scholarly journals Impaired translations: IFRS from English and annual reports into English

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1981-2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Nobes ◽  
Christian Stadler
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
English Language ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Core Section ◽  
One Year

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine translation in the context of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by taking the example of the English term “impairment” in IAS 36, and following it into 19 translations. The paper then examines the terms used for impairment in English translations of annual reports provided by firms. Consideration is given to the best approach for translating regulations and whether that is also suitable for the translation of annual reports. Design/methodology/approach The two empirical parts of the paper involve: first, identifying the terms for impairment used in 19 official translations of IAS 36, and second, examining English-language translations of reports provided by 393 listed firms from 11 major countries. Findings Nearly all the terms used for “impairment” in translations of IAS 36 do not convey the message of damage to assets. In annual reports translated into English, many terms are misleading in that they do not mention impairment, peaking at 39 per cent in German and Italian reports in one year. Research limitations/implications Researchers should note that the information related to impairment in international databases is likely to contain errors, and the authors recommend that data should be hand-collected and then carefully checked by experts. The authors make suggestions for further research. Practical implications Translators of regulations should aim to convey the messages of the source documents, but translators of annual reports should not look only at the reports but also consult the terminology in the original regulations. The authors also suggest implications for regulators and analysts. Originality/value The paper innovates by separately considering regulations and annual reports. The authors examine a key accounting term systematically into a wide range of official translations. The core section of the paper is a new field of research: an empirical study of the translations of firms’ financial statements.

An investigation of the level of compliance with international accounting standards (IAS 1) by listed firms in Bahrain Bourse

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatema Ebrahim Alrawahi ◽  
Adel Mohammed Sarea
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
International Accounting ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Industry Type ◽  
Regulatory Bodies

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between seven firm-specific characteristics and the level of mandatory compliance with International Accounting Standards (IAS) 1 by firms listed on Bahrain Bourse. Design/methodology/approach A disclosure index is used to measure the extent of compliance with IAS 1. Each of the 36 sampled firms’ annual reports were examined against the index for the financial year ending December 31, 2013. Findings The results reveal an overall compliance of 83 per cent. Regression results report that only audit firm size, profitability and industry type have a positive and significant association with IAS 1 disclosure requirements. Practical implications This study should be particularly relevant to regulatory bodies in Bahrain for strategizing and encouraging compliance with IAS 1 by listed firms. Originality/value Additionally, the study contributes to financial reporting literature relating to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, mainly Bahrain. Bahrain is a financial hub, and it is interesting to examine how it presents its financial statements to investors and the degree of its compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards since its adoption in 2007.

GAAP-adjusted earnings disclosures by New Zealand companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Rainsbury ◽  
Carol Hart ◽  
Nonthipoth Buranavityawut
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Earnings ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis

Purpose – This paper aims to examine motivations for the reporting of generally accepted accounting practice (GAAP)-adjusted earnings by New Zealand companies. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses multivariate analysis of data from New Zealand company annual reports for the period from 2004 to 2012. Findings – Evidence suggests that management of some New Zealand firms are motivated to use GAAP-adjusted earnings to provide a more favourable impression of earnings. However, across firms, these adjusted earnings provide a better predictor of future earnings and provide more value-relevant information to the market than GAAP earnings. Thus, a desire to disclose a more accurate indicator of permanent earnings appears to be a strong factor in the reporting of GAAP-adjusted earnings. Research limitations/implications – The study uses firms listed on the New Zealand share market. The number of firms examined is small, but we compensate by studying the entire population, thus avoiding sampling issues. The results suggest that New Zealand’s regulatory response of recommending guidelines for reporting alternative earnings measures is appropriate. Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature on the relationship between reporting statutory earnings and non-GAAP earnings. It uses a period that includes three major events in the New Zealand economy and reporting environment: the adoption of international financial reporting standards, a change in tax law and the global financial crisis. Recognition of these events allows us to better interpret the GAAP-adjusted reporting practices taken by managers.

