Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Harmonisation of accounting'

Background: Growth in international trade and capital flows has triggered a rising economic integration. Because of these developments there has been an international homogenising effect upon many customs, practices and institutions. In business life it led among other things to a desire to harmonise Accounting Standards among countries.

Purpose: Our purpose is to answer the question: What is the international harmonisation process of Accounting Standards, what is its status quo and how important is the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) in it?

Realisation: In order to fulfil this purpose, we have chosen a descriptive approach, which is based on secondary data from textbooks, articles and homepages.

Result: The international harmonisation of Accounting Standards is a process, which brings international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement, in order to achieve a common set of principles, according to which financial statements from different countries are prepared. With the support of the IASB of the European Union (EU), 7000 European companies have to use International Accounting Standards (IAS) beginning 2005. Furthermore, the long existing rejection of IAS of the U.S. seems to change. Co-ordination of agendas of both standard-setting boards (IASB and Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) have been announced. We conclude, that the IASB plays a major role in the field of international harmonisation. This could be explained with achievements of the IASB, as for example the International Organisation of Security Commissions (IOSCO) Endorsement, EU regulation or the recent agreement of FASB and IASB to co-ordinate their work.

In measuring harmonisation, prior research has focused almost exclusively on the country of domicile of the firm in quantifying differences in financial reporting practices. However, this approach offers little by way of explanation of the impact of the harmonisation process, particularly as different financial reporting treatments may be attributable to the specific characteristics of the firms that are selected for analysis. The main aim of the present study is to address this issue and to measure de facto accounting harmonisation by taking into account firms' operating circumstances. Specifically, it seeks to assess the combined effects of each firm's country of domicile and sector of operations on its choice of accounting methods, together with the firm's size and international exposure, and any changes in these factors through time. In addition, it assesses the impact of sector diversifications on accounting policy choice. This research sets out the results of a statistical analysis of financial reporting harmonisation, obtained by employing a logistic regression to predict the odds of using alternative accounting methods. The policies studied concern inventory, depreciation and goodwill. The empirical results suggest that country of domicile and sector of operations are each significant determinants of the choice of accounting method across the European Union. However, country differences still appear to be greater than sector differences, even allowing for differences between countries in industrial structure, which is inconsistent with harmonized accounting. In addition, international listing and firm size appear to be significant variables. Indeed, there has been little significant change in policy choices through time amongst European firms. This leads to the conclusion that, rather than a process of convergence, a combination of structural factors at the finn level that demand different accounting treatments and barriers to han-nonisation at the country level that restrict choice are the likely causes of persistent international differences in accounting. Prior research that attempts to measure harnionisation on the basis of convergence towards uniformity without allowing for the use of different accounting methods in different circumstances is entirely misinformed. Indeed, comparability between financial statements requires that the reported results reflect the different circumstances in which firms operate, and the harmonisation metric must take this into account.

Pressures for the harmonisation of accounting practice in Cameroon arose out of UDEAC Acts which had already been incorporated into Cameroon law and required all companies in the Anglophone and Francophone provinces of the country to adopt the OCAM Plan, a variant of the continental European uniform accounting systems. The aim of this study is threefold: (i) to assess whether or not the characteristic features of the OCAM Plan are compatible with indigenous cultural values; (ii) to investigate the implementation problems associated with the OCAM Plan; and (iii) an inquiry into the factors which affect compliance with the Plan's extensive mandatory disclosures by domestic and transnational companies. The research design involved some degree of triangulation - i.e. both qualitative (case study) and positivist (questionnaire survey) modes of inquiry were used to study the same problem. The findings of the case studies and questionnaire survey indicate a broad dichotomy between the accounting values of the Anglophones on the one hand and those of the Francophones on the other. These results led to the conclusion that, by and large, the advantages or disadvantages of the OCAM Plan are not absolute as suggested in the literature. Rather, the way in which individuals of different backgrounds perceive its pros and cons seem largely dependent on their own accounting sub-culture values. Overall, the results indicate that the design of the Plan is more positively in tune with the accounting values of the French/Francophone Cameroonian groups than those of their Anglo-American/Anglophone Cameroonian counterparts. Whilst this appears inconsistent with the linkage between accounting and societal values postulated by Gray (1988) and the cultural determinism models enunciated by some scholars (e.g. Perera, 1989; Belkaoui, 1990; Belkaoui and Picur, 1991), the mismatch was explained in terms of some ecological and institutional influences within a cybernetic paradigm. (Now unrestricted)

