, definimos a discricionariedade contábil como a latitude permitida pelas regras contábeis para que os contadores exerçam seus julgamentos por meio de um conjunto de escolhas e estimativas contábeis, que influenciam diretamente o resultado contábil de uma empresa. Aplicando uma metodologia de mapeamento sistemático na literatura existente, encontramos evidências de quatro correntes principais de literatura: 1) discricionariedade gerencial, 2) escolha contábil, 3) gerenciamento de resultados e 4) impairment de goodwill. Cada um desses fluxos indica possíveis oportunidades para os gerentes exercerem poder discricionário sobre as práticas contábeis, moldando a qualidade dos relatórios contábeis e, em última análise, moldando como os mercados financeiros reagem às informações contábeis. A partir de uma amostra inicial de mais de 1.000 documentos, analisamos e discutimos detalhadamente 69 artigos, dos quais identificamos fatores relacionados às regras contábeis que potencialmente fornecem ou restringem o oportunismo gerencial, os incentivos econômicos para que as empresas usem a discrição contábil e os mecanismos que potencialmente limitam o uso indevido do poder discricionário. As descobertas são relevantes para profissionais, reguladores, pesquisadores acadêmicos e gerentes corporativos, pois ajudam a entender a literatura existente sobre o tema e potencialmente melhorar as práticas contábeis. Por fim, sugiro caminhos interessantes para pesquisas futuras. O segundo artigo estende essa literatura construindo um índice de discricionariedade contábil (IAD) para empresas listadas e explorando, usando um modelo de diferenças em diferenças e amostras pareadas, como mudanças no fornecimento de discricionariedade contábil afetaram o gerenciamento de resultados em 43 países durante 2003-2007, quando vários países adotaram as IFRS. Os resultados empíricos mostram que as variações do IAD estão positivamente associadas ao gerenciamento de resultados por accruals e negativamente relacionadas às estratégias de gerenciamento de resultados reais. O terceiro artigo teve como objetivo construir um índice de discrição contábil em nível de país (ADI) contemporâneo que mede o nível de discricionariedade contábil que as regras contábeis permitem para empresas privadas em 35 países. Embora os regulamentos e regras contábeis forneçam um fator essencial no comportamento gerencial na preparação de relatórios financeiros, a literatura regulatória sobre relatórios contábeis negligenciou amplamente a análise da discricionariedade contábil no nível da regra (nível GAAP). Assim, a contribuição para a literatura contábil foi construir a ADI para investigar diferenças sistemáticas na discricionariedade contábil entre os países. Validamos o índice internamente (ou seja, usando alfa de Cronbach, Lambda 4 de Guttman e análise fatorial) e externamente (com análises em nível de país e empresa) e demonstramos que ele tem variabilidade significativa entre países. Por fim, contribuímos para a literatura fornecendo uma medida objetiva de discricionariedade contábil em diferentes países. Argumentamos que entender a variabilidade no nível de país na discricionariedade contábil é crucial para entender a discricionariedade gerencial geral no nível da empresa. / [en] This dissertation consists of three independent articles, a unified introduction, a theoretical framework (in the same chapter of the first article), and a general discussion. In the first article, we review the growing literature on accounting discretion. Drawing from previous literature, we define accounting discretion as the latitude allowed by accounting rules for accountants to exercise their judgments through a set of choices and accounting estimates, which directly influence a company s profits and losses. First, applying a methodology of systematic mapping on the extant literature, we found evidence of four main streams of literature: 1) managerial discretion, 2) accounting choice, 3) earnings management, and 4) goodwill impairment. Each of these streams indicates possible opportunities for managers to exert discretion over accounting practices, shaping the quality of accounting reporting and, ultimately, shaping how financial markets react to accounting information. Drawing from an initial sample of more than 1,000 documents, we analyze and discuss in detail 69 articles, from which we identified factors related to accounting rules that potentially provide or restrict managerial opportunism, the economic incentives for firms to use accounting discretion, and mechanisms that potentially limit the misuse of discretion. The findings are relevant for practitioners, regulators, academic researchers, and corporate managers as they help understand the extant literature on the topic and potentially improve accounting practices. Finally, we suggest exciting avenues for future research. The second article extends this literature by constructing an index of accounting discretion (IAD) for listed firms and exploring, using a differences-in-differences and paired-samples model, how changes in the provision of accounting discretion affected earnings management in 43 countries during 2003-2007, when several countries adopted IFRS. The empirical results show that IAD variations are positively associated with accruals-based earnings management and negatively related to real earnings management strategies. The third article aims to build a contemporary country-level accounting discretion index (ADI) that measures the level of accounting discretion that accounting rules allow for private companies in 35 countries. Although accounting regulations and rules provide an essential factor in managerial behavior in preparing financial reports, regulatory literature on accounting reports largely neglected the analysis of accounting discretion at the regulatory level (GAAP level). So, the contribution to the accounting literature was to build the ADI to investigate systematic differences in accounting discretion across countries. We validate the index internally (i.e., using Cronbach s alpha, Guttman s Lambda 4, and factor analysis) and externally (with country and company-level analyses) and demonstrate that it has significant cross-country variability. We contribute to the literature by providing an objective measure of accounting discretion across different countries. We argue that understanding country-level variability in accounting discretion is crucial to understanding overall managerial discretion at the firm level.

