...With the spate of recent corporate failures there have been increased criticisms and calls for regulatory reform of existing accounting and auditing practices. The issue of regulation within the accounting profession has been highly contentious and led to many debates. Those in favour of a free-market stress that market forces will optimise the allocation of resources and as such regulation is not necessary. Whilst those opposing this view believe that markets are imperfect and as such outside intervention in the form of regulation is required. Both sides hold valid arguments as to why regulation is or is not necessary and this paper shall examine these opposing views before providing an informed opinion. The anti-regulation or free-market approach to accounting is one that has been subscribed to for many years. The main thrust of the American Institute of Accountants in 1934 was anti-regulation, they stressed that, “no attempt [should be made] to restrict the rights of corporations to select detailed methods of accounting deemed by them to be best adapted to the requirements of their business” (May 1934, 80). The argument behind this notion is that the natural market forces or the “invisible hand” of the market will ensure self-regulation. Ross (1979, 379) implies this when he writes, “…disclosure regulations are generally neither required nor desirable, since left on their own, firms will have incentives to report accurately”. The belief that firms have internal incentives...
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...gain the competitive advantage over competitors, leading to their acquisition (Hughes 16). With the increase of business acquisitions, there was a need to reexamine old accounting principles in order for the transactions to be properly recorded; this accounting is known as goodwill accounting. The concept of goodwill accounting has surprisingly been present for over a hundred years, first appearing around the 1880’s (1). Since its creation however, goodwill accounting has been a source of debate and controversy due to its adverse effects on the net income of numerous firms. Goodwill accounting has undergone recent revision by the FASB, specifically in the area of goodwill impairment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of goodwill accounting, the initial amortization method and revised current method of testing for impairment, and the needed, yet sometimes detrimental effects this accounting has had on several high-tech industrial firms. Without proper accounting for goodwill impairment, several firms would have the ability to overstate their net earnings and destroy the reliability of the financial statements in the eyes of investors. To understand the history and need for goodwill accounting and impairment, one must start with a definition of the concept. According to the Intermediate Accounting text by Stice, “goodwill is best thought of as a residual amount, the amount of the purchase prices of a business that is left over after all other tangible and...
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...CHAPTER 1 Financial Accounting and Accounting Standards ASSIGNMENT CLASSIFICATION TABLE Topics 1. 2. 3. Subject matter of accounting. Environment of accounting. Role of principles, objectives, standards, and accounting theory. Historical development of accounting standards. Authoritative pronouncements and standards-setting bodies. Questions 1 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7, 8 Cases 1 3, 4 2, 4 4. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 5, 17 5. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 28 29 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 6. 7. 8. Role of pressure groups. International accounting. Ethical issues. 9, 18, 19 15 14 1-1 ASSIGNMENT CHARACTERISTICS TABLE Item C1-1 C1-2 C1-3 C1-4 C1-5 C1-6 C1-7 C1-8 C1-9 C1-10 C1-11 C1-12 C1-13 C1-14 C1-15 C1-16 C1-17 C1-18 C1-19 Description Financial accounting. Objectives of financial reporting. Accounting numbers and the environment. Need for accounting standards. AICPA’s role in standards setting. FASB role in standards setting. Government role in standards setting. Meaning of generally accepted accounting principles. Politicalization of standards setting. Models for setting accounting standards. Standards-setting terminology. Accounting organizations and documents issued. Accounting pronouncements. Issues involving standards setting. Securities and Exchange Commission. Standards-setting process. History of standards-setting organizations. Economic Consequences. Standards-setting process, economic consequences. Level of Difficulty...
