...Advantages and Disadvantages of switching from U.S.GAAP to IFRS Nara Yoon Charles Center Summer 2009 Advantages and Disadvantages of switching from U.S.GAAP to IFRS 2 In today’s business, markets are demanding increasing conformity. Many countries have converted to and implemented the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)’s accounting standards. The United States, however, still maintains its own Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Both IASB and FASB have created International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S.GAAP) respectively. These accounting standards are rules of measurements for financial statements that companies issuing stock to the public must provide to stockholders (Libby, 21). There are various advantages and disadvantages of the U.S. companies changing their systems from U.S.GAAP to IFRS. As the markets have grown to become more complex and global, the disparities between the two standards have been a significant issue as consumers and producers call for reform. The current differences between U.S.GAAP and IFRS affect many aspects of business. There seems to be some future losses but the U.S. is continuing to move toward conversion. The primary benefits U.S. hopes to get are comparability, and thus, greater market liquidity and lower cost of capital. They also hope to see cost savings for multinational companies who keep record of several accounting standards. Most...
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...1. Describe what accounting convergence means and assess the likelihood of the convergence being completed and implemented in the next five (5) years? Accounting convergence is a process or goal to establish one set of accounting standards that can be used internationally by attempting to eliminate the differences in the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP). Convergence also seeks to establish understandability amongst users and enforceable by regulators (Erchinger, Melcher, 2007). The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have been trying to implement a global acceptable standard for financial reporting since the end of 2002 onwards (Fogarty, 2011). However to this day in 2013 the convergence of both IFRS and US GAAP has yet to be completed and implemented. The likelihood of the convergence being completely finished and implemented seems possible but yet so far as both the IASB and FASB have already been trying for ten years to get it completed despite the hurdles they have endured. In November 2007 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 4-0 in favor of eliminating the requirements that forces foreign companies with U.S listings to reconcile their results with to U.S GAAP therefore companies with a year end of 2007 are no longer required to follow these set of principles (Fogarty, 2011). 2. Evaluate and describe the...
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...Outline Part 1 Background and Overview Part 2 US GAAP and IFRS Part 3 China GAAP and IFRS Part 4 Summary of Convergence Process Part 5 Pros & Cons of Convergence Part 6 The reasons for differences in accounting practice ww.ifrs.org + The International Accounting Standards Board + The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) Foundation + Objective – a single set of global financial reporting standards + Aim – convergence between national standards and international standards + IFRS Framework + IFRS SMEs + Supported by the Group of 20 Leaders (G20) who, at their September 2009 meeting in Pittsburgh, US. Country Status for listed companies as of April 2010 Argentina Required for fiscal years beginning on or after 1 January 2011 Australia Brazil Canada Required for all private sector reporting entities and as the basis for public sector reporting since 2005 Required for consolidated financial statements of banks and listed companies from 31 December 2010 and for individual company accounts progressively since January 2008 Required from 1 January 2011 for all listed entities and permitted for private sector entities including not-for-profit organizations Country China Status for listed companies as of April 2010 Substantially converged national standards European All member states of the EU are required to use IFRSs as adopted by the EU for listed Union companies since 2005 France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Required...
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...accounting convergence by Hail, Leuz, and Wysocki (Part 1) examines several factors to consider regarding the potential adoption of IFRS by the United States. Overall, based on the article, do you think the adoption of IFRS by the United States is a net gain for the US marketplace? Give three reasons to support your position (be specific). Please include specifically what groups will be affected and why IFRS would be better or worse than US GAAP. 1 2 I believe that adopting the IFRS would be a net gain for the United States. Many countries have already moved to adopt these standards. As of 2011, over 120 countries were using IFRS as their main accounting standard system. IFRS has the potential to facilitate cross-border comparability, increase reporting transparency, decrease information costs, reduce information asymmetry and thereby increase the liquidity, competition and efficiency of markets (Choi & Meek, 2005). * By adopting the IFRS, the country's businesses would be presenting financial statements on the same foundation that foreign companies would. This would make comparison between global competition much easier. It would also make it easier on the companies based out of the U.S. that do business globally, because now they would only have to present their financial statements based on one set of standards, rather than multiple sets. Currently, the U.S. operates off of GAAP, so those businesses with subsidiaries overseas have to report in GAAP and IFRS (or...