Compliance with international financial reporting standards: the case of listed firms in Ghana

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingsley Opoku Appiah ◽  
Dadson Awunyo-Vitor ◽  
Kwame Mireku ◽  
Christian Ahiagbah
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
International Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Firm Age ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between five firm-specific characteristics and the level of compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by companies listed on Ghana Stock Exchange. The five firm-specific characteristics are firm size, profitability, leverage, auditor type and firm age. Design/methodology/approach The study uses dataset from 31 listed Ghanaian firms from 2008 to 2012. Random effect is used to examine the influence of the predictive variables on the level of IFRS corporate compliance. Findings The result reveals a positive significant relationship between the level of compliance and firm size, auditor type, cross-listing and sector (information and communications technology (ICT) and agro-forestry). On the contrary, the level of compliance exhibits a negative significant association with leverage and firm age. It is observed that the level of compliance is not related to profitability. The results are robust to different model specifications. Practical implications This study identifies firm-specific characteristics that influence IFRS compliance by listed firms in Ghana. This would aid accounting policy makers to institute strategies to encourage compliance with IFRS by the listed firms. Originality/value The study contributes to financial reporting literature relating to developing economies and Ghana, in particular.

IFRS adoption and accounting conservatism in Latin America

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 301-320
Author(s):  
Harold Lopez ◽  
Mauricio Jara ◽  
Adriana Cabello
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Mandatory Adoption ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of IFRS mandatory adoption on accounting conservatism and to shed light on the drivers of such impact. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of listed firms for five Latin American countries, the authors analyze the relation between mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards and the conditional accounting conservatism of earnings. Findings The authors find evidence that IFRS adoption boosts earnings conservatism. This result is robust and heterogeneous. The results also show that the effect of IFRS differs across firms and countries. Specifically, the impact of IFRS adoption is higher for low-earnings-quality firms and for firms with high levels of investment opportunities. Practical implications The results suggest that IFRS adoption in Latin America has enhanced comparability of financial information both across and within countries. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by providing new evidence on the drivers of the impacts of IFRS adoption in emerging markets.

scholarly journals Does the impact of IFRS on audit fees differ between early and late adopters?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Konadu Tawiah
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine whether the impact of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) on audit fees differs between early and late adopters. Design/methodology/approach The authors use robust econometric estimation on a sample of 314 firms from both early and late IFRS adopting countries. Findings The authors find that IFRS is positively and significantly associated with an increase in audit fees for early adopters, but the impact is very weak for late adopters and insignificant in some cases. The results on auditing time suggest that increase in audit fees around IFRS adoption is due to an increase in audit reporting lags. After accounting for pre- and post-years, the authors find that the relationship between IFRS and audit fees, as well as audit time for late adopters, is significant only in the adoption year. However, early adopters experience a significant increase in audit fees and audit time in the transition year to one-year post-adoption. Practical implications The findings imply that countries that are yet to adopt IFRS are less likely to experience a significant increase in audit fees audit time. Hence, is probable that the benefit of IFRS will outweigh the cost. Originality/value The results, therefore, suggest that early adopters paid a premium for been the first users of IFRS, which is consistent with any innovation. The study provides new insights by demonstrating that the consequences of IFRS differ between early and late adopters.

An analysis of SEC comment letters and IFRS

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Linthicum ◽  
Andrew J. McLelland ◽  
Michael A. Schuldt
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Securities And Exchange Commission ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Financial Accounting Standards Board ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Comment Letters

Purpose This study investigates the influence of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the interpretation and application of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by examining a group of SEC-selected foreign private issuers filing 2005 annual reports in the USA and reporting using IFRS for the first time. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses hand-collected information from SEC comment letters to analyze IFRS topics and documents the ultimate resolution of each SEC comment (no change to filing, current change to filing or prospective change to future filing). The authors use descriptive statistical analyses, as well as a logistic regression model involving the resolution of each SEC comment, to examine the SEC’s influence on the interpretation of IFRS. Findings The study finds both higher comment totals, and higher numbers of required filing modifications, for those IFRS pronouncements which were identified as needing improvement during the 2006-2008 convergence efforts by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Additionally, the study documents a decreasing likelihood of a filing modification when US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) guidance is referenced in comment letter correspondence involving IFRS topics. Originality/value The study extends the IFRS literature and the SEC comment letter literature by focusing on the resolution of comments directed at IFRS disclosures, as well as exploring the factors which influence whether a comment ultimately requires a filing modification.

scholarly journals An Investigation of the Level of Compliance with Financial Reporting Standards (FRS 101) by Malaysian SMEs

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azhar Abdul Rahman ◽  
Mohd Diah Hamdan
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Disclosure Requirements ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between five firm-specific characteristics and the level of mandatory compliance with Financial Reporting Standards (FRS 101), which is equivalent to International Accounting Standards (IAS) 1 by Malaysian SMEs. Design/Methodology/Approach A disclosure index is used to measure the extent of compliance with FRS 101. Each of the 105 sampled firms' annual reports were examined against the index for the financial year ending December 31, 2013. Findings The results reveal an overall compliance of 96 per cent. Regression results report that only firm size and profitability have a positive and negative significant association, respectively, with FRS 101 disclosure requirements. Practical Implications This study should be particularly relevant to regulatory bodies in Malaysia for strategizing and encouraging compliance with FRS 101 by non-listed firms. Originality/Value Additionally, the study contributes to financial reporting literature relating to a developing country, Malaysia. Since SMEs in Malaysia contribute significantly to the economic development in the country, it is interesting to examine how they present their financial statements to interested parties and the degree of their compliance with Financial Reporting Standards as required by the relevant authorities