The literature which identifies national differences in accounting and addresses the problems of harmonisation is reviewed and consideration given to how this interacts with theories of accounting change. It is suggested that harmonisation attempts will be modified by the interplay of competing interests in each jurisdiction. The nature of the true and fair view in its British context is also reviewed and found to be a flexible notion whose use may serve a number of interests. Its adoption process of the European Community Fourth Company Law Directive is considered. French accounting since 1945 is analysed and consideration given to the influences which were active in accounting during the period of adaptation of French accounting in compliance with the Fourth Directive. The changes brought about in French accounting are considered as well as the French understanding of the true and fair view. Two empirical studies address the evidence of change after adoption. A study of recognition of excess tax depreciation in a sample of 50 published annual reports shows that a majority of companies changed their measurement approach. A second study sets out to observe whether the true and fair view as operationalised in the preparation of accounting statements from artificial data would be similar as between France and Britain. The study suggests that there are differences but these are as great between accountants within each national group as between the groups. It is concluded that the revision to French accounting provided an opportunity for the accounting profession and large enterprises to move towards an approach which served their interests. This involved freeing accounting from the domination of tax-driven measurement, and was only partly successful. The outcome is a compromise which provides accounts superficially similar to British ones but with substantial measurement issues still to be addressed. The French experience suggests that the process of harmonisation is a political one where external intervention simply provides an occasion for established interests to assert themselves.

Abstract Under de senaste decennierna har den finansiella globaliseringen ökat, vilket har lett till ekonomiska och politiska förändringar, samt en ökad global konkurrens. Dessa förändringar har i sin tur lett till ett större krav på hög kvalitet av bokföringsprinciper. Då olikheter inom exempelvis legala, politiska, ekonomiska och kulturella faktorer har lett till utvecklandet av olika bokförings principer i olika länder, kan det i nuläget vara svårt för investerare och externa aktörer att förstå och bedöma finansiella rapporter länder emellan. Således hade det underlättat med gemensamma bestämmelser av bokföringsprinciper, vilket hade ökat jämförbarheten, relevansen samt trovärdigheten av företag som verkar inom samma marknad men är baserade i olika länder. Eftersom ett av Europeiska Unionens mål är att främja en enda gemensam marknad, vilket görs genom att harmonisera lagarna medlemsstaterna emellan, så har EU även introducerat en harmonisering av bokföringslagar. Harmonisering av redovisningssystemen är nödvändigt för att uppnå en enda gemensam marknad inom EU. Arbetet mot en harmonisering av redovisningssystemen startade redan i slutet av 50-talet när EU bildades, men är fortfarande inte helt utvecklat. Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva vad brittiska revisorer tycker om den finansiella harmoniseringen av redovisningsprinciper. Målsättningen är att utifrån denna undersökning kunna svara på huruvida harmoniseringen är fördelaktig för börsnoterade företag i Storbritannien, enligt revisorers åsikt. Studien har bedrivits med en kvalitativ uppläggning. Efter att ha studerat befintliga teorier och information på området, genomfördes en empirisk undersökning genom omfattande intervjuer via telefon med två revisorer i Storbritannien. Utifrån vår undersökning kom vi fram till att våra två respondenter över lag har en positiv inställning till harmoniseringen samt att de anser harmoniseringen vara fördelaktig för börsnoterade företag i Storbritannien, men att implementeringen av de standardiserade redovisningsprinciperna är förknippad med ett flertal svårigheter, framför allt en hög kostnad.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 1993.
Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Faculty of Law and Financial Studies, Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Glasgow, 1993. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

