Abstract:
The thesis aims to study the impact of earnings management, earnings quality in earnings persistence aspects, and as cash earnings on information content of earnings. Data was collected from financial statements of listed companies in all sectors, except Banking, Financial Institution, Insureance and, Rehabilitation Companies in the Stock Exchange of Thailand from 2002 to 2004. Data was applied to the Market Model to compute cumulative abnormal returns. Modified Jones' Model (1991) was applied to determine the earnings management measure. Ordinary least square regression analysis was utilized to test the relationship between cumulative abnormal return and unexpected earnings, including the intercreation of dummy variables of level of earnings management, level of earnings permanence, and level of cash earnings with unexpected earnings to determine whether the mentioned factors have impact on information content of earnings at statistically significant level 0.05.The results indicate that earnings possess information content. Information content of accounting earnings relies on both earnings management and earnings quality of earnings persistence aspect. The relationship between cumulative abnormal returns and the interactions between unexpected earnings with dummy variables confirm that the more the composition of managed earnings, and the more the element of transitory earnings, the less the information content of earning. However, cash earnings have on impact on information content of earnings.