Accounting Quality under U.S. GAAP versus IFRS: The Case of Germany

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Cussatt ◽  
Li Huang ◽  
Troy J. Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Samples

ABSTRACT This study examines whether accounting quality changed for a diverse set of German firms that were required to switch accounting standards from U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (MANDATORY sample). Additionally, we utilize a control sample of German firms that report using IFRS during the entire sample period (CONTROL sample). In both the MANDATORY and CONTROL samples, we find evidence of decreased conditional conservatism, increased value relevance of earnings, and smoother earnings surrounding the mandatory IFRS adoption period. Further, we find no evidence that these changes in accounting quality proxies are significantly different between the MANDATORY and CONTROL samples. While we do not draw causal inferences, results are consistent with the notion that other concurrent changes within Germany, such as economic shocks or the changes in the institutional environment (e.g., enforcement system) documented in Christensen, Hail, and Leuz (2013), are driving the observed changes in accounting quality, rather than the transition from U.S. GAAP to IFRS.

The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on Accounting Quality: Evidence from Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Lin Chua ◽  
Chee Seng Cheong ◽  
Graeme Gould
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mandatory Adoption ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Following the mandatory implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Australia as of January 1, 2005, this study examines its impact on accounting quality by focusing on three perspectives: (1) earnings management, (2) timely loss recognition, and (3) value relevance. Using four years of adoption experience since the mandate was first made effective in Australia for a wide range of accounting-based metrics and market-based information, we find that the mandatory adoption of IFRS has resulted in better accounting quality than previously under Australian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In particular, the findings indicate that the pervasiveness of earnings management by way of smoothing has reduced, while the timeliness of loss recognition has improved post-adoption. Additionally, the value relevance of financial statement information has improved, especially for non-financial firms. This is despite the fact that there is evidence to suggest that financial firms are engaged in managing earnings toward a small positive target after the mandatory adoption of IFRS in Australia.

The Effect of Mandatory Adoption of IFRS on Earnings Quality: Evidence from the European Union

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zeghal ◽  
Sonda M. Chtourou ◽  
Yosra M. Fourati
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Earnings Quality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Accounting Numbers ◽  
Mandatory Adoption

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the question whether the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is associated with higher accounting quality. More specifically, we investigate whether the application of IFRS in 15 European Union (EU) countries is associated with less earnings management and higher timeliness, conditional conservatism, and value relevance of accounting numbers. Our results suggest that there has been some improvement in accounting quality between the pre- and post-IFRS adoption periods. In particular, we find that firms exhibit an increase in the accounting-based attributes, but a decrease in the market-based after the adoption of IFRS in 2005. Interestingly, the findings are more pronounced for the firms in countries where the distance between the pre-existing national GAAP and IFRS is important. Furthermore, we are unable to identify any change within firms that have converged their local GAAP toward IFRS before the mandatory transition.

scholarly journals Did the Adoption of IFRS Affect Corporate Tax Avoidance?

2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-979
Author(s):  
Oliver Nnamdi Okafor ◽  
Akinloye Akindayomi ◽  
Hussein Warsame
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Control Sample ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Corporate Tax ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Industry Membership

This article investigates whether the adoption of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) affected corporate tax avoidance in Canada. Based on a 3,200 firm-year data set of 400 publicly listed Canadian firms that adopted IFRS and 400 listed US firms, matched one-to-one using propensity score matching, the authors' regression results show that IFRS adoption was followed by a decrease in corporate tax avoidance in Canada, at least in the short run. The study finds a significant increase in cash tax paid in the post-adoption period by Canadian firms that adopted IFRS compared to US firms that used US generally accepted accounting principles. Additional regression results based on a small control sample of Canadian firms that did not adopt IFRS present collaborative evidence. The authors further test specific taxpayer attributes and accounting issues identified in Canada Revenue Agency internal memorandums—in particular, concerns that the adoption of IFRS may increase the risk of tax avoidance. While the authors find evidence that the IFRS firms that engaged in accrual management paid more taxes in the post-adoption period, their analysis provides no evidence of statistically significant relationships between IFRS adoption and tax avoidance associated with revenue management, ownership of foreign operations, industry membership, profitability, or impairment losses or writeoffs. Taken together, the authors' findings present preliminary but strong empirical evidence that IFRS adoption is associated with a decrease in corporate tax avoidance, at least in the short run.

scholarly journals The Impact of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Adoption on The Accounting Quality of Listed Companies In Kenya

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erick Rading Outa
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
International Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Reporting Standards ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Timely Loss Recognition

AbstractThis study seeks to establish if the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Kenya has been associated with higher accounting quality for listed companies. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), in its objectives and preamble, supposes that the beneficial effects from IFRS adoption include transparency, accounting quality and reduced cost of capital. Based on these assumptions, this study applied accounting quality measures; earnings management, timely loss recognition and value relevance to find out whether the adoption of IFRS has led to improvements in accounting quality in companies listed in Kenya. The methodology is based on prior literature definition of metrics of accounting quality mainly earnings management, timely loss recognition and value relevance. The study differs from the previous ones by overcoming difficulties in controlling for confounding factors faced in previous studies which could have led to less reliable results. Three out of the eight metrics indicated that quality had marginally improved while five indicated that it had marginally declined. These mixed outcomes are very much in line with findings in other studies and the study contributes to the debate by explaining why accounting quality outcomes are still not consistent with IFRS promises in spite of improved test conditions. Key words: IFRS; IAS; accounting quality; earnings management; timely loss recognition;

scholarly journals Does the IFRS Effect Continue? An International Comparison

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4818 ◽  
Author(s):  
In Hwang ◽  
Kang Hur ◽  
Sun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Investor Protection ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Accounting Measurement ◽  
Early Effects

