Effect of accrual-based earnings management on the firm value of listed industrial goods companies in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2026.v4i1.329.239-249Keywords:
Accrual-based earnings management, Firm value, Industrial goods companies, NigeriaAbstract
Purpose: The study investigated the effect of accrual-based earnings management on the firm value of listed industrial goods companies in Nigeria.
Methodology: The study employed an ex-post facto research design, and secondary data were obtained from a sample of 12 listed industrial goods companies between 2012 and 2023. The descriptive statistics and regression techniques were used for data analysis with the aid of STATA version 16.0.
Results and conclusion: The study found that accrual-based earnings management significantly reduced the firm value measured by Tobin’s Q. The study concluded that the effect of accrual-based earnings management on firm value in Nigeria is firm-specific, and the negative relationship views it as value-destroying.
Implication of findings: The study recommended that regulatory authorities should toughen supervision and enforcement of financial reporting standards, while managers of companies, especially the listed industrial goods companies, should heighten corporate governance practices, mostly audit quality and board oversight, to mitigate earnings manipulation. Furthermore, investors should place greater emphasis on the quality of earnings rather than reported profits when making investment decisions.
References
Aduwo, O. A., Fajuyagbe, S. B., & Aduwo, A. O. (2023). Earnings management and firm value: Evidence from listed firms in Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, 2(3), 45–58.
Afolabi, C. S., Ogunleye, J. K., Akinleye, B. O., Odetayo, T. A., & Oladeji, F. O. (2025). Exploring the effect of capital structure on firm value in ICT firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90300334
Aguguom, T. A., & Salawu, R. O. (2022). Earnings management and firm value: Evidence from listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. Journal of Accounting and Financial Management, 8(2), 45–60.
Ajibola, O. A., Akinadewo, I. S., Igbekoyi, O. E., & Obamoyegun, O. J. (2024). Earnings management, audit committee and firm value of quoted oil and gas companies in Nigeria. European Journal of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Akosile, T., & Tapere, A. (2024). Firm attributes and earnings management among listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. International Journal of Innovative Finance and Economics Research, 32(3), 61-70.
Almari, M. O. S., Weshah, S. R. S., Saleh, M. M. A., Aldboush, H. H. H., & Ali, B. J. A. (2021). Earnings management, ownership structure, and firm value: An empirical analysis. Journal of Management Information and Decision Sciences, 24(5), 1–15.
Attia, E. F., Yassen, S., Chafai, A., & others. (2024). The impact of board gender diversity on the accrual/real earnings management practice: Evidence from an emerging market. Future Business Journal, 10, 24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00307-7
Brigham, E. F., & Ehrhardt, M. C. (2021). Financial management: Theory & practice (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Burlacu, G., Robu, I.-B., & Munteanu, I. (2024). Exploring the influence of earnings management on the value relevance of financial statements: Evidence from the Bucharest Stock Exchange. International Journal of Financial Studies, 12(3), 72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijfs12030072
Chituru, A. N. A., Alice, S. A., Oluwatoyosi, O. T., & Grace, M. A. (2022). Audit quality and earnings management by listed firms in Nigeria. Journal of Accounting, Finance and Auditing Studies, 8(4), 278–305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32602/jafas.2022.037
Gokhale, S., & Pillai, R. (2024). Earnings management and firm valuation: Evidence from emerging markets. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 3(2), 49-54.
Gokhale, M., & Pillai, D. (2024). Firm-level and country-level determinants of earnings management in emerging economies: A systematic framework-based review. Future Business Journal, 10, 72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00361-1
Gujarati, D. and Sangeetha, N. (2007). Basic Econometrics (4th ed.). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.
Healy, P. & Wahlen, J. (1999) A review of the earnings management literature and its implications for standard setting, Accounting Horizons, 13(2), 365–383. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2308/acch.1999.13.4.365
Hernawati, R. I., Ghozali, I., Yuyetta, E. N. A., & Prastiwi, A. (2021). The effect of income and earnings management on firm value: Empirical evidence from Indonesia. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(4), 105–112.
Iredele, O. O., Adebiyi, W. K., & Adebayo, O. S. (2022). Financial reporting quality and firm value of listed manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Journal of Accounting and Taxation, 14(3), 78–88.
