Crisis and the Consolidation of International Accounting Standards: Enron, The IASB, and America

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah B. Eaton

This paper examines the interplay between leading international and American accounting authorities over the span of a critical four-year period, 2001–2005. Historically, US regulators and private-sector accounting institutions have taken a cautious approach to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), citing the superior rigor and overall quality of their own Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). During the past four years, however, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have each become markedly receptive to the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) efforts to harmonize accounting standards worldwide based on IFRSs. Why? This paper offers an explanation that highlights the role of the high-profile American corporate scandals (2001–2002) in precipitating a shift in US accounting authorities' views of the optimal form of accounting rules, an issue that has stood in the way of trans-Atlantic accounting standard convergence. Prior to the accounting scandals, the highly-detailed rules that are characteristic of US GAAP were widely seen to be the most effective form of accounting rule. Since 2002, a normative shift has taken place such that the SEC now endorses objectives-oriented rules that are conceptually aligned with the principles-based standards promulgated by the IASB. The analysis is framed by insights from contemporary International Relations theory which emphasize the influence of scope conditions on patterns of governance.

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 1150008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhui Liu ◽  
Lee J. Yao ◽  
Michelle Y. M. Yao

In face of broad adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering its quality and acceptability. This paper reports a study that examines changes in value relevance with a sample of Peru firms mandated to use international accounting standards between 1999 and 2007. The period under study is broken into a period of International Accounting Standards (IAS) between 1999 and 2001, a period of early IFRS between 2002 and 2004, and a more recent period of IFRS between 2005 and 2007 by major changes to accounting standards. The empirical results generally indicate that value relevance improved from the IAS period to the early IFRS period when the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) took over the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), but worsened from the early IFRS period to the recent IFRS period when more accounting standards started to reflect IASB's preference for fair value measurement of assets and liabilities. Quality weakens to a greater extent for firms with more discretion for fair value estimates. Further analysis shows that such changes are less likely to result from changes in economic conditions, but from the changes of the standards. The findings are particularly alarming in face of rising IFRS adoptions and call for quality improvement to IFRS.


2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 120-121
Author(s):  
Ralph ter Hoeven

Het is inmiddels 20 jaar geleden dat de Europese Unie een beslissende keuze maakte in het ontwikkelen van een eigen GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; dus stelsel van accountingregels). De keuze luidde: no, non, nein, não, nej, nee: er zou geen eigen EUGAAP worden ontwikkeld. Wel werd er voorzichtig gewezen op de toenmalige International Accounting Standards (IAS); inmiddels omgedoopt tot International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Kortom Lidstaten werden vrijgelaten in de keuze van een GAAP voor beursgenoteerde ondernemingen en een beetje aangemoedigd om daarbij aan IAS te denken. Vijf jaar later, rond de millenniumwisseling dus, volgde er een update van de Europese accountingstrategie waarin niet geheel verrassend werd geconstateerd dat jaarrekeningen op de EU-kapitaalmarkt niet vergelijkbaar waren.


Author(s):  
Karen Cascini ◽  
Anne Rich

International financial reporting standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), have become respected by many countries and regulatory agencies. The European Union (EU) has determined for most publicly held companies that IFRS promulgated by IASB meet the standards for cross-boarder listing. This paper will present a brief history of the development of international accounting standards and discuss the factors that led to the EUs acceptance of them. The paper will then consider the case of the U.S. By examining the changes in the accounting environment in the U.S. and specifically looking at the role of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), this paper will consider whether the U.S. will follow the EU and accept IFRS for cross-boarder listings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Ha Thi Thuy Van ◽  
Vu Thi Kim Anh ◽  
Nguyen Dang Huy

Currently, the Ministry of Finance is implementing Decision 480/QD-TTG dated 03/18/2013 of The Prime Minister on approving the Strategy Accounting - Audit 2020, Vision 2030 and implementing the Resolution 35/NQ-CP of the Government dated 16.05.2016 related to the support and development of enterprises by 2020. Accordingly, the development and improvement the legal framework of Financial Reporting standards in Vietnam is one of the key tasks and urgent needs to be developed to meet the requirements of the economy in the period of integration. The system of International Accounting Standards, including the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the standards of international financial reporting (IFRS) was issued, adjusted, updated and replaced by The International Accounting Standards Board. International Accounting Standards is an important condition to ensure that companies and organizations around the world can apply uniform accounting principles in the work of preparing and presenting financial statements. Currently, many countries around the world such as USA, Japan and European countries, Asia Pacific are approaching IFRS convergence trend. In the trend of globalization of accounting, Vietnam will not be outside the process of integration with the system of International Financial Reporting Standards. This article will review the process of formation and development of IFRS, the IFRS trends and the advantages and disadvantages of applying IFRS in Vietnam. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-390
Author(s):  
Noriyuki Tsunogaya ◽  
Andreas Hellmann

Purpose This study aims to examine the (overt) arguments and (covert) myths the Business Accounting Council (BAC) members have used to lobby over controversial accounting issues, such as the application of fair value accounting (FVA) and the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Japan. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a content analysis to examine 85 statements included in multiperiod BAC meeting minutes and 68 articles prepared by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) representatives from Japan. Findings The results reveal that together with the arguments, myths were created and amplified by opponents of FVA and the Financial Services Agency to hide the latter’s strong regulatory power. They created these myths, using covert stories of the importance of manufacturing activities and tax accounting (for small- and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs]), to oppose mandatory IFRS adoption in Japan and, thus, to maintain vested rights in preparing the Japanese generally accepted accounting principles and Japanese accounting standards for SMEs. Originality/value First, this study contributes to the lobbying literature by focusing on the coalition (network) effect of influential stakeholder groups. Second, although lobbying activities have been investigated mostly using comment letters, this study reviews multiperiod BAC meeting minutes and articles prepared by IASB representatives from Japan. Third, the study examines both overt arguments and covert myths, both of which are important in unmasking the fundamental structures of power within influential organizations, such as government agencies and standard-setters.


