Samuel J. Ochieng
DQ Week 2
Discussion on whether to use rules or principles based accounting standards
Stakeholders in accounting include and are not limited to shareholders/investors in the company, regulators, lenders, customers and the accounting profession, just to mention a few. All the stakeholders have interest in high quality accounting reports that enable them to make a fair judgment whenever they need to make a decision on regarding a company.
Rules-based and principle-based accounting standards both have advantages and disadvantages. Advantages of rule-based accounting standards include clarity in application, reduction of risks when the rules are followed to the letter and the ease of comparing companies with the same industry using the same rules. Disadvantages of rule-based accounting standard include rigidity since a transaction must be accounted for under specified rule(s), inability to compare companies when the rules are different even if the transactions are similar and increased risks when the prescribed rules are not adhered to. Advantages of principle-based accounting standards include the option(s) left to those preparing the accounting statements to consider how to account for and report a transaction, ease of comparison of companies with similar transactions and the room to for accountants to defend their positions based on the principles followed. Disadvantages of the principle-based approach include the proliferation of too many accounting approaches with different principles, room to manipulate accounting statements and lack of precise rules on how to account for transactions.
Discussion on the accounting standard, whether rules-based or principle-based accounting, that best serves the needs of stakeh...
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... International Journal of accounting and Financial Reporting. Vol. 1 No. 1. Accessed from http://macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijafr/article/viewFile/1096/905 on 29 March 2014.
Pitt, H. L. (2002) Testimony concerning legislative solutions to problems raised by events relating to Enron Corporation before the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises of the United States House of Representatives. Accesses from http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/enron/pitttstmny020402.pdf on 29 March 2014
Smith, P. A. & Hogan, M. V. (2004) Principle’s verses rule-based accounting standards and the application of the determination of control for consolidation. AICPA Professor/Practitioner Case Program, Case No. 2004-01. Accessed from http://www2.accaglobal.com/pdfs/int_newsletters/hongkong/080206-finreport.pdf on 29 March 2014
Financial Accounting Standards Board. (1985). Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 86. Norwalk. Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://www.fasb.org/cs/BlobServer?blobkey=id&blobnocache=true&blobwhere=1175820922177&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername2=Content-Length&blobheadername1=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue2=189998&blobheadervalue1=filename%3Dfas86.pdf&blobcol=url
Hermanson, R., Edwards, J., & Maher, M. (2010).Accounting principles: A business perspective. (Vol. 2). Textbook Equity inc. DOI: www.textbookequity.com
Australian bookkeeping gauges are set by the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) and have the power of law for Corporations law elements under s 296 of the Corporations Act 2001. They should likewise be connected to all other universally useful monetary reports of reporting elements in general society and private parts.Australian Accounting standards board oversee process of accouting standards if all companies registerd with ASIC complying with these standards and their financial reports are maintend with standards to keep public share holders money in safe hand in past many auditors companies used to ignore accounting standards to give companies actual financial figuers lower or higher to keep their shares prices or investors intact this lead to so many financial crises and collapse of comapanies.The case analyses the high standards required by the accounting profession in line with the requirements of the Australian Standards Board prescription. Further, the case is analyzed technically in line with the accounting standards prescribed by the institute. Here, an employee accountant of a company is asked to iron out the
One of the most debatable topics in the accounting industry today is the extent in which we should make the financial statements understandable to the general population. The FASB currently gears its reporting standards toward...
Hermanson, R., Edwards, J., & Maher, M. (2010).Accounting principles: A business perspective. (Vol. 2). Textbook Equity inc. DOI: www.textbookequity.com
Hines, R. D. (1991). The FASB’s conceptual framework, financial accounting and the maintenance of the social world. Accounting organizations and society, 16(4), 313-331.
Hoggett, J., Edwards, L., Medlin, J. (2008). Accounting, 6th Edition. John Wiley & Sons Australia Limited.
