Download or read book A comparison and contrast of German and international financial reporting issues Fair Value Accouting current issues and possible solutions written by Andre Tentscher and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2006-08-28 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1.7, University of Bayreuth (School of Law, Economics and Business Administration ), course: 'business taxation and auditing' , language: English, abstract: Huge changes arose in the world of economy during the last decade. Due to globalisation and competition for scarce capital1 a heightened discussion regarding different national accounting policies emerged. There has been an intensive controversy between continental-European and Anglo-American based accountancy. All companies listed on a stock exchange in the EU are obliged to present their group accounts in accordance with IAS/IFRS2 from 2005 on. One crucial aspect of IRFS focuses on the increasing tendency to recognise a fair value which implies a departure from historical cost-based financial statement to a rather market value-based one. Subsequently, this paper introduces and compares the current valuation bases of the German commercial/tax law and IRFS. Because of the increasing importance of IFRS the major point reflects this consideration. Finally, contrasts will be emphasised and opportunities for a complete takeover of an advanced fair value accounting to German accountancy will be examined. For this reason a reference to the general objectives and principles both of the accountancies is inevitable and will be introduced in either case.

Download or read book Is Fair Value Fair written by Henk Langendijk and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2003-07-07 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The failure of current mechanisms to either predict the collapse of various companies or curb corrupt practises has kept the subject of external reporting to the fore. Is Fair Value Fair? Financial Reporting in an International Perspective contains contributions from many highly-respected individuals involved in external reporting, regulation and standard setting. Their contributions discuss the future of regulation application of standards supervision audit Current trends are discussed, as are ways in which the current regulatory environment could be improved. With the new IFRS regulations coming into force in 2005, financial reporting is set toface radical changes. Is Fair Value Fair? fully prepares readers for these changes and is an invaluable tool for corporate financiers and institutional investors with an interest in the regulatory environment.

Download or read book A Comparison and Contrast of German and International Financial Reporting Issues Accounting for Pensions IAS 19 Versus German Law written by Stefan Tzschentke and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2007-08 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,7, University of Bayreuth, 52 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Although accounting for company pension schemes is one of the most controversial topics of discussion in the international accounting trade, many investors do not pay it due attention. In future, even more so than now, annual results will be influenced by latent reserves and obligations, resulting from different ways of accounting for pension benefit schemes. German financial statements and those following either IAS or US-GAAP often differ significantly on this point. The International Accounting Standards and the German Commercial Code are based on different principles. Whereas German regulations are dominated by the imperative of the protection of creditors, IAS lay the focus of accounting on a true and fair view of financial statements in order to provide a suitable basis for investment decisions. These divergent priorities are reflected in the accounting for pensions as well. The two main problems in accounting for pensions are the recognition and the appraisal of pension provisions. Eventually both accounting systems face the same problems and each one has a different way of resolving them. On the other hand, HGB and IAS unanimously agree on the fact that company pension schemes that do not require pension provisions, do not represent an accounting problem. The objective of the treatise on hand is the depiction of the difference between IAS and HGB regarding the recognition and accounting for pension as well as the resulting accounting-effects on the balance-sheet. The paper will first try to give an overview of the term 'pensions' as it is used in German law and in the IAS, and then - in the second part of the bases- explain the underlying problematic nature of accounting for pensions. In the third and fourth part the respective regulations, first according to German law an

Download or read book Consolidated financial statements in IAS IFRS and German GAAP Major differences explained written by Khanh Pham-Gia and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2009-07-24 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,3, University of applied sciences, Munich, language: English, abstract: Due to a regulation of the European Union (EU) concerning financial accounting issued on June 6th, 2002, all listed companies in EU are obligated to provide their Consolidated Financial Statements (CFS) in accordance with financial accounting principles of International Accounting Standards (IAS) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from January 1st, 2005. This regulation enables a necessary harmonization of accounting principles within the EU and supports a clear comparability of CFS worldwide. The object of this study is to analyze major differences of CFS in German GAAP and IAS/IFRS. Thereby, variations of both accounting standards are compared and a major difference is explained thoroughly with a concrete example. The major differences of CFS in IAS/IFRS and German GAAP result from different aims of both accounting standards. The German GAAP is strongly based on prudence principle for protection of creditors and authoritative principle (tax accounting based on commercial accounting). In comparison, the IAS/IFRS deliver potential investors realistic and decision useful information about assets, finance, and profit situations of a company (true and fair view / fair presentation principle). These basic principles could be reflected in several key points of the both accounting standards whose differences are clarified in this study. Furthermore, an essential key point of CFS namely the basis of consolidation (contains enterprises included in the consolidation and capital consolidation methods) is illuminated with a concrete example. Hereby, the relation between the control influence of the parent enterprise on its “sub-entities” and the correspondent capital consolidation methods are studied.

