Material Misstatement of What? A Comment on Smieliauskas et al., ‘A Proposal to Replace “True and Fair View” with “Acceptable Risk of Material Misstatement” ’

This comment explores theoretical and practical aspects of the Smieliauskas et al. (2008 ), ‘A Proposal to Replace “True and Fair View” With “Acceptable Risk of Material Misstatement”, and develops the ideas outlined there. It is argued that these proposals are helpful, but theoretically incomplete. Theoretical developments relating to accounting aspects are offered, and proposed for others to take further. The pragmatic implications suggest difficulties in the operationalization of the ideas of the original paper in a world of multiple and inconsistent user needs.     

Individual Investors' Perceptions Regarding the Meaning of US and UK Audit Report Terminology: 'Present Fairly in Conformity with GAAP' and 'Give a True and Fair View'

The standard unqualified audit report in the United States contains the phrase 'present fairly ... in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles' (PFGAAP), while in the United Kingdom, the corresponding phrase is 'give a true and fair view' (TFV). Despite the former phrase existing in audit reports since 1939 and the latter since 1947, there is little agreement as to what the respective phrases represent. Accordingly, this paper examined UK and US individual investors' perceptions towards various dimensions of the meanings of the phrases including whether they imply that the financial statements are not misleading and free from bias. The results indicate that a majority of both groups perceive that the UK phrase precludes misleading financial statements. A smaller percentage of both groups feel that the US terminology achieves this objective. The results are similar as to whether the respective wording implies that the financial statements are free from bias. In general, the respondents awarded a greater level of confidence to the UK 'true and fair view' than the US 'present fairly in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.' No policy recommendation is drawn from these results, however, since there is also evidence that as long as audit report language is pre-determined by law or some official body, investors will evince indifference as to the kind of language prescribed.     

Auditing,Reasoning Systems,Reporting Frameworks,and Accounting Policy Risk: A Response to Alexander

This response to Alexander (2010 ) clarifies the approach taken in Smieliauskas et al. (2008 ). Here we elaborate further on the significance of the accounting risk concept for fairness of presentation in financial reporting. In the process we show how Alexander's potentially important concept of accounting policy risk can be made operational via the concept of accounting risk.     

系统性风险转移、金融危机与公允价值披露

金融创新过程中系统性风险的转移突破了证券投资中收益与风险的传统对应关系,使衍生工具成为一种能有效规避系统性风险的投资载体。公允价值按市值计价的会计处理方法存在着一定的不足,即反映收益的同时忽视了对风险的应有监督;而同时披露收益的相关性和风险的相关性这两方面的信息是提升公允价值信息决策有用性的重要一环。这就需要从披露的视角研究公允价值的具体应用,探讨公允价值披露的改进。     

公允价值会计能否放大银行体系的系统性风险

宏观审慎监管框架下公允价值会计被认为是顺周期机制,放大了银行体系的系统性风险而广受诟病。本文尝试从正向冲击和逆向冲击角度研究公允价值是否存在放大作用。研究发现两类冲击下系统性风险均存在;公允价值会计作用不对称,逆向冲击下放大了系统性风险,正向冲击下作用不明显;进一步分析逆向冲击的作用渠道时发现,市场流动性不足是放大作用的显著原因,银行以公允价值计价的风险敞口和资本充足率对放大作用没有显著影响。     

论公允价值会计审计理论与实务中的若干重大问题

公允价值被公认为我国2006年新会计审计准则的最大亮点.本文认为,公允价值概念的内涵和外延亟待辨析澄清;《企业会计准则2006》缺乏单独的《公允价值计量》准则的重大系统性缺陷亟待弥补纠正;深刻认识公允价值会计的理论意义和历史地位极其重要;公允价值审计任重道远、其风险近期高远期低.     

基于数据挖掘的重大错报风险识别和评估研究

基于现代风险导向审计理论,运用数据挖掘方法,选取2001-2020年因财务报表重大错报被出具保留和否定意见的上市公司为样本,构建基于CHAID算法的重大错报分类预测模型,从中识别重大错报的基本特征,挖掘重大错报与否的决策规则。结果表明：流动性差、盈利能力不足、长期偿债能力弱的上市公司,在较高的置信水平上存在高重大错报风险;模型总体正确率为97.17%,分类效果较为理想。鉴于此,能够为识别、评估和预测财务报表重大错报风险提供线索。     

金融工具的风险计量、分类体系与公允价值

金融工具会计准则过于复杂的原因之一在于金融工具本身具有丰富的风险内涵.现行金融工具会计体系是一种基于分类基础上的混合计量基础或计量属性体系,公允价值单维计量模式比现行的混和计量模式更简易,公允价值单维计量体系将是金融工具会计准则的长期目标.本研究表明,公允价值在应用层面并不会增加金融工具计量的复杂性,同时也契合全面风险...     

