The Relationship Between the Comprehensiveness of Corporate Annual Reports and Firm Characteristics in Spain

Abstract Not much information exists in the international accounting literature on Spanish accounting. Spain is selected as a subject of study because it is different from those countries that are subjects of the research concerned with investigating the multivariate impact of firm characteristics on disclosure in annual reports and accounts. The conceptual model underlying our empirical tests is based on economic and political incentives for providing greater detail in corporate annual reports and accounts. The paper provides evidence that the amount of detail in Spanish corporate annual reports and accounts is increasing in firm size and stock exchange listing, and decreasing in liquidity.

Bank Loan Loss Accounting and Its Contracting Effects: The New Expected Loss Models

As a result of the recent financial crisis, several key institutions urged the IASB and the FASB to re-evaluate their models for loan loss accounting and use more forward-looking information. The paper examines the principal features of the new expected loss approach, taking into account the tensions between accounting and prudential objectives with respect to credit losses. We discuss the rationales for the change introduced by IFRS 9 and explore the differences between the IASB and the FASB models. Based on the notions of accounting conservatism and earnings management, we discuss the potential consequences of the new models. While both the FASB and the IASB model are more conservative th…

Political Interference in Financial Reporting in the Financial Industry: Evidence from Spain

This paper provides a theoretical background, based on legal and political fields, which we adapt to explain political interference in accounting in the “public interest”, at a critical moment —the last financial crisis. This framework goes beyond the positive accounting theory, and in particular the political cost hypothesis, to explain politicians’ influence on financial reporting. We examine the behavior of the newly elected Spanish government, which issued accounting impairment rules for banks in spite of IFRS being in place. The paper considers a highly politically connected financial entity —Bankia— as a case under study, where the political interference might have impacted the accoun…

Revisiting the Fundamental Concepts of IFRS

Empirical evidence of the effect of European accounting differences on the stock market valuation of earnings and book value

Recently, a new dimension has been added to research in accounting harmonization by studying the effects of accounting practices and regulations on share price and return movements. Although there is an agreement of mutual recognition in the European stock markets of financial statements adapted to the directives, the differences between the European countries are still great. The objective of this study is to investigate the value relevance of alternative accounting measures (earnings and book value) constructed under different accounting systems in Europe. We investigate the differences in accounting practices through the relationship between earnings and book value, and the stock market …

Understanding the Consequences of Accounting Standards in Europe: The Role of EFRAG

The global financial crisis has accelerated the need for standard-setters to demonstrate that they understand the effects of the accounting standards they are setting. Within a European context, the endorsement process and the ultimate adoption of new and amended International Financial Reporting Standards into European Union law demand that there is evidence to support the assertion that such standards will improve financial reporting. Our analysis is anchored in the ideology theory of regulation which provides a compelling case for effect analysis to underpin the standard-setting process. For that process to work effectively, a number of key actors need to engage in the process. According…

Acquisition of competencies with serious games in the accounting field: an empirical analysis

El actual sistema de educación superior se basa en un aprendizaje activo por parte del estudiante enfocado al desarrollo de competencias genéricas y específicas. En este contexto muchos autores defienden el uso de simulaciones que favorezcan dicho aprendizaje y, los denominados «juegos serios» (serious games [SG]) se adaptan a este reto. Sin embargo, el empuje que cabría esperar por el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías y de la llegada de los denominados «nativos digitales» a las aulas no es coherente ni con su grado de implantación ni con la escasa investigación desarrollada sobre la efectividad de su uso. Los objetivos de este estudio son describir una experiencia docente de implantació…

Performance Reporting – The IASB's Proposed Formats of Financial Statements in the Exposure Draft of IAS 1

ABSTRACT This paper is a response to the exposure draft of proposed amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements published by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in March 2006. The objective is to bring to the standard setter's attention research that is relevant to the issues raised in the exposure draft. We review analytic, empirical and experimental research that addresses the presentation of income and the format of the income statement. Overall, there is some support for a single statement of (total) recognised income and expense. However, net income is on average more relevant than comprehensive income, which may favour a two-statement approach. While this …

Gender Discrimination and the Monitoring Role of Female Directors Over Accounting Quality

Recent research in accounting suggests female directors exert more stringent monitoring over the financial reporting process than their male counterparts. However, an emerging literature in finance and economics questions whether females in leadership roles significantly differ from their male counterparts. Building on this literature, we re-examine the link between the presence of female directors, gender biases, and financial statements quality. Using a large sample of UK firms we find that a larger percentage of women among independent directors is significantly associated with lower earnings management practices. However, we show that this relation disappears if we focus on firms that d…

Bank Loan Loss Accounting: Research Implications for the Post-Crisis Debate

The IASB and the FASB have recently re-evaluated the current model underlying loan loss accounting (the ‘incurred loss’). Taking into consideration the G20‘s advice on using more forward-looking information, they introduce a new approach (the ‘expected loss’ model). This paper reviews the academic literature to shed some light on the new expected loss models when applied to the financial industry. The accounting literature discussed in this study outlines both general theoretical findings and empirical evidence that help to infer the potential impact of the new models. Given the link between loan loss impairment and accounting conservatism as well as earnings management, we explore these co…

Commentary: Where is International Accounting Research Going? Issues Needing Further Investigation

Abstract A concurrent session at the 2018 American Accounting Association Annual Meeting featured the panel discussion “Where is International Accounting Research Going? Issues Needing Further Investigation.” The panelists summarized major contributions from existing research in international accounting and highlighted the factors and areas that are in need of further investigation. This paper summarizes the panelists’ prepared remarks.

