The Regulation of Non-GAAP Reporting and Earnings Management: Evidence from the Recognition of Opportunistic Special Items

Chang, L. H., Chen, H. C., Cheng, K. W., and Liao, C. H. 2024. The Regulation of Non-GAAP Reporting and Earnings Management: Evidence from the Recognition of Opportunistic Special Items. NTU Management Review, 34 (2): 185-232. https://doi.org/10.6226/NTUMR.202408_34(2).0005

Li-Han Chang, PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan
Han-Chung Chen, Department of Accountancy, National Taipei University
Kai-Wen Cheng, Department of Accounting, National Taiwan University
Chih-Hsien Liao, Department of Accounting, National Taiwan University

Abstract

This study investigates whether the change in the U.S. SEC’s regulation of non-GAAP reporting in 2010 affects firms’ earnings management through the recognition of opportunistic special items. The SEC released Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (hereafter C&DIs) in 2010 to relax the exclusion restrictions imposed by an earlier regulation (i.e., Regulation G) and to give companies more flexibility in excluding other items in the calculation of non-GAAP earnings. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that, relative to firms that do not report non-GAAP earnings, firms disclosing non-GAAP earnings reduce the recognition of opportunistic special items after the implementation of C&DIs. We also find that the incidence of using opportunistic special items to meet or beat analysts’ earnings forecasts by non-GAAP firms significantly decreases in the post-C&DIs period. Our results are robust to a variety of alternative research design. An additional analysis suggests that the reduction in the recognition of opportunistic special items is more pronounced in firms that report a loss under GAAP.
Our findings complement prior research suggesting that a less stringent regulation on non-
GAAP earnings disclosures will reduce firms’ incentives to pursue aggressive earnings management.
 


Keywords

non-GAAP reportingrecurring itemsspecial itemsearnings managementcompliance and disclosure interpretations


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