International Financial Reporting Standards Critical Perspectives on Business and Management

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and the possibility of global accounting harmonization, have recently gained enormously in importance, both practically and from an academic and research perspective. Since 2005, European and Australian listed enterprises are required to use IFRS for Consolidated Financial Statements. Other countries - from New Zealand to China - are actively moving towards these standards. And now, the IFRS Board and the American Regulatory System are publicly committed to a convergence programme. This major work, edited by two leading experts in the field, is a timely appraisal of academic and regulatory work in relation to this whole process. These important volumes bring together – otherwise inaccessible – early material which is vital to the understanding of the historical perspective, both in terms of the current situation and of future developments. International Financial Reporting Standards provides a broad overview, in addition to detailed coverage, of this important and fascinating topic, including a discussion of the processes of change and developments which have led from a widely disparate starting position to the current situation. The four volumes are fully indexed and each includes an informative, contextual introduction by the editors.

VOLUME I: Context: The Need for International Standardization of Accounting Part A: Diversity and its Effects 1. R. H. Parker, ‘Some International Aspects of Accounting’, Journal of Business Finance, 3, 4, Winter 1971, pp. 29–36. 2. Frederick D. S. Choi and Richard M. Levich, ‘Behavioral Effects of International Accounting Diversity’, Accounting Horizons, June 1991, pp. 1–13. 3. Ray Ball, S. P. Kothari and Ashok Robin, ‘The Effect of International Institutional Factors on Properties of Accounting Earnings’, Journal of Accounting and Economics, 29, 2000, pp. 1–51. 4. O.-K. Hope, ‘Disclosure Practices, Enforcement of Accounting Standards, and Analysts’ Forecast Accuracy: An International Study’, Journal of Accounting Research, 41, 2, 2003, pp. 235–72. Part B: Influences on Accounting 5. Robert H. Parker, ‘Importing and Exporting Accounting: The British Experience’, in Anthony G. Hopwood (ed.), International Pressures for Accounting Change (Prentice Hall, 1989), pp. 7–29. 6. S. J. Gray, ‘Towards a Theory of Cultural Influence on the Development of Accounting Systems Internationally’, Abacus, 24, 1, Mar. 1988, pp. 1–15. 7. S. Chanchani and R. Willett, ‘An Empirical Assessment of Gray’s Accounting Value Constructs’, International Journal of Accounting, 39, 2, 2004, pp. 125–54. 8. Timothy S. Doupnik and Stephen B. Salter, ‘External Environment, Culture, and Accounting Practice: A Preliminary Test of a General Model of International Accounting Development’, International Journal of Accounting, 30, 3, 1995, pp. 189–207. 9. Christopher Nobes, ‘Towards a General Model of the Reasons for International Differences in Financial Reporting’, Abacus, 34, 2, Sept. 1998, pp. 162–87. 10. Richard Briston, ‘The Evolution of Accounting in Developing Countries’, International Journal of Accounting and Research, Fall 1978, pp. 105–20. 11. Nabil Baydoun and Roger Willett, ‘Cultural Relevance of Western Accounting Systems to Developing Countries’, Abacus, 31, 1, Mar. 1995, pp. 67–92. Part C: Classification 12. H. R. Hatfield, ‘Some Variations in Accounting Practices in England, France, Germany and the US’, Journal of Accounting Research, Autumn 1966, pp. 169–82. 13. G. G. Mueller, ‘Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States Versus those Generally Accepted Elsewhere’, International Journal of Accounting, 3, 1, 1968, pp. 91–103. 14. R. D. Nair and Werner G. Frank, ‘The Impact of Disclosure and Measurement Practices on International Accounting Classifications’, Accounting Review, LV, 3, July 1980, pp. 426–50. 15. C. W. Nobes, ‘An Empirical Analysis of International Accounting Principles: A Comment’, Journal of Accounting Research, 19, 1, Spring 1981, pp. 268–70. 16. C. W. Nobes, ‘A Judgemental International Classification of Financial Reporting Practices’, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 10, 1, Spring 1983, pp. 1–19. Part D: Measuring Standardization 17. Leo G. van der Tas, ‘Measuring Harmonisation of Financial Reporting Practice’, Accounting and Business Research, 18, 70, Spring 1988, pp. 157–69. 18. J. S. W. Tay and R. H. Parker, ‘Measuring International Harmonization and Standardization’, Abacus, 26, 1, Mar. 1990, pp. 71–88. 19. Leo G. van der Tas, ‘Measuring International Harmonization and Standardization: Comment, Abacus, 28, 2, Sept. 1992, pp. 211–16. 20. J. S. W. Tay and R. H. Parker, ‘Measuring International Harmonization and Standardization: A Reply’, Abacus, 28, 2, Sept. 1992, pp. 217–20. 21. Simon Archer, Pascale Delvaille, and Stuart McLeay, ‘A Statistical Model of International Accounting Harmonization’, Abacus, 32, 1, Mar. 1996, pp. 1–29. 