In: Accounting
What negative consequence might occur if the performance measure is selling and administrative expenses ÷ sales in the current year versus the prior year? Please include the entire answer cause previous answers were vague
Earnings management is often defined as the planned timing of revenues, expenses, gains and losses to smooth out bumps in earnings. In most cases, earnings management is used to increase income in the current year at the expense of income in future years. For example, companies prematurely recognize sales before they are complete in order to boost earnings. Earnings management can also be used to decrease current earnings in order to increase income in the future. The classic case is the use of “cookie jar” reserves, which are established, by using unrealistic assumptions to estimate liabilities for such items as sales returns, loan losses, and warranty returns.
Earnings management has a negative effect on the quality of earnings if it distorts the information in a way that is less useful for predicting future cash flows. Within the Conceptual Framework, useful information is both relevant and reliable. However, earnings management reduces the reliability of income, because the income measure is biased (up or down) and/or the reported income is not representationally faithful to that which it is supposed to report (e.g., volatile earnings are made to look more smooth).