Previous research showed that in the early years after adoption, the change to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) impacted accounting quality. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether those effects have changed over time in companies within countries that have different legal regimes, enforcement, and degrees of external investor protection. We measure accounting quality using discretionary accruals, real activities manipulation, and the stock price value relevance of earnings per share and book value per share. The findings show that the early effects of IFRS adoption continue with the passage of time in companies listed in countries with common law systems, such as the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, which provide powerful outside investor protection in capital markets. Yet, the early effects of IFRS adoption do not continue after the passage of time in companies listed in Asian countries with statutory law systems, such as Korea and China, which have low levels of outside investor protection. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain evidence that value relevance has improved after the accounting measurement of corporate value shifted to IFRS. The results show that there are differences in the sustained effects on accounting quality, even after the application of IFRS due to the different social, economic, and cultural characteristics of countries.

Accounting Convergence, Mandatory Adoption of IFRS, and Accounting Quality

2021 ◽  
pp. 605-627
Author(s):  
Sinem Ates
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Legal Enforcement ◽  
Mandatory Adoption

This chapter aims to investigate whether the mandatory adoption of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) leads to an increase in the accounting quality measured by value relevance and the role of the national institutional factors, namely development of the capital market, legal enforcement, cultural factors, legal systems, and book-tax conformity, in the change in value relevance after IFRS adoption. Towards this end, the price and financial data of listed firms from eleven EU countries for 15 years were examined by panel data methods. The results of this study indicate that mandatory adoption of IFRS leads to an increase in the value relevance of EPS however it has not a significant effect on the value relevance of BVPS. It is also found that, among the national institutional factors, legal enforcement, cultural factors, and book-tax conformity have a significant effect on the change in value relevance after IFRS adoption.

scholarly journals Effects of IFRS on Accounting Information Quality: Evidence for Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Julio Cesar Araujo Da Silva Junior ◽  
Joao F. Caldeira ◽  
Hudson Da Silva Torrent
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
The Impact

Understanding the effects of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on accounting quality is fundamental for policy makers and financial market players in general. This paper analyzes whether the adoption of IFRS in Brazil has had the impact on accounting informational quality. To this end, a differentiated empirical strategy was adopted based on two steps: first, a matching of voluntary adopters of norms and non-adopters by propensity score is performed to construct control groups. This is important to mitigate the selection bias problem. Second, the measures of value relevance, timeliness and conservatism of accounting information are estimated using panel data models. The period of analysis extends from 2006 to 2010, with annual information for the first stage and quarterly for the second. The results show a positive impact of international standards on the value relevance. However, for the measures of timeliness and conservatism, sufficient evidence was not found to indicate any impact on the group of companies evaluated.

scholarly journals Is the accounting quality after the mandatory adoption of IFRS a random walk? Evidence from Europe

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Isabel Morais ◽  
Ana Fialho ◽  
Andreia Dionísio
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Relevance ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Mandatory Adoption ◽  
Specific Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence regarding the classification of European countries based on accounting quality metrics. The authors investigate whether the grouping of countries based on accounting quality levels differs from other classifications based on accounting practices or country-specific factors identified in previous studies. Design/methodology/approach The authors run panel data regressions for 2.078 European listed companies using value relevance and earnings smoothing metrics. The authors also apply cluster analysis to classify the countries. Findings The results suggest that the adoption of a common set of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) did not lead to a similar level of accounting quality of financial information. The authors identified three clusters of countries that are not coincident with previous classifications. Research limitations/implications The results show that the adoption of different accounting practices allowed in IFRS does not necessarily influence accounting quality. Practical implications The results suggest that the way regulators decided to incorporate IFRS into national accounting systems is one issue that may be relevant in explaining the three clusters. Originality/value The paper provides empirical evidence that supports two theoretical assertions. The first is that a classification depends entirely on the characteristics used to represent the countries being classified. The second is that the adoption of a single set of accounting standards does not determine similar accounting practices and does not lead to similar levels of accounting quality.

Does the Mandatory Adoption of IFRS Improve the Association between Accruals and Cash Flows? Evidence from Accounting Estimates

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59
Author(s):  
Jimmy F. Downes ◽  
Tony Kang ◽  
Sohyung Kim ◽  
Cheol Lee
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Accounting Quality ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Ifrs Adoption ◽  
Accounting Estimates ◽  
Accounting Accruals ◽  
Future Cash Flows

SYNOPSIS We investigate the effect of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in the European Union on the association between accounting estimates and future cash flows, a key concept of accounting quality within the International Accounting Standard Board conceptual framework. We find that the predictive value of accounting estimates improves after IFRS adoption. This improvement is largely driven by specific types of accounting estimates, such as accounts receivable, depreciation, and amortization expense. We also find that the improvement is concentrated in countries with larger differences between pre-IFRS domestic GAAP and IFRS. Our findings suggest that IFRS allow managers to exercise their judgment to provide information about future cash flows through the more subjective/judgmental portion of accounting accruals. JEL Classifications: M16; M49; O52. Data Availability: The data used in this study are from public sources identified in the study.

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