THE GERMAN ACCOUNTING PROFESSION — 1931 AND BEFORE: A REFLECTION OF NATIONAL IDEOLOGIES

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Harston

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the demand for independent audits and the German accounting profession evolved from the late 1800s to the early 1930s despite the absence of competitive market forces. The paper posits that cultural ideologies, specifically with respect to nationalism, paternalism and anti-individualism, provide reasons for the unique configuration of not only the German corporate/banking structures responsible for originating financial reports but the accounting profession that audited them. As the German accounting profession was in an embryonic stage, it was not capable of successfully confronting the corporate/banking alliance to significantly impact financial reporting or the demand for audits. Economic crises served as the dominant pressure for business reform and legislation mandating audits in Germany.

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. A1-A12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Huggins ◽  
Wendy J. Green ◽  
Roger Simnett

SUMMARY In response to current and increasing demand for assurance on greenhouse gas statements, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) released an exposure draft of a new assurance standard, ISAE 3410 “Assurance on a Greenhouse Gas Statement” (IFAC 2011), to provide comprehensive guidance on these types of greenhouse gas (GHG) assurance engagements. Internationally, approximately 50 percent of GHG statements are independently assured. The related assurance market is competitive, with the accounting profession and those outside the profession currently holding approximately equal shares. This paper highlights the characteristics of GHG assurance engagements that warrant multi-disciplinary teamwork, the unique and interdependent skill-sets that different practitioners bring to these engagements, and the market forces that create a demand for diverse providers.


Revizor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (93) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Kosana Vićentijević

This paper discusses the implications of the accounting profession in the context of digitization and smart financial reporting. The importance of digital transformation of accounting and auditing teams in the direction of using digital technologies and professional skills for compiling and disclosing smart financial reports of economic entities is emphasized. In this context, the paper lists the skills and knowledge that should be improved by accounting professionals for new sophisticated accounting information systems. The paper concludes that the application of digital accounting will enable the improvement of financial reporting of economic entities at the national and global level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Stein Smith

Technological forces, including but not limited to blockchain and artificial intelligence platforms, are driving change not only in the accounting profession, but business at large. In a business environment where data is produced nearly continuously, and stakeholder groups expect an increasing variety of information, current accounting processes do not appear sufficient. This research examines and applies current market forces, linked to both technology, including an analysis of both blockchain and artificial intelligence, and the increased influence of stakeholders on the reporting process, to do the following. First, an analysis of items to consider and review as the shift toward more continuous accounting and reporting begins is postulated. Second, and arguably more important for the combined practitioner and academic audience this research is intended for, implications and applications of more continuous accounting are put forth to assist as individuals and organizations embrace this transformative process.


2019 ◽  
pp. 43-72
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Nicolò ◽  
Gianluca Zanellato ◽  
Francesca Manes-Rossi ◽  
Adriana Tiron-Tudor

Integrated reporting (IR), which aims to overcome the limitations of both tradi-tional financial and stand-alone non-financial reports, has gained momentum as a single comprehensive tool merging financial and non-financial information. Initially conceived for private sector entities, IR is also establishing itself in the public sector context as a vehicle for transparency and accountability. This research offers an empirical investigation of IR practices in the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) context. More specifically, the paper investigates the levels of disclosure provided through IR by a sample of 34 European SOEs and explores the effects of potential explanatory factors. The results indicate a fair level of IR disclosure and a trend of reporting information already requested under international accounting standards. The findings also highlight that industry (basic materials and financials) and size positively influence the level of IR disclosure in a particularly strong way, while governance features (board size and board gender diversity) and the provision of external assurance do not exert any impact.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Azas Mabrur ◽  
Siswanto Siswanto

