Audit Quality in Practice A Critical Analysis of the Financial Reporting Council （FRC） Discussion Paper

The efforts by the Financial Reporting Council （FRC） in the United Kingdom （UK） to stimulate audit firms to improve audit quality manifest in its Discussion Paper： Promoting Audit Quality warrant further analysis. The discussion paper identified factors such as audit firm culture, the quality of people, the effectiveness of audit process, and outside factors such as management and audit committee （AC） which can affect level of audit quality in practice. Reporting upon the analysis of responses to the discussion paper, the objective of this study is to analyze views from the respondents about various issues related to audit quality. This study composes of how subject of audit quality is seen in practice, which contributes to our understanding of conditions, events, or processes that can affect audit quality in practice.

Motifs and Impediments for the Harmonization of Accounting Regulations for Small and Medium-Sized Companies in the EU

Small and medium-sized companies in most EU countries form a considerable share in the total number of companies and are also an important development impeller of the entire economy. Therefore, one of the most essential goals of accounting authorities in the EU is accomplishing the harmonization of accounting regulations for these companies. In this paper, the author have discussed and explained the main motifs and impediments for this harmonization. One of the main motifs is a big span and complexity of international standards of financial reports which is allowed and even prescribed in many countries. Some of the main impediments are a lack of uniformity as far as criteria for classification of small and medium-sized companies according to size are concerned as well as the determining of limitations up to which the requirements in accounting standards for small and medium-sized companies should be set.

The Faithful Representation of Electrical Energy Sale and Purchase Agreements Under International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards （IAS/IFRS）

This article aims at giving a contribution to the issue of accounting electrical energy sale and purchase agreements in accordance with the faithful representation principle. To this end, it must be ascertained whether electrical energy is bought/sold for an industrial use exclusively, so that the relevant transaction will be accounted as a normal purchase/sale, or through the lease of the relevant production plant, which would require the supply contract to be accounted in compliance with International Accounting Standards （IAS） 17 ＂Leasing＂. Alternatively, it must also be ascertained whether the relevant party is implementing financial trading strategies, as in such hypothesis, the supply contract is to be accounted as a financial instrument according to International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） 9/IAS 39 ＂Financial Instruments＂. Finally, the modalities used by a number of companies listed on European regulated markets to account such kind of contracts will be analyzed.

Investor Protection, Deviation of Local Accounting Standards From IFRS, and the Effectiveness of the IFRS Adoption

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of accounting standards and investor protection on value relevance of earnings and book value of equity among European Union countries during the years 1999-2007. The results indicate that the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards [IFRS] leads to improvement in value relevance, particularly on earnings. We also examine the impact of investor protection and the deviation of local accounting standards from IFRS on the effectiveness of the IFRS adoption. The results show supporting evidence for investor protection but inconclusive evidence for accounting standard deviation. However, additional analysis indicates that the countries which apparently benefit from adopting IFRS are those with high deviation of local accounting standards from IFRS and high investor protection. The findings imply that adopting IFRS alone cannot improve value relevance of accounting information, but standard setters and regulators need to strengthen their investor protection mechanisms in order to improve the quality of accounting information.

A Possible Narrative Section Harmonisation？ The Role of the Practice Statement Management Commentary

The Practice Statement provides a flexible approach to preparation of the management commentary, generating more meaningful disclosure and discussing those matters that are more relevant to the company＇s individual circumstances. In this direction, the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） has highlighted some content elements recognised as being fundamental for guaranteeing the usefulness of the management commentary. With reference to these elements, it is interesting to analyse the level of disclosure of the financial reporting. These analyses aim to identify the themes dealt with most extensively by the companies and those that require greater attention so that the narrative section of the financial statement is, on the one hand, at least consistent with the suggestions of the guideline and, on the other hand, contains information that is useful for the users. Lastly, in the light of the relevant European Union （EU） directives, the results of the analysis will help to formulate considerations on the ability of the IASB guideline to improve the completeness of the narrative section. All this is examined in a cross-country dimension： Financial reports in Italy and the United Kingdom （UK） are examined. The content analysis methodology is applied. Within the financial reporting, the management discussion is examined in particular. The analysis is performed considering 2008. This qualitative paper will contribute to the studies on disclosure and usefulness of the information provided.

