In this study, we investigate the role of informal institutions (religiosity and culture) in determining managers' choices of earnings management methods (accruals vs. real activities), after controlling for formal institutions (investor protection, enforcement quality and equity market development). Using an ethical perspective, we find that managers tend to choose an earnings management strategy that meets the prevailing social (informal) norms of the environment where the firm is headquartered. Specifically, our analysis shows that firms domiciled in countries with strong religious adherence and highpower-distance cultures prefer to manage their earnings 'upwards' through real activities rather than accruals. Overall, our results suggest that informal institutions determine managers' earnings management choices at least as strongly as formal institutions do. It would therefore be misleading to analyze managers' choices in managing earnings solely from the formal rules perspective without considering the role of informal constraints or vice versa.

This paper examines the value of abnormal inventory and the channels through which firms decrease abnormally high inventory or increase abnormally low inventory for a sample of 976 United Kingdom manufacturing firms over the period from 2006 to 2015. Using GMM regressions, the results show that (i) an optimal inventory policy exists; and (ii) firms that are able to converge at this optimal inventory level by either decreasing abnormally high inventory or increasing abnormally low inventory to improve operational and stock performance. Importantly, the results show that trade receivables and trade payables are the channels through which firms achieve efficient inventory management.

No abstract

No abstract

Despite the great deal of previous research into international diversification, we know little about the impact of international diversification on firms' credit scores. Drawing upon the resource-based view and transaction cost economics, we examine the relationship between international diversification and credit scores by using a large sample of 6,557 UK firms between 2016 and 2017. We find an inverted U-shaped relationship between international diversification and firms' credit scores, indicating that firm credit score is initially positive but eventually levels off and becomes negative as international diversification increases. In addition, we find that R&D intensity positively moderates the relationship between international diversification and credit score, implying that the credit scores of highly diversified firms improve as they increase their investment in R&D. Further analysis suggests that a firm's credit score becomes less dependent on international diversification for large firms, firms in concentrated industries, firms in the manufacturing sector, and firms distant from key metropolitan areas, such as London.