Pub Date : 2019-06-28DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1624925
I. Dennis
Abstract Understanding the conceptual framework (CF) assists in understanding the issues in its construction. Existing characterisations of the CF as a theory of accounting and as the outcome of a political process are examined and found not to identify essential characteristics or have different interpretations. Recent work on the CF that identifies essential characteristics finds that the CF is something that identifies what is wanted from financial reporting. The paper also identifies issues that arise in constructing it. Various attempts to deal with these issues by those who construct CFs are examined. They are re-described in the light of a better understanding of the nature of a CF. The paper concludes that progress in constructing a future CF will only be made if the nature of the CF is grasped and issues that need to be dealt with, given the new characterisation, are confronted head-on.
{"title":"The Conceptual Framework – A ‘Long and Winding Road’* … ","authors":"I. Dennis","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1624925","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624925","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Understanding the conceptual framework (CF) assists in understanding the issues in its construction. Existing characterisations of the CF as a theory of accounting and as the outcome of a political process are examined and found not to identify essential characteristics or have different interpretations. Recent work on the CF that identifies essential characteristics finds that the CF is something that identifies what is wanted from financial reporting. The paper also identifies issues that arise in constructing it. Various attempts to deal with these issues by those who construct CFs are examined. They are re-described in the light of a better understanding of the nature of a CF. The paper concludes that progress in constructing a future CF will only be made if the nature of the CF is grasped and issues that need to be dealt with, given the new characterisation, are confronted head-on.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624925","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43286047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-06-01DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1624923
David Alexander, Clelia Fiondella, Marco Maffei, Rosanna Spanò
Abstract This paper acknowledges the strong debate on the incoherencies affecting the IASB system, which to date is still inconclusive in the examination of such conceptual weaknesses. We move from this awareness and focus on the debate on income presentation to detect the incoherencies of the IASB accounting system through consideration of specific example IFRSs, on the grounds that the Conceptual framework (CF) and IFRSs, considered together as a set, should all be coherent with each other. We propose a possible pathway to improve such conditions thanks to the concepts and principles of coherent accounting theory, the Italian Economia Aziendale. The paper presents the above-cited incoherencies and proposes areas of improvement and intervention, by showing the possible contribution of the Economia Aziendale theory in aligning standards and superseding incoherence, relying on the two key principles of unitary view and durability. The study extends previous debates, overcoming the lacunae deriving from the well-acknowledged strong emphasis on accounting practice which has long been at the basis of the standard setters in general and the IASB in particular. This is not only relevant for academics, but has importance for preparers, investors, and regulators.
{"title":"Reporting Comprehensive Income: The Incoherencies of the IASB System and the Possible Contribution of Economia Aziendale","authors":"David Alexander, Clelia Fiondella, Marco Maffei, Rosanna Spanò","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1624923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624923","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper acknowledges the strong debate on the incoherencies affecting the IASB system, which to date is still inconclusive in the examination of such conceptual weaknesses. We move from this awareness and focus on the debate on income presentation to detect the incoherencies of the IASB accounting system through consideration of specific example IFRSs, on the grounds that the Conceptual framework (CF) and IFRSs, considered together as a set, should all be coherent with each other. We propose a possible pathway to improve such conditions thanks to the concepts and principles of coherent accounting theory, the Italian Economia Aziendale. The paper presents the above-cited incoherencies and proposes areas of improvement and intervention, by showing the possible contribution of the Economia Aziendale theory in aligning standards and superseding incoherence, relying on the two key principles of unitary view and durability. The study extends previous debates, overcoming the lacunae deriving from the well-acknowledged strong emphasis on accounting practice which has long been at the basis of the standard setters in general and the IASB in particular. This is not only relevant for academics, but has importance for preparers, investors, and regulators.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624923","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45697480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-04DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1637530
Susana Jorge, J. Caruana, Eugenio Caperchione