La recherche conduite se focalise sur le cas de la Tunisie, un pays émergent, initialement imprégné d'une culture comptable continentale, qui s'est engagé en 1997 dans une réforme avant-gardiste d'harmonisation comptable internationale, devançant plusieurs pays, dont ceux de l'Union Européenne, en abandonnant son Plan Comptable Général hérité de la période coloniale française, pour adopter son premier système comptable de type anglo-saxon, largement inspiré du référentiel international. Alors que la normalisation comptable internationale a considérablement évolué depuis 1997, notamment par le remplacement en 2001 de l'IASC par l'IASB, et l'introduction des IFRS, paradoxalement, très peu de révisions ont été apportées au système tunisien, laissant ainsi apparaître un écart, qui s'est progressivement creusé, entre normes tunisiennes et normes internationales. Cette situation interroge les motivations réelles ayant provoqué la réforme de 1997, qui peut être due aussi bien à un réel besoin local de se joindre à la sphère mondiale, qu'à une volonté d'afficher une étiquette ou un "Label ", au sens de Daske et al. (2007), afin de se conformer aux recommandations des organismes internationaux, et d'attirer différentes parties prenantes étrangères. Il convient de ce fait de s'interroger sur la nature des facteurs à l'origine du processus d'harmonisation comptable internationale en Tunisie : s'agit-il de contingences environnementales, ou de pressions institutionnelles? Ainsi, conformément à une structure de recherche classique, avec l'exposition d'une revue de la littérature, suivie d'une étude exploratoire du terrain exploitant qualitativement des entretiens réalisés auprès de professionnels tunisiens, pour mener enfin l'étude empirique proprement dite, dans une démarche quantitative, notre recherche se base sur la théorie de la contingence et l'approche néo-institutionnelle, pour répondre à la problématique suivante : Dans un pays émergent historiquement à tradition comptable continentale, comment se mesure l'avancement du processus d'harmonisation internationale et quels en sont les déterminants? Exploitant des réponses recueillies de juin à septembre en 2009 puis en 2010, via un questionnaire administré auprès de professionnels exerçant au sein de cabinets d'expertise comptable tunisiens et de cadres comptables exerçant au sein d'entreprises localisées en Tunisie, cette étude a pu montrer un faible niveau général d'harmonisation comptable internationale en Tunisie, de jure, mais surtout de facto. Aussi, l'analyse a montré que les facteurs étudiés susceptibles d'avoir un impact sur l'avancement du processus d'harmonisation sont à la fois contingents et néo-institutionnels, ces derniers étant les plus influents, pour les cabinets, alors qu'ils sont exclusivement néo-institutionnels, pour les entreprises. Le modèle comptable anglo-saxon ne serait donc pas pertinent pour toutes les entités économiques tunisiennes, la réforme de 1997 n'étant principalement que le résultat de pressions institutionnelles, notamment étrangères, exercées sur les choix économiques et politiques du pays, plutôt que d'un besoin émanant des différents acteurs interagissant dans le tissu économique tunisien local. En l'occurrence, parmi les parties exerçant une influence sur les entités tunisiennes pour les adapter à la culture anglo-saxonne des normes internationales, cette étude a identifié, les réseaux internationaux d'expertise comptable et d'audit, notamment les Big4, les groupes de sociétés multinationales, les parties prenantes étrangères des entreprises exportatrices, etc. Ainsi, seules les entités à dimension internationale présentent des niveaux élevés de familiarisation avec les IFRS
The study focuses on the case of Tunisia, an emerging country, initially impregnated by a continental accounting culture, having started in 1997 a pioneering reform of international accounting harmonization. Thus, ahead of several countries including those of the European Union, Tunisia replaced its General Accounting Plan inherited from the French colonial period, to adopt its first Anglo-Saxon accounting system, largely inspired by the international accounting system. But while the international accounting standardization had changed considerably since 1997, with the replacement of the IASC in 2001 by the IASB, and the introduction of IFRS, adding a "financial" dimension to the accounting information, paradoxically, very few revisions were made to the Tunisian system, showing a gap between Tunisian and international standards, that kept progressively widening. This situation of Tunisian accounting standardization, between a need and a will to make up the process of harmonizing with the international accounting standards, and a maintain of the Tunisian standards inspired by revised and even repealed old international standards, questions about the real motivations behind the 1997's Tunisian accounting reform. It may as well have been legitimized by a local real need to join the global sphere, or as a desire to display a label as defined in Daske et al. (2007), in order to comply with the recommendations of international organizations, and to attract foreign stakeholders. We therefore question the nature of the factors behind the process of international accounting harmonization in Tunisia: is it due to environmental contingencies, or institutional pressures? Following a conventional research structure, with a literature review, an exploratory study exploiting qualitatively interviews conducted with Tunisian professionals, and an empirical study using a quantitative approach, our research is based on the contingency theory and the neo-institutional approach, to address the following research question:In an emerging country historically impregnated with continental accounting tradition, how to measure the progress of the international harmonization process and what are its determinants? Exploiting responses collected via a questionnaire conducted from June 2009 to September 2009, and from June 2010 to September 2010, and administered to professionals working in Tunisian accounting firms or affiliated to the accounting departments of different Tunisian firms, the study showed the stagnation of the international accounting harmonization process in Tunisia. Also, the analysis showed that there are both contingent and institutional factors behind the launch of harmonization process, for accounting professionals working in accounting firms, and only institutional factors for professionals affiliated to accounting departments of Tunisian firms. The Anglo-Saxon accounting model would not be relevant for all economic entities in Tunisia, since the 1997 reform is principally the result of institutional pressures, mostly international ones, impacting the economic and political choices of the country, rather than a choice made to fulfill a need expressed by the various actors interacting in the local Tunisian economy. Among the parties that push Tunisian entities to be familiarized with the Anglo-Saxon culture of the international standards, our study identified the international accounting and auditing networks, including the Big4, the multinational groups, the stakeholders of foreign exporting firms, etc. Thus, in Tunisia, only the entities dealing with such international environment have high levels of familiarization with IFRS standards

