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Firm-specific factors influencing the selection of accounting options provided by the IFRS: Empirical evidence from Spanish market

Author

Listed:
  • Juana Aledo

    (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

  • Fernando García-Martínez

    (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

  • Juan M. Marín Diazaraque

    (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)

Abstract

It is generally accepted that International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) promote a "true and fair" presentation of financial statements. The improvement of the quality of financial reporting helps investors, bankers and regulators make better decisions. Spanish GAAP, on the other hand, are based on a "prudent" approach for asset and liability recognition and valuation, with the goal of protecting stakeholders. Adjustments introduced as a consequence of IFRS adoption may result in (i) the recognition (or derecognition) of assets and liabilities for the first time (i.e. derivative financial assets and liabilities) and (ii) the application of accounting criteria that differs from those recognised under local GAAP (i.e. cost vs. revaluation model). The main objective of this study is to examine the financial statements of the firms listed on the Spanish Continuous Stock Market that have been using IFRS since 2005 to determine the accounting policy options they apply under IFRS and, most importantly, to provide evidence of the factors driving these choices. Since there are significant differences in reporting quality between countries as a consequence of different accounting regimes and institutional frameworks, mandatory IFRS adoption provides an opportunity to assess the economic consequences of these differences. The main finding of this paper is that companies apply the most conservative criteria to reduce the number of discrepancies between the two standards, particularly in regards to presentation and measurement practices. Nevertheless, the evitación from Spanish GAAP has a significant impact on reported equity and net income. Firms in Consumer services, Consumer goods, Oil and Gas, and Basic Materials, Manufacturing and Construction industries experience the largest adjustments. Additionally, we find that firm-specific factors such as industry, size, auditor’s opinion and capital structure influence the choice of accounting policy used to prepare financial statements. The findings reported in this paper provide a basis for debate about the quality of financial disclosure and reporting regulation and their impact across countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Juana Aledo & Fernando García-Martínez & Juan M. Marín Diazaraque, 2009. "Firm-specific factors influencing the selection of accounting options provided by the IFRS: Empirical evidence from Spanish market," Working Papers 0926, Banco de España.
  • Handle: RePEc:bde:wpaper:0926
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Apostolos Ballas & Vaia Panagiotou & Christos Tzovas, 2014. "Accounting Choices for Tangible Assets: A Study of Greek Firms," SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, SPOUDAI Journal of Economics and Business, University of Piraeus, vol. 64(4), pages 18-38, October-D.
    2. Sami El Omari & Mohamed Taieb Hamadi & Wafa Khlif, 2016. "La diversité des sources d'interprétation et d'application des normes comptables internationales ; un frein à la convergence de la pratique," Post-Print hal-01900554, HAL.
    3. Abdullah, Azrul Bin, 2018. "Company-specific characteristics and the choice of hedge accounting for derivatives reporting: Malaysian case," SocArXiv npa6v, Center for Open Science.
    4. Abdullah, Azrul & Ku Ismail, Ku Nor Izah, 2017. "Companies’ Characteristics and the Choice of Hedge Accounting for Derivatives Reporting: Evidence from Malaysian Listed Companies," MPRA Paper 90213, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    International Financial Reporting Standards; Mandatory Disclosure Level; Fair-value Accounting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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