Impact of Corporate Attributes on Human Resource Disclosure Practices, Evidences from Commercial Banks of Bangladesh

The present study intends to investigate the impact of corporate attributes in disclosing Human Resource information from the lens of Stakeholder theory. A sample of 100 annual reports of 20 commercial banks operating in Bangladesh for five years starting from 2015 to 2019 has been considered for this research. Content analysis and multiple linear regression have been used to meet the objectives. The results reveal that large firms disclose more information due to higher social reputation and greater accountability towards stakeholders. Further, human resource cost and human resource disclosures (HRDs) are positively related. It implies that corporations that invest more in human capital disclosure it in the annual report to let people know about it and enhance their credibility. The findings also demonstrate a negative relationship between HRDs and the firm’s age, which implies that, to be trustworthy, reliable, and retain public confidence, young firms disclose more information. In contrast, established firms tend to disclose less information. The findings of the study may exert remarkable contribution in devising corporate policy and setting measures of regulatory and accounting standard-setting bodies.

Response to the FASB Invitation to Comment Identifiable Intangible Assets and Subsequent Accounting for Goodwill

In October 2019, the Financial Reporting Policy Committee of the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section of the American Accounting Association submitted a comment letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board regarding the accounting for certain identifiable intangible assets acquired in a business combination and subsequent accounting for goodwill. This paper summarizes the content of the comment letter and discusses opportunities for future research on intangible assets that may inform accounting standard-setting decisions.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVE STANDARD-SETTING

Successful standard-setting outcomes require some level of acceptance by diverse stakeholder groups. This study examines the evolution of FASB due process institutions since Enron, which have the potential to engender stakeholder acceptance. The prior literature on accounting standard-setting outcomes often focuses on the effects of individuals, organizations, or established due process institutions. Our study highlights the critical role played by recent due process institutions such as enhanced advisory groups, transition resource groups, field tests, and post-implementation reviews in contemporary standard-setting activity. Advisory groups, in particular, shift the balance of power within standard-setting to give a stronger voice to specific stakeholders (e.g., investors, not-for-profits, and private companies) and sometimes provide a recruiting network for future FASB members. We synthesize the growing importance these due process institutions have for effective standard-setting outcomes with the academic literature to identify areas for future research.

The Determinants and Consequences of Big 4 Lobbying Positions on Proposed Financial Accounting Standards

Despite the considerable participation of Big 4 accounting firms in accounting standard setting, there is no systematic evidence on what factors shape Big 4 support or opposition toward proposed accounting standards or whether their lobbying positions materially influence standards. Using textual features of Big 4 comment letters on FASB proposals, I find that Big 4 firms' lobbying positions reflect profit motives through support for standards that will generate more fees or are supported by their clients. Big 4 lobbying support is concentrated in proposals exhibiting both characteristics, with some evidence suggesting client agreement dominates fee-generating incentives. Big 4 lobbying positions are significantly associated with standard setting outcomes, both in isolation and relative to other FASB constituents, including financial statement users. Although I primarily focus on Big 4 accounting firms, results indicate the tone of comment letters submitted by users is unassociated with the standard setting outcomes measured in this study.

The Current Situation of International Accounting Convergence and the Strategic Choice of International Convergence of Accounting Standards for Chinese Enterprises

With the deepening of world economic integration, IFRS has become more and more widely used worldwide. Under the new situation that the current international financial regulatory framework is being rebuilt, the international accounting landscape is undergoing major adjustments, and the international accounting standard setting agencies are actively promoting the reform of governance structure, my country needs to review the situation, follow the trend, and choose an international accounting standard that meets the needs of national conditions.