The European Commission has embarked on the project to develop harmonised public sector accounting standards, that will be applicable for all EU member states (EC, Eurostat, 2013). According to Eurostat, the EPSAS are a necessary tool for fiscal and budgetary integration in the EU, and are required for more rigorous, transparent and comparable reporting of financial information (ibid.). The ultimate objective is to have more reliable reporting by EU member states, regarding the debt and deficit levels as required by the Maastricht Treaty (EC, Eurostat, 2017). In order for the EPSAS to achieve the ambitious target of being viewed as building blocks that could bridge the gap between microand macro-reporting levels, the input of various disciplines is required. The EPSAS might be seen as a multi-disciplinary project, in which actors from different fields work together, each drawing on their disciplinary knowledge and methods, using a real synthesis of approaches. By their name, EPSAS would naturally involve the accountancy profession, i.e. the experts in the production and use of accounting information systems at micro-level. These would include auditors as well, for their role in ensuring that accounting systems and the ensuing financial reports are reliable. Since EPSAS are dealing with public financial management systems, the expertise of lawyers is also required, together with the practical knowledge of national budget-setters and policy makers. Given the intertwining of the microand macrosystems, the know-how of economists and statisticians cannot be referred to as an afterthought, but their disciplinary expertise needs to be taken into consideration at the outset. Such effort would be required so that there is conceptual harmonisation to the extent that the targets specified at both microand macro-levels use a common language. This context constitutes a breeding ground for arguments and discussions, especially since national governments do not seem to perceive their reporting systems as static, and are always seeking ways to improve and innovate them (Brusca, Caperchione, Cohen, & Manes Rossi, 2015). The papers included in this Special Issue tackle matters at the very heart of this discussion, following qualitative methodological approaches. These pieces of research will offer some
{"title":"‘The Challenging Task of Developing European Public Sector Accounting Standards’","authors":"Susana Jorge, J. Caruana, Eugenio Caperchione","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1637530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1637530","url":null,"abstract":"The European Commission has embarked on the project to develop harmonised public sector accounting standards, that will be applicable for all EU member states (EC, Eurostat, 2013). According to Eurostat, the EPSAS are a necessary tool for fiscal and budgetary integration in the EU, and are required for more rigorous, transparent and comparable reporting of financial information (ibid.). The ultimate objective is to have more reliable reporting by EU member states, regarding the debt and deficit levels as required by the Maastricht Treaty (EC, Eurostat, 2017). In order for the EPSAS to achieve the ambitious target of being viewed as building blocks that could bridge the gap between microand macro-reporting levels, the input of various disciplines is required. The EPSAS might be seen as a multi-disciplinary project, in which actors from different fields work together, each drawing on their disciplinary knowledge and methods, using a real synthesis of approaches. By their name, EPSAS would naturally involve the accountancy profession, i.e. the experts in the production and use of accounting information systems at micro-level. These would include auditors as well, for their role in ensuring that accounting systems and the ensuing financial reports are reliable. Since EPSAS are dealing with public financial management systems, the expertise of lawyers is also required, together with the practical knowledge of national budget-setters and policy makers. Given the intertwining of the microand macrosystems, the know-how of economists and statisticians cannot be referred to as an afterthought, but their disciplinary expertise needs to be taken into consideration at the outset. Such effort would be required so that there is conceptual harmonisation to the extent that the targets specified at both microand macro-levels use a common language. This context constitutes a breeding ground for arguments and discussions, especially since national governments do not seem to perceive their reporting systems as static, and are always seeking ways to improve and innovate them (Brusca, Caperchione, Cohen, & Manes Rossi, 2015). The papers included in this Special Issue tackle matters at the very heart of this discussion, following qualitative methodological approaches. These pieces of research will offer some","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1637530","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42892324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-04DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1632466
L. Kidwell, Suzanne L. Lowensohn
Abstract Accounting standard-setting bodies employ mechanisms for stakeholder participation in the standard-setting process. While due process procedures of national and international accounting standards boards have been studied in various contexts, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) is a unique organisational body warranting study at a fundamental level. IPSASB has celebrated 20 years of standard setting; however, as a transnational standard setter, the IPSASB lacks determinate authoritative status, and adoption of its standards is quite varied. Given such circumstances, what stakeholders participate in IPSASB’s due process procedures, and in what manner? This paper identifies the stakeholder type, the tone of response, and the geographical origin of respondents submitting comment letters to IPSASB due process documents. Although in principle the effort to develop European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) is independent of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), IPSAS have been cited as ‘an indisputable reference’ for the development of EPSAS; thus stakeholder participation in the setting of IPSAS is also relevant to those interested in developing EPSAS.