Isiaka, T. M., Kighir, A. E., & Yusuf, I. (2025). Impact of discretionary accrual earnings management on firm value of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, 3(1), 92–106. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2025.v3i1.161.92-106
Kothari, S. P. Leone, A. J. & Wasley, C. E. (2005). Performance matched discretionary accrual measures. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 39(1), 163-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2004.11.002
Köycü, E., & Nur, T. (2025). The Moderating Role of Financial Leverage in the Relationship Between Manager-Shareholder Agency Cost and Financial Performance: A Study on BIST Textile Leather Index. Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, 21(3), 1146–1168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17130/ijmeb.1597014
Mahdi, S. G., Abolfazl, M. Y., & Ali, R. M. (2021). Impact of audit quality on earnings management: Evidence from Iran. International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, 4(12), 45-78.
Nuhu, M. S., Ahmad, Z., & Lim, Y. Z. (2024). The influence of external audit quality on discretionary accruals and real earnings management practices: An analysis of Malaysian firms. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 29(2), 211–241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21315/aamj2024.29.2.8
Obi, P. & Ode-Ichakpa, I. (2020). Financial indicators of corporate social responsibility in Nigeria: a binary choice analysis. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 4(3), 1-2 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBGE.2020.104695
Olagunju, A., Shittu, R. M., & Obiosa, R. T. (2023). Implications of earnings management on the firm value of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria. Lagos Journal of Banking, Finance and Economic Issues, 4(1), 45–61.
Olagunju, A., Oluwakayode, E. F., Adenle, O. E., & Bamigboye, O. A. (2024). Influence of audit firm attributes on earnings management and audit quality of listed Nigerian manufacturing firms. Economics and Business. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7250/eb-2024-0003
Olaoye, C. O., & Akinleye, M. J. (2020). Accrual earnings management, real earnings management and firm value of quoted manufacturing companies in Nigeria. EuroEconomica, 39(3), 119–140.
Ogunleti, G. T., & Ajayi, O. P. (2025). Earnings management and financial reporting: A review of techniques and consequences. Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/ajeba/2025/v25i102018
Ozegbe, C. U., Okolie, F. C., Omodi, J. O., Okolieaboh, A. H., & Sule, G. B. (2024). Financial reporting quality and market value of listed industrial goods companies in Nigeria. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice.
Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J., & Jordan, B. D. (2022). Corporate finance (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Shittu, S. A., Onifade, H. O., Ajibola, K. T., & Aminu, S. O. (2023). Accrual and real earnings management: Firm value analysis. Acta Universitatis Bohemiae Meridionalis, 26(2), 68–79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32725/acta.2023.009
Shittu, S. A., & Onifade, H. O. (2023). Capital structure and earnings management practices: Empirical analysis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Finance and Accounting, 11(5), 155–163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfa.20231105.12
Sinebe, M. T. (2024). The impact of CEO attributes on firm value: Moderating role of firm size. International Journal of Intellectual Discourse, 7(2), 139–151.
Wati, E., Jurnali, T., & Karjantoro, H. (2024). The impact of earnings management and corporate social responsibility on firm value: Evidence from Indonesia. Global Financial Accounting Journal, 15(2), 45–60.
Yang, Y.-J., Hsu, Y., Kweh, Q. L., & Asif, J. (2025). Accrual vs. real earnings management in internationally diversified firms: The role of institutional supervision. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 18(7), 404. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18070404
Zhang, Y. (2024). Theoretical study of earnings management: Evidence from China. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 90, 222–227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2023.11.013
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Msurshima Josephine Orban, Luper Iorpev, Kwaghfan Aondoakaa

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research (FUJAFR) operates a copyright policy that ensures a balance between author rights and wide dissemination of scholarly work.
1. Author Copyright Retention
Authors retain full copyright of their published work without restriction. Submission to FUJAFR does not transfer ownership of copyright to the journal.
2. License to Publish
By submitting a manuscript and upon acceptance, authors grant FUJAFR:
- The right to publish, reproduce, and distribute the article
- The right to identify itself as the original publisher of the work
This grant is non-exclusive, meaning authors are free to reuse their work in other contexts, provided proper acknowledgment of the original publication in FUJAFR is made.
3. Licensing of Published Content
All articles are published under the:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Under this license:
- Users may share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes only
- Proper attribution to the author(s) and the journal is required
- Any commercial use requires explicit permission from the copyright holder
4. Author Reuse Rights
Authors are permitted to:
- Archive their published articles in institutional repositories or personal websites
- Share their work for educational and research purposes
- Reuse portions of their work in future publications (e.g., books or other articles), provided proper citation of the original publication is included
5. Third-Party Content
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use any third-party copyrighted material (e.g., images, tables, datasets) included in their manuscripts. Proper acknowledgment must be provided where required.
6. Attribution Requirement
All users of FUJAFR content must provide appropriate credit, including:
- Author name(s)
- Article title
- Journal name (FUJAFR)
- Year of publication












