Effect of the mandatory adoption of IFRS on real and accruals- based earnings management: Empirical evidence from France

The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the mandatory IFRS adoption within French listed companies provides higher earnings quality. More precisely, we study the impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on two approaches of earnings management: real and accruals-based earnings management. This study focuses on a sample of 1488 firm-year observations, 124 firms drawn from the 250 French-listed companies during the period from 1999 to 2011. We use the panel data for our analysis. Specifically, the FGLS estimator method is conducted in our regression models. Our results indicate that the absolute value of discretionary accruals is significantly reduced six years after the mandatory adoption of IFRS. We also find a negative association between the real earnings management and the mandatory adoption of IFRS. Overall, we can deduce that earnings quality is improved in the post-IFRS period in the French context.