Download or read book Accounting for leases written by Willem Sachse and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2006-06-21 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,0, University of Bayreuth, course: A critical analysis of international financial reporting issues, 41 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The globalisation of capital markets is driving the increasing convergence of accounting standards worldwide. Recently, the progress toward attaining a global financial reporting framework has accelerated, and many significant steps have been taken. The most important step is the formation of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which replaced the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), as part of a comprehensive restructuring of the international accounting standard-setting organisation in March 2001. Since then the acceptance and adoption of International Accounting Standards/International Financial Reporting Standards (IAS/IFRS), hereafter referred to as IFRS, has been growing rapidly. From 01 January 2005 all publicly traded European companies shall account for their consolidated accounts according to IFRS. In accordance with § 292a German Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch,HGB)German parent companies may account for their consolidated accounts only according to international accepted accounting standards, according to prevailing opinion such are IFRS and the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (USGAAP).Due to the Accounting Law Ref-ormation Act (Bilanzrechtsreformgesetz,BilReG)all publicly traded German companies shall account for their group accounts according to IFRS from 01 January 2005 except those that are already applying US GAAP (from 01 January 2007). Furthermore all enterprises may account for their individual accounts according to IFRS in addition to German Commercial Code which still is obligatory for tax, and profit determination and distribution purposes. Due to the commitment of applying IFRS for consolidated accounts international financial reporting issues need to undergo a closer examination. This paper deals with the accounting for leases. First current lease accounting standards are described with a focus on IAS 17 and its key differences to US GAAP and German Commercial Code. Next proposed improvements on current lease accounting standards are dealt with, focussing on new approaches discussed in the accounting and lease literature and a possible treatment of leases with optional features. After this the proposed approaches’ effect on profit determination and distribution is discussed. The final part offers a conclusion to some of the issues raised in this paper.

Download or read book The change from amortised costs to fair value regarding the International Financial Reporting Standards 9 written by Kristina Kraljevic and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Master's Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Economics - Finance, grade: 1, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (Austria), language: English, abstract: This paper examines the adaption of the International Financial Reporting Standards 9, effective as of 1 January 2018. The introduction outlines the reasons for the amendments and the objectives of IFRS 9 which are divided into three phases. The focus of this paper is the effect of IFRS 9 on financial liabilities. While the International Accounting Standards 39 for financial liabilities are still accurate, IFRS 9 lead to a change in the fair value option. As a result, changes in the fair value which are caused by the own credit risk are booked into the other comprehensive income. This paper aims to give an overview on the relevant changes regarding IFRS 9. However, the main focus is set at the liabilities side, the classification and the measurement of financial liabilities. Although the IASB intended to create a model in order to classify financial instruments of both the asset and the liabilities side, it had to prioritise the asset side owing to the financial crisis and the demand for new regulations in 2009. Therefore, the research context considers the adjustment of the fair value option (FVO) treatment. Due to the new regulation, changes in the own credit spread or rather the creditworthiness need to be captured under the position “other comprehensive income” (OCI), which affects the net income. Unless the financial liability is designated as FVO, the subsequent measurement of the liability follows amortised cost. However, choosing the FVO implies that once the change in the credit spread has been recorded under the OCI, the amount is not reclassified into the profit-and-loss account (P & L). In contrast to that, a reclassification is permitted within equity e.g. a financial liability designated at FVO that is derecognised. The reason for the new regulation is based on IAS 39 and the measurement of liabilities in regard to the credit spread. Although, the creditworthiness deteriorated during the financial crisis, financial institutions had to realise the increasing credit spread in the P & L as an earning and a decreasing fair value (FV) of the liability. This mixed-model approach is a reason for the volatility in P & L’s and has been revised in the course of the IFRS 9.

Download or read book Voluntary Implementation of IFRS in German Non Listed Companies written by Nadine Wiese and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2009-10-27 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bachelor Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,0, University of the West of England, Bristol (Bristol Business School), course: Accounting in Context, language: English, abstract: This report addresses the question whether unlisted German companies should voluntarily adopt IFRS. Benefits for internal as well as external users are discovered including facilitated international comparability and higher quality of financial reports. Furthermore, a comparison reveals that equity figures and volatility are higher under IFRS than under German GAAP. It is discovered that national economic and political circumstances significantly influence reporting practices and thus quality and comparability. Combined with fair value accounting which is of lower reliability as there are no active markets from which values can be derived, IFRS not necessarily seems to be a better alternative compared to German GAAP. Moreover, because IFRS is primarily intended for listed companies and investors’ needs, IFRS only appears to be an alternative for non-listed companies that plan a listing. In general, the complex and costly implementation process must be outweighed thoroughly. If costs prevail other possibilities represent IFRS for SMEs or the continuation of German GAAP.