Subsidy spending has a large share in the state budget (APBN). Thereby affecting the audit results by Supreme Auditor on government financial reports (LKPP). with the implementation of accrual-based government accounting in 2015, subsidy spending not only records transactions/activities based on cash flow but also non-cash transaction such as subsidy expenses and subsidy payable. This study aims to determine the implementation of the accrual basis on the accounting of energy subsidy spending.This study examines whether the recognition and measurement of energy subsidy spending, energy subsidy expenses and energy subsidy obligations have been presented in accordance with accrual-based government accounting standard and whether the recognition and measurement issues set out in the relevant Ministry of Finance Regulation (PMK) are in conformity with the accrual basis of accounting principles.The results show that the accounting of energy subsidy spending has been implemented in accordance with the PMK. However, the results also show that the PMK that regulates the accounting and financial reporting system of accrual-based subsidy spending still needs improvement.The necessary improvements are related to the recognition of subsidy expense over a period, the measurement of subsidy expenses, and the mechanism of subsidy payable disposal.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joann Segovia ◽  
Carol M. Jessup ◽  
Marsha Weber ◽  
Sheri Erickson

A very significant change to the accounting profession occurred in 2002 when the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was enacted. This legislation had a significant impact on corporations and their audit firms. The objective was to improve corporate governance and its quality of financial reporting to improve investor confidence. This paper provides instructors with a background on SOX and suggests readings and activities that reflect the requirements of SOX as it relates to the AIS environment and the analysis of internal controls. These activities can strengthen students' understandings of how corporations respond to the various reporting requirements of this Act.


Author(s):  
Muslichah Muslichah ◽  
Sunarto Sunarto ◽  
Anang Amir Kusnanto ◽  
Sri Indrawati ◽  
Hariyanto Hariyanto

This study aims to discuss the adoption of financial reporting and accounting standards for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) by Muslim entrepreneurs. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from the SME owners. 214 Muslim owners of SME businesses participated in the survey. The results show that only a few Muslim entrepreneurs prepared financial reports regularly. The main reason for preparing the statement is for calculating tax, borrowing money, and decision making. An unexpected finding from this study is that most of the Muslim owners are unaware of Standard for SMEs. Users of SME financial reports include tax authority, banks, and owners, or shareholders. This study enriches the financial reporting studies by examining the accounting standards for SMEs in a Muslim dominated country. The findings of this study also have implications for the Institute of Indonesia chartered accountants (IICA) as standard setter. IICA must routinely disseminate these standards to SMEs and also assist them in preparing financial reports


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Nurnberg

ABSTRACT Through the years, pooling of interest accounting was criticized as contrary to the decision usefulness objective of financial reporting and potentially misleading to stockholders and creditors, the assumed principal users of financial reports. This paper does not dispute those criticisms. It demonstrates, however, that there were some very good reasons for permitting pooling accounting for certain business combinations when the method was developed in the 1940s. At that time, the basic objectives of financial accounting encompassed stewardship and decision usefulness for multiple users, including public utility regulators and public policy makers. Pooling accounting developed in part to satisfy the information needs of public utility regulators who favored aboriginal (original historical) cost to determine the utility rate base; additionally, it was favored by public policy makers who sought lower utility rates (prices) to foster social and economic goals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-47
Author(s):  
Shou-Min Tsao ◽  
Hsueh-Tien Lu ◽  
Edmund C. Keung

SYNOPSIS This study examines the association between mandatory financial reporting frequency and the accrual anomaly. Based on regulatory changes in reporting frequency requirements in Taiwan, we divide our sample period into three reporting regimes: a semiannual reporting regime from 1982 to 1985, a quarterly reporting regime from 1986 to 1987, and a monthly reporting regime (both quarterly financial reports and monthly revenue disclosure) from 1988 to 1993. We find that although both switches (from the semiannual reporting regime to the quarterly reporting regime and from the quarterly reporting regime to the monthly reporting regime) hasten the dissemination of the information contained in annual accruals into stock prices and reduce annual accrual mispricing, the switch to monthly reporting has a lesser effect. Our results are robust to controlling for risk factors, transaction costs, and potential changes in accrual, cash flow persistence, and sample composition over time. These results imply that more frequent reporting is one possible mechanism to reduce accrual mispricing. JEL Classifications: G14; L51; M41; M48. Data Availability: Data are available from sources identified in the paper.


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