Accounting Policies of Companies Reporting According to IFRS

The article deals with accounting policies of companies reporting in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS）. Despite of being in accordance with corresponding standards, there are some particular accounting policies that are not being used by companies. The article aims to highlight some of these areas and point out to accounting policies that are prevalent in IFRS＇s accounting practice

IAS-IFRS Adoption Impact on Accounting Information： The Case of France

The International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） has established international standards （International Accounting Standards （lASs） and International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRSs）） to ensure more comparability and transparency and also higher-quality financial statements. The creation of such standards by the IASB aims at achieving harmonization of accounting practices among countries. The objective of this research is to show that in accordance with the expectations of international organizations, the adoption of IAS-IFRS increases the information content of financial statements and also to identify the key accounting variables that have been affected by this adoption. This article used a sample of year observations of 150 French firms which have adopted IAS-IFRS since 2005 as data to study the association relationship between accounting variables and stock returns before and after the adoption of IASs. The findings of this paper show that the application of IAS-IFRS as accounting standards increases the information content of accounting numbers. Dividends, long-term debts, equity, and revenue variables are most correlated with stock returns. Their information content has reached 80% after the adoption, while it was 30% before.

Harmonization of financial reporting of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic

A current problem of the present-day accounting and financial reporting consists in aligning the accounting in small and medium enterprises. In July 2009 the International Financial Reporting Standard for small and medium-sized enterprises was issued, which extended the aligning possibilities also to small and medium enterprises considerably. If the standard is adopted by the national legislation, problems connected with the standard implementation in the national legislation will have to be solved as well as practical issues connected with making financial statements. At present the yields and the problems which can arise in connection with the standard application have to be focused on. A contribution of the standard application will be a better informative ability of financial statements on the international level. At small and medium enterprises this can contribute to better comanunication with banks, with investors, rating application are： parallel reporting according to national agencies etc. The problems connected with the standard regulations, differences between the national legislation and the standard, wide practice at keeping accounts and making financial statements and limited approach of small and medium enterprises to obtaining information and to training of their employees. Another problem can be a tight link between the trading income and the tax base, when small companies prefer rather the tax point of view.

Financial statements in less developed countries： What do preparers demand？

This study reports on an empirical investigation of the characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs of preparers of external financial reports in a less developed country. The basic research instrument consisted of a questionnaire in two parts： the first addressing attitudes of professional accountants toward annual financial reports generally; the second, more specifically measuring the importance of the information items to preparers. Our results suggest that the independent auditor is the most influential group in decision-making processes. As in many developed countries, the auditor＇s report and the regulatory framework are considered to have a major influence on financial reporting practices. Preparers believe that a lack of knowledge of external users＇ needs and lack of reporting standards and accepted accounting principles are the main concerns with corporate financial reports in Iran. The results showed that the balance sheet, auditors＇ report, and income statement in that order are the three most important parts of the annual reports.

International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） and Financial Accounting Standards Board （FASB） Convergence Project： Where Are They Now？

The convergence project between the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） and the Financial Accounting Standards Board （FASB） in the United States （US） was signed on September 18, 2002 in Norwalk, Connecticut in the US. The first is responsible for issuing International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） nowadays, which were created 40 years ago. More than one century ago, local regulations are used in the US. The boards differ in years of experience. With the signing of the agreement, both institutions are working to reduce the divergence of accounting. Although they have made a significant progress, it is appropriate to examine whether the difference in approaches to accounting will affect the achieved agreements. It is relevant to investigate whether the years leading the standards adopted in different countries will impact the final result. The date of completion of the project has been postponed and still has not indicated the date of termination. This research is an analysis of the importance of the convergence of accounting standards at a global level. The study presents statistics on the status of the adoption of international standards by country. The study shows a summary of the expressions made by the directors of both boards about the future of the project.