These principles were established to provide a common standards to accountants. The rules and regulations were created by the FASAB and the GASB. To guarantee the accuracy and reliability of financial statements professional accounts must follow the accounting cycle of GAAP. FASAB and GASB are the two major bodies that update these principles periodically. The reason for these periodic updates is to address the changes that occur in public bodies and organizations. One of the greatest advantages is that the financial statements from different corporations can be compared. The preventative measures of GAAP reduce risks and provide safeguards to an organization. GAAP help to eliminate fraud and risk through consistent financial reporting. Private and public organization both benefit from the use of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Another important advantage of GAAP is its adaptability. GAAP provides for accurate and consistent reporting. There is no law that requires GAAP to be used. The GAAP guidelines are adhered to by the vast majority of organizations because of its accuracy in financial reporting. The accurate data provided through the use of GAAP helps an organization to achieve their financial objectives. There were no areas of this class that could have yielded additional information for me. The resources that we are provided should be utilized effectively to maximize the learning process. I enjoyed watching the lecture that professor Sheik provided. The live chats are often overlooked yet they embody valuable information which is critical to our success. The discussion board post are provided student engagement which allows one to gain greater clarity on the subject matter. I have enjoyed my learning experience in this class. I wish everyone continued success at Colorado Technical
Horngren, C.T., Sundem, G.L., Elliott, J.A., Philbrick, D.R. (2006). Introduction to Financial Accounting (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Accounting provides economic and financial information for investors, creditors, external users, and the general public at large. Financial accounting is an aspect of accounting is the associated with the complexity of preparing financial statements: the Income statement, Retained earnings, Balance sheet and statement of cash flow. Financial accounting is the battlefield in the business world today. It is faced with unprofessional accounting practices that delve its principles. According to Valter W.J (1972), generally accepted accounting principles incorporate the consensus at any time as to which economic resources and obligations should be recorded as assets and liabilities, which changes in them should be recorded, when these changes should be recorded, how the recorded assets and liabilities and changes in them should be measured, what information should be disclosed and how it should be disclosed, and which financial statements should be prepared. Recognizing these issues, identifying the principal element, and alternatives is the rock upon which accounting ethical standard lies.
Having a career in accounting, means having set rules and standards to follow by. In the accounting profession, GAAP has been well known and widely used more often in the U.S. Through out the world IFRS is being used except in the U.S. In the U.S., GAAP is a more common method for accounting. In this paper, I will analyze which form of accounting is preferable, from principle based (IFRS) vs. Rules based (GAAP). My research will conduct of the similarities and differences in the accounting field, between the two. Also, I will consider the benefits and disadvantages of using one method over the other.
Henderson, S., Peirson, G., & Herbohn, K. F. (2006). Issues in financial accounting. Pearson Prentice-Hall.
When examining the major differences between financial and managerial accounting, we find that with financial accounting the information is reported in statements. The financial statements objectively and periodically report the results of past operations and the financial condition of the business according to the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) (Vallabhaneni, 2003). Examples include shareholders, creditors, government agencies, and the public. On the other hand, managerial accounting information includes both historical and estimated data used by management in conducting daily operations, planning future operations, and developing overall business strategies (Vallabhaneni, 2003). Managerial accounting also includes information for decision-making, planning, directing, controlling an organization's operations, and appraising its competitive position. Managerial accounting has internal users of information. These users comprise of business managers at all levels in the organization. Financial accounting uses external users of information. These users include stockholders, financial analysts, lenders, unions, consumer groups, and government agencies. This is hard data, and must meet audit criteria to be acceptable. Managerial Accounting rules are set within the company to carry out management objectives related to adding value to the company. Managerial accounting data must only be relevant for management decisions.
Financial and Managerial accounting are used for making sound financial decisions about an organization. They provide information of past quantitative financial activities and are useful in making future economic decisions. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002) The same financial data is used to derive reports for each accounting process yet they differ in some ways. Financial accounting primarily provides external reports for external users such as stock holders, creditors, regulating authority and others. (Garrison, Noreen, & Brewer, 2010) On the other hand Managerial accounting is concern with providing information that deals with the internal viability of the organization and is tailored to meet the needs of an individual organization. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002)
Financial statements are the primary instruments used in assessing the performance of a business and its managers (Gibson , 2013). In order to make well informed decisions, interested parties must be able to assume that a company’s financial statements are an accurate representation of its performance. Financial statements are used by customers, employees, governments, investors, lenders, and suppliers to influence numerous types of transactions. Investors can use financial statements to determine a company’s value as an investment. Governments can use financial statements to determine a company’s tax liability. Lenders and suppliers can use financial statements for determine a company’s creditworthiness. Good decisions rely on accurate financial reporting.