...CHAPTER 2: REGULATION IN FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING Chapter 2 regulation in Financial accounting LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this chapter you should be able to understand: • The difference between management and financial accounting. • Why accounting regulations are important and required. • The need for and the structure of professional regulation, company law, stock exchange legislation and EU Directives. • How the different aspects of regulation work together and complement each other. • The process through which an accounting standard comes into being. REVISION RESOURCES EXAM QUESTIONS: Sample and Past papers are available from the website of Accounting Technicians Ireland and are essential aids when studying Advanced Financial Accounting topics. 7 Chapter 2 : Regulation in Financial Accounting 2.1 Advanced Financial Accounting the FunCtion oF FinanCial aCCounting and reporting The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in their Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting state that ‘the objective of general purpose financial reporting is to provide financial information about the reporting entity that is useful to existing and potential investors, lenders and other creditors in making decisions about providing resources to the entity. Those decisions involve buying, selling or holding equity and debt instruments, and providing or settling loans and other forms of credit’. This Conceptual Framework...
Words: 7356 - Pages: 30
...Introduction 4 Importance of Transparency 7 What Regulation Typically Covers 7 Regulatory Agencies 8 Accounting Reform 10 Conclusion 13 References 15 Abstract Within the accounting profession there are many complex ethical issues that must be dealt with quite often. It is important that the people working within the industry provide high quality financial statements and always pay close attention to ethical concerns that may arise. Since ethics is such a major concern in the accounting industry, a rules based system is in place for enforcing ethical concerns. There are many regulating bodies that exist that enforce many highly detailed regulations that people within the industry must follow at all times. Throughout history there have been several major accounting scandals that have been followed by new regulation to ensure that these problems do not come up again. CLERP 9 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are just a couple of acts that have caused significant changes to the accounting world in recent times. This paper will look at some of the different issues that accountants face as well as some of the regulations that seek to end unethical behavior. Ethical Standards in Accounting Introduction The accounting industry is an always changing and constantly growing industry. Accounting plays a vital role in society and business and up until recently accounting was considered to have some of the highest standards for ethical and moral conduct in business...
Words: 3480 - Pages: 14
...of the arguments Robert Bushman, Wayne R. Landsman Accounting and Business ResearchVol. 40, Iss. 3, 2010 Introduction There were a series of scandals in the UK in the 90’s which resulted in the collapse of Barings Bank, due to this the Financial Services Authority changed the structure of financial regulation that consolidated regulation responsibilities. The aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009 has drawn the financial accounting standard setting into the orbit of political processes focused on restructuring the regulation of the world’s financial markets. The crisis has ignited worldwide debate on issues of systemic risk and the role played by financial regulation in creating exacerbating the crisis. There have been proposals for how to regulate the financial markets and financial institutions should be changed to ease the potential for large scale financial meltdowns in the future. There are many aspects of the financial system under debate, including the alleged role played by financial accounting standards in deepening the trajectory of the crisis. The crisis has forced politicians, regulators and economists to scrutinise financial accounting standards and create pressure for change, which creates an opportune moment to consider how to organise the analysis of efficient regulatory choice. This paper lays out the basic arguments that have been put forth both for and against the regulation of corporate reporting. 2. The Case of Mandatory Disclosure ...
Words: 2495 - Pages: 10
...Chapter 3: The Regulation of financial accounting Why examine theories of regulation? Better placed to understand why some accounting prescriptions become part of legislation while others do not. Accounting standard – setting is a very political process While some proposed requirements may be technically sound and logical, they may not be mandated due to political ‘power’ or influence of some affected parties What is regulation? The Oxford Dictionary defines regulation in terms of a “prescribed rule” Macquarie Dictionary defined regulation as “a rule of order, as for conduct, prescribed by authority; a governing direction or law”. On the basis of these definitions can say that regulation is designed to control or govern conduct Hence, when we are discussing regulations relating to financial accounting, we are discussing rules that have been developed by an independent authoritative body that has been given the power to govern how we are to prepare financial statements, and the actions of the authoritative body will have the effect of restricting the accounting options that would otherwise be to an organisation. ‘Free Market’ perspective Accounting information should be treated like other goods, with demand and supply forces allowed to operate to generate an optimal supply. Arguments supporting ‘free – market’ perspective Private economic – based incentives ‘Market for managers’ ‘Market for corporate takeovers’ ‘Market for lemons’ Private economic – based...
