Determinants of Earnings Management: The Moderating Role of Firm Size

Abstract

This study aims to provide empirical evidence on the impact of financial distress, financial ratios, and corporate governance on earnings management, using company size as a moderating variable. This study focuses on real estate, construction, and property companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) between 2020 and 2022, with a sample of 54 companies selected through purposive sampling. Data analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression to test the direct effect of independent variables on earnings management and interaction test to evaluate the moderating role of firm size. The research findings show that financial distress affects earnings management, which suggests that companies under financial stress are more likely to rely on earnings management to present favorable earnings performance. In contrast, financial ratios do not affect earnings management, which suggests that well-performing firms are less likely to engage in the practice. Good corporate governance, represented by the proportion of independent directors, audit committee and managerial ownership, also affects earnings management. In addition, firm size moderates the relationship between financial distress and earnings management, with larger firms showing a greater tendency towards earnings management when facing financial challenges. These results underscore the importance of considering financial conditions and firm size when monitoring earnings management, as larger firms may be more prone to earnings management practices under certain conditions.