Article Abstract

	Title:	Do firms become more conservative after financial restatements?
	Author:	Rongbing Huang, Zhaoyun Shangguan, Gopala Vasudevan
	Address:	Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA 30144, USA. ' Department of Accounting and Finance, Robert Morris University, 6001 University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA 15108, USA. ' Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA
	Journal:	International Journal of Accounting and Finance 2009 - Vol. 1, No.4  pp. 375 - 394
	Abstract:	We examine whether firms' earnings exhibit higher degrees of conservatism after restating their financial statements. Conservatism is defined as more timely recognition of gains than losses in earnings (Basu, 1997). Using a sample of restatements derived from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) database and four alternative measures of earnings conservatism, we find that overall the restating firms' earnings exhibit greater conservatism during the two years following restatements. This increase is more pronounced for firms that self-prompt their restatements than firms that are prompted to restate by external parties such as auditors or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We also find weak evidence suggesting that the post-restatement increase in conservatism is more pronounced after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) enactment in 2002.
	Keywords:	financial restatements; earnings conservatism; Sarbanes-Oxley Act; SOX; earning restatements; restatement prompter.
	DOI:	10.1504/IJAF.2009.029145
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