International accounting system and its major challenges in time

The process of globalization is one of the biggest social processes which the humanity has faced ever. That＇s why its impact on the global economy is huge and due to this the accounting sector is very important. That＇s why one of the main international accounting processes on the actual period is the harmonization of the national accounting systems. The harmonization process is influenced by several factors like culture, politics, economy and sociological behaviors. The paper is trying to present the evolution of harmonization process during the time advantages and weakness generated by its solutions. The paper is trying to present also the efforts of the process to main accounting systems： US GAAP and IAS/IFRS, in order to achieve in the next period the convergence, in order to be able to propose to the financial world a unique accounting model.

Financial Statement Comparability： Empirical Evidence From Brazil

The convergence of accounting standards started in the 1970s, with international norms issued by the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） and with the efforts of various countries to adopt the International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS）, already mandatory in Brazil since 2010. Thus, comparable accounting information is clearly important, and this study plans to confirm the level of comparability of net income and equity of companies in the financial sector （in Brazil, ＂Finance and Others＂）, listed in the stock exchange, futures, and commodities （BM＆F Bovespal）, issued according to Brazilian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles （BR GAAP） and the IFRS. This study is descriptive, using a quantitative approach. Data were collected from secondary sources, more specifically, from the explanatory notes in the financial statements of the companies listed in the financial sector of the BM＆F Bovespa in the fiscal year of 2010. The results showed a reasonable level of comparability, with 68% of the companies presenting materially comparable information for net income and 72% of them for equity. However, decisions made based on data issued following the two different standards may have suffered the influence of asymmetric information; in other words, the comparability of information did not seem to satisfy those companies during the studied period of time. The main limitations of this study were data collection and selection for the development of the research because of： （1） inconsistence in net income and equity reconciliation criteria in the companies investigated; and （2） lack of uniformity in designating the adjustments that affect net income and equity in the conversion of the BR GAAP standard into the IFRS.

The Rush to IFRS： Practice Vs Academe, Is the Need to Change the CPA Exam Genuine？

In October 2010, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA] announced that the CPA （Certified Public Accountant） examination would be changed to include International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS）. A reason given for this change was the supposed importance given to IFRS knowledge in the latest practice analysis. This paper examines this practice analysis as well as a review by graduate students of some accounting textbooks. The conclusion given by the students, other academic research and the practice analysis is that US is not prepared to immediately make this change.

Possible Directions of Applications of IAS/IFRS in Kosovo and Comparative Aspects

Current accounting development in Kosovo is estimated to be relatively good, which always constituted in terms of maintenance, improvement and facilitate of financial reporting system for all business entities within this system In recent years, Kosovo experienced rapid development in economic and social aspects, along with all effects and other changes, which has occurred in the development of accounting and financial reporting system. Accounting requirements are already addressed to the business community for keeping proper accounting in accordance with existing intemational and Kosovar standards. In recent years in Kosovo, we notice an increase of enterprises in the number, especially private enterprises, which have highlighted the great necessary to have such information, who had been a major help for their managers. With this, the accounting gets a new role, becoming the information that flows from that decisive leadership bodies. But the changing of role of accounting must be accompanied by measures to ensure its retention in accordance with the requirements and new conditions created

The Effects of Audit Committee Attributes on Fraudulent Financial Reporting

This study aims to examine the relationship between audit committee attributes （audit committee independence, financial expertise, meeting frequency, gender diversity, and ethnic composition） and the propensity for fraudulent financial reporting. The sample includes 116 fraudulent and non-frandulent firms listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2005 to 2010. The finding of this study indicates that audit committee independence is positively associated with fraudulent financial reporting. The higher the proportion of independent or outside directors on the committee, the higher the possibility of financial fraud, and vice versa. The results also show that the expertise of members of the audit committee is negatively associated with corporate fraud. This suggests that when audit committee members are financially literate, they are more competent to curb fraudulent financial reporting. However, the findings for frequency of audit committee meetings, gender, and ethnicity show that there is no relationship between these variables and corporate fraud. The result of this study is robust after controlling for other firm-specific effects.