Words: 1677 - Pages: 7
...Accounting regulation The Learning Objectives for this lecture: Regulatory framework Role of a conceptual framework Current state of play of conceptual framework for international standards Different approaches to accounting regulation •Free-market approach EMH Agency theory •Regulatory approach market mechanisms will not be able to achieve a socially optimal equilibrium price for accounting information Theory of efficient markets • The forces of supply and demand influence market behaviour and help keep markets efficient This applies to the market for accounting information and should determine what accounting data should be supplied and what accounting practices should be used to prepare it • Theory of efficient markets Cont • • • • • • The market for accounting data is not efficient The „free-rider‟ problem distorts the market Users cannot agree on what they want Accountants cannot agree on procedures Firms must produce comparable data The government must therefore intervene Theories Of Regulation • • • Accounting information is a „public good‟ Therefore some argue it is likely to be underproduced without regulation Others suggest supply would exist without regulation • There are competing theories regarding the need for and intention of regulation Defining Regulation “[R]egulation is the policing, according to a rule, of a subject‟s choice of activity, by an entity not directly party to or involved in the activity.” • Elements of...
Words: 1192 - Pages: 5
...BUSN7050 Corporate Accounting Lecturer: Dr Sorin Daniliuc Course details • This course covers: – the characteristics of the Australian accounting environment and its financial reporting requirements for companies – accounting for owners’ equity (share capital and reserves) – accounting for liabilities (with a focus on debentures) – accounting for income tax – accounting for leases – accounting for non-current assets (revaluation, impairment) – accounting for intangible assets – a comprehensive coverage of consolidation issues – equity investments. Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems 2 Lecture outcomes • Outcome 1: An understanding of the regulatory environment in which the companies are formed and operate in Australia. • Outcome 2: A solid foundation in accounting and reporting requirements of the Corporations Act and relevant Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) accounting standards. • Outcome 3: A comprehensive understanding of the advanced issues in accounting for assets, liabilities and owner’s equity. • Outcome 4: The ability to account for income taxes. • Outcome 5: The ability to account for leases. Research School of Accounting and Business Information Systems 3 1 Lecture outcomes • Outcome 6: The ability to account for intangible assets. • Outcome 7: An understanding of the accounting requirements for a corporate group and familiarity with the theory underlying the methods used to account for intercompany investments...
Words: 3537 - Pages: 15
...A single set of global accounting standards, rules to be followed by any public company as it reports annual operating results, has become the Holy Grail of Accounting. In today’s world, these rules are embodied in International Financial Reporting Standards. Unfortunately for many good but unwitting people, advocating the U.S. adoption of IFRS is a fool’s errand. To more fully understand the ramifications of this statement let’s turn to the dictionary for a basic frame of reference. Grail [greyl] –noun (from dictionary.com) Also called Holy Grail. a cup or chalice that in medieval legend was associated with unusual powers, esp. the regeneration of life and, later, Christian purity, and was much sought after by medieval knights: identified with the cup used at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea. Informal. any greatly desired and sought-after objective; ultimate ideal or reward. Can we adapt the word’s definition to fit into the context of accounting? You beta. Holy Grail [greyl] of Accounting –noun (The Summa) Universally adopted set of global accounting standards that in modern urban legend is associated with unusual powers, esp. perfect transparency in corporate financial disclosure, universal comparability, ethical business purity, optimal investor returns, cross national and international economic stability, and is much sought after by various economists, politicians, governmental regulators, large audit firms and executives of...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...Advantages of accounting concepts, conventions and regulations. There are many advantages that accounting concepts have on financial statements. Four important accounting concepts that underpin the preparation of any sets of accounts one of which is going concern that helps an account to assume for any future problems that occur in a business. This helps companies to make future plans and gives them time to gather money to sort out any financial problems. Consistency also has an advantage in helping in accounting by users of accounts can make more meaningful comparisons of financial performance. Prudence helps investors sort out financial performance such as future problems and cost of the business before recognising any signs of profits. Accruals also help financial data to be useful for users by all business revenues and cost are recorded in the appropriate statements and at the appropriate time. Conventions also have many advantages in influences financial statements to be useful for investors. Separate entity is one example this convention seeks to ensure that all private transactions and matters relating to the owners are segregated from transactions that relate to the business. This is an advantage because owner’s transactions are kept private. Also they are not mixed with the business finance so that users can clearly see the business financial state. Also materiality is also an important convention in a business financial statement use for users. The preparation...
