Over-Complexity in Accounting Standards and the Emerging Duopoly of US GAAP AND IFRS

US accounting regulation has been criticised for maintaining an over-complex "rules-based" approach, cited as the partial cause of significant failures in corporate governance. US regulators state that they are now on a pathway to a more "principles-based" approach, but the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) claims superiority in this approach already. The recent efforts of the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and IASB are examined to see if either claim is clearly supportable. As these authorities appear to be in the process of creating a world accounting standard-setting duopoly, unresolved problems involving over-complexity are likely to be transported to other countries, including Australia.     

《改进国际会计准则》项目13项国际会计准则主要变化(三)

<正> (八)《国际会计准则第24号——关联方披露》 虽然理事会保留了改进前《国际会计准则第24号》中关于关联方定义和披露的基本方法,但是对准则的体例结构进行了较大的调整,增加了准则目标段和关联方披露的目的部分,取消了对关联方定价方式的论述和披露要求,对准则的范围和术语定义进行了大量补充,扩展了对关联方的界定,在披露上也提出了不少新的要求,并提供了更加详细的指南。较之改进前的准则,改进后的准则明确了准则的目标,体例结构更加完整,逻辑上更加严密。     

Accounting for Public Hospitals: A Case Study of Modified GAAP

Public hospitals in the U.K. apply GAAP as modified by the Treasury, the Financial Reporting Advisory Board (FRAB) and the Department of Health. Individual National Health Service (NHS) Trusts apply their interpretation of the accounting manuals with further guidance and scrutiny from oversight bodies such as the Audit Commission. This article uses a case study approach to investigate how GAAP is modified and to outline the consequences of the constructed reality. The modifications are layered and often opaque. The accounts are constructed according to accounting requirements stipulated by Government and the account preparers adapt the requirements at Trust level. The accounting statements play a part in constructing a reality ( Hines, 1988 ) that has consequences through the NHS control regime and in how the financial position is portrayed to the public. It appears that GAAP is used to legitimate the NHS as a modern organization applying commercial accounting practice, but the accounting statements provide a distorted view of GAAP compliant statements. The accounting, while not itself real, is real in its consequences and can lead to biased decision‐making, service closures and job losses. The planned compliance of NHS Trusts with international GAAP may provide further scope for modification and manipulation in constructing NHS accounting reality.     

《改进国际会计准则》项目13项国际会计准则主要变化(二)

<正> (六)《国际会计准则第17号——租赁》 由于理事会现行议程中包括一项有关租赁的项目,因此,理事会没有对《国际会计准则第17号》中有关租赁会计的基本处理方法进行重新考虑,主要改进是明确了既含有土地成分又含有建筑物成分的租赁的分类方法,改变了除制造商或经销商出租人以外的出租人在协商和安排租赁     

《改进国际会计准则》项目13项国际会计准则主要变化(五)

(十)<国际会计准则第28号--对联营企业的投资>本次改进中理事会保留了改进前的<国际会计准则第28号>中所规定的对联营企业投资的基本处理方法,对准则的适用范围、重要影响的判断因素、豁免使用权益法的标准、联营企业的会计政策与报告日的要求、联营企业亏损的确认限额等进行了改进,改进后的准则不再适用于单独财务报表中对联营企业投资的会计处理.改进后的该准则还取代了原国际会计准则委员会常设解释委员会的<解释公告第3号--消除与联营企业交易中的未实现利润和损失>、<解释公告第20号--权益法:损失的确认>和<解释公告第33号>.     

美国股票期权会计准则比较及借鉴

美国股票期权会计制度的发展 美国两个最主要的股票期权会计准则为会计原则委员会(AccountingPrinciples Board，以下简称APB)在1972年订立的APB第25号意见书和财务会计准则委员会(Financial Accounting……     

新保险会计准则征求意见稿对寿险企业利润计量的影响

本文分析并比较了财政部发布的《企业会计准则第X号保险合同(修订)(征求意见稿》与我国现行保险会计准则在利润披露与确认方面的差异。通过仿真模拟利润计量,发现征求意见稿下定期寿险合同的承保后期将会确认更多的利润贡献;合同服务边际对利润计量的平滑效应更加突出,尤其是对亏损计量的吸收作用将会显现;征求意见稿对手续费及佣金的规定会进一步平稳计量利润;收入口径的改变更符合寿险合同长期性的经济特质等。因此,建议我国寿险公司统一数据平台,衔接财务系统与精算系统;调整绩效考核指标、业务结构和产品策略;更加谨慎合理地进行产品定价测算;进一步加强保单的维护工作,为应对征求意见稿的实施做好充分准备。     

会计双重披露差异与中国会计标准的国际协调研究述评

本文回顾了1997～2002年间与境内外报告会计差异及中国会计标准国际协调有关的经验研究文献,并对此类研究的基本发现与研究局限进行了初步总结和评价。     

美国会计准则的评价与借鉴

美国人一直自诩美国公认会计原则(GAAP)是世界上最好的会计准则,是制定会计规范的黄金标准。其公开公正的制定程序、宽广深厚的理论基础、科学完备的结构层次、全面的业务覆盖范围,堪称会计理论与实务恰当结合的典范,代表世界会计准则问题研究的中心,很多东西的确值得我们学习和借鉴。 一、值得借鉴的一些方面1.有明确的工作目标和严格的制定程序。美国会计准则制定机构很早就认识到会计准则决不仅仅是一种技术程序,而是有经济后果的,其实质是经济利益的再分配,其制定程序是在相关各方利益冲突条件下的一种公共选择过程,因此对会…     

