International harmonization of Japanese accounting standards

Historically, Japanese accounting standards have been quite distinct from International Accounting Standards (IASs) which have been perceived as being modelled on British-American accounting standards. However, in the 1990s, after the publication of E32 in 1989 and the IASC-IOSCO Agreement in 1995, the Business Accounting Deliberation Committee (BADC), the standards-setting body in Japan, has pursued a policy of harmonization with IASs. Accounting standards relating to consolidated financial statements of companies that make cross-border offerings of securities or operate worldwide are being revised drastically. This paper focuses on the development of international accounting harmonization and its impact on Japan.     

我国会计准则国际协调效果量化研究述评

近年来,检验我国会计准则国际协调效果的量化研究日益增多,但由于研究的切入点、样本、变量及期间的选择和采用的方法不同,结论存在诸多差异甚至相互矛盾,以致这些研究的理论价值和现实意义有待于深入探讨。本文首次系统地分类探讨我国会计准则国际协调效果的量化研究,从我国会计准则与国际会计准则具体条款的协调程度,以及基于我国会计准则和国际会计准则编制的会计报表数据差异、会计信息含量差异和会计盈余质量差异四个方面,对我国会计准则国际协调效果量化研究的文献进行了回顾,最后对全文进行了总结并对后续研究提出建设性意见。     

Convergence of accounting standards and foreign direct investment

Since the development of the eclectic paradigm by Dunning (1977, 1988, 1993), many studies have investigated different forms of location advantages that attract foreign direct investment (FDI). In this study, we consider accounting standards as a component of the institutional infrastructure of a location and hypothesize that the convergence of domestic and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) promotes FDI as it reduces information processing costs for foreign investors.² We also hypothesize that the effect of reduced information costs is stronger for partner countries whose accounting systems showed greater pre-convergence differences because they magnify the facilitating role of accounting standard convergence for FDI. Using bilateral FDI data from 30 OECD countries between 2000 and 2005, we find evidence generally consistent with these hypotheses.     

应诉反倾销会计准则协调的调查与分析

据统计,在对华反倾销案中,中国企业的应诉率仅为50%左右,而且应诉案件的胜诉率不足30%。中国为什么会出现如此应诉不力的局面?其原因应该是多方面的。依照我国会计准则生成的会计资料不被认可就是原因之一。显然世界各国的会计准则各不相同,生成的会计信息也有所差异,所以在国际反倾销惯例中,以国际会计准则为基础进行判定。笔者在应诉反倾销这一背景下,对我国会计准则国际协调的相关问题进行了调查与分析。调查主要采取电子邮件问卷的形式,调查对象主要是全国多所著名高校中从事会计理论研究的教授、副教授、讲师,以及博士研究生、硕士研究生,发放问卷350余份,收回有效问卷72份,回收率20%。本次专家调查的覆盖对象从研究领域、学历构成等均能满足问卷设计的要求,统计结果具有较高的可信性以及研究价值。     

Convergence in accounting standards: Insights from academicians and practitioners

The efficiency and competitiveness of global capital markets depends on the ability of financial statement preparers to communicate effectively with investors through financial reports. Despite the global movement to adopt IFRS, US adoption of IFRS is still uncertain. To assess potential for convergence, this study compares perspectives of academicians and practitioners regarding convergence to a set of global accounting standards. The majority of respondents believe that effective convergence to a set of globally accepted accounting standards would be beneficial to preparers, users, auditors, analysts, and standard setters. Convergence in accounting standards can require extensive and possibly costly changes to the standard-setting infrastructure and enforcement process in the US and other countries, and will also require proper training for management, auditors, and investors.     

Trends in research on international accounting harmonization

International harmonization of financial accounting standards has been the goal of many professional and academic accountants during the last 40 years. As of January 1, 2005, international accounting harmonization entered a new and perhaps decisive phase. From that date, all companies domiciled in the European Union with shares listed on securities exchanges are required to prepare their consolidated accounts in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This landmark event presents an opportunity for accounting researchers to assess the status of research on international accounting harmonization. In this paper, we review articles published in major English language accounting journals during the period from 1965 through 2004 in order to trace thematic and methodological trends in this line of research and to assess where the research may evolve from here.     

