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The highest decision-making body in a municipality is the council, whose members are elected every fourth year. Therefore, local politicians are in the key position in using financial information in decision making. The purpose of this paper is to study Finnish local politicians’ use of financial information.

This paper studies the speech of local politicians as they describe financial operations and financial position of the municipalities they represent. Here, the words of local politicians are considered an expression of their use of financial information. The use of financial information includes its impact on decision making. The focus is on the impact of different individual characteristics of financial information use in speech about financial operations and financial position. The paper employs qualitative empirical data collected through semi-structured thematic interviews with members of the Finnish local government. Data are analyzed with descriptive statistical methods.

Local politicians use financial information when they talk about financial operations and financial position of their municipality. Individual characteristics, such as political experience, affect the use of financial information. Experienced local politicians are familiar with financial information and use it more systematically than inexperienced politicians. Contrasted to expectations, financial expertise has a negative impact on financial information use. Moreover, in general, the ideology of politicians does not affect their use of financial information.

The paper sheds light on the value of individual characteristics of financial information use. It develops and tests hypotheses based on previous research on the impact of individual attributes of local politicians in the Finnish local government.

The purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent the professional identity of accountants, as manifested in a set of advanced cognitive, emotional and social intelligence competencies relevant to their professional activities, varies with the respective accounting position.

The systematically developed, formally clearly structured job advertisements for accounting positions provide content-rich representations of those holding the advertised position and thus contribute to revealing the professional identity. This study conducts a content analysis of 600 profiles of accountants presented in job advertisements of German organizations to identify the characteristic set of advanced cognitive, emotional and social intelligence competencies, juxtaposing different accounting positions at various stages of professional life. German organizations were targeted because they traditionally clearly differentiate between financial accounting and management accounting.

The job advertisements suggest that accountants develop a multifaceted professional identity reflecting their area of specialization and their level of entry. Financial accountants are more likely to be team-oriented than management accountants, and non-executive accountants are more likely than executive accountants. Analytical thinking seems to characterize management accountants rather than financial accountants. An independent way of working appears to be more pronounced among financial accountants than among management accountants.

This study refines the understanding of the professional identity of accountants by exploring the recruitment of accountants, the initial step of professional socialization. It identifies the most relevant advanced cognitive, emotional and social intelligence competencies based on a broad sample of job advertisements for accounting positions in organizations of different sizes and industries. By contrasting the competencies relevant to different positions and at different stages of their professional lives, it becomes evident that distinct professional identities of accountants coexist. The relevant competencies may be developed during higher education and continuing professional education. They may also be incorporated into individual performance evaluations and used as the basis for promotion decisions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore practitioner and academic conceptualisations about what drives individuals (who are the target of financial inclusion efforts) to adopt and use financial services. It compares this with individual’s personal subjectivities to understand how the similarities and differences might contribute to problems in financial inclusion efforts.

To uncover such conceptualisations, a Foucauldian discourse analysis of three texts is conducted.

The analysis uncovers the ways in which financial subjects are produced. Important points of discontinuity are evident between texts, pointing to potential failures within financial inclusion constructs. Distilling aspects of continuity between texts shows up three kinds of subjects produced predicated on the site of economic engagement as owners of bodies, tangible property and intangible property. These subjects are shown to all share concerns with income and expense management. The analysis shows that subject positions and strategic actions (including the use of financial service providers) are mutually reinforcing, and that therefore financial subjects will engage only to the extent that the product or service enacts their subject position. With the financial subject as the starting point, it is possible to understand the use or rejection of particular financial products and services.

Asset building is proposed as a field of activity not currently considered part of mainstream financial inclusion, questioning the terms on which individuals are to be financially “included”.

Approximately 2 billion people globally, and 66 per cent of adults in sub-Saharan Africa, are excluded from the formal financial system. While financial inclusion is considered beneficial, many projects face significant challenges. This suggests insufficient understanding of what drives individuals to adopt and use financial services. This paper makes a contribution by exploring the gap between academics, practitioners and individuals using a method that has not previously been applied in this field, and uncovering differences in understanding that have not previously been explored. The insights into financial inclusion in provided in this paper are original in the literature.

