scholarly journals The Foundations for a General Theory of General Purpose Financial Reporting for Business

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
David Sutton

<p>Accounting standards setters have progressively moved towards decision-useful, investor-focused fair value accounting standards for general purpose financial reporting (GPFR). With some qualification, the case is made that this development is positive for accounting as a discipline. This paper develops a referent theory of accounting to contextualize standards setters' implicit direction, derived from existing research and literature. A central element in the development of this theory is the case made for 'investor-as-GPFR user'. Against this, stakeholder theory and positive accounting theory will be identified as confounding influences on the development of a general theory of accounting. The argument is for the investor, both current and potential, as the sole legitimate user of GPFR. The practical implications of the theory are considered against the prevailing debate over optimal accounting valuation method; the debate between fair value measurement and historical cost. The case is made that a number of ostensible dichotomies in accounting thought, such as between relevance and accountability, are substantially reconcilable. The mutual exclusivity often implied of accounting information relevance and accountability-cum-reliability is rejected. The development of a general theory of accounting is timely as such a referent theory is necessary to legitimize standards setting and secure accounting's place in an increasingly diverse financial information market. Inferentially, trends in the evolution of fair value standards reflect the dominant concern to meet threats to the discipline as a whole; this standard setting trend qualified in speed and degree by the narrow interests of 'constituents'.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
David Sutton

<p>Accounting standards setters have progressively moved towards decision-useful, investor-focused fair value accounting standards for general purpose financial reporting (GPFR). With some qualification, the case is made that this development is positive for accounting as a discipline. This paper develops a referent theory of accounting to contextualize standards setters' implicit direction, derived from existing research and literature. A central element in the development of this theory is the case made for 'investor-as-GPFR user'. Against this, stakeholder theory and positive accounting theory will be identified as confounding influences on the development of a general theory of accounting. The argument is for the investor, both current and potential, as the sole legitimate user of GPFR. The practical implications of the theory are considered against the prevailing debate over optimal accounting valuation method; the debate between fair value measurement and historical cost. The case is made that a number of ostensible dichotomies in accounting thought, such as between relevance and accountability, are substantially reconcilable. The mutual exclusivity often implied of accounting information relevance and accountability-cum-reliability is rejected. The development of a general theory of accounting is timely as such a referent theory is necessary to legitimize standards setting and secure accounting's place in an increasingly diverse financial information market. Inferentially, trends in the evolution of fair value standards reflect the dominant concern to meet threats to the discipline as a whole; this standard setting trend qualified in speed and degree by the narrow interests of 'constituents'.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1401-1411
Author(s):  
Andrain Hadiyanto ◽  
Evita Puspitasari ◽  
Erlane K. Ghani

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between accounting measurement method of biological asset and financial reporting quality. Specifically, this study examines whether using fair value method or the historical cost method on biological asset provides different financial reporting quality. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data from 38 agricultural companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The annual reports of 38 companies from the Palm Oil Growers over a five-year period starting from 2011 to 2014 are analysed. Findings This study shows that companies using historical cost measurement produce less reliable and less relevant information compared to the companies that are using fair value measurement. Research limitations/implications The results in this study imply that the use of fair value measurement improves the quality of financial information. Practical implications This study supports IASB’s justification of developing IAS 41 as the principle-based standard that better represents the financial information related to biological asset and subsequently lead to good accountability and harmonisation practices. Originality/value This study provides evidence on the best measurement to be used in agriculture activities using a larger sample size of few countries. In addition, this study contributes to the existing literature on the effect of accounting methods on financial reporting quality.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-304
Author(s):  
Jamaluddin Majid ◽  
Safri Haliding

The Critical Aspect on Fair Value Accounting And Its Implication To Islamic Financial Institutions. Fair value accounting (FVA) paradigm replaced the historical cost accounting (HCA) in the development of accounting standards that FVA is more relevant that HCA probably did not provide the real financial and income information. This paper tries to explore critical aspects of the fair value accounting and its implications to Islamic Financial Institutions implications. This study concludes that that fair value accounting measurement provides many critical aspects to be implemented to Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs). AAOIFI proposed cash equivalent value as respond to fair value measurement that cash equivalent value when the attribute condition are present such as the relevance, reliability and understandability of the resulting information  DOI:10.15408/aiq.v6i2.1236


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.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Sylwia Gornik-Tomaszewski ◽  
Victoria Shoaf

The milestone outcomes of over a decade of close cooperation between the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on the convergence of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been highly publicized in the professional media. Great attention has been paid to such joint FASB and IASB projects as accounting for business combinations, fair value measurement, and revenue recognition. The impact of U.S. GAAP on IFRS has also been discussed and highlighted in many professional and academic resources. It should come as no surprise since FASB is considered a world leader in creating high-quality standards through an exemplary standard-setting process. In this paper, we look at the least noticed outcome of the convergence process: the impact of IFRS on U.S. GAAP. We reviewed all of the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification®, from the first issued in June 2009 to 2016, and listed instances where U.S. GAAP was significantly modified to reflect international solutions. These examples of U.S. GAAP modifications indicate that the impact of IFRS on U.S. GAAP continued well after the bilateral cooperation between FASB and IASB effectively ended in 2014. Furthermore, look at the most recent FASB pronouncement let us conclude that the FASB continues to be engaged in seeking comparable global accounting solutions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Stefano Azzali ◽  
Tatiana Mazza