Words: 1407 - Pages: 6
...Chapter 4 The economics of Financial Reporting Regulation The case for unregulated markets for accounting information * Support for unregulated marketing all relate to the incentives for a firm to report information about itself to owners and to the capital market. * Agency theory explains why incentives exist for voluntary reporting to owners. * Wider voluntary reporting to the capital market is explained by signaling theory * The arguments supporting unregulated markets for accounting information are largely deductive in nature. Agency Theory * Predicts and explains the behavior of parties involved with the firm. * It conceives of the firm itself as a nexus of agency relationship and seeks to understand organizational behavior by examining how parties to agency relationships within the firm maximize their own utility. * One major relationship is between the management group and the owners of the firm. * Managers are hired to administer the firms’ activities. * Owners and Managers may have different goals and may not be in perfect agreement. While owners are interested to maximize return of investment and security prices, managers have a wider range of economic interests and psychological needs. Because of this conflict, owners communicate with managers in such a way as to minimize conflict between the goals of two groups. * Costs relating to monitoring management reduce managers’ compensation. Therefore managers have an...
Words: 3948 - Pages: 16
...University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Business - Accounting & Finance Working Papers Faculty of Business 2005 Regulation as Accounting Theory M. Gaffikin University of Wollongong, gaffikin@uow.edu.au Publication Details This working paper was originally published as Gaffikin, M, Regulation as Accounting Theory, Accounting & Finance Working Paper 05/09, School of Accounting & Finance, University of Wollongong, 2005. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: research-pubs@uow.edu.au 05/09 Regulation as Accounting Theory University of Wollongong Working Papers Series School of Accounting & Finance M J R Gaffikin School of Accounting & Finance University of Wollongong Wollongong NSW 2522 Australia Tel +61 (2) 4221 3718 Fax +61 (2) 4221 4297 eMail george@uow.edu.au www.uow.edu.au/commerce/accy/ Regulation as Accounting Theory Michael Gaffikin Theories of regulation are discussed and compared. Some important issues relating to regulation as a substitute for research in creating theory as discussed. Over the years there have been many arguments and debates over the necessity for regulation. Those who believe in the efficacy of markets argue that regulation is not necessary as market forces will operate to best serve society and optimise the allocation of resources. However, there are many who point out...
Words: 8955 - Pages: 36
...The recent release of the Statement of Accounting Standards No. 112 regulation made it necessary to communicate the standard and its impacts to the accountants within the firm. It was also imperative to make our key clients aware of the regulation and how it might affect their business. Finally, to ensure seamless compliance with the regulation, we are educating our clients’ bookkeepers of the regulation and its ramifications on their duties. When accounting standards are updated, the changes often must be communicated to several different audiences, as demonstrated by this change. Communicating this information to different audiences presents several challenges that need to be carefully navigated. One challenge that exists when communicating to different audiences is that they have a need of different levels of information. In the example here, our client’s senior leaders need to possess a high level understanding of the change so that they can properly manage the new expectations that their staff will need to follow. The bookkeepers will need to understand the implications to their job functions. The firm’s accountants, however, will need to understand the full breadth of the regulation to ensure compliance to the new standard. A second challenge is the need to understand the knowledge base of audiences that are being addressed. Not every audience will possess the same understanding of accounting. As a result, the materials delivered to different groups must be tailored...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
...Abstract Within the accounting profession there are many complex ethical issues that must be dealt with quite often. It is important that the people working within the industry provide high quality financial statements and always pay close attention to ethical concerns that may arise. Since ethics is such a major concern in the accounting industry, a rules based system is in place for enforcing ethical concerns. There are many regulating bodies that exist that enforce many highly detailed regulations that people within the industry must follow at all times. Throughout history there have been several major accounting scandals that have been followed by new regulation to ensure that these problems do not come up again. CLERP 9 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are just a couple of acts that have caused significant changes to the accounting world in recent times. This paper will look at some of the different issues that accountants face as well as some of the regulations that seek to end unethical behavior. Ethical Standards in Accounting Introduction The accounting industry is an always changing and constantly growing industry. Accounting plays a vital role in society and business and up until recently accounting was considered to have some of the highest standards for ethical and moral conduct in business. In recent years there have been many high profile business failures caused by the unethical behavior or accountants and accounting firms. Since some major companies, like Enron...