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...Accounting Standards Building international opportunities for Australian business Corporate Law Economic Reform Program Proposals for Reform: Paper No. 1 © Commonwealth of Australia 1997 ISBN 0 642 26110 5 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Australian Government Publishing Service. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the Manager, Commonwealth Information Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, GPO Box 84, Canberra ACT 2601. The Government is seeking comments from interested parties on the detail of the proposals in this paper which should be forwarded to the following address:| First Assistant SecretaryBusiness Law DivisionThe TreasuryParkes PlacePARKES ACT 2600|Telephone:Fax:Email:|02 6263 396002 6263 2882clerp@treasury.gov.au| Copies of this paper are available from the Australian Government Publishing Service and on the Treasury web site (http://www.treasury.gov.au).Enquiries concerning the paper can be made to:Ms Veronique IngramAssistant SecretaryThe TreasuryTelephone: 02 6263 3970| Printed by the Australian Government Publishing Service Table of Contents Page Abbreviations v PART 1: Reform Proposals 1 PART 2: Introduction 9 2.1 Background 9 2.2 Key economic principles 10 PART 3: The Case for Reform 11 3.1 Impetus for reform 11 3.2 What the Government is seeking...
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...head: EMERGING ISSUES Assignment #2 Emerging Issues Task Force Abstract In 1982, the Financial Accounting Foundation Structure Committee produced a report on operating efficiency that indicated a need for more timely guidance on implementation questions. That report resulted in the formation of an advisory group, which evolved into the Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF). This task force was established to assist the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in improving financial reporting through the timely identification, discussion, and resolution of financial accounting issues. (FASB, 2011) This paper discusses and explores the EITF in greater detail. Discuss how the Emerging Issues Task Force influences Generally Accepted Accounting Standards. The Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) was formed in 1984 to respond to the recommendations of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) task force on timely financial reporting guidance. The EITF influences general accepted accounting standards by providing improved financial reporting through timely identification, discussion, and resolutions within the framework of an existing authority. The EITF designed to reduce diversity in practice on current issues in a quick and timely manner that should not exceed three to four annual meetings. This advisory board also minimizes the need for the FASB to spend time and effort addressing narrow implementation, application, or other emerging issues that can be...
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...ACC 537 Basic Accounting Concepts Sources of GAAP There are four bodies who take part in the creation of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The first of which is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Companies that go public must file financial statements with the SEC. The SEC creates a standard of financial statements that the companies must file. The SEC works with the private sector as well by encouraging resolving reporting problems and may also reject standard proposals. The SEC may also issue deficiency letters and stop orders when they believe a company’s financial statements contain errors. The second group responsible for developing GAAP is the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The AICPA has introduced boards and committees that help develop GAAP. The Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) was founded by the AICPA and issued Accounting Research Bulletins that dealt with accounting issues on a problem by problem basis. CAP was eventually dissolved, and the Accounting Principles Board was developed. Their main goal was to create a conceptual framework. It issued APB opinions and was also later dissolved. The third responsible party in GAAP creation is the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). “Its mission is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, which includes issuers, auditors, and users of financial information (Kieso...
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...Financial Reporting Timeline The creation of: 1. Committee on Accounting Procedures Role - With the recent increase in members, the SEC delegated the responsibility of issuing pronouncements on accounting principles to the Committee. The SEC worked with the Committee on Accounting Procedures to develop standards for accounting and financial reporting and issued 51 Accounting Research Bulletins (ARBs) over its lifetime. In 1949, they updated 42 of their original ARBs and codified them. a. History - In 1933, the Special Committee on Development of Accounting Principles was formed by the AICPA. Quite simply, this committee did not get much done and was replaced by the Committee on Account Procedures in 1936. For the first two years, this committee also made very little progress. In 1938, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued Accounting Series Release No. 4 which asserted that any financial statements prepared in accordance with principles that had no substantial authoritative support would be considered inaccurate. This prompted the CAP to expand from 7 members to 21 members and increased its activity. b. Structure – The Committee on Accounting Procedures was committee formed by the American Institute of Accountants after the SEC delegated to it the responsibility of issuing pronouncements on accounting principles without government council. Initially, the CAP wanted to create guidance for solving accounting problems, but did not believe they had enough...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Accounting for intangible assets is a major issue within the accounting environment. The issue is identifiable when it concerns accounting for research and development costs, in particular, internally generated assets. With two imperative standards in practice today, one being the IASB’s selective capitalisation of expenses into an intangible asset once a specific criteria has been reached and the other being the FASB’s system of straight expensing of all expenditure. This subject plays a vital role in the accounting world due to the large amount of money invested into research and development activities, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010 reporting that Business expenditure on R&D (BERD) in Australia alone increased 15% to $14, 380 million up from 07-08. In discussing the different styles taken by the Boards it is easier to identify the impact these standards have on a corporation and its performance, with particular reference being made to Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited, an Australian listed company that is currently undertaking research and development to develop a UV medical protection of the skin from UV and light for sun-related ailments. 1. Clinuvel Activities of R&D Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals Limited (CUV) is a listed Australian biopharmaceutical company based in Melbourne. The focus of CUV is to further research and develop, and eventually commercialise, its leading drug candidate afamelanotide as “a preventative treatment for...