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...generally accepted accounting principles, also known as GAAP. Dissimilar financial reporting and accounting practices make it very difficult for users of accounting and financial reports to consolidate such information and make comparisons of firms that are listed in different countries (Prather-Kinsey, 2006). The complication arises when the firm does business in multiple countries. How can corporations be compared based upon their financials, which one are accurate, and how can investors then deal with multiple standards, which ones are accurate? The answer to these questions lies within the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS. IFRS are currently required or accepted in over 100 countries worldwide, and it looks certain that the number of countries to embrace IFRS will continue to rise over the coming years (Daske, Hail, Leuz& Verdi, 2008). It was already noticed that, IFRS issued by the IASB have been extremely doing well in terms of their acceptance and application on a worldwide basis. IFRS is the standards which is being developed and supported by the IASB. IFRS give a meaning as a set of international accounting standards that states how certain transactions and events should be reported in financial statements. Contrast to U.S. GAAP, which is a rules-based accounting standard, IFRS is upon using principles based rather than hard set rules. As a result of this fundamental difference, IFRS allows management to use greater preference and...
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...“Weak Signal: Evidence of IFRS and US GAAP Convergence from Nokia’s 20-F Reconciliations” Nokia was created in 1967 through a merger and has become one of the world’s leaders in mobile communications and electronics. The Finland based company gained a lot of power through acquisitions within the telecommunication and electronic market, made around the 1980’s. The company is now specializing in four segments, mobile phones, multimedia, enterprise solutions, and networks. Nokia has ADRs (American Depository Receipts), which allow investors in the US to trade securities without having to trade in foreign capital, that are currently traded in the New York Stock Exchange as “NOK”. Company shares are also being traded on the Frankfurt, Helsinki, and Stockholm stock markets. Nokia’s first issuance of an ADR was in 1994. Since the communications market is changing and growing very rapidly, the best way to differentiate is to acquire smaller companies and share resources and knowledge. A lot of money is spent on research and development of more advanced technologies to gain a competitive advantage. Currently, Nokia has teamed with Microsoft to offer an alternative to the android and Apple’s iOS. Nokia also has a strong presence in markets such as the wireless handset and wireless infrastructure markets. According to Standard& Poors Communication Equipment 2006 Industry Survey, only Ericsson was ahead of Nokia in being the top supplier of wireless infrastructure. In the same report,...
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...Comparing IFRS to GAAP Michaela Lyons ACC/290 03/28/2016 Sharon Powers Comparing IFRS to GAAP This collaborative team experience has been quite motivating and has really pushed me to research the information extensively to ensure my personal understanding. My team didn’t exactly connect easily and it really pushed me to develop my understanding on my own. Although that isn’t the ideal outcome in a team setting, however in my opinion it actually helped me push further. GAAP is the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the accounting standard used in the United States, while IFRS the International Financial Reporting Standards is used in a vast amount of countries around the world (Tilea, D. M., Bleotu, V., & Serban, A. A. M. (2013)). The Contrast IFRS does not command an exact order or classification of accounts on the statement of financial position. In most cases, companies report assets in reverse order of liquidity. GAAP explicitly requires that all accounts be ordered based on their degree of liquidity. Consequently, cash is usually reported first and non-current assets will be reported last. GAAP and IFRS sustain comparable perspectives on the neutrality of monetary data. It’s contracted that economic reporting data should be pertinent and loyally signified. Material that is pertinent is anything that could be viewed as useful in the eyes of an investor, creditor, or regulator. Material that is loyally signified...