This chapter focuses on the IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and IFRS 16 Leases in the airline industry considering the case of Air France – KLM (AF-KLM). This airline timely adopted IFRS 15 and early adopted IFRS 16 for the year 2018 and restated its 2017 financial statements using the full retrospective method so that the 2018 financial statements of the airline provide comparative financial information during the transition phase from IAS 18 to IFRS 15 as well as from IAS 17 to IFRS 16. In the first part of the chapter, liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratios along with cash flow ratios were used to analyze the cumulative effect of IFRS 15 and IFRS 16 using 2017 and restated 2017 financial statements. In this context, results indicate that the liquidity ratios decreased, and the solvency ratios increased in general. In addition, the cumulative effect of IFRS 15 and IFRS 16 created an upward change in general on profitability ratios based on the several performance parameters that should be considered during the transition from IAS 18 to IFRS 15 and from IAS 17 to IFRS 16. Overall, IFRS 15 has minor effect and IFRS 16 has major effect on the financial statements of AF-KLM. In the second part of the chapter, the compliance level of the mandatory disclosures requirements of the airline was examined from the lessee standpoint and the research pointed out that the airline fully complied with these disclosures at its first adoption of IFRS 16 and provided some voluntary disclosures as well.

This paper assessed accuracy level in accounting for government funds in Nigeria's federal treasury and their faithful presentation in government financial reporting. It aimed to determine whether the reported annual balances in Nigeria's financial reporting were reliable or otherwise. Data used in analysis were obtained from secondary sources from federal treasury.

Ex-post “facto” analysis method was adopted in the study involving the use of statistical techniques of absolute or aggregate mean percentage error derived from differences between recomputed and published fund balances and was employed. This was augmented with interactive review meetings of the initial case research report with the management of Nigeria's audit agency.

Results distilled from the consolidated revenue fund (CRF), development fund and public debt show that recomputed values were greater than the fund balances in the gazetted financial statements. Results for contingency fund (CTF), federation account fund (FAF), special trust fund (STF) and sundry deposit fund yield equal figures and accurate. The paper concludes that there were serial understatements of the core public fund balances in the financial statements over the years. This trend of reporting incorrect in three core public funds in financial statements rendered Nigeria's financial position unreliable in the affected years for decisions. It also facilitated frauds, mismanagement of funds and corrupt practices.

The scope of the research is restricted to assessment of degree of accuracy in fund accounting, faithful representation of the respective fund balance in the liabilities side of FGN balance sheet and the reliability of the financial position. But, it did not consider or cover the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs) in federal treasury since FGN had not issued any full IPSAS–oriented financial statements as on 2015.

Identification of deficiencies in fund account balances, structural defects in fund accounting and acts of understatement of carrying balances in CRF and capital development fund (CDF) implies that the aggregate core fund liabilities reported in financial statement of government entities without corresponding assets do not actually reflect a true and fair financial position in some countries. It reveals remarkable degree of financial information asymmetry in government financial reporting. Illusionary fund accounting has direct linkage to poor fiscal governance in many sovereign with associated sub-optimal delivery of public goods and service level distress syndrome in many economies; lead to poverty, unemployment, crisis and macroeconomic disturbances.

The study contributes to the development of fund accounting system; strengthening government financial reporting architecture and practices. It provides framework for tracking financial information asymmetry in government financial reporting and mismanagement of public funds. It provides platform to effect necessary adjustment (correction) during the “first time 3-year adoption” adjustment window in Nigeria. Flowing from the findings, it advocates for institutionalization of government fund accounting standards and provides evidence for migration to accrual accounting system in countries that have not already implemented it. Evaluation system developed herein will improve fund management in federal treasury and contribute to efficient public financial management, good governance and enhance development of public accounting practice.

This exploratory empirical research is the one to ever evaluate accuracy level of fund accounting in sovereign entities and faithful representation in government's financial position prior to implementation of accrual accounting and financial reporting. The study established substantial level of illusionary accounting for public funds and information asymmetry in published government's financial reporting. It is necessary to rectify these discrepancies in fund accounting and financial reporting prior to and or during the first three years of the IPSAS transition implementation programme. These research deliverables provide adopters with relevant data for adjustment accounting during the transition period in strengthening public financial reporting in order to realize the benefit of full IPSAS accrual accounting.

The purpose of this paper is three‐fold. First, to explore the relationship between the financial and sporting performance of clubs competing in the English Premier League (EPL). Second, to investigate the effect of different models of EPL club ownership on financial and league performance. Third, to review the finances of EPL clubs in the context of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

Financial data from annual reports for the period 2001‐2010 was collected for 20 EPL clubs. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the finances of EPL clubs and their league position. One‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were then used to examine the effect of ownership type on clubs’ financial and league performances. Where the results of ANOVA testing revealed statistically significant differences between groups, these were investigated further using appropriate post hoc procedures.

