IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jiaata/v49y2022ics1061951822000647.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of mandatory adoption of IFRS in Saudi Arabia

Author

Listed:
  • Nurunnabi, Mohammad
  • Donker, Han
  • Jermakowicz, Eva K.

Abstract

We examine whether the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by companies reporting under an Islamic accounting framework is associated with the greater comparability and relevance of financial reporting. Using a sample of Saudi Arabian companies listed on Tadawul, the Saudi stock market, we compare accounting figures reported under Saudi GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) issued by the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) and IFRS for the same year. The amount of reported shareholders’ equity and net income decreased in the transition to IFRS as a result of adjustments primarily related to consolidation and strategic investments, property, plant and equipment, employee benefits, and other liabilities. Our empirical findings document several reasons for the improved relevancy of the subject financial reports. The main finding was that adopting IFRS enhanced the perceived relevancy of the reports. Additionally, reporting in English versus reporting in Arabic was found to have favorably affected relevancy. Regarding transparency, based on the number of pages and informative notes, reporting under IFRS also engendered improvements to the financial reporting process. The results confirm that IFRS adoption can occur in a very different accounting regime and have positive effects on capital markets and their accounting environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Nurunnabi, Mohammad & Donker, Han & Jermakowicz, Eva K., 2022. "The impact of mandatory adoption of IFRS in Saudi Arabia," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:49:y:2022:i:c:s1061951822000647
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2022.100509
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1061951822000647
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intaccaudtax.2022.100509?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mary E. Barth & Wayne R. Landsman & Mark H. Lang, 2008. "International Accounting Standards and Accounting Quality," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 467-498, June.
    2. Nurunnabi, Mohammad, 2014. "‘Does accounting regulation matter?’: An experience of international financial reporting standards implementation in an emerging country," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 230-238.
    3. Holger Daske & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz & Rodrigo Verdi, 2008. "Mandatory IFRS Reporting around the World: Early Evidence on the Economic Consequences," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 1085-1142, December.
    4. Nurunnabi, Mohammad, 2015. "The impact of cultural factors on the implementation of global accounting standards (IFRS) in a developing country," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 136-149.
    5. Key, Kimberly G. & Kim, Jeong Youn, 2020. "IFRS and accounting quality: Additional evidence from Korea," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    6. Ball, Ray & Kothari, S. P. & Robin, Ashok, 2000. "The effect of international institutional factors on properties of accounting earnings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 1-51, February.
    7. Doaa El-Diftar & Tarek Elkalla, 2019. "The value relevance of accounting information in the MENA region," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(3), pages 519-536, September.
    8. Mary E. Barth & Wayne R. Landsman & Danqing Young & Zili Zhuang, 2014. "Relevance of Differences between Net Income based on IFRS and Domestic Standards for European Firms," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3-4), pages 297-327, April.
    9. Mohammad Nurunnabi, 2017. "IFRS and Saudi accounting standards: a critical investigation," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 14(3), pages 191-206, August.
    10. Anwer S. Ahmed & Michael Neel & Dechun Wang, 2013. "Does Mandatory Adoption of IFRS Improve Accounting Quality? Preliminary Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1344-1372, December.
    11. Francois Brochet & Alan D. Jagolinzer & Edward J. Riedl, 2013. "Mandatory IFRS Adoption and Financial Statement Comparability," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1373-1400, December.
    12. Street, Donna L. & Bryant, Stephanie M., 2000. "Disclosure Level and Compliance with IASs: A Comparison of Companies With and Without U.S. Listings and Filings," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 305-329, September.
    13. Nurunnabi, Mohammad, 2018. "Perceived costs and benefits of IFRS adoption in Saudi Arabia: An exploratory study," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 166-175.
    14. Carol Adams & Pauline Weetman & Edward Jones & Sidney Gray, 1999. "Reducing the burden of US GAAP reconciliations by foreign companies listed in the United States: the key question of materiality," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22.
    15. Ali Alnodel, 2018. "The Impact of IFRS Adoption on the Value Relevance of Accounting Information: Evidence from the Insurance Sector," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(4), pages 138-138, March.
    16. repec:mth:ijafr8:v:8:y:2018:i:3:p:51-77 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Landsman, Wayne R. & Maydew, Edward L. & Thornock, Jacob R., 2012. "The information content of annual earnings announcements and mandatory adoption of IFRS," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 34-54.
    18. Cascino, Stefano & Gassen, Joachim, 2015. "What drives the comparability effect of mandatory IFRS adoption?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 57682, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Ball, R & Brown, P, 1968. "Empirical Evaluation Of Accounting Income Numbers," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(2), pages 159-178.
