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The purpose of this paper is to investigate an element of the internal politics of standard setting by reference to the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) movement to the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs). The authors examine the politics of the IASB’s expertise in technocratic governance by focussing on how the IASB defined SMEs, gave the standard a title and issued a guide for micro-entities.

The narrative case study focusses on central “moments” in the development of IFRS for SMEs. The authors employ Laclau and Mouffe’s condensation, displacement and overdetermination to illustrate embedded politics in articulating IFRS for SMEs.

The authors extend literature on the internal politics of standard setting, such as agenda setting, by examining the condensing of disagreements between experts and political pressures and processes into central decision moments in IFRS for SMEs. The authors illustrate these moments as overdetermined, manifesting in an act of displacement through the production of a micro-entity guide. This form of politics is hidden due to the IASB’s attempt to protect their technocratic neutrality through fixing meaning.

The authors make three contributions: first, overdetermination through condensation and displacement illustrates the embedded nature of politics in regulatory settings, such as the IASB. Second, the authors provide a theoretical explanation of the IASB’s movement from listed entities to IFRS for SMEs, drawing on Laclau and Mouffe. Third, the authors reinforce the necessity of interrogating the internal politics of standard setting to challenge claims of technocracy.

On completion of analysis of this case, students would be able to: appreciate the context of a typical delisting decision of a public company that is part of a large business group; analyze the complex nature of the relationships among the promoter shareholders, minority shareholders, government-controlled financial institutions, independent directors and executive directors in such a situation of transfer of value; and develop the best possible course of action for the promoters, independent directors and public shareholders, keeping into consideration the principles of corporate governance and the objective of shareholders’ wealth maximization.

The case presents an opportunity to examine the corporate restructuring and governance issues associated with the delisting attempt of India-based mining company Vedanta Ltd., by its London-based parent company, Vedanta Resources. The case focuses on the conflict of interests between the promoters of a business group and the public shareholders of a subsidiary, and the pivotal roles independent directors and proxy advisory firms play in supporting the public shareholders.

The case can be discussed in a graduate-level corporate strategy course that deals with restructuring and governance issues in companies, especially large group companies. It can also be discussed in a course of corporate governance where students have the opportunity to understand the potential conflict between promoters and other shareholders, and the moderating roles the independent directors and institutions may play in resolving such conflicts.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 11: Strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether internal audit (IA) influences the successful implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). From January 2017, listed companies in Saudi Arabia have been mandated to adopt the IFRS. Conducted in the 2014–2016 years before this deadline, the study investigates the readiness of IA departments in the Kingdom to adopt the IFRS in their totality, as required, by January 2017.

Data were collected for the period 2014 and 2016, two years after the announcement of the intended adoption of the standards, and hence, two years into the five-year preparation period. Data obtained from 78 chief internal auditors from listed companies in Saudi Arabia, and the extraction of information from companies’ annual reports.

Results of regression analysis show a significant association between the readiness for IFRS adoption and IA size and IA staff training. In firms that adopted the IFRS in the period before the mandatory implementation, IA is weak in the role of monitoring. In this connection, it is demonstrated that the adoption and implementation of the IFRS are likely to be more effective when IA reports directly to the audit committee rather than to management. Further, the results reveal that the Hausman test is not significant for the IA characteristics. Hence, there is implication that the measurement instruments used in the study are exogenous and do not associate with the error term.

The new insights into the impact of IA on IFRS adoption, gained from studying this issue within the oil-based Saudi Arabian economy, represent a contribution to the IA literature. The results of this study provide new insights to several stakeholders. First, to academia, which can benefit from new IA knowledge and understanding in the specific context of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which can be representative of the Gulf region and the wider Arab World. Second, to policy-makers and practitioners in the KSA and other Middle-Eastern, Asian and developing countries that share similar cultural predispositions, socio-economic institutions and/or general socio-economic environments. Additionally, it offers insights for small- to medium-sized companies that have not thus far, adopted the IFRS.

Opposition to transnational calls for the adoption of accrual-based accounting in the public sector may stem from arguments that it is associated with poor earnings quality. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether state owned enterprises (SOEs) operating under accrual-based accounting manage their earnings, whether it is more prevalent vis-à-vis privately owned enterprises (POEs) and the conditions under which it is more likely to occur.

This paper measures earnings management for a large sample of unlisted Italian SOEs and POEs using a framework developed by Stubben (2010). The authors use regression analysis to estimate the variables which predict abnormal accruals including firm size, leverage and profitability.

The authors find no evidence that the level of state ownership (SO) is positively correlated with accrual-based earnings management. The authors also provide evidence that earnings management by SOEs decreases with firm size and increases with profitability.

While the study is the first to examine earnings management in a public sector accrual accounting environment for a sample of European firms, namely Italian firms, the authors call for more research into this issue examining public entities in other European Union (EU) member states or public entities other than SOEs.

The EU recently introduced a new transnational accounting directive in which it prescribes the preparation of financial statements based on accrual accounting for all European public sector entities, arguing that it reduces the window dressing that is allowed by cash accounting. Since Italian SOEs already prepare their accounts on an accruals-basis, by analysing their accounting behaviour the authors are able to determine the variables which predict when earning management is more likely to occur in a public sector accrual accounting environment, and therefore the authors provide guidance which may be useful in shaping the transition process from cash accounting to accrual accounting by identifying the types of entities whose accounts should be subject to greater regulatory scrutiny. A better understanding of the relation between SO and earnings management will provide insight into public sector corporate governance and aid in the acceptance of transnational regulation that would otherwise significantly alter current accounting practices and possibly be opposed at a national level.