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...Nick O'Brien started to work in the accounting department at his aunt's software company. While going over some financial statements Nick notices what he believes are revenue recognition issues. Since Nick believes that Lee Marchetti the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of O'Brien Software is an honest man, he decides to have a discussion with him about what he believes are revenue recognition issues. Mr. Marchetti explains to Nick that accounting is not an exact science and that it involves a lot of judgment calls and that O'Brien Software's "deferrals and estimates are well documented and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules" (Conservative Recognition or Cookie Jar Reserves, Carpenter p. 3). After speaking with Mr. Marchetti, Nick decided to still speak with his aunt Amelia about his concerns. Amelia expressed to Nick that she was not very good when it came to accounting matters but she was educated when it came to recognizing revenue and that she believed being conservative was better than overstating. However, she asked Nick if he thought she should mention what he found to the audit committee. Issues/Questions One question that should be addressed surrounds why the CEO Amelia is not aware of certain financial aspects of her business. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires the chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief financial officer (CFO) of public companies to certify the quarterly and annual financial statements submitted to the SEC (Arens...
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...the International Financial Reporting Standards? Since 1936, accountants in the United States have been following a set of generally accepted guidelines, historically set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, for their practices. These guidelines have come to be known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. Since their creation, these principles have protected companies and investors from fraud, as accounting practices can sometimes be questionable. The GAAP holds companies accountable for their financial reporting activities and includes rules accountants must follow regarding recording transactions and preparing financial statements. Recently, there have been questions regarding the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States as opposed to the International Financial Recording Standards, or IFRS ; and whether or not the United States should adopt these new accounting standards. There are a number of pros and cons to the International Financial Recording Standards as well as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; however, I do not think that the United States should fully adopt the IFRS considering the history of the GAAP and the reason for the creation of its principles. As previously mentioned, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has been responsible for setting accounting standards. In 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board...
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...27. Corporations issue their shares to the investing public in the: A. Option A B. Option B C. Option C D. Option D AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Easy 28. The primary focus for financial accounting information is to provide information useful for: A. Option A B. Option B C. Option C D. Option D AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Easy 29. Which of the following is not true about net operating cash flow? A. It is the difference between cash receipts and cash disbursements from providing goods and services. B. It is a measure used in accrual accounting and is recognized as the best predictor of future operating cash flows. C. Over short periods of time, it may not be indicative of long-run cash-generating ability. D. It is easy to understand and all information required to measure it is factual. AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning Objective: 01-01 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. Level of Learning: Medium 30. Which of the following groups is not among financial intermediaries? A. Mutual fund managers B. Financial analysts C. CPAs D. Credit rating organizations AACSB: Reflective thinking Bloom's: Knowledge Learning...