22. Vera M. Krisement, ‘An Approach for Measuring the Degree of Comparability of Financial Accounting Information’, European Accounting Review, 6, 3, 1997, pp. 465–85. 23. Richard D. Morris and R. H. Parker, ‘International Harmony Measures of Accounting Policy: Comparative Statistical Properties’, Accounting and Business Research, 29, 1, Winter 1998, pp. 73–86. 24. Leandro Cañibano and Araceli Mora, ‘Evaluating the Statistical Significance of De Facto Accounting Harmonization: A Study of European Global Players’, European Accounting Review, 9, 3, 2000, pp. 349–69. VOLUME II: The Early Years of the International Accounting Standards Committee Part A: Foundation of the IASC 25. H. Benson, ‘Accounting Standards’, in Accounting for Life (Kogan Page, 1979), pp. 102–14. 26. H. Benson, ‘The Story of International Accounting’, Accountancy, July 1976, pp. 34–9. 27. P. Walton, ‘Accountancy: The Most Exciting Profession in the World’ (an interview with Lord Benson), Accounting and Business, June 1996, pp. 12–13. 28. W. E. Olson, ‘The Establishment of International Organizations’, in The Accounting Profession: Years of Trial: 1969–1980 (New York: AICPA, 1982), pp. 223–43. 29. J. A. Hepworth, ‘IASC: The Future’, in W. J. Brennan (ed.), The Internationalization of the Accountancy Profession (Toronto: CICA, 1979), pp. 49–57. 30. J. A. Burggraaff, ‘IASC Developments: An Update’, Journal of Accountancy, Sept. 1982, pp. 104–10. 31. ICAEW (and others), ‘An Agreement to Establish an International Accounting Standards Committee’ (London: ICAEW, 1973) (7pp.). 32. IASC, Preface to ‘International Accounting Standards’ (London: IASC, 1983) (7pp.). 33. IASC, Constitution of the International Accounting Standards Committee (London: IASC, 1992) (5pp.). Part B: Assessments of the IASC and its Standards 34. William J. Violet, ‘A Philosophical Perspective on the Development of International Accounting Standards’, International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research, Spring 1983, pp. 1–13. 35. Juan M. Rivera, ‘The Internationalization of Accounting Standards: Past Problems and Current Prospects’, International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research, 24, 4, 1989, pp. 320–41. 36. R. S. Olesegun Wallace, ‘Survival Strategies of a Global Organization: The Case of the International Accounting Standards Committee’, Accounting Horizons, 4, 2, June 1990, pp. 1–22. 37. R. K. Goeltz, ‘International Accounting Harmonization: The Impossible (and Unnecessary?) Dream’, Accounting Horizons, Mar. 1991, pp. 85–8. 38. S. E. C. Purvis, H. Gernon, and M. A. Diamond, ‘The IASC and its Comparability Project’, Accounting Horizons, June 1991, pp. 25–44. 39. Sara York Kenny and Robert K. Larson, ‘Lobbying Behaviour and the Development of International Accounting Standards: The Case of the IASC’s Joint Venture Project’, European Accounting Review, 2, 3, Dec. 1993, pp. 531–54. Part C: Compliance and Harmonization with IASs 40. R. D. Nair and Werner G. Frank, ‘The Harmonization of International Accounting Standards, 1973–1979’, International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research, Fall 1981, pp. 61–77. 41. S. M. McKinnon and Paul Janell, ‘The International Accounting Standards Committee: A Performance Evaluation’, International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research, Spring 1984, pp. 19–34. 42. Thomas G. Evans and Martin E. Taylor, ‘"Bottom Line Compliance" with the IASC: A Comparative Analysis’, International Journal of Accounting, Education and Research, Fall 1982, pp. 115–28. 43. G. R. Brunovs and R. J. Kirsh, ‘Goodwill Accounting in Selected Countries and the Harmonisation of International Accounting Standards’, Abacus, 27, 2, 1991, 135–61. 44. P. Weetman, E. A. E. Jones, C. A. Adams and S. J. Gray, ‘Profit Measurement and UK Accounting Standards: A Case of Increasing Disharmony in Relation to US GAAP and IASs’, Accounting and Business Research, 28, 3, Summer 1998, pp. 189–208. VOLUME III: The Later Years of the International Accounting Standards Committee Part A: Conceptual Issues 45. B. Carsberg, ‘The Role and Future Plans of the International Accounting Standards Committee’, in I. Lapsley (ed.), Essays in Accounting Thought (Edinburgh: Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, 1996), pp. 68–84. 46. B. Carsberg, ‘The Future of the IASC’, Accounting and Business, Jan. 1998, pp. 8–9. 47. J. Flower, ‘The Future Shape of

David Alexander is Professor of International Accounting, Birmingham Business School, UK. He is co-author, with Ann Britton, of Financial Reporting (now in 7th edition), and with Chris Nobes, A European Introduction to Financial Accounting, as well as Financial Accounting: an international introduction. Christopher Nobes is PriceWaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accounting at Reading University. The UK representative on the Board of the International Accounting Standards Committee from 1993 to 2001, he is on the editorial board for numerous journals including International Journal of Accounting. He has published 20 books, including Comparative International Accounting (now in 8th edition).