Prudential supervisors' independence and income smoothing in European banks

[EN] We investigate the role of prudential supervisors' independence in affecting income smoothing behavior in European banks. Powerful national supervisors are predicted to influence the accounting practices of their supervised entities, shaping the properties of the accounting numbers they prepare. In particular, we study whether greater independence of powerful supervisors from the government and from the industry is associated with lower income smoothing. We use the mandatory adoption of a single set of accounting standards in Europe as a shock to the influence of prudential supervisors over national banks' accounting practice. Our results confirm that political and industry independenc…

Prudential Supervisorss Independence and Income Smoothing in European Banks

We investigate the role of prudential supervisors’ independence in affecting income smoothing behavior in European banks. Powerful national supervisors are predicted to influence the accounting practices of their supervised entities, shaping the properties of the accounting numbers they prepare. In particular, we study whether greater independence of powerful supervisors from the government and from the industry is associated with lower income smoothing. We use the mandatory adoption of a single set of accounting standards in Europe as a shock to the influence of prudential supervisors over national banks’ accounting practice. Our results confirm that political and industry independence of …

Evaluating the statistical significance of de facto accounting harmonization: a study of European global players

Two different forces are involved in the international harmonization of accounting: institutional endeavours to harmonize accounting internationally by developing common accounting rules and reporting standards, and spontaneous efforts by ‘global players’ to adopt accounting methods that will improve communication with users in other countries. These two developments are proceeding side by side, generally reinforcing one another but occasionally moving independently. This paper is primarily concerned with the process of harmonization of financial accounting within the European Union. The hypothesis we want to test is that, in spite of the obstacles to the harmonization of regulations in the…

The monitoring role of female directors over accounting quality

Recent research in accounting suggests female directors exert more stringent monitoring over the financial reporting process than their male counterparts. However, an emerging literature in finance and economics provides mixed findings and questions whether females in leadership roles significantly differ from their male counterparts. Building on this literature, we re-examine the link between the presence of female directors, gender biases, and financial statements quality. Using a large sample of UK firms we find that a larger percentage of women among independent directors is significantly associated with lower earnings management practices. However, we show that this relation disappears…

The Role and the Current Status of IFRS in the Completion of National Accounting Rules – Evidence from Spain

AbstractThe way Spain adapted the legislation to the Accounting Directives as well as a brief analysis of the Spanish standard setting process is followed by a description of the influence of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is the Spanish legislation and the different stakeholders’ position on IFRS. We show and explain why the local General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are clearly inspired by IFRS principles, even for Small- and Medium-Size entities, while at the same time there is no direct application of IFRS and no mention of IFRS as a complementary source of interpretation. We explain the influence of different stakeholders in the standard setting process and…

Strategic Accounting Choice Around Firm-Level Labor Negotiations

Prior literature argues that managers make opportunistic income-decreasing accounting choices to limit the concessions made to trade unions. However, empirical research to date presents mixed evidence, potentially due to a common theoretical approach that views labor bargaining as a one-shot game in nature. Using a sample of U.S. firms that engage in firm-level labor collective agreement negotiations, we study whether managers act strategically to reduce the transfer of wealth to employees, and its consequences over investment efficiency. We expect that the repeated nature of this negotiation leads to cooperation among the parties and limits the incentives for earnings manipulation, partic…

The future of 'serious games' in accounting education: A Delphi study

Abstract Previous literature on Serious Games (SGs) has focused on the possible impacts of these educational tools on learning effectiveness. However, the empirical evidence is still scarce, and these learning-based games are rarely used in general undergraduate courses and even less so in accounting courses compared with other business areas. Using an existing digital game and a sample of accounting lecturers, this paper uses the Delphi methodology to examine accounting academicś perceptions of the usefulness and the potential barriers to implementing SGs in the classroom. Our results show that the knowledge and funding of technology is no longer an issue. However, incentives to motivate a…

Balance sheet versus earnings conservatism in Europe

In this study we extend prior research on the international analysis of accounting conservatism (Joos and Lang, 1994; Ball et al., 2000; Giner and Rees, 2001), by examining the level of accounting conservatism across eight European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Belgium), and assessing the statistical significance of the differences among them. The definitions of conservatism that we use are, on the one hand, the Feltham and Ohlson (1995) definition, which implies a persistent understatement of book value of shareholders' equity (balance sheet conservatism). On the other hand, we use the one proposed by Basu (1997), that is, a time…