Acquisition deal characteristics and earnings management: New evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council countries

Abstract

In this study, we empirically investigate the association between acquisition deal characteristics and two forms of earnings management: accruals earnings management and real earnings management. Our focus is on acquiring firms listed in six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Employing a panel data approach to explore these interrelationships, our findings suggest that acquiring companies involved in cross‐border deals tend to resort to accruals earnings management before the acquisition rather than real earnings management. Conversely, acquiring firms engaged in unrelated industrial deals are inclined to employ real earnings management over accruals earnings management. Moreover, our analysis indicates that the extent of acquired ownership acts as an effective tool in mitigating both forms of earnings management. Similarly, cash payment acquisitions emerge as an efficient means of curtailing both accruals and real earnings management. These results underscore that the engagement of GCC acquiring firms in earnings management is influenced by the specific characteristics inherent in the acquisition deals.