Journal of Corporate Finance Vol. 62 2020
Does stakeholder orientation matter for earnings management: Evidence from non-shareholder constituency statutes
Abstract
Using a difference-in-differences methodology, this paper finds that greater stakeholder orientation due to the adoption of non-shareholder constituency statutes, which allow directors to consider non-shareholder stakeholders' interests in decision making, significantly reduces discretionary accruals. The main effect is more pronounced for firms with greater tension between shareholders and stakeholders, and with higher information acquisition costs for the board. Further analysis shows that stakeholder orientation increases the value-relevance of earnings, and curtails real earnings management to some extent. Overall, my findings indicate that improved financial reporting quality can be a specific channel through which stakeholder orientation increases shareholder value.
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101606
- Volume
- 62
- Pages
- 101606
- Language
- en
- Sources
- bibtex:phds-export.bib crossref openalex