The relation between equity incentives and misreporting: The role of risk-taking incentives

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Armstrong, Christopher S.; Larcker, David F.; Ormazabal, Gaizka; Taylor, Daniel J.
• 署名单位: University of Pennsylvania; Stanford University; University of Navarra; IESE Business School
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-405X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2013.02.019
• 发表日期: 2013
• 页码: 327-350
• 关键词: Equity incentives; Executive compensation; Misreporting; earnings management; RESTATEMENTS; SEC enforcement actions

摘要

Prior research argues that a manager whose wealth is more sensitive to changes in the firm's stock price has a greater incentive to misreport. However, if the manager is risk-averse and misreporting increases both equity values and equity risk, the sensitivity of the manager's wealth to changes in stock price (portfolio delta) will have two countervailing incentive effects: a positive reward effect and a negative risk effect. In contrast, the sensitivity of the manager's wealth to changes in risk (portfolio vega) will have an unambiguously positive incentive effect. We show that jointly considering the incentive effects of both portfolio delta and portfolio vega substantially alters inferences reported in prior literature. Using both regression and matching designs, and measuring misreporting using discretionary accruals, restatements, and enforcement actions, we find strong evidence of a positive relation between vega and misreporting and that the incentives provided by vega subsume those of delta. Collectively, our results suggest that equity portfolios provide managers with incentives to misreport when they make managers less averse to equity risk. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.