{"title":"Participation in the Process of Setting Public Sector Accounting Standards: the Case of IPSASB","authors":"L. Kidwell, Suzanne L. Lowensohn","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1632466","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1632466","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Accounting standard-setting bodies employ mechanisms for stakeholder participation in the standard-setting process. While due process procedures of national and international accounting standards boards have been studied in various contexts, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) is a unique organisational body warranting study at a fundamental level. IPSASB has celebrated 20 years of standard setting; however, as a transnational standard setter, the IPSASB lacks determinate authoritative status, and adoption of its standards is quite varied. Given such circumstances, what stakeholders participate in IPSASB’s due process procedures, and in what manner? This paper identifies the stakeholder type, the tone of response, and the geographical origin of respondents submitting comment letters to IPSASB due process documents. Although in principle the effort to develop European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) is independent of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), IPSAS have been cited as ‘an indisputable reference’ for the development of EPSAS; thus stakeholder participation in the setting of IPSAS is also relevant to those interested in developing EPSAS.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1632466","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41546367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-04DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1624791
Marco Bisogno, Caroline Aggestam Pontoppidan, R. Hodges, Francesca Manes‐Rossi
Abstract This paper investigates accounting for non-exchange revenue, an issue which has a strong relevance in public sector accounting, but which is rarely encountered in the private sector. The IPSASB consultation paper ‘Accounting for Revenue and Non-exchange Expenses’ is analyzed to illustrate that the specificities of the public sector are not necessarily taken into account when developing public sector accounting standards. Our analysis is informed by literature on the political nature of accrual accounting in public sector entities. The paper highlights the territorializing role of the IPSASB, the mediating role attributable to the consultation paper, and the potential adjudicating and subjectivizing roles of a future public sector accounting standard on revenue recognition.
{"title":"Setting International Public-Sector Accounting Standards: Does ‘Public’ Matter? The Case of Revenue from Non-Exchange Transactions","authors":"Marco Bisogno, Caroline Aggestam Pontoppidan, R. Hodges, Francesca Manes‐Rossi","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1624791","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624791","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper investigates accounting for non-exchange revenue, an issue which has a strong relevance in public sector accounting, but which is rarely encountered in the private sector. The IPSASB consultation paper ‘Accounting for Revenue and Non-exchange Expenses’ is analyzed to illustrate that the specificities of the public sector are not necessarily taken into account when developing public sector accounting standards. Our analysis is informed by literature on the political nature of accrual accounting in public sector entities. The paper highlights the territorializing role of the IPSASB, the mediating role attributable to the consultation paper, and the potential adjudicating and subjectivizing roles of a future public sector accounting standard on revenue recognition.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624791","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42333554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-04DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1632467
B. Mann, P. Lorson, L. Oulasvirta, Ellen Haustein
Abstract Since 2013, the European Union has aimed to harmonize the public sector accounting (PSA) of its member states by developing European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS). As a prerequisite for consistent EPSAS, a conceptual framework (CF) is to be developed which includes an explicit selection of purposes. Providing an international comparative view with the theoretical underpinning of Nobes’ classification, this paper presents a literature-based systematization of PSA purposes. Our systematization is applied to three CFs: one international (IPSAS) and two national (from the USA and Germany, respectively). Through a normative discussion, we conclude that accountability is preferable as the overall accounting purpose. This theoretical lens is used to evaluate the recent status quo of the ongoing EPSAS CF project. This paper thereby develops relevant implications for accounting theory and offers a starting point for standard setters and scholars to prioritize purposes for PSA with respect to different legal frameworks.
