...relevance and reliability in financial reporting Theme: Financial Accounting Classification: M41 Author: Prof D Coetsee Affiliation: Department of Accountancy, University of Johannesburg, South Africa Contact address: Department of Accountancy R-Ring 607 University of Johannesburg PO Box 524 Auckland Park Johannesburg South-Africa 2006 Telephone: +27-11-559-3047 Fax: +27-11-559-2777 E-Mail dcoetsee@uj.ac.za A critical review of the trade-offs between the concepts of relevance and reliability in financial reporting |Abstract | |In an information orientated system of financial reporting the move from historical cost to fair value | |accounting has created numerous debates surrounding the trade-offs of the concepts of relevance and | |reliability. This article contributes to the debate by critically reviewing the current developments of | |these trade-offs to determine whether current financial reporting guidelines are appropriate to deal with | |the difficulties and uncertainties of financial reporting. The article found that the proposals of the joint| |framework discussion paper goes a long way in resolving the issues around the trade-offs of relevance and | |reliability. Changing the concept of reliability to faithful representation will not negatively impact on | |resolving the issues...
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...reporting the financial transactions of an organization (Schroeder, Clark, & Cathey, 2011). Since 1973, there has been a governing body that has determined what is considered acceptable business practices in regard to the relationship between these functions. In the United States, that governing body is known as the Financial Accounting Standards Board or FASB. FASB helped to refine and establish what is known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP. These principles have laid the foundation for modern day accounting practices and have served as a road map for financial accountants worldwide. In 2001, a new board was established to bring unity to international accounting practices. It is known as the International Accounting Standards Board or IASB. IASB has its own set of standards commonly known as International Financial Reporting Standards or IFRS. Together these two entities lay the groundwork for accountants to follow to most accurately and ethically report the financial activities of their respective organizations. Although both these organizations have striking similarities and strive to serve a common goal, there are marked differences in their approach to financial reporting standards. In recent years, FASB and the IASB have affirmed their commitment to bring together their basic fundamentals and create a unified accounting resource that will become the standard for accounting practices across the world. This effort is known as the FASB/IASB convergence...
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...International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) An AICPA Backgrounder 1 Table of Contents Get Ready for IFRS ........................................................................................ 2 Worldwide Momentum ................................................................................. 2 SEC Leadership in International Effort .......................................................... 3 The SEC Work Plan........................................................................................ 4 FASB and IASB Convergence Efforts............................................................. 5 AICPA Participation ....................................................................................... 7 Two Sides of the Story ................................................................................... 7 Differences Remain Between U.S. GAAP and IFRS ....................................... 8 What CPAs Need To Know ............................................................................ 8 Appendix ..................................................................................................... 10 Organizations Involved ................................................................................ 12 1 Get Ready for IFRS The growing acceptance of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a basis for U.S. financial reporting represents a fundamental change for the U.S. accounting profession. The number of countries that require...
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...In 2002 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) met and issued the Norwalk Agreement where they both agreed to develop of high quality accounting standards. Since that time the FASB and the IASB have been working on joint projects a.k.a convergence projects designed to improve both US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), eliminate differences between them, and ultimately make the standards fully compatible. In 2010, to increase efficiency the boards decided to focus on the priority projects. Two of those projects, fair value measurement and statement of other comprehensive income, are poised for release. Now, the “big three” remain—financial instruments, revenue recognition, and leases. The IASB is also working to its monster project on insurance contracts, with the FASB closely engaged in the discussion. Therefore, bellow is the list of the active joint FASB/IASB projects according to current technical plan on the fasb.org website: - Accounting for Financial Instruments (Updated November 10, 2011): • Classification and Measurement (Updated November 10, 2011); • Impairment (Updated November10, 2011); • Hedging (Updated November 10, 2011). - Revenue Recognition (Exposure Draft issued November 14, 2011); - Leases (Updated November 15, 2011); - Balance Sheet – Offsetting (Updated August 15, 2011); - Consolidation: Policy and Procedures (Exposure...
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...International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in 2001, SEC leaders have repeatedly indicated that the logical choice for globally accepted standards is the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the IASB. However, in line with other large economies, such as Japan, India and China, as of June 2012 the US had not adopted IFRS.1 This paper explores when and how, and indeed if, IFRS will become the basis for the financial reporting of domestic SEC registrants in the US. Readers are encouraged to first review Erchinger’s (2012) history of the SEC’s consideration of IFRS in the US included in this forum and especially Table 1 of this article, which provides a chronology of SEC releases regarding incorporation of IFRS into the US financial reporting model. This paper complements Erchinger’s by assessing approaches recently explored by the SEC for incorporating IFRS into the US financial reporting model. A decision can lead to correct or incorrect action. However, as articulated by many SEC constituents, uncertainty associated with repeated delays and hence ‘no decision’ by the SEC is clearly not in the best interest of investors and other financial statement users, registrants, auditors and students. Furthermore, as it considers various models for incorporation of IFRS into the US financial reporting model, the SEC and its constituents must understand that only if all countries, including the US, adopt IFRS as issued by the IASB will the SEC’s pursuit of global accounting...
