If an investor wants to compare the financial results of The Gap, Inditex, and H&M, what difference does it make that their financial statements are prepared according to different GAAP? Would you expect there to be a big difference between U.S. GAAP as used by The Gap and IFRS as used by H&M and Index?
Generally accepted accounting principles are the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction; generally known as accounting standards or standard accounting practice. These include the standards, conventions, and rules that accountants follow in recording, summarizing, and in the preparation of financial statements. (Wikipedia, 2015) In addition, H&M is exclusively listed on Sweden’s stock exchange despite its global existence. The ability to list solely in the country in which a company is dwelling can simplify the financial reporting process by avoiding the need to present finances that adhere to the accounting rules of multiple countries. The Gap, H&M, and Inditex come from different accounting and regulatory environments. (Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan, 2015) The main difference between U.S. GAAP and IFRS is that the U.S. GAAP contributes to a rule based policy unlike the IFRS which is principle based. For example, last in-first out follows the U.S. GAAP guidelines whereas last in-first out is not allowed under the IFRS. (Boundless, 2015) “In addition, one of the hallmarks of GAAP is an emphasis on smooth earnings
Pologeorgis (2012) stated that the diversity of accounting principle has an essential impact on the stock markets, corporate management, and financial reporting. He pointed that when people seeking for international capitals, varies of dissimilar accounting principles create discrepancies in their financial reporting. If people cannot understand the differences between IFRS and GAAP, they may have the chance to make the wrong decisions and loss money in the capital markets. Pologeorgis (2012) also mentioned that international investors have to relearn the new principal in order to be more familiar with the international standards. Based on above, there is a keen motivation for people to understand the differences and similarities of GAAP and IFRS. This research will show business people the main similarities and differences of GAAP and IFRS.
To analyse the differences in accounting under IFRS and US GAAP, it can be better understood with the example. The Boeing Company follows
There is no universal GAAP standard and the specific vary from one geographic location or industry to another. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) mandates that financial reports adhere to GAAP requirements. The financial accounting standards Board (FASB) stipulates GAAP overall and the Governmental accounting standards Board (GAAP) stipulates GAAP for state and local government. Publicly traded companies must comply with both SEC and GAAP requirements. In recent years it also has had the chance to look at the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and modify the rules to enhance clarity and consistency, intentionally setting itself apart from U.S. GAAP. The convergence of these two accounting frameworks is a must for both foreign and domestic businesses. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is the accounting framework used by the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other world economic leaders. Companies need an accurate and reliable financial accounting systems not matter if globally or in the United
Although the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) have a lot of similar guidelines and expectations, they also differ in many ways. The IFRS employs more of a “principles based” accounting standards whereas GAAP utilizes more of a “rules based” approach. Even though there are differences between terminology, revenue recognition, gains and/or losses, and statement presentation, both standards do follow the same conceptual guidelines. With the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002, the standards expected of foreign countries are significantly less than those that reside as publically
The accounting system in the US was strongly influenced by the SEC as opposed to a governmental influence. The SEC sells, exchanges and trades securities, protects investors while maintaining fair, orderly and efficient markets and ultimately facilitates capital formation (Pereira, 1992, p17). The US has the largest and one of the most important, stock exchanges in the world - the New York Stock Exchange located on Wall Street in New York City. This makes the US a huge market for investors world-wide. All investors would like to have access to certain facts about an investment before buying it and while holding it. In order to achieve this, the SEC requires all public firms and companies to disclose meaningful financial and other information to the public, to follow GAAP (SEC, 2007). Thus, any company that wishes to be a market in the SEC’s securities must register with the SEC. For those companies with foreign registrants, the SEC requires them to either report under US GAAP or to provide reconciliations to US GAAP (Nobes, p146, 2006). The SEC also requires public firms to follow GAAP in order to be audited. It is quite evident that most of American accounting is rule based, not government based. According to Nobes’ textbook, Comparative International Accounting, the commission since its inception has intended to limit the exercise of its accounting standard-setting authority to a supervisory role, permitting and encouraging the private sector, currently
The world possesses two main accounting systems: United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) and International Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (iGAAP). As the acronym simply states, US GAAP are the guiding principles for the United States and iGAAP are principles used by other countries internationally. Across both systems are similarities in language, procedures and reporting but some of the differences are so major that it keeps a consistent debate on which system is more appropriate for accounting purposes.
One of the major differences is that one is based on rules and the other on principles. GAAP is more of a a rule-based method. These rules are essential to provide comparison of present and past performances. Whereas IFRS is a principle based method in which you can have different interpretations of the same tax-related
There are several differences between the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The IFRS is considered more of a "principles based" accounting standard in contrast to U.S. GAAP which is considered more "rules based." By being more "principles based", IFRS, arguably, represents and captures the economics of a transaction better than U.S. GAAP. As a team me collaborated to answer the following seven questions.
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) determine the content and format of financial statements. SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) requires publicly traded companies to issue annual audit. Concerns are about adequacy of disclosure; and behavioral implications are secondary.
Financial statement presentation varies from GAAP to IFRS. The first variation is the financial period required for comparison. GAAP requires public companies to include the previous 2-year periods of their balance sheets, and 3-year periods
Historically, the major factors separating both standards were that IFRS is principles-based and US GAAP is rules-based. In a rules-based standard, there will be less ambiguity and the actions required are more defined whereas in a principle-based standard, there is a possibility of different interpretations being made for a similar type of transaction. (Forgas, 2008). Further, in a volatile economic environment, adopting a rules-based standard would be less risky for accountants and reduce potential litigation costs for the company in the event there is non-compliance or legal actions involved. (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, ICAS, 2006) A rules-based standard prevents interpretation errors on the part of users from different
US GAAP and foreign GAAP are similar but there exists some problems between them especially on how financial statements are presented, how revenues are recognized and on what the fair market value is. According to Hernán A.
Chevis (2014) addresses two of the bigger, but lesser-known, differences between GAAP and IFRS. The two differences addressed, contingencies and depreciation, are the interpretations an accountant has to make on terms not specifically defined by IFRS or GAAP. IFRS is considered to be more “aggressive” for investors while GAAP is considered “conservative” (p. 19). Smith (2012) states IFRS is more principle based, while GAAP is more ruled based. GAAP documents would total over approximately 25,000 pages if printed. IFRS documents would total approximately 2,000 (p. 21).
Three very significant differences between the IFRS and GAAP are revenue recognition, expense recognition, and inventory costing methods. The revenue recognition for GAAP is a broad system having many categories, but for IFRS revenue can fall into four distinct categories. The GAAP presentation is much clearer as to where the money is coming from. This leads to a much easier to read format. Expense recognition for GAAP is that you would record the
There are two major similarities or points of convergence between US GAAP and IFRS. The first similarity is with regards to objectives of financial. In this case, both IFRS and US GAAP take the same general position with regards to objectives of financial reporting. The two main objectives shared by the two accounting bodies are relevancy of