{"title":"The Quest for a Primary EPSAS Purpose – Insights from Literature and Conceptual Frameworks","authors":"B. Mann, P. Lorson, L. Oulasvirta, Ellen Haustein","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1632467","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1632467","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Since 2013, the European Union has aimed to harmonize the public sector accounting (PSA) of its member states by developing European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS). As a prerequisite for consistent EPSAS, a conceptual framework (CF) is to be developed which includes an explicit selection of purposes. Providing an international comparative view with the theoretical underpinning of Nobes’ classification, this paper presents a literature-based systematization of PSA purposes. Our systematization is applied to three CFs: one international (IPSAS) and two national (from the USA and Germany, respectively). Through a normative discussion, we conclude that accountability is preferable as the overall accounting purpose. This theoretical lens is used to evaluate the recent status quo of the ongoing EPSAS CF project. This paper thereby develops relevant implications for accounting theory and offers a starting point for standard setters and scholars to prioritize purposes for PSA with respect to different legal frameworks.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1632467","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48448665","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-05-04DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2019.1624924
J. Caruana, G. Dabbicco, Susana Jorge, M. Jesus
Abstract EPSAS are being considered in the EU context where a need for harmonisation in Governmental Accounting (GA) has been recognised as important to increase the reliability of sources of information to the National Accounts (NA) figures. However, GA and NA are two different and parallel reporting systems at national level, even if, within the European context, EPSAS intend to contribute for their convergence. The relationship between GA and NA has been recurrently addressed in the literature over the last two decades, with professionals being more proactive while academics have been more reactive in the debate. Several issues have been raised. This paper recaptures and revises these issues, synthesising academic and practitioner literature, archival documents and reports of EU working groups, from 1996 to 2018. The analysis highlights the more controversial areas, and those that seemed already settled but yet are now, within the context of EPSAS development, being raised again. Specifically, the paper calls attention to (1) the need to manage between two different conceptual frameworks of GA and NA; (2) the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between the professionals involved, namely accountants, public administrators and statisticians; (3) the role of budgetary accounting and the alignment required between reporting in GA and NA, reducing and harmonising adjustments to be made when translating data from one into the other; and (4) the need to address auditing issues, as EPSAS on their own may not be enough to ensure reliability of the information reported.
{"title":"The Development of EPSAS: Contributions from the Literature","authors":"J. Caruana, G. Dabbicco, Susana Jorge, M. Jesus","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2019.1624924","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624924","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract EPSAS are being considered in the EU context where a need for harmonisation in Governmental Accounting (GA) has been recognised as important to increase the reliability of sources of information to the National Accounts (NA) figures. However, GA and NA are two different and parallel reporting systems at national level, even if, within the European context, EPSAS intend to contribute for their convergence. The relationship between GA and NA has been recurrently addressed in the literature over the last two decades, with professionals being more proactive while academics have been more reactive in the debate. Several issues have been raised. This paper recaptures and revises these issues, synthesising academic and practitioner literature, archival documents and reports of EU working groups, from 1996 to 2018. The analysis highlights the more controversial areas, and those that seemed already settled but yet are now, within the context of EPSAS development, being raised again. Specifically, the paper calls attention to (1) the need to manage between two different conceptual frameworks of GA and NA; (2) the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between the professionals involved, namely accountants, public administrators and statisticians; (3) the role of budgetary accounting and the alignment required between reporting in GA and NA, reducing and harmonising adjustments to be made when translating data from one into the other; and (4) the need to address auditing issues, as EPSAS on their own may not be enough to ensure reliability of the information reported.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2019.1624924","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48654720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2018.1468914
J. Moreira
{"title":"Forging Accounting Principles in Five Countries – A History and Analysis of Trends","authors":"J. Moreira","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2018.1468914","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2018.1468914","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2019-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2018.1468914","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48036217","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-10-16DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2018.1531141
Mostafa Harakeh, Edward Lee, M. Walker
Abstract We examine the potential for IFRS to influence the market for SEOs in the UK and France. The divergence between the UK domestic accounting standards and IFRS is minor (low-divergence firms) whereas domestic accounting standards in France differ materially from IFRS (high-divergence firms); however, both countries have similar legal enforcement and institutional settings that might confound the effect of IFRS adoption. We argue that IFRS adoption serves to mitigate information asymmetry and improve accounting quality. Accordingly, we find that, following IFRS adoption, earnings management activities decrease among high-divergence firms prior to issuing SEOs. As a result of the lower levels of earnings management and information asymmetry, we predict and find that the market reaction to issuing SEOs improves significantly for high-divergence firms following IFRS. Given that equity financing becomes less costly, we find that the propensity to issue new SEOs increases among high-divergence firms after IFRS adoption. We find no similar changes among low-divergence firms. The results persist after running a matched-sample analysis and controlling for potential self-selection bias.