Author(s):  
Fatema Ebrahim Alrawahi ◽  
Adel Mohammed Sarea

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.


Author(s):  
‏​‏​‏​​‏​‏​​‏​‏​‏​‏​‏​‏ Ali Murtadha Shaheen

The objective of the research is to demonstrate the role of International Accounting Standards Board in the development of International Financial Reporting Standards to support the efficiency of international capital markets from 1973 to 2011, and then to measure the impact of the application of IFRS in accordance with the role of the International Accounting Standards Board. There have been differences in the market, volumes of the first and second markets and in the share price index, refer to market value, trading volumes yet trading volumes appropriate according to the software over International Financial Reporting Standards between the training on monetary statements of agreement stock companies.  


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (64) ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Cristina Zardo Calvi ◽  
Fernando Caio Galdi

Este estudo investiga se há evidências de que a carta emitida e divulgada ao mercado pelo normatizador contábil internacional, o International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), alertando sobre a inadequação da contabilização dos títulos de dívida soberanos de alto risco, apresentou conteúdo informacional e causou alterações nos preços das ações de bancos da Alemanha, Espanha, França, Itália e do Reino Unido, que possuíam títulos gregos em suas carteiras. Esta análise revela-se importante, pois esta foi a primeira vez que o IASB se posicionou sobre a adequação das demonstrações financeiras publicadas às normas internacionais de contabilidade (International Financial Reporting Standards - IFRS). Para a implementação da análise foi identificada como data do evento o dia da divulgação pública da carta pela mídia especializada. Apesar de a carta ter sido publicada em 30 de agosto, ela é datada de 04 de agosto de 2011 e, segundo o IASB, só veio a ser divulgada neste dia, pois, no dia anterior (29 de agosto de 2011), o Financial Times havia noticiado reportagens sobre as preocupações do IASB acerca das inadequações contábeis que estavam ocorrendo no mercado. Para avaliar o impacto do evento foi utilizada a medida de Retorno Ajustado pelo Mercado e, através de uma abordagem de diferença em diferença, foi possível testar o efeito da interação entre o tempo após a data do evento e o grupo de tratamento (bancos que possuíam títulos do governo grego). Para esse teste foi realizada uma regressão para cada janela de evento, sendo aplicado o método dos Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO) com dados agrupados (pooled data). Os resultados mostraram que há evidências de que a opinião do normatizador é relevante, ou seja, que a carta do IASB impactou o retorno das ações dos bancos que possuíam títulos do governo grego no período analisado.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Amiram

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the association between the adoption of international accounting standards and foreign investment decisions. Prior research suggests that information asymmetries between local and foreign investors and behavioral biases caused by unfamiliarity of the foreign markets contribute to investors preferring to invest in their home markets. Because one of the goals of the adoption of international accounting standards is to establish a high-quality, internationally familiar set of accounting standards, I predict that foreign investments will increase in countries that adopted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) after the adoption and that this increase is driven by the familiarity of IFRS. I find that foreign equity portfolio investments (FPI) increase in countries that adopt IFRS. More importantly, I find that this relation is driven by foreign investors from countries that also use IFRS. Moreover, the effect of accounting familiarity is more pronounced when investor and investee countries share language, legal origin, culture, and region. I also find that countries with lower corruption and better investor protection experience larger increases in FPI after they adopt IFRS relative to other IFRS users. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that familiar accounting information drives foreign investment decisions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Vitor Seidler ◽  
Ernando Fagundes

Em 2016, o International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) emitiu a norma International Financial Reporting Standards 16 (IFRS 16) substituindo a International Accounting Standards 17 (IAS 17), a qual estabelece os princípios para reconhecimento, mensuração, apresentação e divulgação das operações de arrendamento mercantil (Associação Brasileira das Empresas de Leasing - ABEL, 2019). No Brasil, o Comitê de Pronunciamento Contábeis alterou o Pronunciamento Contábil 06 (CPC 06), anteriormente correlato à IAS17, passando a ser correlato à IFRS 16. Segundo o Instituto dos Auditores Independes do Brasil (IBRACON), 74% das companhias do índice IBrX-100 terão impactos relevantes em seus balanços após a adequação aos novos métodos de registro de arredamentos mercantil (Gutierrez, 2019). Nesse contexto, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar como as companhias dos segmentos de transportes da Brasil, Bolsa e Balcão (B3) evidenciaram os possíveis impactos previstos a partir da contabilização do arrendamento mercantil de acordo com o CPC 06. Foram então analisadas as 12 companhias listadas nos segmentos de transportes da B3. Foram consultados as notas explicativas e os pareceres de auditoria independente dessas companhias do ano de 2018. Verificou-se que todas as 12 companhias analisadas informaram em suas notas explicativas estarem cientes da obrigatoriedade da adoção das alterações do Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis CPC 06 a partir de 1º de janeiro de 2019. No entanto, das companhias pesquisadas, duas não informaram os impactos previsto a partir da adoção do CPC 06 correlato à IFRS 16. Ressalta-se que a evidenciação dos impactos previstos é relevante para os investidores avaliarem a situação econômico financeira das companhias.


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