Practitioner views of goodwill accounting under US GAAP

PurposeAccounting standards for goodwill may intensify the agency conflict. Since auditors evaluate intangible asset valuations, this study examines to what extent being an auditor (including Big 4 auditors) and being female as indicators of professional skepticism and conservatism predict accounting professionals' critical views of goodwill accounting under US GAAP.Design/methodology/approachStatistical analyses of a survey of accounting professionals in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.FindingsThe respondents' views are dispersed from trust in GAAP to views reflecting management opportunism in goodwill accounting. While being an auditor (including Big 4 auditors) does not…