Measuring the Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems on Earnings Management

This study examines the impact of ERP systems on earnings management. We use the absolute value of discretionary accruals as a proxy for earnings management, comparing levels for 143 firms in 32 industry groups that implemented ERP systems between 1994 and 2003 to levels for a control group. We find that over a ten-year period surrounding the implementation date, ERP implementers show a significant decrease in the absolute value of total discretionary accruals, while the control group does not. We further find that short-term discretionary accruals are driving the results, while long-term discretionary accruals show no significant change for either group.