Neste relatório descrevem-se e analisam-se as tarefas desenvolvidas no âmbito do estágio efectuado na sociedade Dianaconta, Contabilidade e Consultoria Fiscal, Lda., de Dezembro de 2009 a Agosto de 2010. Foram desenvolvidas diversas tarefas, desde a organização de documentos até ao envio das declarações fiscais. No âmbito do estágio e uma vez que coincidiu com o primeiro ano de aplicação do Sistema de Normalização Contabilística surgiu a oportunidade de analisar o impacto do novo normativo nas demonstrações financeiras de uma pequena entidade. No final do estágio concluiu-se que este foi bastante proveitoso, permitindo uma aplicação prática dos conhecimentos adquiridos no curso de Mestrado. Foram cumpridos os objectivos do estágio, uma vez que foi possível acompanhar e aprender as tarefas desenvolvidas num gabinete de contabilidade; ABSTRACT: This report describes and analyses the development tasks within a training made in Dianaconta, Contabilidade e Consultoria Fiscal, Lda. Society December 2009 to August 2010. It was developed several tasks since organization of documents to submission of tax statements. Under the training and a time which coincided with the first year of implementation of the Accounting Standards System had the opportunity to conduct a case study with the aim of studying the impact of new normative in a small entity financial statements, concluding that there is no impact. At the end of training, concluded that this was very helpful, allowing a practical application of knowledge acquired in a Master course. We met the aim of training, it was possible to follow and understand the developed tasks in a accounting office.

