Research On Voluntary Accounting Changes Motivation In Listed Companies

Today, the economy is developing rapidly, listed companies’financial reports have become an important channel for investors to weigh and determine their investment decisions. However, due to our accounting system, which allows companies to choose their own methods of accounting policies and accounting estimates according to the daily needs, resulting in some listed companies using a voluntary change in accounting methods to manipulate profits, aiming to meet certain economic indicators. Thus, the information of financial reports is becoming loss of authenticity and reliability. What’s more, the frequency and effects of the amount of this kind of voluntary accounting changes is bigger and bigger, so this article aimed at studying the motivating factors of listed company’s voluntary accounting changes.Through the basic theory of listed companies’motivation of voluntary accounting changes, and the theoretical basis of enterprise contract theory, demand motivation theory, principal-agent theory, economic consequences theory and stakeholder theory, analyzing the present situation of listed companies voluntary accounting changes, which comes to a conclusion that voluntary accounting changes have both positive and negative effects on stakeholders. The article analyze the theory of listed companies’motivation of voluntary accounting changes from two major aspects, which is to meet the needs of external regulatory audits motivation and to meet the needs of internal demand motivation, then to explore motivational factors that cause listed companies voluntary accounting changes. In empirical aspects, the article select238companies which occur voluntary accounting changes between2010and2012as the research sample, and establish two models which study motivational factors that affect listed company voluntary accounting changes and from which have a greater degree of influence on profits. The article also use univariate analysis, logistic testing, multivariate linear regression analysis to study motivating factors of listed company voluntary accounting changes.In the end, the article use the results of theoretical and empirical analysis to give some advices, such as improving the relevant accounting standards of the listed company accounting changes, strengthen external supervision for listed companies which have adverse motivation in accounting changes, we should also regulate governance structure and improve performance evaluation of such companies, to suppress the ulterior motive of listed companies voluntary accounting changes, so as to promote the stable and healthy development of market economy in our country.