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The Effects of International Financial Reporting Standards on the Accounts and Accounting Quality of Australian Firms: A Retrospective Study

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  • Goodwin, John
  • Ahmed, Kamran
  • Heaney, Richard

Abstract

We examine the effect of Australian equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the accounts and accounting quality of 1,065 listed firms, relying on retrospective reconciliations between Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (AGAAP) and IFRS. We find that IFRS increases total liabilities, decreases equity and more firms have earnings decreases than increases. IFRS earnings and equity are not more value relevant than AGAAP earnings and equity and while adjustments for changes in accounting for provisions and intangibles other than goodwill are value relevant, they weaken associations with market value. Goodwill adjustments improve associations with market value. We also find that the reconciliation note for the earnings adjustments contained no new information.

Suggested Citation

  • Goodwin, John & Ahmed, Kamran & Heaney, Richard, 2008. "The Effects of International Financial Reporting Standards on the Accounts and Accounting Quality of Australian Firms: A Retrospective Study," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 89-119.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:4:y:2008:i:2:p:89-119
    DOI: 10.1016/S1815-5669(10)70031-X
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Md Humayun Kabir & Fawzi Laswad & Md Ainul Islam, 2010. "Impact of IFRS in New Zealand on Accounts and Earnings Quality," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 20(4), pages 343-357, December.
    2. Ahmed, Kamran & Chalmers, Keryn & Khlif, Hichem, 2013. "A Meta-analysis of IFRS Adoption Effects," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 173-217.
    3. Rodríguez García, Martha del Pilar & Cortez Alejandro, Klender Aimer & Méndez Sáenz, Alma Berenice & Garza Sánchez, Héctor Horacio, 2017. "Does an IFRS adoption increase value relevance and earnings timeliness in Latin America?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 155-168.
    4. Karen Benson & Peter M Clarkson & Tom Smith & Irene Tutticci, 2015. "A review of accounting research in the Asia Pacific region," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(1), pages 36-88, February.
    5. Philip Brown, 2011. "International Financial Reporting Standards: what are the benefits?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 269-285, August.
    6. Cheng Y Lai & Yang Li & Yaowen Shan & Stephen Taylor, 2013. "Costs of mandatory international financial reporting standards: Evidence of reduced accrual reliability," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 38(3), pages 491-521, December.
    7. Bryce, Mitchell & Ali, Muhammad Jahangir & Mather, Paul R., 2015. "Accounting quality in the pre-/post-IFRS adoption periods and the impact on audit committee effectiveness — Evidence from Australia," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(PA), pages 163-181.
    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. Matthew Wegener & Réal Labelle, 2017. "Value Relevance of Environmental Provisions Pre‐ and Post‐IFRS," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 139-168, September.
    10. Marvin Wee & Ann Tarca & Millicent Chang, 2014. "Disclosure incentives, mandatory standards and firm communication in the IFRS adoption setting," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 39(2), pages 265-291, May.
    11. Pathiranage, Nandana P.W. & Jubb, Christine A., 2018. "Does IFRS make analysts more efficient in using fundamental information included in financial statements?," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 373-385.
    12. Mark Wallis, 2021. "The effects of relaxing Australia’s statutory dividend restrictions," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(2), pages 3685-3733, June.
    13. Sugiyama, Sachiko & Islam, Jesmin, 2016. "Empirical findings from the reconciliations in the first IFRS compliant reports prepared by Japanese-owned subsidiaries in Australia," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 143-158.
    14. Cheng Lai & Meiting Lu & Yaowen Shan, 2013. "Has Australian financial reporting become more conservative over time?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(3), pages 731-761, September.
    15. Lueg, Rainer & Punda, Pawel & Burkert, Michael, 2014. "Does transition to IFRS substantially affect key financial ratios in shareholder-oriented common law regimes? Evidence from the UK," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 241-250.
    16. Ariel Markelevich & Lewis Shaw & Hagit Weihs, 2016. "Information content of IFRS versus domestic accounting standards: evidence from mandatory IFRS adoption in Israel," International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 12(2), pages 167-211.
    17. Humayun Kabir & Fawzi Laswad, 2015. "The Impact of Improvements in Institutional Oversight on IFRS Accrual Quality in Europe," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 25(4), pages 428-444, December.
    18. Hülya Cengiz & Alan Combs & Martin Samy, 2017. "An Analysis of how Financial Ratios of Companies in Turkey Are Affected by National Standards, and IFRS," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(12), pages 183-190, December.
    19. Rajat Deb & Mukesh Nepal & Sourav Chakraborty, 2023. "IFRS and Audit Quality: A Systematic Literature Review," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 48(1), pages 118-138, February.
    20. Keryn Chalmers & Greg Clinch & Jayne M Godfrey, 2011. "Changes in value relevance of accounting information upon IFRS adoption: Evidence from Australia," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 36(2), pages 151-173, August.
    21. June Cao & Chris Patel, 2020. "The role of the national institutional environment in IFRS convergence: a new approach," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(4), pages 3367-3406, December.
    22. Meena Bhatia & Mwila J. Mulenga, 2019. "Value Relevance of Accounting Information: A Review of Empirical Evidence Across Continents," Jindal Journal of Business Research, , vol. 8(2), pages 179-193, December.
    23. Clarkson, Peter & Hanna, J. Douglas & Richardson, Gordon D. & Thompson, Rex, 2011. "The impact of IFRS adoption on the value relevance of book value and earnings," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17.
    24. Martin Bugeja & Anna Loyeung, 2017. "Accounting for business combinations and takeover premiums: Pre- and post-IFRS," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 42(2), pages 183-204, May.
    25. 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.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    M40; M41; IFRS; accounting quality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M40 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - General
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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