...Accounting and Ethics Presented by: Unit 6: AC504 04.12.2011 Executive Summary Over the past 15 years fair value accounting has been building in popularity. It is now widely used by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US GAAP. It is thought that adapting to fair value accounting will make financial statements more relevant and reliable. Currently the majority of assets are recorded under historical cost. Under historical cost the asset is recorded under the price it was purchased at and then depreciated over its useful life. However, this concept has proven to be not as reliable since it does not take into account changing appreciation and depreciation of the asset. Under IFRS and fair value the asset must be annually checked for impairment making it more reliable and relevant. Over 120 countries currently use IFRS (AICPA, 2011). It is anticipated that more countries will begin encouraging it as global competition becomes more prevalent. The SEC is also allowing companies that trade stock within the US to report under IFRS. This is largely due to IFRS sharing many common principles with US GAAP. The main difference is that GAAP provides specific guidelines in how to report, while IFRS is principle based. This allows creators to adapt the standards in a way that would better fit their industry and needs. In order for fair value accounting to be successful, an ethical culture must be established. First a code of conduct needs...
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...reputation 16 The battleground for consumer banking 24 India: From sleeping tiger to stirring elephant 30 IFRS: Is your financial reporting sustainable? 42 Shari’a compliant financial services – standing its ground 48 Editor’s comments 2 by Phil Rivett the journal • Tackling the key issues in banking and capital markets Phil Rivett Global Leader, Banking & Capital Markets, UK Tel: 44 20 7212 4686 Email: phil.g.rivett@uk.pwc.com 3 Welcome to the August 2005 edition of the PricewaterhouseCoopers banking and capital markets journal. This is the 7th edition of the journal and brings together a rich selection of topics from our industry experts. Central banks are increasingly coming under the spotlight as they face a number of changes and challenges. In ‘New Challenges for Central Banks’, Chris Sermon, Peter Trout and Elizaveta Filipova highlight some of the new and existing opportunities facing the central banking sector in the areas of accounting, reporting, transparency, corporate governance and risk management and explore the importance of evolving practices and developments. Trust and integrity are fundamental to the financial sector, no more so than now following recent corporate transgressions. In ‘Corporate Integrity: A Foundation for re-building reputation’, Phil Case, Allan Goldstein and John Queenan address how the banking sector has responded to this and outlines the need for action to repair the damage to stakeholders’ confidence...
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...Does Mandatory Adoption of IFRS Improve Accounting Quality? Preliminary Evidence* ANWER S. AHMED, Texas A&M University MICHAEL NEEL, University of Houston DECHUN WANG, Texas A&M University 1. Introduction We provide evidence on the preliminary effects of mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on accounting quality for a relatively broad set of firms from 20 countries that adopted IFRS in 2005 relative to a benchmark group of firms from countries that did not adopt IFRS matched on the strength of legal enforcement, industry, size, book-to-market, and accounting performance. Understanding the effects of mandatory adoption on properties of accounting numbers is of potential interest to standard-setters and securities regulators in countries that are considering IFRS adoption as well as in countries that have already adopted IFRS. Furthermore, evidence on this question is of particular importance to the IASB because it can help the board evaluate whether its stated objective of improving accounting quality is being accomplished (see IASC 1989; Barth 2008). Finally, analysts, investors, and other users may also find it useful to understand the effects of IFRS adoption on accounting quality to potentially reassess how they use accounting numbers. The effects of mandatory IFRS adoption on accounting quality critically depend upon whether IFRS are of higher or lower quality than domestic GAAP and how they affect the efficacy of enforcement mechanisms...
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...CHAPTER 1 ENVIRONMENT AND THEORETICAL STRUCTURE OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING Overview The primary function of financial accounting is to provide useful financial information to users external to the business enterprise. The focus of financial accounting is on the information needs of investors and creditors. These users make critical resource allocation decisions that affect the nation’s economy. The primary means of conveying financial information to investors, creditors, and other external users is through financial statements and related notes. In this chapter you explore important topics such as the FASB’s conceptual framework that serve as a foundation for a more detailed study of financial statements, the way the elements of these statements are measured, and the concepts underlying these measurements and related disclosures. Learning Objectives LO1–1 Describe the function and primary focus of financial accounting. LO1–2 Explain the difference between cash and accrual accounting. LO1–3 Define generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and discuss the historical development of accounting standards, including convergence between U.S. and international standards. LO1–4 Explain why the establishment of accounting standards is characterized as a political process. LO1–5 Explain factors that encourage high-quality financial reporting. LO1–6 Explain the purpose of the conceptual framework. LO1–7 Identify the objective and qualitative characteristics...