Download or read book International Financial Reporting Standards Ifrs 2014 written by and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2014 with total page 1320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compact book contains all the official International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), International Accounting Standards (IAS) and Interpretations (SICs, IFRICs), approved by the EU and thus mandatory for companies operating in capital markets. The standards are listed synoptically in English and German, allowing a comparison with the English original, which is important in questions of interpretation. A handy reference for accountants, tax advisors, IFRS consultants, and companies applying IFRS. Can only be sold within the EU.

Download or read book America vs Europe The battle between accounting standard setters written by Alfred Mully and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2014-01-21 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2010 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: B, University of Frankfurt (Main), course: MSc Accounting & Control – Thesis, language: English, abstract: Since the Enron scandal in 2001 there has been more and more media coverage on the topic of accountancy. The focus shifted from the financial statements and the companies themselves to the audit firms. The big five, and later, after the ending of Arthur Andersen, the big four, are working under significantly more pressure today. But the audit firms are not the only scapegoats in this matter. People also started to look more and more critically to the accounting standards. Questions have risen on the relevance of the Financial Standards. Also the fact that there are more than one set of Financial Standards is remarkable. Some things that are illegal in the United States of America can be legal in the European Union and the other way around. Therefore the IASB and the FASB are trying to come together in a process which is called convergence. In their Norwalk Agreement of September 2002, and later on renewed by the FASB-IASB Memorandum of Understanding in February 2006, it is acknowledged that both sides will need to move some way towards each other to come to a unified set of worldwide applicable financial accounting regulations. This resulted in the FASB adopting some IASB regulations, and the IASB adopting some FASB regulations, and in some cases a joint project to issue new and identical regulations on specific matters (Veron, 2007). This process of convergence has raised criticism and questions. As put in The Global Accounting Experiment by Nicholas Veron (2007): “The forces driving the Global Accounting Experiment are insufficient to guarantee its continued success. It is bound to face major challenges in the next few years. Two main factors are behind this: the deficit of legitimacy and accountability of the IASB, and the difficulty of ensuring consistent implementation of IFRS across sectors and countries.” The questions raised in the convergence process, for example, are: which type of regulations on a specific subject is “better”, or more relevant? Are the adopted standards by the FASB of equal importance compared to the adopted standards by the IASB? To put this differently, is there one-way convergence from one side to another? This is namely being criticized in Europe, where critics say that this convergence process is a process of one-way convergence from IFRS towards US GAAP (Camfferman, 2010). These three questions mentioned above bring me to the main question which I am going to answer with this research: Are the worldwide applicable

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Fair Value and Financial Reporting written by Peter Walton and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprising contributions from a unique mixture of academics, standard setters and practitioners, and edited by an internationally recognized expert, this book, on a controversial and intensely debated topic, is the only definitive reference source available on the topics of fair value and financial reporting. Drawing chapters from a diverse range of contributors on different aspects of the subject together into one volume, it: examines the use of fair value in international financial reporting standards and the US standard SFAS 157 Fair Value Measurement, setting out the case for and against looks at fair value from a number of different theoretical perspectives, including possible future uses, alternative measurement paradigms and how it compares with other valuation models explores fair value accounting in practice, including audit, financial instruments, impairments, an investment banking perspective, approaches to fair value in Japan and the USA, and Enron’s use of fair value An outstanding resource, this volume is an indispensable reference that is deserving of a place on the bookshelves of both libraries and all those working in, studying, or researching the areas of international accounting, financial accounting and reporting.

Download or read book Fair Value Measurement Basis for conclusions written by International Accounting Standards Board and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium sized Entities written by David Wagener and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2008-08-21 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Accounting and Taxes, grade: 1,3, University of the West of England, Bristol (Bristol Business School (University of the West of England)), course: Externes Rechnungswesen/ Corporate Reporting, language: English, abstract: The Exposure Draft of an IFRS for SMEs published in February 2007 is supposed to enhance the comparability between worldwide SMEs, and therefore meet the user needs, by concentrating on regulations that play a role for SMEs. Furthermore it is expected to reduce the financial reporting burden of the preparers, reporting SMEs without public accountability, of the financial statements. Another benefit, in case of widespread application of the standard, is expected to be the falling costs of capital of SMEs. This is because the allocation and pricing of capital is easier with a higher comparability of the financial statements of SMEs. Major issues of change were the impairment of goodwill, the cost method for associated companies, finance leases as well as the expense of research and development costs. Goodwill is unlike in full IFRSs, tested for impairment losses on indication and impaired only to the fair value. This reduces the workload spent on annual impairment testing but may lead to dilutions of expenses. Associated companies can, also in the consolidated statements, be accounted for with the cost method and the fair value model through profit or loss, which are much easier than the equity method. However, since intra-company transactions are not cancelled out, the new regulations might lead to higher profits. The accounting of finance leases changed in two respects: The regulations of lessor accounting was totally left out of the standard and has to be looked up in full IFRSs. The lessee accounting was simplified by allowing the preparers of the financial statement to determine the cost of the lease by only calculating the fair value of the leased property. This also leads to smaller expenses over the total lease period. When it comes to the research and development expenditure only minor changes were introduced. The IASB decided for providing SMEs with a choice in accounting treatment between expending both research and development cost or, on the other hand, to capitalize the development cost if certain criteria are met. Although it means a further simplification it has to be doubted that many entities decide against the possibility to capitalize the development cost but to expense them.

