Incentives
Prior research suggests the likelihood that firms engage in financial reporting irregularities increases with such incentive factors as “rapid growth, compensation incentives, stock options, the need for financing, and poor performance” (Hogan et al. 2008: 246). Regarding growth patterns, SAS No. 99 indicates that “rapid growth ...especially compared to that of other companies in the same industry” creates an incentive for companies to misstate their financial results (AU 316.85 [AICPA 2002]). Prospectors display rapid and sporadic growth patterns, which stem from being innovative and “first to market” in a broad array of product-market domains (Miles and Snow 1978, 2003). Conversely, defenders display cautious and incremental growth patterns where they grow primarily through market penetration of their narrowly focused product line (Miles and Snow 1978, 2003). Thus in light of SAS No. 99 and prior research (Hogan et al. 2008), prospectors have a greater risk of financial misreporting due to their rapid and sporadic growth tendencies compared to defenders.