L'aggravation de la crise des finances publiques place l'information financière publique au cœur de la gestion de l'action publique. À ce titre, sous l’impulsion des partenaires techniques et financiers, l’Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) s’est dotée d’un second cadre harmonisé des finances publiques en 2009, faisant suite à celui de 1997. Une nouvelle comptabilité publique, proche de celle du secteur privé, est promue par une série de directives. La novation majeure demeure la promotion d’une comptabilité d’exercice pour les États membres. Elle s’inspire des normes internationales, notamment du système comptable ouest africain (SYSCOA). La seule limite réside en la spécificité de l’État. La comptabilité publique change fondamentalement de nature. Elle est saisie en tant que système d'information financière devant garantir des comptes publics réguliers, sincères et fidèles. Sous ce rapport, l'étude s’emploie par le biais d’une approche analytique et appliquée aux ordres juridicocomptables nationaux à démontrer que le mouvement de régionalisation des normes juridiques UEMOA est le révélateur de la fabrique d’un droit public comptable autonome axé sur une nouvelle conception de la production de l’information financière
The deepening crisis in public finances places public financial information at the heart of public policy management. As such, under the impetus of technical and financial partners, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) adopted a second harmonised public finance framework in 2009, after the 1997 one. A new public accounting system, close to that of the private sector, is promoted by a series of directives. The major innovation remains the promotion of accrual accounting for member states. It is based on international standards, notably the West African Accounting System (WAAS). The only limit lies in the specificity of the State. The nature of public accounting is fundamentally changing. It is captured as financial information system that must guarantee regular, sincere and faithful public accounts. In this respect, the study uses an analytical approach and applied to the national legal and accounting orders to demonstrate that the movement towards regionalization of WAEMU legal standards is indicative of the creation of an autonomous public accounting law based on a new conception of the production of financial information

Nos travaux, dans le prolongement de recherches envisageant l’harmonisation comptable internationale (IAS/IFRS) et la mise en place des indicateurs de Responsabilité Sociale de l’Entreprise (RSE) sous un angle processuel et « historico évolutif », tendent à s’en démarquer en recherchant les moyens d’analyser l’information issue du reporting financier (IAS/IFRS) et extra-financier (RSE) dispensée durant la période 2006-2010 par les sociétés cotées composant les indices boursiers français du CAC 40 et du SBF 120, d’une part, et allemands du DAX 30 et du DAX 100, d’autre part, et en substituant à une approche souvent inductive dans ce domaine une démarche hypothético-déductive. Ils mettent en regard, d’une part, les données recueillies et, d’autre part, les intérêts des actionnaires/investisseurs ainsi que de l’ensemble des parties prenantes de part et d’autre du Rhin, sur le fondement théorique de la théorie de l’agence et la théorie des parties prenantes. La méthode employée, à la fois quantitative et qualitative, vise d’abord à utiliser des outils de mesure se fondant sur des moyennes, médianes et analyses de régression combinant plusieurs variables exprimées pour l’essentiel sous la forme de ratios comptables et financiers (IAS/IFRS) ; cette mesure s’étend à un recensement de l’occurrence de mots dans les supports d’information extra-financière (rapports RSE et de développement durable). Puis à interroger les responsables administratifs et financiers en charge de l’application du référentiel IAS/IFRS ainsi que les responsables de la communication RSE et du développement durable des sociétés de notre panel, au moyen de questionnaires se fondant sur les outils de « logique floue ». Nous ne cherchons pas à mesurer l’incidence des normes IAS/IFRS et des indicateurs RSE ni sur la performance financière, ni en taux de retour sur la valeur boursière. Nous observons par nos résultats des nuances de perception des normes IAS/IFRS et des objectifs de RSE dans le reporting financier et extra-financier susceptibles d’être imputées à des facteurs socioculturels, et répondant à une gouvernance plus actionnariale en France qu’en Allemagne
This study, in the extension of researches aimed at harmonising accounting internationally (IAS/IFRS) and implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) indicators from a processual and “historical evolutional” angle, tends to differ from them by focusing on the means to analyse the information issued from financial (IAS/IFRS) and extra-financial (CSR) reporting released during the 2006-2010 period by the listed companies which compose the French and German stock market indexes respectively CAC40/SBF120 and DAX30/DAX100, and replacing an oftentimes inductive approach in this field with a hypothetical and deductive process. It compares the collected data on the one hand, and the needs of shareholders/investors and third parties as a whole on the other hand, on either side of the Rhine, on the basis of the theoretical frame of the agency theory and the stakeholder theory.The method employed, which is both quantitative and qualitative, aims to do as follows. First use of tools for measuring based on averages, medians and regression studies combining many variables essentially expressed in the form of accounting and financial ratios (IAS/IFRS); this measure extends to the listing of words occurrence in the extra-financial information supports (CSR and sustainability reports). Then question the administrative and financial managers in charge of the application of the IAS/IFRS referential and the managers responsible for the CSR and sustainability communication within these companies we selected with reference to matrixes based on the “fuzzy logic” theory tools. We do not investigate the influence of IAS/IFRS standards/CSR indicators neither on financial performance nor in terms of expected return on the capital asset. We can observe that our results show nuances of perception of IAS/IFRS standards and CSR goals in the financial and extra-financial reporting that are likely to be attributed to socio-cultural factors, and reflecting a governance much more aimed at shareholders in France than in Germany