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...The IMPLeMeNTATION OF IFRS IN The UK DeVOLVeD ADMINISTRATIONS Ciaran Connolly Tony Wall The IMPLeMeNTATION OF IFRS IN The UK DeVOLVeD ADMINISTRATIONS by Ciaran Connolly Tony Wall Published by CA house 21 haymarket Yards edinburgh eh12 5Bh First published 2013 © 2013 ISBN 978-1-904574-94-1 eAN 9781904574941 This report is published for the Research Committee of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Council of the Institute or the Research Committee. No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in this publication can be accepted by the authors or publisher. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Printed and bound in Great Britain by Garnett Dickinson CONTeNTS Foreword .................................................................................................................... Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. executive summary ...................
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...Accounting ethics is primarily a field of applied ethics and is part ofbusiness ethics and human ethics, the study of moral values and judgments as they apply to accountancy. It is an example of professional ethics. Accounting introduced by Luca Pacioli, and later expanded by government groups, professional organizations, and independent companies. Ethics are taught in accounting courses at higher education institutions as well as by companies training accountants and auditors. Due to the diverse range of accounting services and recent corporate collapses, attention has been drawn to ethical standards accepted within the accounting profession.[2] These collapses have resulted in a widespread disregard for the reputation of the accounting profession.[3] To combat the criticism and prevent fraudulent accounting, various accounting organizations and governments have developed regulations and remedies for improved ethics among the accounting profession. ------------------------------------------------- Importance of ethics The nature of the work carried out by accountants and auditors requires a high level of ethics. Shareholders, potential shareholders, and other users of the financial statements rely heavily on the yearly financial statements of a company as they can use this information to make an informed decision about investment.[4] They rely on the opinion of the accountants who prepared the statements, as well as the auditors that verified it, to present a true and fair...
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...é The Effects of Mandatory IFRS Adoption in the EU: A Review of Empirical Research October 2014 Information for Better Markets An initiative from the ICAEW Financial Reporting Faculty The Effects of Mandatory IFRS Adoption in the EU: A Review of Empirical Research forms part of the Information for Better Markets thought leadership programme of ICAEW’s Financial Reporting Faculty. ICAEW operates under a Royal Charter, working in the public interest. As a world leading professional accountancy body, ICAEW provides leadership and practical support to over 142,000 members in more than 160 countries, working with governments, regulators and industry to ensure the highest standards are maintained. The ICAEW Financial Reporting Faculty provides its members with practical assistance and support with IFRS, UK GAAP and other aspects of business reporting. It also comments on business reporting issues on behalf of ICAEW to standard setters and regulators. Its Information for Better Markets thought leadership programme subjects key questions in business reporting to careful and impartial analysis so as to help achieve practical solutions to complex problems. The programme focuses on three key themes: disclosure, measurement and regulation. We welcome comments and enquiries on this report and on the other aspects of the Information for Better Markets programme. To contact us, please email bettermarkets@icaew.com. © ICAEW 2014 All rights reserved. If you want...
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...Glossary Notes: Note 1: CPA Canada Handbook Part I applies to publicly accountable enterprises, CPA Canada Handbook Part II ASPE applies to private enterprises; CPA Canada Handbook Part III ASNFPO applies to not-for-profit organizations. CPA Canada Handbook Part IV ASPP applies to pension plans. For governments and government organizations, see under Public Sector Accounting (PSA) Handbook for details of what applies. Note 2: Part II and V Definitions may not be identical — check the CPA Canada Handbook – Accounting. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Abnormal earnings Also referred to as unexpected earnings. Differences between the expected value of earnings and the actual realized. Absorption costing Absorption costing is a method of assigning costs to inventory. It includes fixed overhead costs in addition to variable overhead costs added to direct materials and direct labour to calculate unit cost. Accelerated depreciation Accelerated depreciation is a method of allocating the cost of an asset in which the annual depreciation amounts are larger in an asset’s early years and decrease over time. An example of accelerated depreciation would be the double-declining balance method. Access controls Procedures designed to restrict access to online terminal devices, programs, and data. Access controls consist of ”user authentication” and ”user authorization.” Account Place within an accounting system where the increases and decreases in a specific...