Inflytandet från internationella standardsättare har lett till att nationella redovisningsregelverk till stor del utformats efter internationella redovisningsstandarder. Sedan år 2014 är större onoterade svenska företag därför skyldiga att upprätta finansiella rapporter i enlighet med K3- eller K4-regelverket, som fastställts av Bokföringsnämnden. Det frivilliga valet mellan redovisningsregelverk kan leda till minskad jämförbarhet i finansiella rapporter, vilket påverkar investerares och intressenters beslutsfattande. Denna problematik påverkas ytterligare av resultatmanipulering, där företagsledningen manipulerar finansiella rapporter för att gynna sina egna intressen. Tidigare forskning tyder på både positiva och negativa samband mellan implementering av IFRS och resultatmanipulering. Denna studie analyserar sambandet mellan tillämpade redovisningsstandarder (K-regelverk) och resultatmanipulering i större onoterade svenska företag, för att belysa hur valet av regelverk påverkar ledningens opportunistiska incitament för resultatmanipulering. Med hjälp av en regressionsmodell analyseras sambandet med olika variabler förknippade med resultatmanipulering genom hypotesprövning. Sambanden analyseras sedan utifrån Institutionell teori, Agentteori och Positiv redovisningsteori. Resultaten visar att tillämpat K4-regelverk och revisioner utförda av big four byråer har signifikanta negativa samband med resultatmanipulering, vilket indikerar att striktare redovisningsstandarder minskar opportunistiska incitament för finansiell rapportering. Företagsstorlek, skuldsättning, forsknings- och utvecklingsutgifter samt goodwill visar positiva signifikanta samband med resultatmanipulering, vilket tyder på att större och mer skuldfinansierade företag, såväl som de som investerar i immateriella tillgångar, är mer benägna att manipulera det redovisade resultatet. Studien drar slutsatsen att frivilligt antagande av K4-regelverket (frivilligt IFRS-antagande) inte ökar incitamenten för resultatmanipulering jämfört med K3-regelverket, i motsats till resultat från tidigare studier utförda i andra länder. Detta indikerar att institutionella och kulturella faktorer kan påverka effektiviteten hos redovisningsstandarder för att minska resultatmanipulering. Sammantaget ger studien bevis för att specifika redovisningsstandarder och företagsegenskaper har signifikanta samband med resultatmanipulering, vilket bidrar till förståelsen av redovisningspraxis i svenska onoterade företag. / The influence of international standard setters has led to national accounting regulations being mainly modeled after international accounting standards. Since 2014, larger unlisted Swedish companies have been required to prepare financial reports in accordance with the K3 or K4 accounting regulations, as established by the Swedish Accounting Standards Board. The voluntary choice between accounting regulations can lead to reduced comparability in financial reports, affecting decision-making by investors and stakeholders. This issue is further affected by earnings management, where company management manipulates financial reports to benefit their own interests. Previous research suggests both positive and negative relationships between IFRS implementation and earnings management. This study investigates the relationship between applied accounting standards (K-regulations) and earnings management in large unlisted Swedish companies, to highlight how the choice of regulation affects management's opportunistic incentives for earnings management. Using a regression model, the significance of various variables associated with earnings management is assessed through hypothesis testing. The relationships are then analyzed based on Institutional theory, Agency theory and Positive Accounting Theory. The study’s results show that the applied accounting standard (K4) and big four audits have a significant negative relationship with earnings management, indicating stricter accounting practices reduce opportunistic incentives for financial reporting. Firm size, leverage, research and development expenditures and goodwill show positive significant relationships with earnings management, suggesting larger and more leveraged firms, as well as those investing in intangible assets, are more prone to manipulate earnings. The study concludes that voluntary adoption of the K4 standard (voluntary IFRS adoption), does not increase earnings management incentives compared to the K3 standard, contrasting with previous findings from studies conducted in other countries. This indicates that institutional and cultural factors may influence the effectiveness of accounting standards in mitigating earnings management. Overall, the study provides evidence that specific accounting standards and firm characteristics significantly impact the extent of earnings management, contributing to the understanding of accounting practices in Swedish unlisted firms.