    20. DeFond, Mark & Hu, Xuesong & Hung, Mingyi & Li, Siqi, 2011. "The impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on foreign mutual fund ownership: The role of comparability," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 240-258, April.
    21. Tsalavoutas, Ioannis & André, Paul & Evans, Lisa, 2012. "The transition to IFRS and the value relevance of financial statements in Greece," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(4), pages 262-277.
    22. Prather-Kinsey, Jenice, 2006. "Developing countries converging with developed-country accounting standards: Evidence from South Africa and Mexico," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 141-162.
    23. Holger Daske & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz & Rodrigo Verdi, 2013. "Adopting a Label: Heterogeneity in the Economic Consequences Around IAS/IFRS Adoptions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 495-547, June.
    24. Alzeban, Abdulaziz & Gwilliam, David, 2014. "Factors affecting the internal audit effectiveness: A survey of the Saudi public sector," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 74-86.
    25. Joseph Aharony & Ran Barniv & Haim Falk, 2010. "The Impact of Mandatory IFRS Adoption on Equity Valuation of Accounting Numbers for Security Investors in the EU," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 535-578.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cho, Meeok & Kim, Sehee & Kim, Yewon & Lee, Bryan Byung-Hee & Lee, Woo-Jong, 2021. "IFRS adoption and stock misvaluation: Implication to Korea discount," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. De George, Emmanuel T. & Li, Xi & Shivakumar, Lakshmanan, 2016. "A review of the IFRS adoption literature," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67599, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Chan, Ann L.-C. & Hsu, Audrey W.-H. & Lee, Edward, 2015. "Mandatory adoption of IFRS and timely loss recognition across Europe: The effect of corporate finance incentives," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 70-82.
    4. Emmanuel T. De George & Xi Li & Lakshmanan Shivakumar, 2016. "A review of the IFRS adoption literature," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 898-1004, September.
    5. Bin Li & Gianfranco Siciliano & Mohan Venkatachalam & Patricia Naranjo & Rodrigo S. Verdi, 2021. "Economic Consequences of IFRS Adoption: The Role of Changes in Disclosure Quality," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 129-179, March.
    6. Wakil, Gulraze & Petruska, Karin A., 2022. "Does mandatory IFRS adoption affect large and small public firms' accounting quality differently? Evidence from Canada," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    7. Abdulrahman Alomair & Alan Farley & Helen Hong Yang, 2022. "The impact of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of accounting information in Saudi Arabia," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2839-2878, June.
    8. Georgakopoulos, Georgios & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Huang, Chen & Patsika, Victoria, 2022. "The impact of IFRS adoption on IPOs management earnings forecasts in Australia," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    9. El-Helaly, Moataz & Ntim, Collins G. & Soliman, Mark, 2020. "The Role of National Culture in International Financial Reporting Standards Adoption," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    10. Visani, Franco & Di Lascio, F. Marta L. & Gardini, Silvia, 2020. "The impact of institutional and cultural factors on the use of non-GAAP financial measures. International evidence from the oil and gas industry," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    11. Petaibanlue, Jirada & Walker, Martin & Lee, Edward, 2015. "When did analyst forecast accuracy benefit from increased cross-border comparability following IFRS adoption in the EU?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 278-291.
    12. Eliwa, Yasser & Haslam, Jim & Abraham, Santhosh, 2021. "Earnings quality and analysts’ information environment: Evidence from the EU market," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    13. William Bradford & Chao Chen & Song Zhu, 2017. "Conservative Accounting, IFRS Convergence and Cash Dividend Payments: Evidence from China," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 23(3), pages 376-414, June.
    14. Christensen, Hans B. & Hail, Luzi & Leuz, Christian, 2013. "Mandatory IFRS reporting and changes in enforcement," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 147-177.
    15. El-Helaly, Moataz & Ntim, Collins G. & Al-Gazzar, Manar, 2020. "Diffusion theory, national corruption and IFRS adoption around the world," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    16. Shahid Khan & Mark Anderson & Hussein Warsame & Michael Wright, 2015. "Do IFRS‐Based Earnings Announcements Have More Information Content than Canadian GAAP‐Based Earnings Announcements?," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(3), pages 276-302, September.
    17. Benkraiem, Ramzi & Bensaad, Itidel & Lakhal, Faten, 2022. "How do International Financial Reporting Standards affect information asymmetry? The importance of the earnings quality channel," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    18. Harakeh, Mostafa, 2020. "Dividend policy and corporate investment under information shocks," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. de Moura, André Aroldo Freitas & Altuwaijri, Aljaohra & Gupta, Jairaj, 2020. "Did mandatory IFRS adoption affect the cost of capital in Latin American countries?," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    20. Xiao Li & Jeffrey Ng & Walid Saffar, 2021. "Financial Reporting and Trade Credit: Evidence from Mandatory IFRS Adoption," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 96-128, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    IFRS; SOCPA GAAP; Saudi Arabia;
    All these keywords.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jiaata:v:49:y:2022:i:c:s1061951822000647. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-international-accounting-auditing-and-taxation .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.