Words: 419 - Pages: 2
...Financial Reporting and Standard Setting by the SEC, FASB, IASB, and, GASB Abstract In the accounting industry there are different organizations that have been established to design, implement, and oversee accounting standards and financial presentation processes. Such organizations include the Securities Exchange Commission, SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, FASB, the International Accounting Standards Board, IASB, and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, GASB. Each of these organizations works closely with the others to attempt to provide the accounting industry with a similar, if not identical, set of accounting standards that align with those of the U.S. GAAP – Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and IFRS – International Financial Reporting Standards. The strengths and weaknesses of these organizations identify their similarities and differences and enable the organizations to continue to grow with the finance and accounting industries. In the accounting industry there are several different organizations specifically designed to set, maintain, and regulate accounting standards and financial statement presentation. Among these organizations are the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, the International Accounting Standards Board, or IASB, and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, or GASB. Each organization was established...
Words: 1963 - Pages: 8
...Generally Accepted Auditing Standards ACC/490 June 25, 2012 Generally Accepted Auditing Standards The auditing and accounting profession has various standards and regulations that must be followed. The standards and regulations were put into place to ensure that reports are unbiased and accurate. The Generally Accepted Auditing Standards create stipulations on the accuracy, consistency, and verifiability of the information. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has standards in place to regulate financial reporting and ensure accuracy. The Generally Accepted Auditing Standards is “a set of systematic guidelines used by auditors when conducting audits on companies’ finances, ensuring the accuracy, consistency and verifiability of auditors’ actions and reports” (Investopedia, 2012. p. 1). Following the guidlelines set forth by the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards allows auditors to reduce the chance of overlooking information. The Generally Accepted Auditing Standards are divided into three sections: general standards, standards of fieldwork, and standards of reporting. Each of these three sections has specific standards an auditor must follow for each step in the auditing process. The general standards address the auditor’s qualifications and the standards that are required. The general standards require that the audit must be performed by a qualified individual who has received the proper training. The auditor...
Words: 832 - Pages: 4
...ISSUES IN ACCOUNTING EDUCATION Vol. 22, No. 4 November 2007 pp. 685–708 China Eastern Airlines: People’s Republic of China Accounting Standards, International Financial Reporting Standards, or U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles? John L. Haverty ABSTRACT: China Eastern Airlines, headquartered in the People’s Republic of China, has been listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1997. In its 2005 annual report, China Eastern Airlines presents two sets of financial statements: one prepared under People’s Republic of China accounting regulations, and a second set prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards. In addition, as a listed company on the New York Stock Exchange, China Eastern Airlines files Form 20-F with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. This filing includes a limited reconciliation of net income and net assets from International Financial Reporting Standards to United States’ generally accepted accounting principles. Your job is to examine these financial statements, explore any differences noted between each of the financial statements and U.S. GAAP, and highlight some issues to be included in a financial analysis of China Eastern Airlines for possible inclusion in an investment portfolio. W INTRODUCTION alt Gregory is a junior portfolio analyst at Chartgood, a portfolio manager for several major mutual funds. Susan Bedell, the portfolio manager, just informed Walt that one of the funds she managed, the Global...
Words: 9328 - Pages: 38