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...Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as their accounting framework under which financial statements are prepared. This means the accounting standards Canada had been using generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) will no longer apply. What will this mean for PAEs and their investors? Will there be more or less decision useful information and will securities markets become more efficient with Canada’s adoption of IFRS or is it the same business, just different accounting? Executive Summary Comparing financial statements internationally has become difficult as accounting rules and standards have evolved differently depending on the country due to history, culture, political influence and economics. That is why the IFRS have been created and currently there is almost 100 countries that adhere to IFRS standards. Canada too has decided it must join and in 2011 all Canadian PAE’s will report under IFRS. There are both pros and cons for investors who will be relying on financial information from companies that are using IFRS’s foundation. The adoptions of IFRS will likely cause recognition, measurement and presentation differences in a company’s financial statements. Although IFRS’s mandate is to provide a single set of high quality, understandable and enforceable global accounting standards there will be challenges that must be understood otherwise investor confidence will be eroded due to differences is various countries that have adopted IFRS. International Financial...
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...The road to international reporting The Convergence of GAAP and IFRS | Leroy Meadows Advanced Accounting | The road to international reporting The Convergence of GAAP and IFRS | Leroy Meadows Advanced Accounting | The Road to International Reporting The convergence of a rules-based approach and a principles-based approach in relation to accounting and the dissemination of financial information is not something to be taken lightly. With the need for convergence increasing due to globalization, there are sure to be some contentious issues that must be addressed if convergence is to succeed. While the main issue for those who use a rules-based approach is the issue of comparability, there are other issues that must be taken into account as well. This paper will provide a brief history of globalization as well as the response of the United States in the wake of massive corporate fraud between 2000-2002. The differences between a rules-based approach and a principles-based approach and some difficulties that arise when trying to merge two different systems of accounting will also be examined. Lastly, this paper will address why convergence is not only probable, but necessary. The Need to Be One The modern push for globalization has occurred in two stages. The World Trade Organization, in its 2008 report, provides a chronology of this push which shows the first stage of globalization starting in the mid-19th century and continuing until the start of WWI. The...
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...Primary benefits Obviously, the IFRS adoption will bring a great deal of benefit to Japan. At first, the IFRS adoption will assist Japanese corporations especially those large MNCs embracing the global capital market in fast speed. As world’s third large economy, Japan houses a great number of prestigious international corporations, such as Toyota, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba etc. However, the discrepancy between local GAAP and IFRS to some extent hinders those Japanese MNCs from entering into the global market. In this condition, the adoption of IFRS by Japan is to eliminate this discrepancy and improve the understandability of financial statement of those MNCs, which is determinant for global investors for their capital investment decision (IASPUS, 2016). Secondly, the adoption of IFRS by Japan is going to enhance the compatibility of financial statements provided by Japanese corporations. The survey of IFRS in 2015 indicates that over 174 jurisdictions, as well as large entities in the world, have already taken IFRS for their corporate disclosure (IFRS, 2015). Therefore, it seems to be extremely urgent for Japan to adopt IFRS as it determines the acceptability of its large entities to the global GAAP. The financial report prepared in accordance with IFRS is taken as more compatible, which is beneficial for its stakeholders to understand and compare before their decision making. Thirdly, the IFRS adoption by Japan is going to improve nation’s capital market, making it more international-standardized...
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...Accountants, for their practices. These guidelines have come to be known as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. Since their creation, these principles have protected companies and investors from fraud, as accounting practices can sometimes be questionable. The GAAP holds companies accountable for their financial reporting activities and includes rules accountants must follow regarding recording transactions and preparing financial statements. Recently, there have been questions regarding the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States as opposed to the International Financial Recording Standards, or IFRS ; and whether or not the United States should adopt these new accounting standards. There are a number of pros and cons to the International Financial Recording Standards as well as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; however, I do not think that the United States should fully adopt the IFRS considering the history of the GAAP and the reason for the creation of its principles. As previously mentioned, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has been responsible for setting accounting standards. In 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board joined with the AICPA in advising, providing input, and determining United States accounting standards- GAAP. The Generally Accepted Accounting Principles include, but are not limited to, standards regarding the following components:...