The political economy of financial harmonization: The East Asian financial crisis and the rise of international accounting standards

In the aftermath of the East Asian financial crisis, western nations established a new international financial architecture that relied upon enhanced financial transparency and international financial standards, including international financial reporting and auditing standards, to govern an expanding and crisis-prone international financial system. This paper examines the West’s response to financial crisis in the late 1990s and its implications for the rise and diffusion of international accounting standards from a theoretical perspective that blends institutional analysis and political economy. The aim is to understand how the history of accounting has both shaped and been shaped by transformations in the late 20th century international political economy where financial capital and the power of the financial sector play an increasingly central role in the process of accumulation.     

会计国际协调的含义和实质

1966年,加拿大、英国和美国成立了一个会计国际研究小组着手研究三国会计实务的异同.该研究组在1966-1967年内共发表了20份研究报告,标志着国际会计协调的开端.     

浅议小事务所的和谐建设

一、以人为本铸人和小事务所作为一个独立的中介服务机构,同样由具有财务审计、验资、鉴证、评估方面专业知识技能的会计人员及基建工程审核工程技术人员组成。     

Convergence of accounting standards and financial reporting externality: evidence from mandatory IFRS adoption

Using mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as a natural experiment, we examine whether reporting externalities can be magnified when financial disclosures are based on a common set of accounting standards. Specifically, we investigate and find that the changes in publicly available information of mandatory IFRS adopters (due to the convergence of accounting standards) can impact the investment efficiency of prior voluntary adopters. While we document positive externalities of mandatory IFRS, we also observe heterogeneity in these spillover effects at the firm and the country level, suggesting that externalities increase with improvements in the comparability of accounting information.     

国际间会计准则和会计信息的差异、协调与制度环境

研究表明 ,没有足够的证据支持国外准则或者国际准则优于本土准则 ,规则本身的国际间协调也并不意味着执行结果就能够保持一致。无论怎样强调会计准则的国际协调 ,由于文化、法律、经济环境的影响 ,国家之间、公司之间在会计信息上的差异始终存在 ,而且显著 ,发达国家尤其如此。对于许多发展中国家 ,借鉴国际惯例或者国际会计准则不难 ,但由于公司治理、审计、法律制度、资本市场等支撑系统不够强大 ,加上文化传统等因素影响 ,执行起来就不那么容易了。因此 ,会计准则的优劣还是应该与其所处的经济环境联系起来考虑     

Professional judgment and accounting standards

This essay explores relationships between accounting standards and people's inferences and judgments. Acknowledging that Demski's impossibility theorem implies that the standards will be “social-preference incomplete”, the paper shows that they are also “decision-procedure incomplete” on three levels. These levels correspond to three kinds of professional judgment: semantic, pragmatic and institutional. The investigation facilitates understanding of (1) how accountants exercise judgment and deduction in applying incomplete standards; (2) how financial statement readers use the incomplete standards to draw deductive inferences from financial reports which are based on accountants' judgments; (3) the special kinds of judgment required of standard setters; and (4) the meaning and extent of professional liability, given the relationships identified between accounting standards, inferences and judgments.     

Developing countries converging with developed-country accounting standards: Evidence from South Africa and Mexico

I examine the usefulness (relevance and timeliness) of earnings announcements in two emerging markets, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores Stock Exchange (BMV). A weighted least-squares regression is used to test the association of book values of earnings and equity with firm market value. I find that, on JSE and BMV, earnings and/or book value of equity are value relevant in explaining stock prices. I also find that this association is greater in 2000 as compared to 1998 on the BMV. Regarding timeliness, I find that earnings announcements are accompanied by unusually different returns on JSE, but not on BMV. Market infrastructure, specifically insider-trading rules, may explain BMV results. I suggest that accounting and market infrastructure interact and that such interaction is valuable input to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in their deliberations regarding one set of accounting regulations for all countries.     

解读套期保值会计准则

2006年2月15日,财政部印发了38项企业具体会计准则.相对于其他37项具体会计准则,第24号准则<套期保值>显得非常陌生.探究其原因,一方面是过去国内套期保值业务并不常见,另一方面则与会计实务界普遍缺乏金融知识有关,加之学术界中金融与会计的融合程度还不高,使得目前很难找到可供参考的、系统介绍套期保值会计理论的中文资料.     

