Fraudulent Financial Reporting and Technological Capability in the Information Technology Sector: A Resource-Based Perspective

Michael K. Fung ()
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Michael K. Fung: Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2019, vol. 156, issue 2, No 16, 577-589

Abstract: Abstract Motivated by the disproportionately high incidence of fraudulent financial reporting in the IT sector where technological capability is a major source of competitive advantage, this study investigates the possible relationship between technological capability and fraud probability in the IT sector. Technological capability is measured by a firm’s technical efficiency relative to peers in transforming cumulative R&D resources into innovative output, which is a source of competitive advantage, according to the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm. Technical efficiency is estimated via data envelopment analysis. A sample of fraud firms taken from Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases is matched with control samples of non-fraud firms. Consistent with the RBV, technological capability is found to have a negative and economically significant effect on fraud probability. Moreover, fraud probability is insignificantly associated with the scale efficiency of innovative activities, as investment in R&D resources per se is not a source of sustainable competitive advantage.

Keywords: Fraudulent financial reporting; Technological capability; Resource-based view; Information technology sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3605-4

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