...Contents Abstract 3 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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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 ...
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...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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...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...
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...Accounting Theory • Docent Machteld Van den Bogaerd machteld.vandenbogaerd@kuleuven.be • Cursusmateriaal – handboek (aanbevolen – niet verplicht) Accounting Theory (Godfrey et al., 2010) – Toledo wetenschappelijke artikels, handouts, etc. Accounting Theory • Examen (75% vd score) – schriftelijk examen – gesloten boek – duurtijd: 2 uur – combinatie multiple choice & open vragen Accounting Theory • Opdracht (25% vd score) – literatuurstudie rond een welbepaald thema in groep (5 leden), onderwerpen zie Toledo – inhoud • beknopte bespreking (relevantie) thema • overzicht relevante/gehanteerde theorieën • gehanteerde onderzoeksmethode(n) • overzicht van de onderzoeksresultaten Accounting Theory – vorm • maximaal 5 bladzijden (zonder referenties) • referenties toevoegen in literatuurlijst • minstens 2 wetenschappelijke artikels per groepslid • 2 groepen werken rond hetzelfde onderwerp! Belangrijk: logisch gestructureerd en geïntegreerd verhaal - Peer assessment!! => Meer info: zie document ‘Enkele praktische tips’ op Toledo. Accounting Theory – deadlines • samenstelling groep + onderwerp (via e-mail): maandag 12 oktober 2015 • eerste versie (feedback): 5 november 2015 (enkel via e-mail) • finale versie (op papier + pdf) incl. peer review (op papier): 3 december 2015 • presentaties: 10 en 17 december 2015 + min. 2 vragen voor de parallelle groep. Presentatie: 10-tal minuten (achteraf mogelijkheid tot stellen van vragen door ...
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...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...
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...to understanding finance is learning the four elements of financial management and their relationship to one another. It is important that all financial records are up to date because this helps keep track of how an organization, so they know if they have a profit or a loss. There are four elements of financial management are planning, controlling, organizing and decision making. The first one is planning it allows an organization to set goals and guidelines to ensure success and accomplishments in set goals. The second element of financial management is controlling. Controlling allows an organization to ensure that all rules and regulations within the organization are being followed. The third element of financial management is organizing. Organization is important because it guarantees that the organization is working at its best and it is organized while directing the medical office to work and fix problems that may come. The last element of financial management is decision making. All decision relies on information, and evaluation. Decision making works along with the planning, controlling and organizing by gathering information and helping to make a decision. Financial management is important in healthcare financial plans. Companies can not function without the proper financial planning. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) gives guidelines for organizations to follow in regards to their financial report. Misconduct, fraudulent behavior and abuse happen...
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...Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Jacqueline Carr ETH/376 December 17, 2012 Samuel Hinton Legality and Ethicality of Financial Reporting Excello Telecommunication is a very successful business; however, just recently they have been experiencing some heavy competition in the businesses industry. Terry Reed the businesses CFO has realized the business is not going to meet the years estimated earnings, which can cause problems meeting financial responsibility to the stakeholders. Terry Reed found a transaction which can help the business meet the financial responsibility; however, in order to apply the transaction, he must first find a legal and ethical way off reporting the transaction on the financial report. The transaction in question, the product was sold on December 20, 2010 for $1.2 million; however, the receiver of the product is not able to take control of this product until January 11, 2011. Terry Reed needs to find a way to record the transaction before December 31, 2010 in order to meet their obligations. The accounting principle for reporting on the financial statements is the product must be posted in the quarter the product leaves the warehouse. (Mintz, S., Morris, R.E, 2011). In the accounting world, there are several different agencies, which regulate the reporting of financial statements. These rules and regulations protect the stakeholders and public from any wrong, fraudulent reporting and unethical behavior. The main agencies are (SOX),...
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...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...
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...Research Paper One: The Role of Federal Regulations in Corporate America ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Richa Chopra ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Kaplan University ------------------------------------------------- The Role of Federal Regulations in Corporate America Introduction Dishonesty, greed, cover-ups, and bail-outs are some of the things that come to mind when we talk about the America's financial economy. Are all the hundreds of pages of regulations laid down by the government working in America's favor or is it just another way for the CEOs and the executives for fortune 500 companies to manipulate the system and its people? The corporate governance system started with the corporate debacles and the ultimate crash of the stock market in the late 1920s. As a result government stepped in and created regulations such as the Securities Act of 1933 and 1934, to the ever so popular Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to the more recent Dodd-Franck Law of 2010. The aim behind these regulations is noble. They are formed to prevent fraud, misrepresentation, bring more transparency and above all, prevent another financial crisis. But, how successful are these regulations? Are we over regulated or are we in need for more regulation? Investors and common public's faith in our economy and capital markets is shattering, they are demanding...
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...of regulations such as Conventions , Tax law , Inflation Theory , External Environment and Culture , The Role of Government . Accountancy is a profession, as described above, and its members and its professional institutes have the obligations outlined. Members of the accountancy profession contribute to their communities in a wide variety of different roles, and within a range of different organizations.Every profession is defined by the knowledge, skills, attitude and ethics of those in the profession. Regulation of a profession is a specific response to the need for certain standards to be met by the members of that profession. The need for and nature of such regulation is dependent on the specific profession and the market conditions in which it operates. Why we should have regulations for accounting ? As we know ,there are a number of reasons why regulation might be necessary to ensure that appropriate quality is provided in the market for accounting services. These include enforcement of ethical rules and technical standards and the need to represent non-contracting users of accounting services, such as investors , auditors and creditors. Also , Accounting rules are necessary in order to avoid unacceptable accounting practices and to improve the comparability of financial statements. This should give greater confidence in the integrity of financial statements. Furthermore , There are many advantages that accounting concepts have on financial statements...
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...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...
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...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...
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