在資產減損公報規定中，管理階層需估計資產未來使用價值，以評估是否進行減損測試或估計減損金額，此為管理階層自由裁量權，故資產減損的認列是盈餘管理的手法之一。近期受到COVID-19的衝擊，進而影響公司的營運，管理階層可能會重新評估資產未來所產生之現金流量。故本研究探討公司受到COVID-19影響，在提列資產減損上，是否存有盈餘管理之現象。本文以臺灣上市上櫃公司為研究對象，主研究的研究期間為2014-2020年，額外分析中，將部分樣本延長至2021年，實證結果發現管理階層在疫情期間會認列較少減損損失。進一步將樣本依外銷比例分類，發現在主研究中，認列較少減損損失的情況，在外銷比例高的公司中較顯著，而在額外分析中此狀況並未顯著。代表在2020年，新冠疫情對國外影響較大，而對在臺灣以外銷為主的企業，盈餘受疫情影響較大；而2021年，新冠疫情在臺灣爆發，營運狀況下降，無論外銷比例高低，經營狀況皆受到疫情的影響。從上述研究結果發現，管理階層在疫情期間，會認列較少減損損失，避免財報數字更差，或是因疫情不確定性的狀況下，先暫時保留資產減損的認列。;Management should estimate assets’ future use-value in the International Accounting Standards (IAS) No. 36 regulations in order to assess whether to perform an impairment test or to estimate the amount of impairment. However, the IAS provides management with the discretionary power to recognize impairment. Therefore, the recognition of asset impairments is one of the methods of earnings management. Management may re-evaluate the future cash flows generated from the assets due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which further affects the company′s operations. This main study examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the recognition of asset impairment by using Taiwan’s listed companies during 2014-2020 as the sample . I also extend the sample period to 2021 as an additional analysis. Empirical results show that the management will recognize less impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic. When I further separate the sample by the proportion of export sales, I find that the situation of recognizing less impairment loss was more significant in companies with a high proportion of export sales in the main study, while it was not significant in the additional analysis. This means that in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic will have a greater impact on the companies with more foreign and export sales. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic breakout in Taiwan and decrease s the operating performance. From the results of this study, I find that management recognize s less impairment loss during COVID-19. T his result means that companies avoid worse financial results by withholding asset impairment, or retain asset impairment recognition due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
