Introduction
Earnings or Net Income is the single most important figure in a company’s financial statement for the average investor. Even a small fall in the reported earnings can result in the loss of millions of dollars in stock value and subjects company managements to scrutiny by investors and financial analysts. Corporate executives are under therefore under pressure to meet market expectations resulting in “earnings management”. Earnings manipulations can range from minor adjustments within the law and the accounting standards to the outright fraud of showing non-existing profits (Carruth, 2011). The Sarbanes- Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 was enacted ...