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...Hamdani 10/1/11 Project 1 US GAAP Convergence with IFRS As the business world has become more global, regulators, investors, large companies and auditing firms began to realize the importance of the establishment of a single set of high quality accounting standards. With a common accounting language around the world, investors will be able to have greater comparability and greater confidence in the transparency of financial reporting worldwide. IFRS, acronym for International Financial Reporting Standards are financial reporting standards that have been adopted by International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). Increasing number of publicly held companies in many countries are now requiring or allowing the use of IFRS for the preparation of financial statement. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have also proposed a “Roadmap” in incorporating the convergence of US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) to IFRS with the help of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and IASB. The IASB and FASB, committed to improving IFRS and US GAAP and achieving their convergence, are also committed in providing public transparency and accountability by reporting their process in achieving their goals. In 2006, the IASB and FASB began to set out their plans of completing major projects in their issued Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). These priority major projects comprises of their joint projects on financial instruments, revenue...
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...2012 Table of contents The heart of the matter 2 US financial reporting will change significantly within the next several years An in-depth discussion 4 Examining the implications IFRS affects US businesses in multiple ways What this means for your business 6 Anticipate and manage the change What companies can and should do now October 2012 The heart of the matter US financial reporting will continue to change over the next several years Although US companies will not when, and how IFRS might be be permitted to use International incorporated into the US financial Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) reporting system. for US public filings in the foreseeable • In May 2011, the SEC’s Office of future, IFRS has been affecting US the Chief Accountant published a companies for some time, primarily Staff Paper exploring one possible through engaging in cross-border method to incorporate IFRS merger-and-acquisition (M&A) into the US financial reporting activity, meeting the reporting needs system, involving an active of non-US stakeholders, and assisting Financial Accounting Standards with or monitoring of the IFRS Board (FASB) incorporating IFRS requirements of non-US subsidiaries. into US GAAP over an extended US companies are also becoming period of time (the “endorsement” increasingly aware of IFRS, as key method). Under this method, the aspects of US generally accepted FASB would remain the US stanaccounting principles (US GAAP) dard setter...
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...Work Plan for the Consideration of Incorporating International Financial Reporting Standards into the Financial Reporting System for U.S. Issuers A Comparison of U.S. GAAP and IFRS A Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Paper November 16, 2011 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ACCOUNTANT UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION This is a paper by the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Commission has expressed no view regarding the analysis, findings, or conclusions contained herein. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. II. Introduction..........................................................................................................................1 Methodology ........................................................................................................................2 A. Scope of the Analysis...............................................................................................2 B. MoU and Other Joint Projects..................................................................................3 C. SEC Rules and Regulations .....................................................................................8 D. General Observations and Clarifications .................................................................8 Comparison of Requirements ............................................................................................11 A. Accounting Changes and Error Corrections...
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...Recent Activities at the FASB Presentation Transcript 1. Recent Activities at the FASB Corporate Reporting and Governance Conference California State University, Fullerton September 2005 Katherine Schipper, Financial Accounting Standards Board The views expressed in this presentation are my own, and do not represent positions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Positions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board are arrived at only after extensive due process and deliberation. 2. Overview Financial reporting topics Exposure draft, Business Combinations (joint with the IASB) Exposure draft, Consolidated Financial Statements, Including Accounting and Reporting of Noncontrolling Interests in Subsidiaries (a replacement of ARB 51) Fair value measurement Proposals for optional fair value measurements Exposure draft, Accounting for Uncertain Tax Positions, an interpretation of SFAS 109 Performance reporting Share based payment (SFAS 123R) 3. Joint IASB-FASB project on business combinations Intent => replace SFAS 141 and converge with international standards Will include mutual enterprises Will include acquisitions of businesses through means other than a purchase of net assets or equity interests A separate project is addressing business combinations involving not-for-profit organizations General principle: recognize assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination at fair value Exceptions : income taxes, benefit plan obligations, operating...