Depuis les réformes fiscales du 20ème siècle, l’alignement de principe du droit fiscal sur le droit privé et la comptabilité s’est progressivement imposé en droit fiscal français. En matière de fiscalité des entreprises, un principe de connexion entre le droit fiscal et la comptabilité a été consacré sur le fondement de textes épars, de la jurisprudence, de la doctrine majoritaire et du pragmatisme de l’administration fiscale ; mais surtout au nom de l’unité opératoire du droit considérée en phase avec les impératifs du droit fiscal telles la simplicité, la sécurité juridique, l’imposition selon la capacité contributive. A l’aune des principaux impôts commerciaux, la connexion présente une portée très large qui se dédouble en connexion matérielle et formelle. A l’épreuve de l’adoption mondiale du référentiel comptable de l’IASB et de l’harmonisation de la fiscalité directe des entreprises au sein de l’Union Européenne, le droit français, bien que tiraillé, a fait le choix du maintien de la connexion dans le cadre de la convergence du PCG avec les normes IAS-IFRS sans le secours d’une véritable politique fiscale optimale devant tendre vers l’élargissement de l’assiette des impôts en contrepartie d’une réduction des taux et vers la réduction des coûts de conformité de l’impôt au moins au sein de l’Union Européenne. Mais, à la lumière de ces impératifs fiscaux, de la logique juridique et du droit fiscal américain, les potentialités de la déconnexion doivent être explorées notamment le projet d’ACCIS soutenu par la France et reposant sur une assiette autonome et élargie, l’admission optionnelle du bilan fiscal et la réduction des concepts fiscaux transversaux
Since the tax reforms of 20th century, the alignment of tax law on private law and accounting gradually became the imperative principle under French law.Concerning business taxation, the principle of book and tax conformity has been established based on scattered provisions, the case law, the majority of tax scholars and the pragmatism of the tax authorities; but specially in the name of the operating unity of the law matching with the tax values such simplicity, legal certainty, taxation in accordance with ability to pay.With regard to the main business taxes, the book tax conformity has very wide reach which is both material and formal.Facing the worldwide adoption of the IASB accounting standards and the harmonization of the direct tax on businesses within the European Union, the French law, despite tension, chose the preservation of the book tax conformity in the process of the convergence of the General accounting plan toward the IAS-IFRS without the account of the optimal tax policy that must aim at broadening the tax base with rates reduction and the reduction of tax conformity costs at least within the EU.In the light of theses canons, legal logic, the example of the US law, the potentialities of a disconnection must be explored namely the current EU project of CCCTB, backed by France, based on a broad and autonomous tax base ; a fiscal balance sheet election; the reduction of transversal tax concepts

The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants recently made a decision to adopt accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Committee rather than continuing to develop standards locally. Reasons used to justify this policy change include: the lack of resources to develop accounting standards from a zero base and, with what has been classified as the sub-standard financial reporting that occurs in South Africa. By adopting International Accounting Standards, amending the standard-setting process and providing legal backing for these standards, the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants aims to improve the standard of financial reporting. It will be argued that this decision will effect the contribution preparers of financial statements make to the standard-setting process. Corporate management as preparers of financial information participate in this process by reacting to proposed statements of generally accepted accounting practice in a number of ways, including lobbying the standard-setting body. This thesis aims to establish the views of South African corporate managers to the proposed changes to the accounting standard-setting process which incorporates the adoption of international accounting standards. To achieve this objective, the responses of South African corporate managers to the first six exposure drafts issued by the Accounting Practices Committee based on International Accounting Standards are examined to supply evidence that is descriptive in nature and which provides additional support for the findings of the empirical study. Forty hypotheses were developed and tested in an attempt to establish the views of executives to various issues relating to the accounting standard-setting process, corporate managers as the producers of firm specific financial information, the regulation of accounting, management incentive schemes and the international harmonisation of accounting standards. The tests of the hypotheses together with the findings of the individual case studies, provide evidence to suggest that this new disposition effectively marginalises South African corporate managers from the accounting standard-setting process. Finally, it is concluded that the existence of a management compensation/incentive scheme, is unlikely to influence corporate management's reaction to a proposed accounting standard.
Auditing
D. Compt. (Applied Accountancy)

