国外财务报告目的资产重估研究综述

企业新会计准则中引入公允价值计价，使得基于财务报告目的资产重估这一问题变得逐渐重要。本文通过对国外财务报告目的资产重估这一问题制度背景的分析，从资产重估的动因和价值相关性进行研究综述，试图为我国新企业会计准则的运用提供新的研究思路。     

Towards an understanding of profitability analysis within the residual income valuation framework

This paper argues that there is a mis-match between formal theoretical accounting valuation models, and practical approaches to profitability analysis and valuation. In particular, none of the linear information models published to date exhibit an obvious role for profitability analysis. For example, in the standard Ohlson model, earnings and book value apparently summarise all the value relevant information available from the firm's financial statements and there is no apparent need for any further investigation of the accounting numbers beyond these specific line items. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate potential analytical links between formal valuation models and practical profitability analysis. Specifically, we attempt to show how key features of practical profitability analysis might be incorporated into formal valuation models. In this respect there are two particular aspects of valuation practice to which the formal models published to date have paid no attention. First, in practice we often see explicit reference made to the demand side (sales), and supply side (costs) of the business. Second, we often see attempts to benchmark the financial ratios of one firm against the corresponding ratios of firms in the same industry. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to explain why such practices make sense in the context of an attempt to model the principal determinants of firm value within a residual income valuation framework.     

Motives for fixed-asset revaluation: An empirical analysis with Swiss data

This paper investigates the economic motives of fixed-asset revaluations of Swiss listed companies. We provide international insights on revaluation motives, particularly in a stakeholders' regime, over a period which is characterized by significant changes of the accounting standards relative to fixed-assets valuation. We also test the impact of international stakeholders on the choice of whether to revalue assets. Results from pooled data show positive associations between revaluation and both the proportion of foreign sales and leverage, and a negative association with the investment opportunities. These findings suggest that revaluation is used as a device to improve creditors' and foreign stakeholders' perceptions of the financial health of the firm and thereby improve the firm's borrowing capacity. Cross-sectional results show that although leverage has declined over the periods investigated, interest rates have become lower for firms that revalue upward their fixed assets (compared to non-revaluers), emphasizing the debt-costs hypothesis.     

Fair value accounting from a distributed cognition perspective

This study offers a unique interdisciplinary perspective on fair value accounting. The growing influence of esoteric financial instruments whose valuation is becoming increasingly complex makes it necessary to focus on actual valuation practices. Based on an extensive review, this paper regards fair value accounting for complex financial instruments as involving processes distributed among actors located inside and/or outside a reporting entity. It also draws attention to collaboration by organizations that apply their external and internal resources to perform complex financial valuations. Furthermore, it demonstrates that cases involving unusual market conditions underline the importance of human interactions to the valuation process.     

Assessing the Impact of Fair‐Value Accounting on Financial Statement Analysis: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

The historical‐cost and prudence principles have guided accounting for financial investments and tangible fixed assets in many jurisdictions around the globe. This situation might change as a consequence of the increasing number of countries adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), which, to some extent, permit accounting on a fair‐value basis. It is unclear how such a change would affect the analysis of financial statements and to what extent it could modify analysts' perceptions of companies' condition and performance. This paper attempts to shed some light on this issue by restating the financial investments and tangible fixed assets of a sample of 85 Spanish insurance companies, applying fair value instead of historical‐cost‐based valuations and by simulating analyst perception of these companies' efficiency and profitability for both sets of data using data envelopment analysis (DEA). We find that the numbers on the face of the financial statements change considerably and observe that the magnitude of these changes varies between companies and classes of assets. However, only in a few cases does a change in the valuation basis lead to a relevant change in DEA scores; within our sample, the overall assessment of companies with regard to efficiency and profitability remains largely the same under both valuation bases. These findings seem to indicate that a change from historical‐cost to fair‐value accounting could alter analyst perceptions of a limited number of companies but likely will not have a major impact on the appraisal of the majority of them.     

What Do FAS 157 “Fair Values” Really Measure: Value Or Risk?

FAS 157, the U.S. accounting standard that prescribes how fair values of assets and liabilities are to be measured when other U.S. GAAP standards require fair valuation, stipulates that fair values be measured as the exit values of assets and liabilities—the proceeds for assets hypothetically sold on the date of the financial report, and, correspondingly, the amount required to settle liabilities on the date of the financial report. This conceptual article argues that exit values do not reflect the value of the net assets of the firm to shareholders, which is best reflected by discounted cash flows to maturity. Moreover, exit values—biasing fair values downward when markets are illiquid—have a pernicious, systemic risk effect; specifically, they give rise to write‐downs that in turn cause contagion: prices of equities and other financial instruments of peers react negatively, leading to further write‐downs by those peers. This may have aggravated the recent financial crisis. However, while exit values are not proper measures of value to shareholders, they are useful measures of downside risk when prospects turn sour for a firm. Thus, both exit values and discounted cash flows should be presented in financial statements.     

从净收益视角看公允价值和历史成本计量属性的作用

论文在决策有用性的会计目标框架下,以权益投资者的企业价值评估为视角,探讨了会计计量属性的选择和应用问题。在资产负债会计体系下,即便采用公允价值计量也无法反映企业的整体经济价值。企业价值需要借助金融模型估计,传统收入费用会计体系下的净收益指标是模型中的关键变量,但资产负债表中公允价值的引入使净收益的计量失去了逻辑一致性。这对权益估价模型的应用造成了干扰,从而损害了财务报告对投资者的有用性。论文认为对投资者提供公允价值信息的最佳方式是单独披露,而不是表内确认。最近FASB为应对金融危机对有关会计准则的修订反映了计量方法多样化的趋势,但计量方法的优势并不取决于该计量方法是否符合计量对象的具体特点,而是是否符合会计系统的整体目标。     

Accounting Problems in Infrastructure Asset Valuation and Depreciation in New South Wales Local Government

The aim of this paper is twofold: (i) to investigate whether New South Wales (NSW) local government councils comply with Australian Accounting Standards in accounting for revaluation of their infrastructure assets and (ii) to assess any consequences for the reliability of financial reporting in NSW local government. Using road assets as an example, we analyse the results of revaluations of road assets undertaken by 89 NSW councils as reported in their financial statements during the period 2013 to 2016. In this analysis we focus on the effect of a change in accumulated depreciation and impairment loss component of fair value as a percentage of the gross replacement cost of the revalued assets. The analysis reveals that in most cases this effect is significant. However, the accounting and reporting of this effect is strikingly inconsistent between the councils. Based on a critical analysis of the accounting framework and disclosure of the revaluation effects, we conclude that the main reason for the change in the fair value of assets is altered estimates of remaining useful life. Furthermore, we argue that councils did not comply with the requirements of AASB 116 in determining the useful life of the assets.     

金融稳定性与公允价值会计准则的优化——基于动态减值准备的思考

次贷危机背景下,对金融机构使用公允价值会计的讨论越来越多。支持者认为市场价格是资产机制的最有效估计;反对者则认为在危机时期,市场价格不是价值的最优体现,反而会导致更为严重的信息误导和顺周期效应。本文从动态减值准备的角度分析了银行等金融机构的公允价值计量优化,认为动态减值准备有助于提升信息透明度和减缓顺周期效应。     

The demand for accounting information: young NASDAQ listings versus S&P 500 NYSE listings

The main purpose of this paper is to examine accounting information which can be of poor quality for some industries because uniform regulation applies to all. However, there is a strong demand for reliable accounting data even when the quality of the data is poor. Consistent with this premise, I show that among young NASDAQ listings the valuation coefficient on BVE is higher and that on earnings is not lower for intangible-intensive ventures than for other firms. I also show that GAAP OCF provides additional information that enhances the quality of earning information. This results in a shift in valuation weight from BVE to earnings for intangible-intensive young NASDAQ listings. However, these phenomena do not appear for intangible-intensive S&P 500 firms listed on NYSE. My results suggest that variations in the demand for reliable financial data affect the valuation coefficients on earnings and BVE.     

Accounting research and researchers of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century: an international survey of authors, ideas and publications

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the former glory of Italian accounting was overshadowed by its decline during the eighteenth century, and literature from France, England, Germany, America and other countries took centre-stage. 'Theories of accounts' (rather than 'accounting theories') dominated not merely the early but also the later part of this century when Italian accounting had regained a prominent position beside other countries. The relation of those theories to the 'charts of accounts'-which later became so prominent in Continental Europe is historically important. The controversies over personalistic versus materialistic accounts and that between entity versus proprietary theories, as well as the emergence of other theories are discussed with reference to individual authors. Diverse topics from railroad accounting and auditing to various aspects of cost accounting are investigated. Particularly important are the pioneering efforts of this period that anticipated further developments. These manifested themselves in the following ideas: entity theory, flow of funds statement, matrix accounting, different aspects of valuation, allocation and depreciation, price-level adjustments and indexation, current values, exit values, residual income valuation, managerial control, the emergence of competing accounting (and Bilanz) theories, the separation of fixed from variable costs, fixed and flexible budgeting, zero-based budgeting, PERT, transfer prices, break-even charts, variance analysis, job-order costing, labour and machine hour rates, standard costing, price determination, integrating financial and cost accounting, clean surplus theory, agricultural accounting, holding gains, and other topics. Appendix A offers an overview of Nineteenth century scholars concerned with accounting history (together with one representative work of each), and Appendix B lists the nationally (and often internationally) prominent names of accounting authors born in the nineteenth century but also or exclusively active during the twentieth century. The paper integrates approximately 400 publications of which less than half are of the English tongue.     

Valuation-based accounting research: Implications for financial reporting and opportunities for future research

This paper discusses the relation between financial reporting research and practice, particularly standard setters. Many studies addressing financial reporting issues use a valuation approach. The paper describes alternative approaches to valuation research and summarises the findings relating to four major current issues: fair value accounting for financial, tangible, and intangible assets, cash flows versus accruals, recognition versus disclosure, and international harmonisation of accounting standards. The summaries include identifying what standard setters and others would like to learn from research, what we have learned, and what is left to learn. The paper concludes with observations about future financial reporting academic research.     

公允价值会计的多角度研究

本文从本次危机的形成和发展过程开始,详细描述了市价变动会计加剧金融危机发展和深化的机制,揭示了它成为市场波动加速器的内在机理。文章进一步从更广泛的视角研究市价变动会计的缺陷,包括从理论和实践两个方面来分析市价变动会计信息的失真性,从会计准则经济后果研究的角度来探讨它对企业价值的不正确估值,对企业管理层的反向激励机制,以及与现有会计准则体系的不一致性。文章还用中国上市公司2006年和2007年年报公布时间的统计数据证明了市价变动会计并不具备人们想象中的时效性。在探讨了市价变动会计存在的重大缺陷之后,文章进而深入地探究了市价变动会计产生的经济背景。最后,文章在对市价变动会计提出一些初步的修改建议后,呼吁对经济增长模式、实体经济与虚拟经济的关系等进行认真反思,中国不应再走西方发达国家经济发展的原有模式。     

Revealing money’s time value

Few accounting concepts are as challenging as valuation and the time value of money. Few are as powerful or useful. Measurement and valuation issues are central to the study of accounting, and developing students’ understanding of basic valuation concepts like the time value of money is critical. The purpose of this paper is to provide instructional resources to help build students’ valuation skills by revealing the (1) power, (2) concepts, and (3) application of the time value of money and basic valuation concepts. Three tools are presented. The first reveals the evolution and impact of financial markets like the bond market and their requisite need for mathematics and the time value of money. The exercise uses a video accompanied with questions that are intended to act as a “hook” to capture student interest in lending and the time value of money. The second tool reveals concepts of bond financing, valuation and the time value of money. It begins with familiar time-value-of-money concepts and logically progresses. Each step uses intuition from prior steps to methodically build concepts in a discovery-learning process. The steps ignore bond terminology until the intuition between cash flows, interest rates, and purchase prices has been established. The third tool has students apply time-value-of-money and valuation concepts to plan and account for personal retirement assets. The exercise demonstrates the applicable usefulness and practical value of the time value of money and basic valuation skills. It can spark use of these concepts to empower fiscal responsibility and self-sufficiency. In sum, the article provides a small arsenal of exercises for delivering time value of money and valuation material. The exercises can be used collectively or individually depending on instructor preference and course parameters.     

Accounting rules,equity valuation,and growth options

In a model with irreversible capacity investments, we show that financial statements prepared under replacement cost accounting provide investors with sufficient information for equity valuation purposes. Under alternative accounting rules, including historical cost and value in use accounting, investors will generally not be able to value precisely a firm’s growth options and therefore its equity. For these accounting rules, we describe the range of valuations that is consistent with the firm’s financial statements. We further show that replacement cost accounting preserves all value-relevant information if the firm’s investments are reversible. However, the directional relation between the value of the firm’s equity and the replacement cost of its assets is different from that in the setting with irreversible investments.     

Equity valuation in practice: The influence of net financial expenses

This study investigates the relevance of net financial expenses with respect to equity valuation in an IFRS accounting regime. According to the residual earnings valuation model, income related to balance sheet items that are recorded at fair value is not applicable for valuation purposes. There are no residual earnings associated with these items because the balance sheet provides ‘perfect’ value estimates for the items in question. In accordance with the contention that under IFRS, aggregate net financial liabilities are recorded at a book value that is close to fair value, this study demonstrates that net financial expenses are not associated with the market prices of stocks. The investigation discusses the empirical findings in light of the enduring controversies regarding the use of fair value accounting.     

The Effect of Fair Value Adjustments on Dividend Policy Under Mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption: Australian Evidence

Using a sample of firms from the financial sector of the Australian Securities Exchange, we examine the effect of the fair value adjustments of financial instruments on firms’ dividend distributions in the context of mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption. We find a positive relationship between the fair value adjustments of financial instruments and firms’ dividend payouts, suggesting that the frequent use of fair value adjustments of financial instruments by financial firms following mandatory IFRS adoption has the potential to increase the proportion of transitory earnings in reported earnings and cause changes in dividend policies. Our results add to the ongoing debate on the unintended economic consequences of fair value accounting (FVA) and provide empirical support for regulators’ concerns that unrealized FVA gains from asset revaluation during booms may encourage the distribution of those unrealized gains.     

Private Equity Fair Value Measurement: A Critical Perspective on IFRS 13

In this paper, we discuss IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement with regard to private equity valuation. We raise issues on the fair value definition as an exit price and question the reliability of valuation techniques, which are categorised into Level 2 fair value hierarchy. Our paper questions whether fair value as defined by IFRS 13 is an appropriate measure for private equities and can contribute to enhancing transparency and comparability in financial statements, which is one of the purposes of the International Accounting Standards Board and the European Union Regulation 1606/2002.     

The Valuation Approach to Stock Market Impact: Some Tests With SSAP 16 (Current Cost Accounting) Disclosures

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of security price models in measuring the impact of accounting information on financial markets. This contrasts with the more common approach of employing security returns. The tests here examine some econometric properties of the price model approach in the context of current cost disclosures required by SSAP 16. Special consideration is given to an important statistical issue likely to be met in the valuation approach, namely the heteroskedasticity of the error term. The evidence suggests that a simple security price model can provide an effective tool in accounting event studies.     

Valuation of Family Firms: The Limitations of Accounting Information

This conceptual paper explores the extent to which reported accounting information captures unique family firm decision‐making and intangible asset factors that impact financial value. We review the family firm valuation‐relevant literature and identify that this body of research is predicated on the assumption that accounting information reflects the underlying reality of family firms. This research, however, fails to recognise that current accounting technology does not fully recognise the family firm factors in the book value of the firm or the implications for long‐run persistence of earnings. Thus, valuation models underpinning the extant empirical research, which are predicated on reported accounting information, may not fully reflect the intrinsic value of family firms. We present propositions on the interaction between accounting information, family factors and valuation as a road map for future empirical research with a discussion of appropriate methodologies.