This paper provides a new approach to testing for accrual-based earnings management. Our approach exploits the inherent property of accrual accounting that any accrual-based earnings management in one period must reverse in another period. If the researcher has priors concerning the timing of...

This paper evaluates the implications of nondiscretionary accruals for earnings management and market-based accounting research. We develop a simple model in which earnings management is absent and nondiscretionary accruals perform their intended function of insulating earnings from non-cash...

This paper provides a practitioner-oriented review of the accrual anomaly in Sloan (1996) and related subsequent research. We begin with two simple examples that illustrate the computation and interpretation of accruals. We next review Sloan's (1996) original paper and related subsequent...

We investigate the relation between two market anomalies to provide insights into analysts' role as information intermediaries. Prior research finds that accruals and analyst earnings forecast revisions predict future returns. We find that the accrual and forecast revision strategies generate...

We investigate the relation between two market anomalies to provide insights into analysts' role as information intermediaries. Prior research finds that accruals and analyst earnings forecast revisions predict future returns. We find that the accrual and forecast revision strategies generate...

There are several explanations for why accruals persist into earnings at lower rates than cash flows. These include that accruals contain estimation error, diminishing returns to investment, and product-markets shocks. We predict that the mixed attribute GAAP measurement model along with the...