本研究以1980年至2015年美國及加拿大上市公司為研究對象，探討具有會計專長之執行長（CEO）與外界反應的關係。在探討外界反應之前，本文先檢視具有會計專長之CEO對於盈餘品質的影響，透過此結果，推論專業人士（包含會計師與分析師）與市場投資人之反應。本研究預期，當CEO具有會計專長時，會使盈餘品質降低，故審計風險隨之提高，導致審計公費增加，且分析師的追隨意願降低，同時也將影響市場投資人的反應。 研究結果發現，具會計專長CEO與盈餘管理、審計公費、公司累積異常報酬呈現顯著正相關，與分析師追隨數則為顯著負相關，顯示當CEO具有會計專長時，因有盈餘操控的情況，所以審計公費提高、分析師追隨數減少；但市場投資人或許無法體認盈餘操控的事實，故仍相信具有會計專長之CEO，有可能為公司帶來正面的影響。 / This study investigates the relationship between CEOs with accounting expertise and external reactions of investors, auditors and analysts. The sample firms used in this study are all the stock-listed companies in America and Canada during 1980-2015. Before examining such external reactions, this paper explores the association between CEOs with accounting expertise and earnings quality, which help us to obtain an explanation why auditors, analysts and investors have such reactions. The empirical results show that CEOs with accounting expertise manage earnings more aggressively than CEOs without such expertise. As a consequence, the firms with such CEOs will be charged higher audit fees and have less analyst following. However, investors might not recognize this fact; they still believe that CEOs with accounting expertise will have a positive influence on firms. Our findings could offer a reference for a company looking for a CEO that could bring accounting quality.

摘要 本文主要檢視中國大陸連續虧損公司面臨下市緩衝機制壓力時之盈餘管理行為。本文所謂的下市緩衝機制係指特別處理(簡稱ST)與特別轉讓(簡稱PT)的管制。具體而言，ST管制要求連續兩年虧損的公司，必須冠上ST標記，漲跌幅限制為5%(一般股票為10%)，中報需審計；PT管制要求連續三年虧損的公司，必須冠上PT標記，同樣有停板限制，僅允許週五交易。ST與PT管制設計原意係希望提高整體市場新陳代謝與營造理性投資的環境，但盈餘基礎的本質與保守的配套措施反而衍生盈餘管理與投機炒股。此下市緩衝機制實質之經濟後果為管制機關與投資大眾高度關注，但過去相關研究相當有限，本文希望藉由下列研究問題的探索以補充文獻缺口。 第一，中國大陸上市公司面臨下市緩衝機制漸進懲處時，管理當局如何進行盈餘管理以因應連續虧損門檻？第二，各群虧損公司次年扭虧次數與盈餘管理行為差異為何？第三，零損失的法規門檻如何引發盈餘分配的特殊型態；操控前盈餘與盈餘管理關係為何？ 依據1998年至2000年267家虧損公司樣本，實證結果簡要彙總如下：第一，虧損公司裁決性應計數字(營業外所得)顯著降低盈餘，特別在虧損第一個年度，此結果顯示管理當局意圖儲存盈餘以因應未來更嚴格制裁之緩衝。第二，ST股與PT股盈餘劇烈震盪，其盈餘型態分別呈現V字型與W字型。第三，1998與1999年連續三年虧損的公司次年扭虧百分比小於其他虧損公司；但2000年結果相反。主要理由乃中國證監會於2001年2月22日要求PT股在未來一年扭虧(過去為三年)，否則必須下市。第四，虧損公司次年盈餘分配集中於略高於零損失門檻的區間，隱含實質小虧的公司預支未來盈餘，實質大盈的公司儲存本期盈餘的可能性。第五，虧損公司次年扭虧時，操控前盈餘與盈餘管理呈現負向關係，且操控前盈餘越小的組別其盈餘管理越大。但持續虧損公司操控前盈餘與盈餘管理的關係並沒有系統性的結論。 本文實證結果顯示，中國大陸下市緩衝機制由於仰賴會計基礎管制，衍生相當普遍的盈餘管理行為。建議中國證監會應在下市決策中考量非盈餘資訊，投資大眾亦應關注盈餘以外的訊息以避免功能固著的迷失。 / Abstract This study investigates earnings management of Chinese listed companies subject to delisting buffer mechanism for reporting losses for consecutive years. The delisting buffer mechanism in China means Special Treatment (ST) and Particular Transfer (PT) regulations. Specifically, it requires that companies with two and three consecutive losses be labeled as ST shares and PT shares respectively. ST shares are subject to 5% price limits (one half of common shares) and their interim reports should be audited. PT shares are also subject to price limits and they are allowed be traded only on Friday. Although these