Preview

The Impact of Culture on Conservatism.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
623 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Impact of Culture on Conservatism.
The Impact of Culture on Conservatism.

Discuss the implication for the global harmonization of financial reporting standards raised by gray’s model?
If cultural values affect the development of financial reporting rules, and countries differ with respect to cultural values, then financial reporting rules will differ across countries. If financial reporting rules are strongly influenced by culture and cultural values do not change significantly over time, culture acts as an impediment to reducing differences in financial reporting rules that exist across countries.
Discuss the implication this argument has for the comparability of financial statements across countries, even in an environment of international accounting harmonization. Identify areas, which differences in cultural dimensions across countries could lead to difference in the application of financial reporting rules?

Even if all countries agreed to use the same financial reporting standards (harmonization), to the extent that application of those standards involves judgment, cultural differences could lead to differences in the application of those standards. For example, in applying a rule that requires recognition of a contingent loss when its realization is “probable,” accountants in more highly conservative countries might err on the side of conservatism by establishing a lower probability threshold than would accountants in less conservative countries.
Other areas in which culture might lead to differences in the application of financial reporting rules include areas in which estimation and judgment are involved: warranty expense, bad debt expense, revenue recognition, asset impairment tests, obsolete inventories, etc.
Discuss the implications that the model presented in part II of this case has for the internal auditors of Cancan Enterprises in carrying out their responsibilities.
Cancan’s internal auditors need to be aware that accountants in these different countries might have

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In today’s economic climate, companies are expanding outside of their home countries to continue to compete and expand their share of the marketplace. (Radebaugh, Gray, & Black, 2006) Something to keep note of with the increasing trend of economic globalization will be how the accounting standards in each locality affect financial reporting for these firms.…

    • 1484 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rsm220-Week 01 Slides

    • 2259 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Role of Financial Reporting • Financial statements and financial reporting • Accounting and capital allocation •Stakeholders Objective of Financial Reporting •Management bias •Users’ needs Standard Setting • Need to develop standards • Parties involved in standard setting • Standard setting in a political environment GAAP • GAAP hierarchy •Professional judgement • Role of ethics Challenges Facing Financial Reporting • Globalization of companies and capital markets • Impact of technology • Changing nature of the economy • Increased requirement for accountability…

    • 2259 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    U.S. GAAP vs IFRS

    • 3430 Words
    • 14 Pages

    The United States is coarsely going through a big dilemma. It is deciding whether to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), or to stay with the current U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Since this is such a serious decision, now would be an opportune time to take a look at what the advantages and disadvantages would be of switching to the new way of financial reporting, and doing so, shows the beliefs of the costs being too high to adopt a new set of reporting standards. People who support switching from GAAP to IFRS argue that IFRS will offer a general reporting language and consistent financial reporting for companies with global operations to make financial reporting more meaningful across borders. And. Supporters also believe that one common reporting system will cut costs for companies and make it easier for investors to compare the financial statements of companies from different countries (Diamond and Herrmann, August 2008). From the problem that the switch to IFRS would be exceedingly costly, to the fact that IFRS leaves more room for interpretation and lacks bright line rules, I will discuss all the reasons why switching to IFRS soon would not be the right decision for the U.S.…

    • 3430 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The proliferation and evolution of international trading and commerce have not only opened the gateway to international markets for many of the world’s emerging economies, but they have also fostered an unprecedented growth in the number of multinational corporations. Spurred by trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), the rapid expansion of global commerce has revealed many inherent obstacles and risks within the international financial structure. Disparate political, ethical, economic, and legal policies have impacted recording standards and are responsible for many inconsistencies in international financial reporting. Domestic accounting standards, collectively referred to as U.S. GAAP, or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, are set and maintained by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), while international standards, known as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), are issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Citing the detrimental effects of accounting fraud by several large publicly owned firms, the subsequent passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and pressure from foreign governments and investors, the IASB and FASB begun work on a collaborative framework intended to merge U.S. GAAP standards with IFRS. The convergence of the two systems will eliminate nuances, rectify internal contradictions, and create a uniform set of standards to be used both domestically and internationally. However, despite its many apparent benefits, the plan has been met with skepticism and objections from some accounting professionals.…

    • 2550 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sharia's Case

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    * Cultural differences across countries and regions of the world have complicated efforts to develop a common set of international accounting and auditing standards.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    cultural differences underlying global accounting standards. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 16-18. Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Acctounting

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I think global accounting standards are challenging for accounting professionals today. I think it is important that all participants, especially those who work in integrated world capital markets where the demands are comparability and transparency of financial reporting are used…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As more countries adopt international accounting standards, the ability of analysts to compare companies from different countries should improve. However, international…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Gannon, D.J. and A. Ashwal. 2004. Financial reporting goes global. Journal of Accountancy 198(3): 43-47.…

    • 2244 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    ACC Standards

    • 1442 Words
    • 5 Pages

    References: Barth, M. (2006). Research, Standard Setting, and Global Financial Reporting. Foundations and Trends in Accounting, 1(2), 71-165. Retrieved from EconLit with Full Text database.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The purpose of the convergence of accounting standards is to have a single set of globally accepted accounting standards where understandability, relevancy, reliability, and comparability across multinational borders are faithfully represented, and credible. Convergence refers to the increase in the comparability of different entities’ financial reports, which will contribute to the free flow of global investment and benefit a variety of stakeholders (i.e., investors, corporates and auditors) (PWC, 2007). Additionally, to simplify and reduce the “administrative burden on multinational reporting entities” (FASB Attachment F, 2004), and “improve the ability of investors to…

    • 1303 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the last decade, various countries around the globe have shifted towards a uniform accounting standards or the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The main motive behind this movement is to come up with a global language for accounting which will be comparable and understandable beyond the borders of a nation. As of today about 120 countries require IFRS for domestically listed companies, although only about 90 countries have fully conformed to IFRS . While some argue that it is necessary to have a system of accounting that is clear and transparent to global investors and companies, some others are skeptic about it being efficient. Furthermore, some feel that the costs of implementing IFRS can be too high and hence uniform…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Needles, B. E., & Powers, M. (2013). International financial reporting standards: An introduction. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Susanne Fritz and Christina Lämmle. (2003). The International Harmonisation Process of Accounting Standards . . 1 (1), 12-19.…

    • 1544 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    According to Armstrong (2012, p109), “…the dilemma facing all corporations is that of achieving a balance between international consistency and local autonomy.” How people perceive one another is determined by culture, culture can mislead how we observe the world. People use their own culture as a reference point to assess and evaluate others.…

    • 5131 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Powerful Essays