Download or read book IAS 39 Accounting for Financial Instruments written by Kathinka Kurz and published by diplom.de. This book was released on 2004-10-12 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inhaltsangabe:Abstract: Financial markets have developed extremely in volume and complexity in the last 20 years. International investments are booming, due to the general relaxation of capital controls and the increasing demand of international diversification by investors. Driven by these developments the use and variety of financial instruments has grown enormously. Risk management strategies that are crucial to business success can no longer be executed without the use of derivative instruments. Accounting standards have not kept pace with the dynamic development of financial markets and instruments. Concerns about proper accounting regulations for financial instruments, especially derivatives, have been sharpened by the publicity surrounding large derivative-instrument losses at several companies. Incidences like the breakdown of the Barings Bank and huge losses by the German Metallgesellschaft have captured the public s attention. One of the standard setters greatest challenges is to develop principles applicable to the full range of financial instruments and implement structures that will adapt to new products that will continue to develop. Considering these aspects, the focus of this paper is to illustrate how financial instruments are accounted for under the regulations of the International Accounting Standard (IAS) 39. It refers to the latest version, Revised IAS 39 , which was issued in December 2003 and has to be applied for the annual reporting period beginning on or after January 1. 2005. First, the general regulations of this standard are demonstrated followed by special hedge accounting regulations. An overall conclusion that points out critical issues of IAS 39 is provided at the end of the paper. IAS 39 is highly complex and one of the most criticized International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In many cases, the adoption of IAS 39 will lead to significant changes compared to former accounting regulations applied. Therefore the paper is designed to provide a broad understanding of the standard and to facilitate its implementation. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents: Executive Summary1 1.Scope2 2.Financial Instruments - General Definitions and Regulations4 2.1Overview4 2.2Financial Assets4 2.3Financial Liabilities5 2.4Five Categories of Financial Instruments5 2.4.1Financial Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value through Profit or Loss6 2.4.2Held-to-Maturity Investment Assets7 2.4.3Loans and [...]

Download or read book Fair Value Measurements written by International Accounting Standards Board and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Politics of Accounting Regulation written by Sebastian Botzem and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'How and why do transnational regulatory bodies emerge? How do they acquire the authority and confidence to be actors in their own right? These questions preoccupy scholars in many disciplines and Sebastian Botzem's The Politics of Accounting Regulation makes an important contribution to the debates. Focusing on the case of the International Accounting Standards Board over a critical period of its development including the financial crisis Botzem addresses its evolution as an organization which produces accounting standards and whose efforts to be outside politics are inevitably and irredeemably political in nature. This book is essential reading for sociologists, political scientists, accountants and anyone else interested in the organization of global governance.' Michael Power, London School of Economics, UK The financial crisis underlines the relevance of accounting standards as much more than instrumental rules for corporate reporting. This important book outlines the accounting standards that embody societal and professional values and contribute to the distribution of financial benefits that put international harmonization of standards into the limelight. Sebastian Botzem reveals that international standards have emerged after decades of contest and political bargaining which resulted in closely aligned standards, voluntary consultation procedures and a network structure comprising actors mainly stemming from global auditing firms, regulators and international organizations.

Download or read book Differences in balance sheet disclosure under IFRS written by alfred Mully and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2014-01-21 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: A, University of Amsterdam, language: English, abstract: Since January first, 2005, IFRS is mandatory for the financial reporting of all listed companies within the European Union. This is in order to increase comparability, improve transparency and increase the quality of financial reporting (EC Regulation No. 1606/2002). However, although it is the objective of the European Union to become more united, there are significant differences in the backgrounds of the European countries. This research analyzes cross-country differences in disclosure in the balance sheets of companies, based on the level of enforcement, the prior accounting system and the legal system. The sample consists of 170 companies from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The variables are based on the recognition materiality concept and indicate the amount of detail in the disclosure in the balance sheets. The recognition materiality concept provides a limit below which disclosure is considered not material, based on the size and therefore is an indication for the amount of detail. The results indicate that the legal system has the strongest influence on the disclosure in balance sheets. Companies from common law countries provide significant more detailed balance sheet accounts in their annual reports, than companies from code law countries.

Download or read book Fair Value im Financial Statement nach International Accounting Standards written by Robin Mujkanovic and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 426 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: