This study examines the relationship between earnings management and characteristics of corporate governance mechanism for a sample of Jordanian non-financial firms during the period 2006-2009. Earnings management is measured by discretionary accruals using Jones models. The characteristics examined are the existence of independence members within the board of directors, the size of the board of directors, the role duality (CEO/chairman), the percentage of insider ownership. In addition, two controlled variables have been employed in this study: size of the company and financial leverage.The results of this study reveal that the size of board of directors is the only variable that has a significant relation with earnings management. The findings of this study have important policy implications since they support encouraging applying corporate governance principles in order to control the behaviors of the board of directors which may lead to distortion in reported financial annual reports. As a result, the reliability and transparency of reported financial statements may be enhanced.

This article examines the ability of current accounting data to explain future cash flows for UK firms, as disclosed under "FRS1"(1991). Rather than examining price data - from which cash flow implications have to be inferred - we follow the more direct approach used in several recent US studies, in which "actual" future cash flow data are examined. Specifically, our methodology is a development of the OLS regression framework employed by Barth et al. (2001) . We provide a replication of their main OLS analysis, and then extend this to deal with fixed effects and time trends in the levels of cash flow data. Our study finds that the disaggregation of earnings into cash flows and accruals, generates superior explanatory power with regard to future cash flows. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2004.

No abstract

The objectives of this study are to examine whether the current accounting curricula of Jordanian universities fit the Jordanian market demand, in addition to determining the skills and competences that Jordanian businesses require from accounting graduates. To achieve these objectives, an analysis of current accounting curricula of Jordanian universities took place, interviews with professionals and academics were conducted, and a questionnaire survey was administrated to a large sample of academics and professionals. The study found the presence of a significant gap between the courses covered in the accounting curricula of Jordanian universities and the skills acquired by the students versus the market’s requirements and needs. This is mainly due to the fact that the accounting curricula of Jordanian universities are structured based on specific requirements set by the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission for Higher Education Institutions (AQACHEI), leaving no freedom for universities to develop curriculums that meet the market’s need. It is also argued that that current exam-based assessment methodology adopted by Jordanian universities largely contributes to expanding the gap. The study recommends giving Jordanian universities more freedom in setting the curriculum for accounting programs, and that they should start revising their accounting curriculums to take into account current market needs.

No abstract