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Purpose – This paper aims to synthesize the extant research on earnings management in family firms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the current state of knowledge about earnings management in family firms, identifying the main theoretical frameworks used in the empirical research on the topic, as well as the main types of said research and its findings. Findings – Agency theory is identified as the main theoretical framework used. Two major types of research identified in the literature are discussed, namely, earnings management in family firms versus non-family firms and earnings management in different types of family firms. Originality/value – Important research gaps are identified, and future research priorities are suggested. These pertain to the lack of research on earnings management in different types of family firms, the utility of using qualitative and experimental research, as well as the importance of using theoretical frameworks better able to capture the peculiarities of family firms.

Purpose: Corporate Social Responsibility orientation (CSRO) is considered a crucial strategy to enhance long-term competitiveness around the world and it is starting to be a broader issue in Africa. Based on recent works addressing the CSRO-performance relationship in countries outside the African continent, this paper aims to assess CRSO in NorthWest Africa. Design/methodology/approach: In this study a questionnaire was applied to a sample of 122 managers in two countries in NorthWest Africa: Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to assess the path or relationships for the NorthWest African context. Findings: The results show that there is a generally positive perception of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of CSRO, although special emphasis is given to economic and social issues, mainly when they are related to human resources. The study also revealed the important role of innovation as mediator between CSRO and firm performance. Practical implications: The study points out the role of managers in promoting a culture of social innovation by focusing on the CSR philosophy for improving the competitive success of African businesses. Social implications: The social, economic and legal context of Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast are vulnerable. Our findings raise concerns about whether governments and regulatory efforts improve the development of the strategies toward social responsibility of African firms and whether they also increase the role of the firms in producing positive externalities to the market through CSRO'. Originality values: Very few studies have investigated CSRO in Africa. Aiming to switch from the current CSRO in developed countries to an African perspective of CSRO, this paper contributes to filling the existing gap through the study of managers' perceptions about CSR in two countries in NorthWest Africa: Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast.

ABSTRACT:This paper analyzes the determinants of the level of earnings management in a wide sample of listed firms from the hotel industry in 15 countries. The empirical study relies on the discretionary accruals, as an indication of earnings management, and examines the firm and country characteristics that are potentially associated with those discretionary accruals. The results suggest that firm characteristics, including the leverage ratio, cash flow from operations, investment opportunities and the frequency of losses, are the major determinant of earnings management in the hotel industry around the world. Our results also show that firms with five star hotels have different incentives to manipulate earnings, when compared to firms holding lower quality hotels. The hotels' star rating also seems to play a different role in explaining the level of earnings management in common-law countries, when compared to code-law countries. This paper contributes to the accounting literature by examining the determinants of earnings management of a large panel of firms from the hotel industry and by focusing on the characteristics of the firm and its institutional environment.

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