The value relevance and reliability of intangible assets

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu-Dong Ji ◽  
Wei Lu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Intangible Assets ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Accounting Standard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Relevance And Reliability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the value relevance of intangible assets, including goodwill and other types of intangibles in the pre- and post-adoption periods of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Most importantly, this paper investigates whether the value relevance of reported intangible assets is associated with their value reliability. Furthermore, this paper reports whether the adoption of IFRS improves the value relevance of intangible assets and alters the relationship between value relevance and reliability. Design/methodology/approach – Both price and return models based on Ohlosn theory (1995) are employed to test the value relevance and value reliability of intangibles. Australian-listed firms with capitalised intangibles from 2001 to 2009 are selected in this study. The sample includes 6,650 firm-year observations. Findings – The main result shows that capitalised intangible assets are value relevant in Australia, in both the pre- and post-adoption of IFRS periods. Value relevance is higher in firms with more reliable information on intangible assets. This study finds that the value relevance of intangibles has declined in the post-adoption period of IFRS. However, the positive relationship between the value relevance and the reliability of intangibles has remained unchanged in the post-adoption period. Originality/value – The paper contributes a new measurement of value reliability of accounting information about intangibles. This paper is one of few studies on the relationship between value relevance and reliability of intangible assets. The results show that value relevance is positively associated with value reliability. This suggests that, when accounting standard setters assess whether the existing IFRS of intangibles should be improved in the future, they need to think not only in terms of whether the standard can provide more relevant information of intangibles to investors but also whether the standard can make the information of intangibles more reliable.

scholarly journals Determinants of de jure adoption of international financial reporting standards: a review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ming Bengtsson
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
International Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Theory Use

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically review extant studies on what makes a country fully, partially or not adopt international financial reporting standards (IFRS) and categorize these factors into meaningful categories. In so doing, this study facilitates policy-making for accounting and economic standard setters and also points out conflicting viewpoints in the current literature, thus, opportunities for future research. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a literature review on academic studies that examine factors influencing national adoption of IFRS. The reviewed articles are limited to published, peer-reviewed papers only. Findings Overall, the review suggests that although a wide range of determinants on national adoption of IFRS has been identified, prior literature consists of conflicting viewpoints on what influence national accounting policies toward IFRS, thus, highlighting areas in which there are needs for future research. Research limitations/implications First, this study focuses only on the de jure adoption of IFRS. Second, the study focuses mainly on research findings, not theory use in the extant literature. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study, which provides a comprehensive review of studies on de jure IFRS adoption.

scholarly journals DEVELOPING ACCOUNTABILITY DISCLOSURE INDEX FOR MALAYSIAN STATE ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS COUNCILS (SIRCS): QUANTITY AND QUALITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosnia Masruki ◽  
Khaled Hussainey ◽  
Doaa Aly
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statement ◽  
Financial Disclosure ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ifrs Conceptual Framework ◽  
Study Setting ◽  
Qualitative Characteristics

This study aims to develop Accountability Disclosure Index (ADI) for Malaysian State Islamic Religious Councils (SIRC), concerning both quantity and quality. In this case, the quality of disclosure items was developed based on the qualitative characteristics, which rely on the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) conceptual framework; namely, relevance, faithful representation, understandability, comparability and timeliness. Each characteristic is scored based on the ‘benchmark’ score, ranging from poor (1) to excellent (5). However, some of the characteristics have been modified to contextualize the SIRC study setting. Both quantity and quality of disclosure items index might contribute to a methodology for analysing and evaluating annual reports. Results show fifty-seven items of disclosure information, which were regarded by stakeholders relevant to be disclosed by SIRC. Indeed, all these disclosure items should be disclosed in SIRC annual reports, so as to meet the expectations of a wide range of stakeholders. With regards to the quality of disclosure, two different sets of qualitative characteristics for non-financial and financial statement disclosure were designed. All five qualitative characteristics were adapted to measure the quality of financial disclosure, whereas for non-financial disclosure, 'timeliness' was dropped due to the voluntarily nature of non-financial disclosure.

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