This study investigates the effects of material weaknesses from auditing standards and of material misstatement from accounting standards on the audit sanctions severity. Using a unique database in the period 1983 – 2015, we find mixed results. Among the auditing standards, Internal Control Weaknesses lead to more severe audit sanctions than Quality Control, Other Auditors, Reporting and Audit Opinion Material Weaknesses Audit Sanctions, and to less severe audit sanctions than Professional Skepticism and Substantial Procedures. Among accounting standards, Fair Value misstatements are associated with more severe audit sanctions than Long-term investment, bank debts, and liquidity errors, and with lower severity of audit sanctions than Account receivables. Taken together, these findings suggest two main determinants of audit sanctions severity that auditors and accountants need to be aware: the area of internal control deficiencies and the area of fair value measurement. From these results, we learn that accounting and auditing standards errors have different likelihood of audit sanctions, and that auditors that aim to avoid sanctions need to invest mainly in the internal control assurance and in the fair value items of the financial reporting.


Author(s):  
Stephen B. Shanklin ◽  
Debra R. Hunter ◽  
Craig R. Ehlen

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) require some assets, liabilities and equity instruments to be measured at fair value (IASB ED/2009/5). Thus begins the Fair Value Measurement IASB 2009 Exposure Draft. The IFRS requirement for fair value reporting has actually existed since 1975, due to the adoption of pronouncement IAS 2 (IASC/IAS 2 1975). This standard required that Inventory be valued at fair value less costs to sell for both reporting and disclosure purposes. But, as is the case in the history of many accounting standards and practice, the devil has always been in the details. This paper explores a brief historical path of fair value accounting within the venue of international accounting standards. Because of the impending plan of convergence and harmonization, plus potential global acceptance of standards of reporting and content, both the IASB and FASB have extensively explored the relevance and reliability of fair value reporting as compared with the more traditional costbased system. This exploration has been controversial because it goes to the very heart of the centuries-old cost-based foundation of financial accounting. In spite of the ongoing controversy of fair value versus historical cost accounting and the multiple uses and requirements of the fair value theoretical concept in IFRSs, there has been no definitive guidance on the various alternative calculations and appropriate uses of these differing representations of fair value. As the comment period closes on a second exposure draft directed at resolving Fair Value Measurement, this retrospective view of the international standards moves through the past standards and into the future methodology of reporting fair value. With FASBs latest exposure draft on fair value currently pending, the convergence opportunity of a more closely defined concept and its subsequent use in global practice is quite possibly at hand.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Barth

SYNOPSIS The Conceptual Framework neither specifies the objective or definition of accounting measurement, nor provides a conceptual basis for choosing among alternative measurement bases. This paper offers a starting point for developing measurement concepts based on existing Framework concepts, including the objective of financial reporting, the qualitative characteristics of useful financial information, and the definitions of assets and liabilities. The paper focuses on subsequent measurement of individual assets and liabilities and concludes that fair value measurement is more consistent with existing concepts than either modified or unmodified historical cost. Although unmodified historical cost is consistent with some concepts, modified historical cost—which is widely used today—largely is not. Also, aggregate amounts, such as total assets and total liabilities based on modified or unmodified historical cost, lack meaning. Because financial statements include such aggregate amounts and changes in amounts of individual assets and liabilities determine comprehensive income, measurement concepts also need to contemplate these measurements.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Safri Haliding

Recently, fair value measurement and its implication in accounting standards have been increasing (Ramanna, 2006). One of the important aspects of financial reporting is measurement (Barth, 2007). Barlev and Haddad (2003) state that the fair value accounting(FVA) paradigm replaced the historical cost accounting (HCA) in the development of accounting standards that FVA is more value relevant that HCA probably did not provide the real financial information and income. However, previously studies mention that fair value accounting suffers from some serious limitations and disadvantages such as issues in market approach, income approach, and cost approach. Al-Yassen and Al-Khadash (2011) argue that accounting standard setters such as the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) UK and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) U.S as well as other national accountingstandard setters provide high attention and long-term ambition to use fair value accounting as full measurement in all financial instruments. Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) that have different objectives and principles as well as have different financial products with conventional financial institution. This paper tries to explore critical aspects of the fair value accounting andits implications to Islamic Financial Institutions implications. This study concludes that that fair value accounting measurement provides many critical aspects to be implemented to Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs). Additionally, AAOIFI proposed cash equivalent value as respond to fair value measurement that cash equivalent value when the attribute condition are present such as the relevance, reliability and understandability of the resulting information. Furthermore, fully adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by IFRSIASB, there will no specific standards for unique functions of Islamic Financial Institutions. Inaddition, the paper may be recommended to work together among Muslim countries to unity the potential harmonizing one set accounting standards for Islamic Financial Institutions such as AAOIFI?s standards.


Author(s):  
Patrik Svoboda ◽  
Hana Bohušová

The aim of the paper is the evaluation of appropriateness of different ways for the measurement and reporting of different groups of biological assets. There are two possible ways of their measurement – cost and fair value. The substance of all kinds of biological assets differs significantly, especially for plants and animals. The single way for measurement of all kinds of biological assets is not satisfactory. The most significant difference is observable between bearer plants and biological assets in the form of living animals. The authors took into account a majority of factors influencing quality of individual ways of measurement, and evaluated the application of the above‑mentioned methods for representatives of both kinds of biological assets (apple orchard and dairy cows). The results of the study proved that the historical cost is the suitable way of bearer plants measurement, while the fair value measurement is more suitable for measurement of living animals.


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