Defining, measuring, and modeling accruals: a guide for researchers

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Larson, Chad R.; Sloan, Richard; Giedt, Jenny Zha
• 署名单位: University of Houston System; University of Houston; University of Southern California; George Washington University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTING STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1380-6653
• DOI: 10.1007/s11142-018-9457-z
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 827-871
• 关键词: incremental information-content; corporate financing activities; cash flow forecasts; discretionary-accruals; earnings management; investor sophistication; INTERNAL CONTROL; real activities; stock returns; trade-off

摘要

Research on accounting accruals is pervasive. Yet the measurement and modeling of accruals has developed in an ad hoc manner, resulting in a fragmented and incomplete body of research. Our goal is to rectify this situation by (i) providing a comprehensive definition of accruals, (ii) formulating a corresponding empirical measure of accruals, (iii) offering two decompositions of our measure that encapsulate the major classes of accruals studied elsewhere, (iv) combining and expanding prior models of the fundamental determinants of accruals into one parsimonious model, and (v) identifying the primary determinants of each of the major classes of accruals. We close by providing guidance for researchers in tailoring the selection of accruals to the research question at hand.