Final answer:
Dechow and Skinner raised points about manipulation of accruals, income smoothing, and earnings quality in characterizing earnings management.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dechow and Skinner highlighted several points in characterizing earnings management, including:
- Manipulation of accruals: This involves adjusting accounting entries related to revenues, expenses, assets, and liabilities to manipulate reported earnings.
- Income smoothing: It refers to the practice of reducing fluctuations in reported earnings over time by manipulating accounting methods.
- Earnings quality: This refers to the overall reliability and transparency of reported earnings, including their accuracy and relevance in reflecting a company's financial performance.
These are some of the key points raised by Dechow and Skinner in their characterization of earnings management.