Does Accounting Choices Affect Financial Reporting Communication？ Some Critical Consideration

The aim of this work is to analyze the critical issues related to stock options accounting granted to employees. Given the different ways to collect stock option plans, it follows that according to the accounting treatment adopted, it changes the financial reporting of stock option plans, and thus the information communicated to stakeholders and markets in general. The examination of the accounting treatment of stock options starts from the study of legal changes relating to the stock options and various criteria suggested will be presented for the evaluation of the options and for detection of their cost in the financial statements of companies （Guay, Kothari, ＆ Sloan, 2003）. After the analysis of international accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） on the subject, specifically the ＂IFRS 2＂, we can state that they had a strong impact on Italian companies （Ciampaglia, 2008）. The central aspect of the study, however, consists of an analysis of the market effects of accounting for the cost associated with the issuance of stock option plans （Cerri ＆ Sottoriva, 2010）. Budgeted costs relating to the adoption of stock option plans granted to employees change the measures of economic performance of the enterprise, such as return on investment （ROI） and return on equity （ROE）, with significant effects on the evaluation of the economic capital of the company. A company that does not account for costs related to stock option plans recorded a best exercise, but it could distort the valuation of fmancial analysts （Tagliavini, 2000）. Finally, it can be observed that the proper accounting of costs associated with stock options is a prerequisite for the comparability of financial statements of companies that grant, and it is therefore necessary to adequately reflect the value of the company.

Evaluation of the Impact of International Accounting Standards Board （IASB） Framework Concepts on the Public Accounting Profession

Accounting profession has, in recent times, been regulated mainly by the private accounting standard setters mainly the International Accounting Standards Board （IASB）, which has taken a center stage and redefined the accounting information systems beyond the knowledge discernment of the average users and stakeholders. Public accounting profession＇s overreliance on the ever-changing IASB conceptual frameworks and their subsequent publications International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS） standards has strongly compromised the ethics and objectivity of the profession, especially the accounting fundamental qualitative characteristics of the fair representation. Public accountants are, by ethics, required to issue an accurate, independent, and objective opinion of the financial state of the reporting entity. A review of various literatures from the IASB and the related bodies including independent auditors was employed during the evaluation process so as to minimize bias and evaluate objectively. The results revealed that currently, the IASB conceptual frameworks and IFRS contain inconsistent and opposing objectives including an inconclusive definition of elements and measurement basis mainly of profit and loss transactions and other comprehensive income, and hence the public accounting profession has been ethically challenged and compromised. Financial reporting is now premised on estimates, judgments, and models as opposed to a definitive measurement in accounting. A recommendation of further study on the IASB fundamental qualitative characteristics of decision usefulness should be pursued objectively.

The Impact of Switching Standard on Accounting Quality

In a developing country, modernization and change of the accounting regime are possible if the standards are in compliance with global ones. The change of accounting standards adopted by Turkey started to be implemented, and this created a number of qualitative and quantitative results. This study examines the impact of change of accounting standards on accounting quality. In order to determine how switching standard reflects accounting quality, first of all, the earnings management, timely loss recognition, and value relevance variables pertaining to accounting quality were listed and the findings were stated after subjecting the obtained data to statistical analyses. Accordingly, by the transition to International Financial Reporting Standards （IFRS）, the earnings management practices were observed to decrease as compared with the pre-IFRS period and the timely loss recognition and value-relevance values were observed to increase, which constitute the dimensions of accounting quality. It was also concluded that by the switch from domestic accounting standards to International Accounting Standards （IAS）, the quality of accounting in the country was improved and the market became more active than it was before.