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...CHAPTER 1 Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting: ENVIRONMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS QUESTION 1-1 a. The similarities of accounting for profit-seeking and G&NP organizations include: 1. Double-entry system of accounts. 2. Most accounting mechanics, e.g., basic transaction documents, journals, ledgers, charts of accounts. 3. Where a G&NP organization has a business-type activity, e.g., a municipal electric utility, the accounting largely parallels that for a similar private business (e.g., electric utility). b. Among the unique aspects of G&NP organization accounting are: 1. Fund accounting—designed to separate resources according to the purposes for which they may be used and to account for their uses and balances. 2. Budgetary control techniques—to help assure appropriations are not overexpended and all resources due the G&NP organization are received by it. Question 1-2 a. A fund of a government organization is an independent fiscal and accounting entity. Each fund has a separate self-balancing set of accounts in which are recorded the resources segregated for specific purposes, the related liabilities and residual equity (fund balance or net assets), and the changes therein. Financial statements typically must be presented to report the financial position and operating activities of a fund of a government. b. As the term is generally used in commercial accounting, a "fund" merely indicates that a portion...
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...Accounting Standards Board Paper Cassandra Fatchett ACC/541 Monday, March 23, 2015 Christine Errico Accounting Standards Board Paper International convergence of accounting standards is not exactly a new idea. In the 1950’s, in response to economic integration post World War II, initial efforts focused on reducing the differences among accounting principles used in major capital markets around the world. By the 1990's, 40 years later, the idea of harmonization had been replaced by the concept of convergence. Rather than all accounting principles complement each other, it was decided that a new set of internationally recognized accounting standards would be used in all major capital markets. Convergence is described as making global accounting standards as similar as possible. All users of financial information should benefit from the increased comparability of the convergence of financial accounting standards. The FASB has always been on a mission to improve the financial accounting standards in the U.S. for the benefit of investors, lenders, creditors, and all other users of financial statements. They believe that pursuing convergence is compliant with that mission. In 2008, both the FASB and the IASB issued a memorandum of understanding on the convergence of accounting standards called the The Norwalk Agreement. It outlined the agreement made by both entities to address accounting practices that were considered to be deficient in the U.S., GAAP, as well as practices...
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...Accounting Standards Building international opportunities for Australian business Corporate Law Economic Reform Program Proposals for Reform: Paper No. 1 © Commonwealth of Australia 1997 ISBN 0 642 26110 5 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Australian Government Publishing Service. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the Manager, Commonwealth Information Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, GPO Box 84, Canberra ACT 2601. The Government is seeking comments from interested parties on the detail of the proposals in this paper which should be forwarded to the following address: First Assistant Secretary Business Law Division The Treasury Parkes Place PARKES ACT 2600 Telephone: 02 6263 3960 Fax: 02 6263 2882 Email: clerp@treasury.gov.au Copies of this paper are available from the Australian Government Publishing Service and on the Treasury web site (http://www.treasury.gov.au). Enquiries concerning the paper can be made to: Ms Veronique Ingram Assistant Secretary The Treasury Telephone: 02 6263 3970 Printed by the Australian Government Publishing Service TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abbreviations PART 1: PART 2: Reform Proposals Introduction 2.1 2.2 PART 3: Background Key economic principles v 1 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 16 17 19 19 19 20 22 23 The Case for Reform 3.1 3.2 Impetus...
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...Basis The two main methods in accounting used to keep track of income and expenses are the cash basis and the accrual basis. The cash basis is the preferred method in small companies and its income is not counted until cash is received and expenses are not counted until they are paid. When using the accrual basis income is recorded when the order is made or the service occurs, and the same with expenses, they are recorded when the goods or service are received. Smaller companies will use the cash basis of accounting but when their business grows, it is mandatory to use the accrual method if the business has sales of more than $5 million, or if you have inventory and sales of $1 million on an annual basis. Identify What Standard Setters have said as to the superiority of accrual accounting relative to a cash basis. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is recognized by the Securities and exchange commision as the accounting standard setter for public companies. The FASB believes that using accrual accounting provides a better picture of a company’s true financial health, and for this reason is a better choice than cash accounting. The FASB is recognized by many organizations as an authoritative entity. Alicia states that in finance literature there seems to be an emphasis on cash and why if cash is so important why does the FASB focus on accrual accounting. The FASB promotes financial reporting and focuses on accrual accounting because it provides useful information...
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