由美国会计准则的制定方式和概念框架在GAAP中层次的发展想到的

一、美国会计准则的制订方式将向以原则为基础、以目标为导向发展2000年后,美国上市公司连续出现安然、世通等财务欺诈案件,导致了《2002萨班斯—奥克斯莱法案》的出台。该法案的重要性,特别是对财务会计和报告的影响,不亚于1933年《证券法》和1934年的《证券交易法》。除组建上市公司会计监督委员会(PCAOB),加强对独立审计师的监管外,会计方面主要采取两大措施:一是改革会计准则的制订方式,提出从以规则为基础(Pules—based),转向以目标为导向,以原则为基础(Anobjectives—oriented,Principlesbased);二是改进完善现有的财务会计概念公…     

SEC在美国会计准则建设中的作用及启示

2001年12月2日，美国能源巨子安然公司(Enron)宣告破产，成为美国历史上最大的一起破产案，其破产金额高达500亿美元，投资者损失达320亿美元，雇员退休金损失超过10亿美元，主要债权人摩根大通和花旗集团……     

International Publishing Patterns: An Investigation of Leading UK and US Accounting and Finance Journals

Abstract:   Research quality is often measured by the quality of the journals in which articles are published. This article looks at 1,867 articles published in six highly‐rated UK and six highly‐rated US academic journals from 1996 to 2000. The authors publishing in the UK journals come mainly from UK and US institutions, but just over a third come from other countries. However, almost ninety per cent of authors publishing in top US journals come from US institutions. Contributions from authors from institutions in non‐English speaking countries in these top journals are rare. The implications of this research are that although accounting is growing increasingly international, academic research, especially in the top US journals remains stubbornly nationally‐orientated.     

Accounting for Joint Ventures and Associates in Canada, UK, and US: Do US Rules Hide Information?

Abstract:   Unlike US GAAP, accounting principles in Canada and the UK require disclosure of disaggregated components of joint ventures and associates. Using comparative analysis of Canadian, UK and US data, this study investigates the potential loss of forecasting and valuation relevant information from aggregating joint venture and associate accounting amounts. Findings show that aggregating joint venture and associate investment numbers, and aggregating joint venture revenues and expenses, each leads to loss of forecasting and valuation relevant information. Thus, current US accounting principles likely mask information that financial statement users could use to predict future earnings and explain share prices.     

当前美国会计准则的发展趋势及若干思考

随着社会经济的发展 ,美国会计准则也处在不断的改革与完善之中。根据近年来美国会计准则的改革动态 ,本文探讨了美国会计准则的三大发展趋势 :致力于发展高质量的会计准则、研究会计准则制定模式的改革以及积极与国际会计准则接轨等 ,并提出了作者的若干思考。     

The Management of Currency Risk: Case Studies of US and UK Multinationals

This paper presents a case study analysis of currency risk management practice in large British and American multinational companies undertaken to extend findings obtained in a preliminary survey of 51 British multinational companies. The extension examines the behaviour of American as well as British companies, not just in terms of transaction risk but with reference to translation risk as well, and focuses upon the extent of risk neutrality. Case study analysis allows interviewers to evaluate differences in behaviour which may help to explain policies adopted.     

会计准则的信息含量:中国会计准则与IFRS之比较

在我国 ,对如何实现中国会计准则国际化问题一直存在不同的认识。一种观点认为 ,不应过多地考虑“国家特色” ,主张尽快全面国际化 ;另一种观点则认为在会计国际化的同时 ,应当考虑并体现会计的国家特色 ,不应片面追求国际化。那么 ,究竟应当如何解决这些争端 ,把握好借鉴国际惯例和考虑中国国情的辨证关系 ,掌握好两者之间的结合“度” ?我们认为 ,会计准则信息含量的比较研究 ,可以帮助我们进行这方面的分析。本文采用实证研究的方法 ,通过中国会计准则与国际财务报告准则 (IFRS)信息含量的比较研究 ,为哪一种会计准则对信息用户更具决策相关性提供量化证据。研究结果表明 ,按照中国会计准则提供的会计盈余数据比按照国际财务报告准则提供的盈余数据更有信息含量。因而 ,当前我国的会计准则建设仍应考虑国情 ,不应当全盘照搬国际财务报告准则     

Properties of Market Expectations of Accounting Earnings by Financial Analysts: UK versus US

This paper compares patterns and properties of financial analysts' forecasts (FAFs) of earnings between the UK and the US. Using 299 UK and 400 US firms from the same data source—Institutional Brokers Estimate System tapes—the accuracy of forecasts is examined and the sources of errors analysed. The results reveal that FAFs errors in the UK are much smaller than those in the US, and that this disparity persists even after controlling for firm size and industry effects. Further, FAFs of US firms demonstrate consistent overestimation of earnings over the sample period 1988–1990, while UK firms show overestimation in only one of three years. A model developed to test the determinants of forecast error reveals that forecasters of UK firms are influenced in a somewhat different fashion from those of US firms. While dispersion, predisclosure information (market capitalisation or number of analysts), and industry are common determinants of forecast error for both countries, the percentage of forecasts revised is a major determinant only for UK firms.