It’s time for a true and fair view

The standard unqualified United States audit report states that the firm’s financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the company at year end, the results of operations, and its cash flows, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The United Kingdom counterpart states that the company accounts give a true and fair view (TFV). The focus on conformity with GAAP in the US has created a rule-dominated audit arena which, in effect, means that if the audited financial statements are in accordance with GAAP, the auditor will find them acceptable. We offer modified audit report terminology that substitutes “true and fair view” for “present fairly”. Although Rutherford [J. Business Financial Accounting 12 (1985) 483], Houghton [Accounting Organizations Soc. 12 (1987) 143], and Karan (2002) have cited problems with the TFV language, especially in its interpretation, we find the phrase superior to “present fairly” and propose an operational definition for its application.     

A Framework for Identifying (and Avoiding) Fraudulent Financial Reporting*

This commentary analyzes the relationship of fraud risk assessments to other risk assessments by auditors. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board notes that this is a problem area of current practice. Effective detection of fraudulent financial reporting requires an integrative accounting/auditing conceptual framework. As a result, this paper is as much about accounting theory as it is about auditing. To simplify the development of such an integrated framework, this paper uses an expanded risk model. This effectively results in a risk perspective on fraudulent financial reporting. There are many potential implications but the major findings are as follows. First, the study identifies the crucial role of benchmarks based on acceptable levels of risk to help differentiate between intentional and unintentional misstatements. Such differentiation is critical to successfully implementing the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 99 and international standards ISA Nos. 240, 540, and 700. Second, the paper shows the importance of not allowing the major categories of risks identified here from getting too high. This paper explains the need to set acceptable levels of these risks, either by standard‐setters as a matter of broad policy, or by individual practitioners as part of the terms of specific engagements. I propose that a major factor in the concept of “present fairly” be the acceptable levels of accounting risks that are defined here, especially the risks due to intentional forecast errors. Third, this paper clarifies how the fraud risk of SAS No. 99, and similar international standards, relates to the current audit risk model framework.     

Perceptions of the true and fair view concept: an empirical investigation

If major groups of financial reporting participants differ in their perceptions of standards for financial reporting quality, such as 'true and fair view', 'present fairly' and 'fair presentation', a financial reporting expectation gap may occur. This article reports the results of a survey designed to explore this potential gap by determining New Zealand financial directors', auditors' and shareholders' perceptions of terms associated with financial reporting quality.
The results show that a clear majority of all three groups share similar perceptions of the 'true and fair view'; but perceive 'true and fair view' to be quite different from 'fairly presents' and 'fair presentation', terms the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants' (2005) describes as equivalent to 'true and fair view'. Thus there appears to be a perception gap between the respondents surveyed and the Institute. The findings also support a literal rather than a technical interpretation of 'true and fair view'; that respondents do not perceive 'true and fair view' as compliance with GAAP; and that 'true' ('truth' in accounting), the word separating 'true and fair view' from terms that include only 'fair', may be perceived as a key factor required for financial reporting quality.     

Audit report lag: the role of auditor type and increased competition in the audit market

This study investigates the effect of auditor type (private vs. state) and increased competition in an audit market on audit report lag (ARL). This is the first study to provide evidence regarding the effect of audit market competition on ARL. Utilising structure–conduct–performance theory, we predict that competition pressures private auditors to be more efficient and to have less reporting lag than state auditors. We also predict that competition among auditors after a liberalisation period forces auditors to be more efficient and to record less ARL than before. We use a unique data set in Iran, whereby the audit market liberalisation (an audit market where services were previously provided primarily by a state entity) has resulted in both state and private auditors simultaneously providing audit services. The findings are consistent with the following hypothesis, that is ARL is shorter for private auditors than it is for state auditors, and ARL decreases as competition increases in the Iranian audit market. Consistent with the structure–conduct–performance theory, the findings suggest that increased competition in the audit market results in higher efficiency, as reflected by a shorter ARL.     

