The Impact of CEO Power on the Accrual-Based Earnings and Actual Earnings Management1

This study aims to investigate the effect of CEO power on accrual-based earnings management and real earnings management of listed companies in the Tehran Stock Exchange. These three dimensions of real earnings management in our tests are abnormal discretionary expenses, abnormal production costs, and abnormal cash flow from operations. For this purpose, data related to 108 companies from 2010 to 2020 were analyzed. The regression model of the research has been examined and tested using the panel data approach and panel data with a fixed-effects approach. The results showed that CEO power has a significant negative impact on accrual-based earnings management. Also, the results showed that the concentration of CEO power has a significant negative impact on real earnings management (abnormal discretionary expenses, abnormal production cost, and abnormal cash flows from operations). Therefore, the research results indicate that powerful executives have more independence and more supervisory roles on the board which reduces the disadvantages of stakeholder rights and reduces the agency costs. Reducing agency costs reduce information asymmetry and reduce opacity in finances and thus indicates earnings management.