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...Glossary Notes: Note 1: CICA Part I applies to publicly accountable enterprises, CICA Part II ASPE applies to private enterprises; CICA Part III ASNFPO applies to not-for-profit organizations. CICA Part IV ASPP applies to pension plans. For governments and government organizations, see under Public Sector Accounting (PSA) Handbook for details of what applies. Note 2: Part II and V Definitions may not be identical — check the CICA Handbook — Accounting. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Abnormal earnings Also referred to as unexpected earnings. Differences between the expected value of earnings and the actual realized. Absorption costing Absorption costing is a method of assigning costs to inventory. It includes fixed overhead costs in addition to variable overhead costs added to direct materials and direct labour to calculate unit cost. Accelerated amortization Accelerated amortization is a method of allocating the cost of an asset in which the annual amortization amounts are larger in an asset’s early years and decrease over time. An example of accelerated amortization would be the double-declining balance method. Access controls Procedures designed to restrict access to online terminal devices, programs, and data. Access controls consist of ”user authentication” and ”user authorization.” Account Place within an accounting system where the increases and decreases in a specific asset, liability, owner’s equity, revenue, or expense are recorded...
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...available, and for losses arising from specific commitments rather than just guesses. Therefore, companies should record all losses as soon as they are known, but should record profits only when they have actually been achieved in cash or other assets. Consistency concept The consistency concept is an ethical rule that is based on the principle that there is uniformity of accounting treatment of like items within each accounting period and from one period to the next. However, as we will see in Chapter 3, judgement may be exercised as to the application of accounting rules to the preparation of financial statements. For example, a company may choose from a variety of methods to calculate the depreciation of its machinery and equipment, or how to value its inventories. Until recently, once a particular approach had been adopted in all future accounting periods, unless there were compelling reasons to change. The ASB encourages their change, if those changes result in showing a truer and fairer picture. If companies do change their approaches then they have to indicate this in their annual reports and accounts. The going...
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...______________________________ Gene R. Sullivan, Ph.D. Thesis Chair ______________________________ James B. Shelton, Ph.D. Committee Member ______________________________ Stephen R. Bowers, Ph.D. Committee Member ______________________________ James Nutter, D.A. Honors Director ______________________________ Date OFF-BALANCE SHEET FINANCING Abstract In today’s world, leases appear far and wide; they are commonplace throughout the business and accounting frontiers. Accounting for leases, however, is not so clear cut. Since there are various ways to account for leases, many companies pick and choose which they feel best suits their situation, even when this sweeps dirt under the rug along 3 the way. The financial procedures for dealing with leases should entail benefits as well as limitations to ensure each company is fairly representing all of its financial information. Off-balance sheet financing is one of the hot topics in accounting for leases because of the implications it imposes on financial reporting. This thesis will discuss these implications, as well as the continuing search for convergence of FASB and IASB as they strive to make leases as transparent and honest as possible. OFF-BALANCE SHEET FINANCING Leases: Off-Balance Sheet Financing and the Strive for Transparency Today Historical Perspective Lease accounting dates back well into the early...
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...Project Summary Background The objective of this project is to provide guidance to entities on how they should measure the fair value of assets and liabilities when required by other Standards. This project will not change when fair value measurement is required by IFRSs. Discussion at the September 2005 IASB Meeting At the September 2005 meeting, the IASB added the Fair Value Measurements topic to its agenda. The aim of the project is to provide guidance to entities on how they should measure the fair value of assets and liabilities when required by other Standards. This project will not change when fair value measurement is required by IFRSs. Discussion at the November 2005 IASB Meeting The staff conducted an education session on the FASB's working draft of a final Statement on Fair Value Measurements. In addition, the staff reviewed the scope of FASB's Fair Value Measurements project as it relates to IFRSs and the issues and questions to be addressed in preparing an IASB Exposure Draft and related Invitation to Comment. No decisions were made. At a previous meeting, the Board decided to issue the FASB's final Statement on Fair Value Measurements as an IASB Exposure Draft with an Invitation to Comment. The appendices in the FASB document dealing with consequential amendments and references to US GAAP pronouncements will be replaced with proposed consequential amendments and references to IFRSs. The Board further decided that there should be limited changes to the FASB's...