regulations originally aim to maintain market’s metabolism and foster rational investment environment, their earnings-based nature and conservative schemes are likely to induce pervasive earnings management and speculation. Their economic consequences are a source of concern by regulators and investors, but previous study is relatively limited. Thus, this paper explores the following research questions to fill this void. First, how do Chinese listed firms manage earnings in response to consecutive loss thresholds, while facing the progressive sanctions of the delisting buffer mechanism? Second, what differences in positive earnings frequencies and earnings management exist among different group of loss firms in the following year? Third, how does the zero-loss regulatory threshold induce specific types of earnings distribution, and what relationship can be found between pre-managed earnings and earnings management? Based on a sample of 267 loss firms from 1998 to 2000, the empirical results are briefly summarized as follows. First, discretionary accruals (nonoperating income) of loss firms show significant earnings decreases, especially in the initial loss year, which is consistent with managerial incentives to save earnings for future more severe regulations’ cushion. Second, ST shares and PT shares experience large earnings volatility, and the patterns of ST shares and PT shares’ earnings generally look like V and W respectively. Third, percentage of positive earnings of firms with 3-year losses in the following year is less than that of other loss firms in 1998 and 1999, but more than in 2000. The underlying reason is the Chinese Securities Regulatory Committee requires PT shares have positive earnings within the next year rather than next three years after Feb 22, 2001, otherwise they are delisted. Fourth, earnings distribution of loss firms heavily clusters slightly above zero-loss threshold in the following year, which implies firms with small latent losses likely to borrow future earnings and firms with large latent earnings likely to save current earnings. Fifth, the pre-managed earnings and earnings management for loss firms reporting profits in the following year are negatively correlated. Furthermore, the smaller the pre-managed earnings are, the larger the earnings management is. However, the data reveal no systematic relationship between pre-managed earnings and earnings management for firms with persistent losses. Overall, the empirical results indicate that China’s delisting buffer mechanism, relying mainly on accounting-based regulation, induces pervasive earnings management. The findings therefore suggest that the Chinese Securities Regulatory Committee should consider non-earnings information into delisting decisions and investors look beyond bottom-line to avoid functional fixation.