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...Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are designed as a common global language for business affairs so that company accounts are understandable and comparable across international boundaries. The standards are a consequence of growing international trade and are important to companies that do business in several countries. The rules followed by accountants to maintain books of accounts are comparable and understandable to external and internal users. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction known as accounting standards or standard accounting practice. These include the rules that accountants follow in recording, summarizing and preparation of financial statements. Steps taken by FASB and IASB to move to fair value measurements for financial instruments and the ways their approaches differ The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have issued new guidance on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements for IFRS and GAAP. This guidance completes a major project of the board’s work to improve IFRS and GAAP and to bring out their convergence. It also forms an element of response to global financial crisis. The result is clearer and more consistent guidance on measuring fair value where its use is already required. IASB was established in 2001 and is the standard-setting body of the IFRS. It is committed to developing...
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...Highlights of IFRS Research By CYNTHIA BOLT-LEE, CPA and L. MURPHY SMITH, CPA, DBA NOVEMBER 2009 Conversion from U.S. GAAP to IFRS is a heavily discussed topic in the corporate world. Expected benefits of adoption include reporting consistency, enhanced global competition and improved financial reporting transparency. While many countries worldwide have already adopted IFRS, many other countries are closely examining its effects before adoption, not only from an economic perspective but also from a reporting quality position. COMPARING RESULTS Researchers Elaine Henry, Stephen Lin and Ya-Wen Yang evaluated the difference between financial results under U.S. GAAP compared to IFRS. Their results show that convergence between U.S. GAAP and IFRS is occurring. Using 2004 to 2006 reconciliation disclosures, the authors found that the calculated difference between shareholders’ equity under U.S. GAAP and under IFRS declined from 2004 to 2006. In addition, the difference between U.S. GAAP and IFRS reported net income during this period also declined but remained significantly different. Pensions and goodwill appeared to be the dominant reconciliation items. Reconciliation amounts varied by industry and country, raising questions about consistency between region and industry. Additionally, more than 70% of the companies examined in 2004 through 2006 had a higher return on equity under IFRS compared to U.S. GAAP. The 2007 SEC elimination of the IFRS-to-U.S. GAAP reconciliation...
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...US GAAP vs. IFRS The basics March 2010 Table of contents 2 5 7 8 11 13 14 16 18 20 26 28 31 33 35 38 40 42 43 44 46 47 Introduction Financial statement presentation Interim financial reporting Consolidations, joint venture accounting and equity method investees Business combinations Inventory Long-lived assets Intangible assets Impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets Financial instruments Foreign currency matters Leases Income taxes Provisions and contingencies Revenue recognition Share-based payments Employee benefits other than share-based payments Earnings per share Segment reporting Subsequent events Related parties Appendix — The evolution of IFRS Introduction It is not surprising that many people who follow the development of worldwide accounting standards today might be confused. Convergence is a high priority on the agendas of both the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) — and “convergence” is a term that suggests an elimination or coming together of differences. Yet much is still made of the many differences that exist between US GAAP as promulgated by the FASB and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as promulgated by the IASB, suggesting that the two GAAPs continue to speak languages that are worlds apart. This apparent contradiction has prompted many to ask just how different are the two sets of standards? And where differences exist, why do they exist...
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...Effectively Communicating with Clients By J. David Strother, CFP®, AIFA®, financial advisor at DSF Wealth Management, LLC Of all the elements a CPA or financial advisor needs to consider in order to operate a successful wealth management practice, an effective client communication strategy ranks at the top of the list. Regular communication is critical to the long-term success of your firm, but it has to be done right. The fact is that the vast majority of advisors want to sell, but very few know how to effectively communicate with their clients to successfully conclude the process. In order to strengthen your relationships with current clients and continue to bring in new ones, communication needs to be a priority of your firm’s day-to-day operations. It is very difficult to execute effective communication over longer periods of time unless it's part of your business model, part of the DNA of your firm. In my experience, advisors who establish effective communication principles within their practices will see immediate results, while those who do not come off as erratic and anecdotal. Communication is not an event, it is a process that is lived day by day. Why Effective Communication is Important Communication has the potential to become the ultimate differentiator in prospecting efforts and then in client retention. In our industry, there is a lot of competition for affluent clients and the frequency and quality of your communication can make all of the difference when it...
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