Assessing international accounting harmonization using Hegelian dialectic,isomorphism and Foucault

This paper applies an innovative approach to explore the processes, effects and likely future progress of the convergence of national accounting standards with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Particular use is made of the Hegelian dialectic concepts of thesis, antithesis and synthesis; notions of isomorphism and decoupling; and, to a lesser extent, Foucault's concept of power–knowledge. Factors that are likely to explain the extent, rhythm and pattern of convergence of national accounting standards with IFRS are discussed. The paper concludes by highlighting four matters that are thought likely to enhance understanding of the process of international accounting standards harmonization; and by averring that the international harmonization process is a dialectical process influenced by belief systems that are constructed in a context of isomorphism and decoupling.     

Agenda formation and accounting standards setting: lessons from the standards setters

There are many studies on lobbying of accounting standards, but the technical agenda of regulators is taken as ‘given’ and why a particular topic was admitted to the agenda is not investigated. Agenda formation is important as control of the agenda determines which topics get regulated and the form of the regulatory response. A few studies have explored agenda formation across regulatory institutions but are largely silent on the role of individual decision makers and technical staff. However, the standards setters have sought to explain their agenda processes. This paper reviews statements by the members of accounting standards setting agencies about their experiences of agenda formation. It identifies insights gained from standard setters and makes some suggestions for future research.     

Rules, principles and judgments in accounting standards

The distinction between rules-based and principles-based standards is not well defined and is subject to a variety of interpretations ( SEC, 2003 , p. 5). Yet there is a commonly held view that the FASB's standards are rules-based and the IASB's standards are principles-based. This article identifies the basis of this distinction. For research and development, the article compares the FASB standard with two principles-based standards. For each standard we identify and classify rules and judgments, and observe the level of justifications for the rules and assistance to support the judgments. The three standards have rules, are based on principles, and require the exercise of professional judgment; the less conservative standard requires more judgments and, unexpectedly, more rules. The results suggest that the rules-based versus principles-based distinction is not meaningful, except in relative terms. We conclude that a relatively more principles-based standards regime requires professional judgment at both the transaction level (substance over form) and at the financial statement level ('true and fair view' override). Furthermore, it is suggested that any FASB and IASB convergence will require agreement on the weightings given to the qualitative characteristics.     

创新审计准则体系维护社会公众利益

依据科学、严谨的审计准则,对财务信息进行审计鉴证,保障经济活动有序运行,是政府、公众和市场对注册会计师行业的期待,是注册会计师职业的职责,也赋予审计准则建设者艰巨的使命.过去十多年来,在财政部指导下,中国注册会计师协会一直致力于审计准则的建设工作,陆续制定实施了一系列审计准则,这对于提升注册会计师的执业质量,促进注册会计师行业的专业化发展,以及服务于市场经济建设,都起到了积极作用.审计准则作为衡量与保障注册会计师执业质量的权威标准,已得到社会各界的广泛认同.     

中国企业会计准则建设的可贵实践和崭新突破

经过多年的艰苦努力和不懈奋斗,今天,中国企业会计准则体系终于发布了。中国企业会计准则建设,是与我国改革开放的历史进程和建立并完善社会主义市场经济体制的时代要求相伴相随、相互促进的。在十多年的建设实践中,我们始终不渝地遵循下列指导原则,确保企业会计准则具有科学性、前瞻性和可操作性:———中国企业会计准则建设,必须为促进我国经济社会发展服务。会计准则作为市场经济“游戏规则”的重要组成部分,为更好地发挥市场在资源配置中的基础性作用提供技术支持和信息保障。完善社会主义市场经济体制,需要健全会计准则体系;同时,只有…     

深入宣传贯彻会计审计准则 完善社会主义市场经济体制

2月15日,财政部在京举行会计审计准则体系发布会,发布了39项企业会计准则和48项注册会计师审计准则。发布会由财政部副部长王军主持,财政部部长金人庆、财政部副部长、会计准则委员会主席楼继伟、中国注册会计师协会会长刘仲藜出席会议并发表讲话,有关方面代表及国际会计准则委员会主席戴维·泰迪、国际会计师联合会主席格雷厄姆·沃德参加了会议并发言。现摘编有关领导的讲话,供大家学习、研究时参考。