The stock market model of ownership returned better financial health relative to privately owned (domestic and foreign) clubs. However, clubs owned privately by foreign investors or on the stock market performed better in the league in comparison with domestically owned clubs. The stock market model was more likely to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

The paper confirms empirically that football clubs that float on the stock market are in better financial health and that clubs in pursuit of short‐term sporting excellence are reliant on substantial investment, in this case from foreign investors.

This study examines perceptions of auditor independence (AI) and financial reporting quality (FRQ) when former auditors are hired by public companies into accounting oversight positions under differing strengths of corporate governance. Although the Sarbanes–Oxley (SOX) mandate of a one-year cooling-off period for the hiring of former audit engagement team members into accounting oversight positions (e.g., chief financial officer) may enhance perceptions of AI, it potentially sacrifices FRQ by restricting the hiring of candidates most familiar with a particular company's industry, risks, and controls. The results of this experiment suggest when a company (i) has strong corporate governance and (ii) hires an audit engagement team member without a one-year cooling-off period, stakeholders perceive financial statement quality to be highest as compared to all other experimental conditions. Interestingly, we also find hiring a former auditor who has not cooled-off one-year results in roughly the same perception of AI as hiring an auditor observing the one-year cooling-off requirement. Collectively, results suggest stakeholders may not perceive a benefit from the cooling-off requirement as independence is not viewed as enhanced and FRQ is viewed as diminished. Requiring disclosure of auditor alumnus hires, in lieu of a mandated cooling-off period, coupled with external measures of companies’ strength of corporate governance may be sufficient to protect AI and FRQ.

The paper addresses the question of whether Crown land managed by local authorities in the New South Wales (NSW) local government system should be recognised as assets on municipal balance sheets.

The paper provides a synoptic review of the literature on accounting for public goods assets followed by a critical analysis of the official requirements of the NSW government on the recognition of Crown land.

The NSW government holds that Crown land managed by local councils should be recognised as an asset on council books. However, following an assessment of the problem through the analytical prism of financial accounting, it is argued that councils do not possess control over Crown land and that such land should thus not be recognised by councils.

The paper covers the legal and accounting framework applicable to NSW local government. However, it has broader implications for other local government systems with similar institutional and legislative foundations, such as other Australian states, New Zealand and South Africa, and these implications are highlighted in the paper.

It is argued that NSW government policymakers should re-consider the requirement for Crown land to be recognised on councils' books. Local authorities would then be able to save money and time on external auditing, management of land asset registers and the mandatory valuation of land.

Although Crown land shares some of the characteristics of other public good assets, unique accounting challenges arise due to the existence of a market in which such land could be traded not by councils, but by its legal owner (the Crown). In financial accounting, legal ownership is not considered as the main criterion over assets. However, the authors argue that for Crown land vested with councils, it becomes a critical factor in decision making.

This paper aims to examine sites of dissonance or consensus between global investor responses to the draft standards, International Financial Reporting Standards S1 (IFRS) (General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information) and IFRS S2 (Climate-related Disclosures), issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

A thematic content analysis was used to capture investor views expressed in their comment letters submitted in the consultation period (March to July 2022) in comparison to the ex ante position (issue of draft standards, March 2022) and ex post summary feedback (ISSB staff papers, September 2022) of the ISSB.

There was investor consensus in support of the ISSB and the development of the draft standards. However, there were sites of dissonance between investors and the ISSB, notably regarding the basis and focus of reporting (double or single/financial materiality and enterprise value); definitional clarity; emissions reporting; and assurance. Incrementally, the research further highlights that investors display heterogeneity of opinion.

The ISSB standards will provide a framework for future sustainability reporting. This research highlights the significance of such reporting to investors through their responses to the draft standards. The findings reveal sites of dissonance in the development and alignment of draft standards to user needs. The views of investors, as primary users, should help inform the development of sustainability-related standards by a global standard-setting body apposite to current policy and future reporting requirements, and their usefulness to users in practice.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper makes an original contribution to the comment letter literature, hitherto focused on financial reporting with a relative lack of investor engagement. Using thematic analysis, sites of dissonance are examined between the views of investors and the ISSB on their development of sustainability reporting standards.