Earnings management in a public sector accrual accounting environment had been analysed only for Chinese listed companies. The authors extend previous analysis to a sample of European (Italian) SOEs which are unlisted. The authors also extend previous work by determining the characteristics of firms which manage their earnings.

The purpose of this study is to examine the cost of the introduction of independent audit inspections in New Zealand.

The research is conducted using audit fee data from New Zealand and examines the overall impact of the reforms on the cost imposed on auditees.

The findings show that there was no general increase in audit fees but a significant increase in audit fees for small listed companies compared to audit fees for unlisted companies and large listed companies.

The practical implications of this study suggest that the introduction of independent inspections led to increased costs for some clients, particularly smaller listed companies, and that audit firms were able to pass on these costs to their clients. These results have important implications for policymakers and auditors alike.

This study provides new insights into the cost of the introduction of independent audit inspections, which have been the subject of ongoing criticisms and recommendations for improvement.

The paper aims to trace the development of attitudes towards financial reporting solutions for entities not subject to the European Union (EU) Regulation. This Regulation mandated application of IFRS for the group accounts of listed companies for financial years beginning 1 January 2005. It seeks to evaluate the alternatives in the light of changing attitudes to IFRS, and the accounting model being adopted, particularly focusing on the problems facing smaller companies.

The paper employs qualitative analysis of data from two main sources: first, a series of interviews with financially literate individuals before IFRS was implemented in the UK; and second, from responses to ASB's consultations on the future of financial reporting for non‐listed entities.

The increasing perception is that IFRS is overly complex and is complicating the search for appropriate form of financial reporting for entities not covered by the EU Regulation. In particular, there is a difficulty in knowing the correct dividing point between large and small company accounting, and views on this have evolved over time. The needs of small and medium enterprises appear to have been ignored in the debates dominated by the requirements of global players.

The implications are that further, possibly more radical policy options need to be considered for smaller companies to ensure that the costs of financial reporting remain in proportion to the benefits.

The paper identifies the changing views in the UK of the suitability of IFRS for non‐listed entities.

Differential reporting was introduced in South Africa with the enactment of the Corporate Laws Amendment Act 24 2006. Since it was urgent that the standard‐setters provide limited interest companies with interim guidance as to the preparation and presentation of financial statements, South Africa adopted the International Accounting Standards Board’s International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Mediumsized Entities in its draft form. This study looks at the development of accounting standards for small and mediumsized entities in South Africa. It also examines analyses of prior research on differential reporting and the due process of the International Accounting Standards Board on this topic, as well as the due process of the South African standard‐setter. The paper provides a contextual analysis of the unique reporting environment of South African companies and concludes that adopting the draft IFRS for SMEs may have been the best option for the standard‐setting body in providing relief for limited interest companies from the cost of complying with the International Financial Reporting Standards while still enabling auditors to express an opinion on the financial statements.

Directors can become overextended when they serve on multiple boards simultaneously. Previous scholars mostly considered directorships held at listed companies. This study aims to investigate the extent and impact of director overboardedness in an emerging market by using a comprehensive measure.

The analysis covered 1,600 directors who served on the boards of the 100 largest companies listed in South Africa over the period 2011–2016. In addition to directorships held at listed companies, board positions at unlisted companies and other entities such as state-owned enterprises were considered. Board committee memberships at the sample companies were furthermore included. Random effects ANOVA was conducted to test for significant differences in board and committee meeting attendance.

Two-thirds of the considered directors were overboarded when accounting for all their positions. Board committee memberships increased notably over the research period. There was no significant difference in the percentage of board meetings attended between overboarded and non-overboarded directors. However, those directors who held three or more positions simultaneously attended significantly more board committee meetings than their counterparts who held fewer positions. Of the considered committees, the remuneration committee typically had the highest proportion of overboarded directors.

Eligible board candidates are in high demand given the limited talent pool in South Africa. The findings contradict the busyness hypothesis and suggest that director overboardedness should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Differential corporate reporting exists in one form or another in many countries and it is currently on the agenda of the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB’s). This article provides some background on this practice and, in particular, on the current position of the IASB and the accounting profession in South Africa with regard to differential corporate reporting. The article also reports on the results of a postal survey of South African Registered Accountants’ and Auditors’ views on the form that differential corporate reporting should take. It was found that there is some support for limited deviations from Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP), in agreement with DP 163 – Limited Purpose Financial Statements issued by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

The purpose of this paper is to determine the preparedness of the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) for SMEs in Turkey; and to analyze the effect of several firm characteristics on such preparedness.

The preparedness of the SMEs was determined via a questionnaire survey. The effect of several characteristics of the SMEs (i.e. size, age, independent auditing, internationality, and the existence of an accounting department) on their preparedness was examined by employing non-parametric tests and logistic regression.

This study found that the preparedness of the SMEs for IFRS for SMEs is low in Turkey. Several firm characteristics including, size, independent auditing, and internationality have a significant impact on the preparedness of the SMEs.

This study has some implications for several parties, including national and international standard setting authorities, entities, managers, and accounting professionals. SMEs are one of the most important actors in the adoption process of the IFRS for SMEs. Their preparedness level for IFRS for SMEs will present important clues to sustain an effective and successful adoption process. The results of this study show the profile of entities which are prepared for IFRS for SMEs that will be useful for standard authorities and regulatory bodies. The findings of this study will also be useful for other emerging countries’ standard authorities because they will face similar problems in their adoption process.

This research makes a significant contribution to the existing literature because there are only a few studies that analyze the preparedness for IFRS for SMEs, especially in emerging countries.