This thesis uses data obtained from 335 annual reports of actual companies from ten European countries to quantify the level of material accounting harmony among them. It employs various specifications of the T index and by comparing their outcomes attempts to fi nd the best possible combination of properties desirable for this purpose. The three main problems addressed in this work are; estimating the scope of material harmonisation over time by comparing our results to the previous research, assessing the current extent of material harmony among studied countries, and comparing the situation of Czech and Slovak companies with respect to the rest of the sample. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Yes
This study examines the extent to which the change from UK GAAP to IFRS has affected companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in the UK. The results suggest that, on average, profit reported under IFRS is higher than that reported under UK GAAP; however, the difference is much smaller for AIM listed companies as compared to what existing literature suggests for firms listed on main stock markets. The Gray's partial analysis results indicate that despite the extensive programmes for improving convergence over time there is still a considerable discrepancy between IFRS and UK GAAP.

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Contabilidade
A adoção do Sistema de Normalização Contabilística (SNC) representa um alinhamento do sistema contabilístico nacional às Diretivas e Regulamentos contabilísticos da União Europeia e uma adaptação das Normas Internacionais de Contabilidade e Normas Internacionais de Relato Financeiro às especificidades nacionais. Tal adoção resulta de um conjunto de pressões externas, decorrentes do processo de harmonização contabilística europeia, e internas, face às críticas de que o Plano Oficial de Contabilidade (POC) já era alvo. As Normas Contabilísticas e de Relato Financeiro (NCRF) são núcleo central do SNC, modelo este que atende às diversas necessidades de relato financeiro de acordo com a dimensão das empresas, tendo sido prevista a Norma Contabilística e de Relato Financeiro para as Pequenas Entidades (NCRF-PE). A aplicação pela primeira vez do SNC, e concretamente da NCRF-PE, revestiu-se de grande ansiedade e complexidade para as empresas nacionais. Com este relatório pretendeu-se materializar o acompanhamento da adoção pela primeira vez da NCRFPE, nomeadamente nos trabalhos conducentes à elaboração do balanço de abertura e nos trabalhos de fim de exercício, na empresa Curioscorte – Corte para Confeção Unipessoal, Lda, empresa acolhedora do estágio curricular efetuado. Ao longo do trabalho são enunciados os procedimentos contabilísticos levados a cabo pela Curioscorte, de forma a atender ao previsto na NCRF-PE.
The adoption of the Sistema de Normalização Contabilística (SNC) (Portuguese Accounting System) represents an alignment of the national accounting system with the accounting Directives and Regulations of the European Union and an adaptation of the International Financial Reporting Standards to the national specifications. Such an adaptation results from a set of external pressures, arisen from the European accounting harmonization process, and internal pressures, in view of the criticism the Plano Oficial de Contabilidade (POC) (Official Audit Plan) had already been targeted for. The Normas Contabilísticas e de Relato Financeiro (NCRF) (Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards) are the central core of the SNC, a model which provides for the various needs of financial reporting according to the dimension of the companies, which has been foreseen in the Norma Contabilística e de Relato Financeiro para as Pequenas Entidades (NCRF-PE) (Accounting and Financial Reporting Standard for Small Entities). The first time application of the SNC, and more specifically the NCRF-PE, was covered in great anxiety and complexity for the national companies. With this report there was the intention to materialise the follow-up of the adoption for the first time of the NCRF-PE, namely upon the opening balance and the end operations of financial period, at the company Curioscorte – Corte para Confeção Unipessoal, Lda, where the curricular training period was performed. Throughout this study, the accounting procedures lead by Curioscorte in order to meet what the NCRF-PE had foreseen are presented.