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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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...The Security and Exchange Commission’s debate over whether to accept the International Financial Reporting Standards as an alternative to the United States’ Generally Accepted Accounting Principles remains undecided. In February 2010, the SEC generated an IFRS Work Plan in order to promote the development of a single set of high-quality, globally accepted accounting standards. The Work Plan consists of six key areas. The first of these focus on the ability of IFRS to be comprehended, to be consistent, and to be enforced; it is referred to as “sufficient development and application of IFRS for the U.S. domestic reporting system.” The second, “the independence of standard setting for the benefit of investors” emphasizes the IASB’s governance makeup. The third and fourth areas, titled “investor understanding and education regarding IFRS” and “examination of the U.S. regulatory environment that would be affected by a change in accounting standards,” have to do with the education to understand and regulate a new environment. The fifth and six areas address “the impact on issuers, both large and small, including changes to accounting systems, changes to contractual arrangements, corporate governance considerations and accounting for litigation contingencies; and human capital readiness” (www.sec.gov). Previous to the Work Plan, beginning in 2002 the FASB and IASB announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was updated in 2006 and 2008, to work towards a single set of standards...
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...1) From the consolidation perspective, what would be the likely overall effect of adopting IFRS on the company’s financial statements? From the consolidation perspective, the likely overall effect of adopting IFRS on the company’s financial statements would preserve and strengthen the company’s global financial competitiveness. Moreover, it will simplify the accounting and consolidation process significantly and reduce financial reporting costs. 2) What potential effect would arise if Klugen were to select the option under IFRS 3 to value non-controlling interest at the proportionate share of its subsidiaries’ net identifiable assets? For business combination, the buyer can control without buying all of the equity, the remaining , so-called the non-controlling, equity interests are measure either at fair value or at the non-controlling interests’ proportionate share of its subsidiaries’ net identifiable assets. Under IFRS 3, the potential effect would arise is that it will result in benefits for users by improving comparability and will increase the relevance of information provided. Moreover, it identifies and evaluates the main costs and benefits for users. 3) Do you believe that an impairment of goodwill would be more likely under IFRS or under U.S. GAAP? Why or why not? There is a difference in goodwill impairment measurement. Under U.S GAAP, two-step approach is used. It looks to the reporting unit. However, under IFRS, one-step approach is used. It is based...
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...US GAAP vs. IFRS The basics March 2010 Table of contents 2 5 7 8 11 13 14 16 18 20 26 28 31 33 35 38 40 42 43 44 46 47 Introduction Financial statement presentation Interim financial reporting Consolidations, joint venture accounting and equity method investees Business combinations Inventory Long-lived assets Intangible assets Impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets Financial instruments Foreign currency matters Leases Income taxes Provisions and contingencies Revenue recognition Share-based payments Employee benefits other than share-based payments Earnings per share Segment reporting Subsequent events Related parties Appendix — The evolution of IFRS Introduction It is not surprising that many people who follow the development of worldwide accounting standards today might be confused. Convergence is a high priority on the agendas of both the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) — and “convergence” is a term that suggests an elimination or coming together of differences. Yet much is still made of the many differences that exist between US GAAP as promulgated by the FASB and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as promulgated by the IASB, suggesting that the two GAAPs continue to speak languages that are worlds apart. This apparent contradiction has prompted many to ask just how different are the two sets of standards? And where differences exist, why do they exist...
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...US GAAP versus IFRS The basics December 2011 !@# Table of contents Introduction .....................................................................2 Financial statement presentation......................................4 Interim financial reporting ................................................6 Consolidation, joint venture accounting and equity method investees .............................................................7 Business combinations ...................................................11 Inventory .......................................................................13 Long-lived assets ...........................................................14 Intangible assets ............................................................16 Impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets ............................................................18 Financial instruments .....................................................20 Foreign currency matters ...............................................28 Leases ...........................................................................30 Income taxes..................................................................33 Provisions and contingencies ..........................................35 Revenue recognition.......................................................37 Share-based payments ...................................................39 Employee benefits other than share-based payments ......41 Earnings...
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...Death of the Operating Lease Running head: DEATH OF THE OPERATING LEASE 1 Death of the Operating Lease and its Impact on Leading U.S. Companies Mark S. Lynn Mount St. Mary’s University Copyright 2010, Mark S. Lynn Death of the Operating Lease Abstract The proposed elimination of operating lease treatment by the IASB and FASB, as outlined in 2 their discussion paper, Leases – Preliminary Views, will have a varying degree of impact on U.S firms. After a review of the evolution of lease accounting and a discussion of financial ratio analysis, this paper examines the impact of the proposed accounting change on common financial ratios of 142 large public companies. The proposal requiring the capitalization of all lease arrangements is generally detrimental to such financial measurements, with significant variability among industry sectors. Through surveys and interviews, it is further determined that while a majority of corporate financial executives do not support the proposed accounting change, they have yet to analyze the impact and prepare for the effects of the change within their own companies. Copyright 2010, Mark S. Lynn Death of the Operating Lease Death of the Operating Lease and its Impact on Leading U.S. Companies 3 “We are only tenants, and shortly the great Landlord will give us notice that our lease has expired.” ~ Joseph Jefferson (1897, p. 476). A lease is broadly defined as a contract by which an owner of property grants to another...
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