{"title":"The Differential Impact of IFRS Adoption on Aspects of Seasoned Equity Offerings in the UK and France","authors":"Mostafa Harakeh, Edward Lee, M. Walker","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2018.1531141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2018.1531141","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract\u0000 We examine the potential for IFRS to influence the market for SEOs in the UK and France. The divergence between the UK domestic accounting standards and IFRS is minor (low-divergence firms) whereas domestic accounting standards in France differ materially from IFRS (high-divergence firms); however, both countries have similar legal enforcement and institutional settings that might confound the effect of IFRS adoption. We argue that IFRS adoption serves to mitigate information asymmetry and improve accounting quality. Accordingly, we find that, following IFRS adoption, earnings management activities decrease among high-divergence firms prior to issuing SEOs. As a result of the lower levels of earnings management and information asymmetry, we predict and find that the market reaction to issuing SEOs improves significantly for high-divergence firms following IFRS. Given that equity financing becomes less costly, we find that the propensity to issue new SEOs increases among high-divergence firms after IFRS adoption. We find no similar changes among low-divergence firms. The results persist after running a matched-sample analysis and controlling for potential self-selection bias.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2018-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2018.1531141","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46563447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2018-09-26DOI: 10.1080/17449480.2018.1519320
Jörg-Markus Hitz, H. Schnack
Abstract This paper provides descriptive evidence on voluntary firm disclosures related to enforcement reviews. Our analyses are set in the German institutional environment, where firms are mandated to disclose error announcements if enforcement institutions, after conclusion of the review, formally establish financial statements to contain material errors. We find that firms provide voluntary disclosures about ongoing enforcement reviews on rare occasions while they opt to disclose information about concluded reviews more frequently. Content analyses reveal that the format of disclosures about ongoing reviews is potentially associated with the eventual review outcome, which is consistent with firms deliberately using these disclosures. This interpretation is supported by additional multivariate analyses of disclosures relating to ongoing reviews, which turn out more likely for contentious reviews. Analysis of market reactions provides weak evidence that investors price these disclosures, as negative market responses to the disclosure of error findings are mitigated. Hence, our paper provides a novel angle on the growing literature on accounting enforcement and yields insights into firm-level incentives for strategic disclosures.
{"title":"Firm Disclosures about Enforcement Reviews","authors":"Jörg-Markus Hitz, H. Schnack","doi":"10.1080/17449480.2018.1519320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480.2018.1519320","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract This paper provides descriptive evidence on voluntary firm disclosures related to enforcement reviews. Our analyses are set in the German institutional environment, where firms are mandated to disclose error announcements if enforcement institutions, after conclusion of the review, formally establish financial statements to contain material errors. We find that firms provide voluntary disclosures about ongoing enforcement reviews on rare occasions while they opt to disclose information about concluded reviews more frequently. Content analyses reveal that the format of disclosures about ongoing reviews is potentially associated with the eventual review outcome, which is consistent with firms deliberately using these disclosures. This interpretation is supported by additional multivariate analyses of disclosures relating to ongoing reviews, which turn out more likely for contentious reviews. Analysis of market reactions provides weak evidence that investors price these disclosures, as negative market responses to the disclosure of error findings are mitigated. Hence, our paper provides a novel angle on the growing literature on accounting enforcement and yields insights into firm-level incentives for strategic disclosures.","PeriodicalId":45647,"journal":{"name":"Accounting in Europe","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2018-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/17449480.2018.1519320","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42950598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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