The study was prompted mainly by the need for and possibility of collaboration or even mutual accreditation of practising chartered accountants and auditors in the countries of Southern Africa. In establishing common ground between these countries of Southern Africa it was found that the countries share not only geographical space but also strong and increasingly important trade links, movement of people between the countries and in some instances a common history, culture and language in the form of English. The current harmonisation process of accounting standards worldwide enhanced this process. A literature study was done emphasising South Africa as part of the Southern African region, with a special emphasis on accountancy education. An analysis of current international co-operation was done with special reference to the current international harmonisation process. As part ofthe background an analysis was done of the current status of the accountancy profession in each Southern African country. As this study was done from a South African perspective, the emphasis was on the views of members of the accounting profession in public practice with regard to greater cooperation in the region in the accountancy field. This was achieved by means of an empirical survey. It was found that the aforesaid professionals are overwhelmingly in support of greater cooperation in the region. They believe that it would enhance the status of individual accounting bodies worldwide~ that costs, information and infrastructure could be shared; and that it would enhance professionalism and improve service to clients. Specific areas were identified where co-operation could be improved, namely that academic training should be harmonised, practical tralning should be interchangeable and agreements should be reached with individual countries. Some concern was expressed that above all, control should be maintained over the standards of academic and practical education. It is recommended that the bodies governing the accountancy establishment in South Africa, especially the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Public Accountants' and Auditors' Board, should increase their current efforts to establish greater formal relations with other countries in the Southern African region.
Auditing
D. Compt. (Accounting Science)

A crise financeira internacional alertou para alguns problemas na mensuração dos instrumentos financeiros, nomeadamente no reconhecimento de perdas por aumento do risco de crédito, o que contribuiu para a descredibilização do sistema bancário. Atento a este contexto, o IASB, organismo responsável pela emissão de normas de contabilidade que estão na base das normas em vigor na União Europeia, publicou em julho de 2014 a norma contabilística aplicável a instrumentos financeiros, a IFRS 9, que substituiu a anterior IAS 39, com o objetivo de preencher as lacunas identificadas no anterior normativo. A presente dissertação pretende avaliar o impacto dos novos requisitos associados à entrada em vigor a IFRS 9 sobre vários indicadores económicofinanceiros das instituições financeiras em Portugal. Para o efeito, estudou-se a significância das diferenças resultantes nos rácios de capital regulamentar instituídos pelo Acordo de Basileia III, rentabilidade e estrutura, calculados de acordo com os dados antes e após a implementação da IFRS 9. Para a elaboração desta investigação, foi selecionado um universo de 30 empresas do setor financeiro que iniciaram a aplicação da IFRS 9 à data de 1 de janeiro de 2018. De acordo com os resultados do teste estatístico produzido, identificou-se relevância estatística para as diferenças entre os rácios calculados antes e após a adoção da IFRS 9, nomeadamente no Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio, Tier 1 Ratio e Total Capital Ratio.
The international financial crisis warned of some problems in the measurement of financial instruments, namely in the recognition of losses due to increased credit risk, which contributed to the discrediting of the banking system. Aware of this context, IASB, the body responsible for issuing accounting standards that are the basis for the standards in force in the European Union published in July 2014 the accounting standard applicable to financial instruments, IFRS 9, which replaced the previous one IAS 39, in order to fill the gaps identified in the previous standard. This dissertation seeks to ascertain whether the impact of the new requirements associated with the entry into force of IFRS 9 on various economic and financial indicators of financial institutions in Portugal. For this purpose, we have examined the significance of the differences resulting from the regulatory capital ratios instituted by the Basel III agreement was studied, according to the period before and after the IFRS 9. In order to perform this investigation, a universe of 30 Portuguese companies in the financial sector that have implemented IFRS 9 on January 1, 2018 was used. According to the results of the statistical test produced, statistical significance was identified for the differences between the ratios calculated before and after the adoption of IFRS 9, namely in the Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio, Tier 1 Ratio and Total Capital Ratio.