提升会计师事务所竞争力的风险管理策略

大多数经济文献认为应当通过声誉建设、业务差别化管理、规模化来提升会计师事务所的竞争力。然而仅仅通过声誉建设、业务差别化管理、规模化是远远不够的，还应该同时加强风险管理。     

战略管理会计概念和实务研究

战略管理会计是建立在企业战略管理有关理论基础上 ,以管理会计手段 ,运用会计信息有效地服务于企业战略的新领域。对战略管理会计定义内涵的研究的主要目的在于界定归属于战略管理会计的实务范围 ,并寻求战略管理会计的整体框架和运行规律。研究表明 ,凡是体现战略性属性方法和举措 ,均可列入战略管理会计实务的范畴。目前 ,在实际应用中常见的战略管理会计实务主要包括三大类 :战略性成本计算和定价、竞争对手会计和品牌价值会计。随着我国市场经济的发展以及我国进入国际市场的步伐的加快 ,战略管理会计的应用前景将会十分广阔     

Developments in accounting regulation: A synthesis and annotated bibliography of evidence and commentary in the 2016 academic literature

In this paper key regulation-related findings and commentaries in the 2016 academic literature are synthesized in annotated form. This paper is one in a series of previously published annotated bibliographies published in this journal. Papers published in academic outlets including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Accounting Horizons, The Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Business, Finance & Accounting, The Journal of Financial Reporting, Auditing A Journal of Practice and Theory, and Research in Accounting Regulation were reviewed for potential inclusion. The 2016 literature featured strong regulation-related threads as follows: financial accounting regulation, analysis of individual pronouncements, SEC regulatory activity and its impact, international financial reporting standards, income tax reporting, and auditing.     

基于CPV模型的房地产信贷信用风险的度量和预测

本文基于CPV模型，对房地产信贷风险进行了度量与预测。结果表明，该模型在度量和预测房地产信贷违约率方面具有较好的效果。房地产信贷的违约率和宏观经济状况紧密相连，当经济状况恶化，房地产信贷违约率上升，当经济状况好转，房地产信贷违约率下降。分别从国家宏观经济、房地产行业状况、房地产企业状况三个层面选择出三个宏观经济因素指标——综合领先指标、国房景气指数和企业景气指数进行研究，结果表明，对于研究房地产信贷的信用风险来说它们是较好的指标，尤其是综合领先指标。     

商业银行声誉风险及其防范研究

我国商业银行声誉风险管理刚刚起步,建立规范的声誉危机管理体系,将声誉风险纳入商业银行全面风险管理框架,防范和化解随时可能出现的声誉危机,是商业银行适应新时期市场变化的需要。本文回顾了我国商业银行近年来声誉风险管理的实践,分析了其中存在的不足,并提出了对策建议。     

基于风险——收益均衡控制的信用风险管理研究

风险-收益均衡是风险和收益同时实现最优的一个状态。风险优化是风险-收益均衡控制的具体过程。我国商业银行正处于财务目标和风险目标约束同时增强的风险管理制度转型阶段，制度转型的方向是改革单向风险管理制度，建立风险-收益均衡控制的信用风险管理制度。本文以《巴塞尔新资本协议》框架下的信用风险计量、经济资本和风险优化理论为指导，探讨在缺乏有效资本管理制度条件下，如何建立基于风险-收益均衡控制的过渡，陆信用风险管理模式，重点研究了RAROC风险管理思想和风险控制技术，并展开了实证分析。RAROC修正模型与过渡方案具有可行性，并有很强的信贷政策指向意义。     

论高校会计文化建设

高等院校在会计文化建设方面呈现出三个显著特征：第一,注重组织性和纪律性;第二,注重业务素养;第三,注重服务意识的培养。当前的高校会计文化虽然强调会计的服务职能,但是,却不利于高校会计人员工作积极性的提升,也使高校会计文化趋于单调。高校应采取以下措施提升其会计文化建设的水平：第一,培养会计人员的核心价值体系;第二,促进会计人员发挥其能动性;第三,收集和整理相关物品,并适时举办专题展览;第四,注重宣传财务基础知识。     

The Goal Project: A Group Assignment to Encourage Creative Thinking,Leadership Abilities and Communication Skills

Abstract

The classroom assignment described in this paper, The Goal Project, gives students an opportunity to develop four of the skills and abilities required to be a successful accountant. In 1990, the Accounting Education Change Commission issued Position Statement Number One, Objectives of Education for Accountants. Appendix B of that statement contains eight categories of knowledge, skills, personal capacities and attitudes that are needed by accounting graduates. The Institute of Management Accountants has outlined the work of a management accountant to include working in small business teams and participating in strategic decision making. The project described in this paper replicates the work an accountant would perform when working in problem-solving teams. Data was collected and results are included from a questionnaire completed by 166 students who participated in The Goal Project. The results of perceived improvement in creative problem solving, leadership skills, and oral and written communication skills are presented.