土地增值稅自民國九十一年二月一日起兩年內減徵百分之五十（民國九十三年一月又延長一年至九十四年一月三十一日止）。以往研究發現，當稅制改變時，股市會反應稅制變動所帶來的影響，但鮮少有研究探討稅制變動是否帶來公司實際交易改變之影響。本研究針對土地增值稅減半徵收對我國上市櫃公司土地交易的影響進行實證分析。研究結果發現（1）在減徵政策宣布之後，但實際生效之前，我國上市櫃公司傾向延後處分所持有的土地（2）整體統計資料顯示，土地增值稅減徵政策有助於刺激上市櫃公司進行土地交易以及處分具有較高未實現持有利得之土地之現象，但實證迴歸的結果並不支持。（3）本文實證迴歸結果顯示，營業虧損的公司以及擁有較多出售用土地的公司較會在土地增值稅減徵期間進行土地交易。 基於上述實證結果，本文推論，在減徵正式實施後所增加的土地交易，其背後的動機多為彌補本業虧損或藉由在減徵期間進行土地交易，墊高土地成本以降低未來租稅負擔。因此，由我國上市櫃公司土地交易情形觀之，此次土地增值稅減徵對於欲達到刺激經濟成長的目標，成效並不顯著。 / The Land Value Increment Tax (LVIT) has been halved for two years from Feb. 1, 2002. (The tax cut policy has been extended from two years previously to three years until Jan. 31, 2005). Prior studies found that the impacts of change in tax rate will be reflected on company stock prices, but fewer studies were aimed at the impacts of change in tax rate on real transactions. This study examines the impacts of LVIT cut on Taiwan’s listed and OTC companies land transactions. It is found that (1) According to the empirical results, listed and OTC companies deferred their land transactions after the announcement of the tax cut policy. (2) Based on the descriptive statistics results, it is found that the tax cut policy induces listed and OTC companies to sell land in the implementation period and to postpone selling land with higher holding gains during the announcement period to gather greater disposal gains. However, the regression results do not support the same conclusions. (3) The empirical results of this study provides evidence that higher Land-for-sale and Operating loss are important motives behind increased land transactions by listed and OTC companies in response to the tax cut policy. Based on the above-mentioned empirical results, this study infers that, as a result of the LVIT cut, the motives behind increased land transactions conducted by listed and OTC companies are for the purpose of reducing tax burden in the future or covering loss from operating activities. Consequently, this tax cut policy contributes little to efforts to stimulate economic upturn, since most of the listed and OTC companies only take advantage of the policy to gather tax benefit or to cover loss -- a development that is not beneficial for overall economic growth.

中國新上市公司（Initial Public Offerings，以下簡稱IPO）上市後經營績效大幅衰退之現象時有所聞，IPO績效變化不僅影響投資者的利益，也攸關轉型經濟過程中，中國證券市場能否有效引導社會資源的配置。本研究調查2001年至2005年間，在中國深圳以及上海交易所A股市場IPO公司經營績效變化以及可能原因，延伸討論保薦制度及政治關聯對前述現象的影響。首先測試樣本公司上市前後經營績效之差異，並調整同業平均數。實證結果指出，上市後兩年ROA及ROE(無論是否調整產業因素)皆不如上市前兩年，杜邦分析發現獲利能力衰退是造成財務績效衰退的主因。 保薦制度於2004年2月1日正式施行，藉由提升保薦人及保薦機構的執業水準，以建立市場約束機制。本研究依保薦制度實施及政治關聯分別分組，採用分群組T檢定與Wilcoxon做差異分析。實證結果顯示保薦制度下IPO公司上市前的各項財務績效較佳，顯示其能篩選體質較好公司上市；而上市後績效衰退的情形也較為趨緩，中介機構制衡機制有所發揮。政治關聯度低的低國有股公司在上市前的各項財務績效指標較高國有股公司好，推論政治關聯可能影響上市機會，使其上市前需極大化自身績效；相對而言，上市後較難維持績效。 進一步分析績效衰退原因，本研究比較各期間IPO公司各項應計數變化。實證結果顯示。整體而言上市後總應計、流動應計數、營業相關應計數以IPO當年呈倒V型，有上市後反轉的現象，並與經營活動現金流量變動呈反向變動，推論與盈餘操縱有關；保薦制度的在應計數反轉現象沒有顯著抑止效果，而政治關聯度低的IPO公司亦沒有顯著操縱應計數的現象以極大化上市前經營績效。最後，代理問題探討中結果顯示，董監持股變動以及大股東持股變動與績效衰退顯著相關，符合利益一致假說。 / The article investigates whether there is a significant change in financial performance of firms after they went to public for the period between 2001 and 2005 in China A –share market. First, we use ROA and ROE as main performance index. The results indicate a significant decline in ROA and ROE. Following Du Pont framework, return on sales is the most important reason about the decline. Second, we find under new Sponsor’s System, IPO firms had better perfomanace before they went public and they suffered less declined after IPO. We also find the low political connection firms maximize financial performance before they went public to win the IPO opportunity, and they hardly maintain operating performance. At last, we examine the reason for financial performance decline. We compared the change between accruals and operating cashflow the period of IPO for inspecting wether earnings management existed. The empirical results indicate IPO firms maximize accruls when IPO.This study also indicates a significant correlation between post-IPO performance and agency problem.