Earnings Manipulation as a Response to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis: Evidence from the U.S. Listed Companies through the Beneish M-Score.

Abstract

The thesis employs an uncommon tool, the Beneish M-Score, in order to predict the probability of Earnings Manipulation or Fraud during period of Financial Distress. The study aims at showing that the US Listed Companies were making a massive usage of manipulative tricks in order to reduce the burden of the damages brought by the Crisis. For the extent of this thesis, the Financial Statements of US Listed Companies across 3 different timelines have been employed.