Defence Contracting and Accrual-Based Earnings Management

[EN] We examine accrual-based earnings management in Spanish defence firms in 2011-2020, using a unique database from the Spanish Ministry of Defence. We find higher levels of accrual-based earnings management and lower accrual quality in firms where defence contracts represent a high proportion of...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Callado-Munoz, Francisco Jose, Sanchez-Ballesta, Juan Pedro, Yague, Jose, Utrero-González, Natalia|||0000-0001-9304-3517
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)
Repositorio:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:riunet______::4bc6b3f75be303a067e523a9e4774899
Acceso en línea:https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/233575
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Customer concentration
Defence firms
Earnings management
Government contracts
Political costs
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] We examine accrual-based earnings management in Spanish defence firms in 2011-2020, using a unique database from the Spanish Ministry of Defence. We find higher levels of accrual-based earnings management and lower accrual quality in firms where defence contracts represent a high proportion of their total sales. Defence contractors manage earnings upwards under financial constraints and downwards when profitability is high. These findings suggest that defence firms may strategically manage earnings to enhance financial image or reduce visibility. Distinguishing among current defence suppliers, potential suppliers, and nondefence firms, we show that earnings management occurs specifically in years with defence sales.