The Pros And Cons Of IFRS

Despite those enormous advantages, it has been argued that IFRSS adoption lead to significant costs. The main argument is that IFRSs do not consider local needs and priorities as every country has their own ‘business environment, legal systems, cultures, language and political environment’ (Henderson and Peirson, 2000 cited from Malthus, S., 2004). However, to overcome this problem, IASB can accommodate flexible reporting standards that enable companies to choose alternatives that are more suitable for their external condition. It is opinion of some opponents of IFRS adoption that IAS is ‘insufficiently detailed’ (Uddin,M.S., 2005, p.4) that require accountants’ and auditor’ professional judgment. However, overly detail might be contra productive and not flexible in anticipating every changes and differences.

As the responsibilities of the global harmonization of accounting standards IFRS and GAAP transfer to IASB, FASB’s influence is waning. Advantages of the convergence include high quality financial reporting, which lowers cost of capital for investors and the cost of borrowing for companies. However, there are disadvantages to be noted, such as the costs of introducing IFRS to current and potential accountants and the risk of reducing the uniformity of financial reports due to the lax rulings of IFRS, which promotes earnings management amongst companies. Although arguments regarding the convergence remain prevalent, the completion of IFRS and GAAP is inevitable. Come year 2015, accountants, investors, and companies alike will discover whether or not the pros outweighed the cons; or vice versa.

Access to capital markets in United Kingdom is easy after the adoption of IFRs. Public capital markets play an important role in financing the activities of non-financial companies in the United Kingdom, providing them with the main option to bank loans and private sources of finance. These set of international accounting standards helped reduce the information processing and auditing costs to the UK’s market participants. With the help of adoption of IFRS it is expected to lower information costs to capital markets, and the UK

The IFRS is basically a set of accounting rules which are issued by the IASB based in London, UK. These accounting standards have originated from its predecessor IASC defining the term IAS, which occurred in the 70’s. it was only after 2000’s that the IASB took a strong hold under the label IFRS claiming to be a lot more independent even though pertaining to its predecessor, efficiently staffed and better funded. Caffermen and zeff (2006) discuss about the gradual spread of accounting has made a considerable progress over time, and with the adoption of IFRS worldwide, accounting procedures could be smoothened.

With the growth of international business there is a need to standardize financial statements globally. Presently there are “approximately 120 foreign private issuers currently that report to the Commission using IFRS financial statements.” By standardizing accounting practices investors will be able to make informed decisions based on comparability and accuracy of financial statements. The SEC released this statement in 2008, “We believe that IFRS has the potential to best provide the common platform on which companies can report and investors can compare financial information.” The SEC has created a “Roadmap” or plan to convert US GAAP over to IFRS. According to The Committee of

For nearly half a century, a movement has been underway to establish a high-quality, comprehensive set of international accounting standards, with the goal of facilitating international trade and investment. In the global capital market, differences in the rules of accounting for the purposes of recognition, measurement, and reporting of financial results have impaired the smooth transfer of information across borders. Given that it accounts for nearly a third of the global market, there is considerable pressure for the United States to conform to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). While moving to a single set of accounting standards could create

The SEC has several aspects to consider when it comes to the adoption of IFRS in the United States. First, the SEC should consider the overall costs impact this will have on businesses. It is likely that it would cost billions of dollars in new reporting expenses for U.S corporations to implement IFRS. It would also require accounting firms to vastly change their education requirements. Second, the SEC’s main job is to protect investors from fraud on public exchanges. The commission must determine whether IFRS does a better job of protecting investors from unlawful activity.

In 2001, The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was established to develop the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). ). The first IFRS was issued in 2003 and European Union (EU) members committed for requesting all listing company to apply the IFRS in their jurisdictions and will effective on year 2005 (Brussels, 2000).

IFRS is a set of accounting standards promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), an international standard-setting body based in London. It was designed as a common global language for business affairs so that company accounts are comparable and understandable across international boundaries (Ghosh, 2010). In June 2002, the European Union (EU) adopted an IAS Regulation requiring European companies listed in an EU/European Economic Area (EEA) securities market to prepare their consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS starting in 2005 (United Kingdom).

Although, many authors write about these huge incidents in America, few are discussed about the scandals abroad. Other countries (Switzerland, Italy, Greece and others) also have their issues with frauds and scandals, just not as wide spread. Therefore, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) seek to implement a single global accounting standard, called the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) (Street, 2012). The IASB was actually established during the 1970s to promote a worldwide acceptance of regulations, accounting standards and procedures (Schroeder et al, 2011). In 2002, the FASB and IASB agreed that there is a need for an international reporting standard. Due to the high volume of international trade and foreign operations, the two boards, decided that there should be one global approach to accounting standards (Zeff,

The globalization of markets over the past 50 years has led to the demand for increasingly comparable financial statements across countries. In response to this demand, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) was formed with the purpose of developing a set of high quality global accounting standards. Although a majority of developed markets have adopted the international standards, the United States has not. One reason for the delay in adoption is that many of the standards are very similar. However, there are also several key differences between the two. Presently, the United States Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the IASB have

The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is the accounting framework used by the European Union, Japan, Canada, and other world economic leaders. The IFRS is based on the tenets of understandability, reliability, and comparability. It is based off the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and had the opportunity to be built from accounting ideas and principles used across the world. 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.

Pace University | ACC 649 Contemporary Accounting Issues FALL 2016 | 70159 | Instructor: Dr. Kwang-Hyun Chung Research Proposal: Will the transition from U. S. GAAP to IFRS only have an effect on Financial Reporting? Abstract: The purpose of this research is to analyze if the transition from Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the United States only has an effect on financial reporting. Throughout this paper, I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of adopting IFRS. Also, I will also identify the differences between both standards and how it affects other aspects of a company’s business operations. In essence, reporting under IFRS has its pros and cons but it is ultimately up to the Securities and Exchange Committee to fully implement what standard they want to U.S businesses to follow. Prepared by: Sharon Williams Introduction Over the last several years, the controversy of the United States adopting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has been a significant issue for many businesses who are pro Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Although U.S GAAP has been the common accounting principles for many countries, specifically the US, now countries are adopting IFRS. In addition, there are many organizations such as European Union (EU) and International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), who want domestic and international businesses to have one

After a thorough analysis of several U.S. accounting failures such as those at ENRON, Worldcom, and others, individuals in the European Union and around the world claim that had the U.S. followed International Financial Reporting Standards, instead of U.S. GAAP, these debacles might never had happened. For many years, the accounting profession had faced several challenges developing a set of guidelines that would be generally accepted and universally practiced around the globe. In more recent years, more than 100 countries around the world, have adopted International Financial Reporting Standards in order to settle on a common worldwide accounting language. In today’s business world, the marketplace is demanding for increasing conformity. As gradually more companies start to adopt IFRS, a need for a single set of high quality standards rises and poses pressure on the United States to converge.

With complete notion and awareness of how each country has their set of rules, “the goal of IFRS is to provide a global framework for how public companies prepare and disclose their financial statements” (Rouse, 2011). This view is meant to provide general guidelines, as well as international comparisons through conventional and edifying means. To bring broader and vivid objectives, IFRS replaced IAS, the older standards, in order to bring a more comprehensive and simplified accounting procedures.