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The authors illustrate accounting information's effects in terms of necessity and sufficiency, using a set-theoretic approach, and highlight how the approach complements conventional correlational analyses.

The authors examine the relationship between accounting numbers (accounting information) and stock prices (effect) under both correlational and set-theoretic perspectives using a value relevance methodology.

The claim that accounting information is significantly correlated to an outcome does not inform the accounting information's necessity or sufficiency. In addition, findings suggest that not all control variables that are significantly correlated to a supposed accounting effect are necessary to explain that effect. Moreover, variables reflecting accounting information are not individually sufficient to explain the effect under investigation.

The study contributes to set-theoretic approach to accounting research and echoes the call for a diversity of research approaches in accounting.

The study may have practical implications for various accounting information users, including investors, financial analysts and financial market and accounting disclosure regulators as well. Indeed, accounting information users should consider the importance of the combined effect of multiple pieces of accounting information in the users' positions on firms' stocks. Understanding what might be the relevant combinations of accounting information associated with a given organizational context is a key in making compelling accounting-informed decisions. Such knowledge can inform reflections of accounting disclosures and regulations on the combined effects of several accounting information.

First, the study adds to the newly introduced set-theoretic approach to empirical accounting. The study also resonates with the call for a diversity of research approaches in accounting. The authors empirically demonstrate that significant correlation between accounting information and its effects does not connote “necessity” or “sufficiency,” which is rather revealed by qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Such complementarity can help accounting researchers to carry out (1) new investigations of accounting's earlier hypotheses or propositions and (2) investigations of new accounting hypotheses/propositions deriving from existing accounting theories and (3) to explore new relationships between accounting phenomena. Second, the study incidentally contributes to value relevance literature in terms of contextualization of the relevance of accounting information. Specific to the African capital markets, the study complements the few recent studies on the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières d’Abidjan (BRVM).

This paper is an appraisal of existing literature on IFRS in Africa. In a bid to determine what exists and what is missing in the literature, the authors have reviewed three streams of studies, namely, adoption, compliance/harmonisation and consequences of IFRS in Africa, with the aim to suggest what remains to be investigated on IFRS in Africa.

This paper uses a systematic review approach including synthesis of a variety of archival materials. Articles on Africa were summarised under three main headings: adoption, compliance/harmonisation and consequences of IFRS.

This review finds limited research on IFRS in Africa. It reveals that although past cross-continent studies claimed to cover Africa, they are limited to only a few countries and mainly predominated by South Africa. The authors identified only one study that investigated the impact of economic and cultural factors on IFRS adoption in Africa and few cross-continent studies but considering only very few African countries. Regarding compliance, four studies concluded that compliance with IFRS is dependent on a firm’s characteristics. The authors also identified that some of the generalised findings from prior research on consequences of IFRS are of limited significance in the African context.

This study suggests the determinants of adoption, compliance and consequences of IFRS in Africa are different if studied separately. It identifies some gaps in the literature that require further research, specifically, IFRS on taxation, fair valuation practices and the institutional capacities of countries to implement the standards.

This study aims to examine whether the impact of international financial reporting standards (IFRS) on audit fees differs between early and late adopters.

The authors use robust econometric estimation on a sample of 314 firms from both early and late IFRS adopting countries.

The authors find that IFRS is positively and significantly associated with an increase in audit fees for early adopters, but the impact is very weak for late adopters and insignificant in some cases. The results on auditing time suggest that increase in audit fees around IFRS adoption is due to an increase in audit reporting lags. After accounting for pre- and post-years, the authors find that the relationship between IFRS and audit fees, as well as audit time for late adopters, is significant only in the adoption year. However, early adopters experience a significant increase in audit fees and audit time in the transition year to one-year post-adoption.

The findings imply that countries that are yet to adopt IFRS are less likely to experience a significant increase in audit fees audit time. Hence, is probable that the benefit of IFRS will outweigh the cost.

The results, therefore, suggest that early adopters paid a premium for been the first users of IFRS, which is consistent with any innovation. The study provides new insights by demonstrating that the consequences of IFRS differ between early and late adopters.