THE ETHICAL ASSESSMENTS OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING PRACTITIONERS TO EARNINGS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN TURKEY

Öz

This study investigates independent professional accounting practitioners’ ethical assessment of earnings management practices in Turkey. A survey application was administered to practitioners in Aydin, İzmir, and Malatya to reveal their ethical evaluation in terms of operational and accounting manipulation. The results reveal very important contributions to literature. First of all, earnings management practices are evaluated as unethically by practitioners. Secondly, practitioners believe that accounting manipulations are ethically less acceptable than operational manipulations. Thirdly, earnings management applications which aim to reduce earnings are ethically less acceptable than earnings management applications which aim to increase earnings. Moreover, experienced practitioners evaluate earnings management practices ethically less acceptable, and education has no effect on practitioners’ ethical evaluations. Last but not least, practitioners who believe SMEs don’t apply earnings management practices in Turkey, evaluate earnings management practices less acceptable than practitioners who believe SMEs apply earnings management practices in Turkey

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Earnings Management, Ethics, Operational Manipulations, Accounting Manipulations

MUHASEBE MESLEK MENSUPLARININ TÜRKIYE’DEKİ KAZANÇ YÖNETİM UYGULAMALARINA YÖNELİK ETİK DEĞERLENDİRMELERİ

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’de muhasebe mesleğini bağımsız bir şekilde yürüten meslek mensuplarının kazanç yönetim uygulamalarına ilişkin etik değerlendirmelerini incelemektedir. Bu bağlamda, Aydın, İzmir ve Malatya illerinde anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın temel bulguları değerlendirildiğinde üç temel sonuç göze çarpmaktadır. Bunlardan birincisi, meslek mensuplarının kazanç yönetim uygulamalarını etik bulmadığı yönündedir. İkinci olarak, uygulamacılar muhasebe manipülasyonlarını faaliyet manipülasyonlarına göre etik olarak daha az kabul edilebilir görmektedir. Üçüncü olarak, karları artırıcı kazanç yönetim uygulamalarına kıyasla karları azaltıcı kazanç yönetim uygulamalarının etik olarak daha az kabul edilebilir görüldüğü anlaşılmaktadır. Ayrıca, deneyimli uygulamacıların kazanç yönetim uygulamalarını etik olarak daha az kabul edilebilir gördüğü ortaya çıkmış ve uygulamacıların etik değerlendirmeleri üzerinde eğitim düzeylerinin ciddi bir etkisi tespit edilememiştir

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kazanç Yönetimi, Etik, Faaliyet Manipülasyonları, Muhasebe Manipülasyonları

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