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...ACCOUNT CLASSIFICATION AND PRESENTATION Account Title Accounts Payable Accounts Receivable Accumulated Depreciation—Buildings Accumulated Depreciation—Equipment Advertising Expense Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Amortization Expense Bad Debt Expense Bonds Payable Buildings Cash Common Stock Copyrights Cost of Goods Sold Debt Investments Depreciation Expense Discount on Bonds Payable Dividend Revenue Dividends Dividends Payable Equipment Freight-Out Gain on Disposal of Plant Assets Goodwill Income Summary Income Tax Expense Income Taxes Payable Insurance Expense Interest Expense Interest Payable Interest Receivable Interest Revenue Inventory Classification A Current Liability Current Asset Plant Asset—Contra Plant Asset—Contra Operating Expense Current Asset—Contra Operating Expense Financial Statement Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Income Statement Balance Sheet Income Statement Income Statement Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Normal Balance Credit Debit Credit Credit Debit Credit Debit Debit Credit Debit Debit Credit Debit Debit Debit Debit Debit Credit Debit Credit Debit Debit Credit Debit (1) Debit Credit Debit Debit Credit Debit Credit Debit B Operating Expense Long-Term Liability Plant Asset C Current Asset Stockholders' Equity Intangible Asset Cost of Goods Sold Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Balance Sheet Income Statement Balance Sheet Income Statement Balance Sheet Income Statement Retained Earnings Statement Balance Sheet Balance...
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...2016 Level I Mock Exam: Afternoon Session The afternoon session of the 2016 Level I Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Mock Examination has 120 questions. To best simulate the exam day experience, candidates are advised to allocate an average of 1.5 minutes per question for a total of 180 minutes (3 hours) for this session of the exam. Topic Minutes 1-18 Ethical and Professional Standards 27 19-32 Quantitative Methods 21 33-44 Economics 18 45-68 Financial Statement Analysis 36 69-76 Corporate Finance 12 77-88 Equity Investments 18 89-94 Derivative Investments 9 95-106 Fixed Income Investments 18 107-110 Alternative Investments 6 111-120 Portfolio Management 15 Total: 180 By accessing this mock exam, you agree to the following terms of use: This mock exam is provided to currentlyregistered CFA candidates. Candidates may view and print the exam for personal exam preparation only. The following activities are strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary and/or legal action: accessing or permitting access by anyone other than currently-registered CFA candidates; copying, posting to any website, emailing, distributing and/or reprinting the mock exam for any purpose. © 2016 Copyrighted by CFA Institute. All rights reserved. 1. Richard Cardinal, CFA, is the founder of Volcano Capital Research, an investment management firm whose sole activity is short selling...
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...you should be able to: •1 •2 •3 •4 Describe the usefulness of a conceptual framework. Describe efforts to construct a conceptual framework. Understand the objective of financial reporting. Identify the qualitative characteristics of accounting information. Define the basic elements of financial statements. •6 •7 Describe the basic assumptions of accounting. Explain the application of the basic principles of accounting. Describe the impact that constraints have on reporting accounting information. •8 •5 What Is It? Everyone agrees that accounting needs a framework—a conceptual framework, so to speak—that will help guide the development of standards. To understand the importance of developing this framework, let’s see how you would respond in the following two situations. SITUATION 1: “Taking a Long Shot . . . ” To supplement donations collected from its general community solicitation, Tri-Cities United Charities holds an Annual Lottery Sweepstakes. In this year’s sweepstakes, United Charities is offering a grand prize of $1,000,000 to a single winning ticket holder. A total of 10,000 tickets have been printed, and United Charities plans to sell all the tickets at a price of $150 each. Since its inception, the Sweepstakes has attracted area-wide interest, and United Charities has always been able to meet its sales target. However, in the unlikely event that it might fail to sell a sufficient number of tickets to cover the grand prize, United Charities has...
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