Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa

Objective: This paper examines the effect of earnings quality properties on the performance of Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies. The earnings quality properties considered include the accrual quality, conservatism, earnings persistence, earnings predictability and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu, Josue Mbonigaba, Bomi Nomlala, Magret Odunayo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Finance Institute 2022-07-01
Series:Finance, Accounting and Business Analysis
Subjects:
Online Access:http://faba.bg/index.php/faba/article/view/77
_version_ 1797858500181753856
author Nyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu
Josue Mbonigaba
Bomi Nomlala
Magret Odunayo
author_facet Nyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu
Josue Mbonigaba
Bomi Nomlala
Magret Odunayo
author_sort Nyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu
collection DOAJ
description Objective: This paper examines the effect of earnings quality properties on the performance of Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies. The earnings quality properties considered include the accrual quality, conservatism, earnings persistence, earnings predictability and earnings smoothness. The five properties are examined individually as well as aggregately. Each property is further separated into its innateand discretionary components and the effect of each component on the company’s performance is examined.Methodology:The quantitative methodand purposive sampling isused in this study. The sample consists of 800 observations obtained from 80 non-financial companies listed in the JSE during the period of 2009-2018. The performance is measured using the Return on Asset (ROA) and Tobin Q. The multilevel linear regression is used to test the formulated hypotheses.Results: It was found that, for both measures of performance, each earnings quality property as well the aggregate earnings quality property influence the performance of companies. Some exceptions included the accrual quality, predictability and smoothness which were found not to be significantly related to Tobin Q. Furthermore, it was found that both the innate and discretionary components of earnings quality properties influence the performance of companies. However, the innate component had a greater impact on the performance of companies than the discretionary component.Implication: The study will provide guidelines to investors and other capital market participants on which property of earnings could be used to assess the current performance of JSE listed companies and make prediction about their future performance. This in turn willassist in improving investors’ resource allocation decisions and allow policy makers to develop policies that will lead to more transparent accounting information in order to promote efficiency of the capital market. In addition, the study will inform capital market participants on how managers’ actions (discretionary component) and factors beyond the control of manager (innate component) affect the companies’ performance.
first_indexed 2024-04-09T21:15:27Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b54d203b18e84c1b8f8f927bcea84a88
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2603-5324
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-09T21:15:27Z
publishDate 2022-07-01
publisher Public Finance Institute
record_format Article
series Finance, Accounting and Business Analysis
spelling doaj.art-b54d203b18e84c1b8f8f927bcea84a882023-03-28T11:37:16ZengPublic Finance InstituteFinance, Accounting and Business Analysis2603-53242022-07-0141117Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South AfricaNyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu0Josue Mbonigaba1Bomi Nomlala2Magret Odunayo3School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaSchool of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaSchool of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaDepartments of Accounting & informatics, Durban University of Technology, South AfricaObjective: This paper examines the effect of earnings quality properties on the performance of Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies. The earnings quality properties considered include the accrual quality, conservatism, earnings persistence, earnings predictability and earnings smoothness. The five properties are examined individually as well as aggregately. Each property is further separated into its innateand discretionary components and the effect of each component on the company’s performance is examined.Methodology:The quantitative methodand purposive sampling isused in this study. The sample consists of 800 observations obtained from 80 non-financial companies listed in the JSE during the period of 2009-2018. The performance is measured using the Return on Asset (ROA) and Tobin Q. The multilevel linear regression is used to test the formulated hypotheses.Results: It was found that, for both measures of performance, each earnings quality property as well the aggregate earnings quality property influence the performance of companies. Some exceptions included the accrual quality, predictability and smoothness which were found not to be significantly related to Tobin Q. Furthermore, it was found that both the innate and discretionary components of earnings quality properties influence the performance of companies. However, the innate component had a greater impact on the performance of companies than the discretionary component.Implication: The study will provide guidelines to investors and other capital market participants on which property of earnings could be used to assess the current performance of JSE listed companies and make prediction about their future performance. This in turn willassist in improving investors’ resource allocation decisions and allow policy makers to develop policies that will lead to more transparent accounting information in order to promote efficiency of the capital market. In addition, the study will inform capital market participants on how managers’ actions (discretionary component) and factors beyond the control of manager (innate component) affect the companies’ performance.http://faba.bg/index.php/faba/article/view/77earningsearnings qualityperformancejse listed companies
spellingShingle Nyanine Chuele Fonou Dombeu
Josue Mbonigaba
Bomi Nomlala
Magret Odunayo
Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
Finance, Accounting and Business Analysis
earnings
earnings quality
performance
jse listed companies
title Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
title_full Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
title_fullStr Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
title_short Effect of Earnings Quality Properties on The Performance of Companies: Empirical Evidence from South Africa
title_sort effect of earnings quality properties on the performance of companies empirical evidence from south africa
topic earnings
earnings quality
performance
jse listed companies
url http://faba.bg/index.php/faba/article/view/77
work_keys_str_mv AT nyaninechuelefonoudombeu effectofearningsqualitypropertiesontheperformanceofcompaniesempiricalevidencefromsouthafrica
AT josuembonigaba effectofearningsqualitypropertiesontheperformanceofcompaniesempiricalevidencefromsouthafrica
AT bominomlala effectofearningsqualitypropertiesontheperformanceofcompaniesempiricalevidencefromsouthafrica
AT magretodunayo effectofearningsqualitypropertiesontheperformanceofcompaniesempiricalevidencefromsouthafrica