regulation + conceptual fraework Flashcards

1
Q

who are involved in regulating accounting?

A

• Financial Reporting Council (FRC)
• Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB)
• Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC)
• Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)
• International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
• International Financial Reporting Standards Interpretations
Committee (IFRSIC)
• Professional bodies

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2
Q

Roles of the FRC include:

A
  • Overseeing and advising AASB and the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB)
  • Monitoring audit independence in Australia
  • Monitoring development of international accounting standards
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3
Q

The AASB is responsible for:

A
  • Development of a conceptual framework
  • Formulating accounting standards in accordance with the Corporations Act
  • Formulating accounting standards for other purposes (e.g., Public and not- for-profit sectors)
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4
Q

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) role:

A

• AdministersCorporationsAct
• Monitors implementation of the Act and investigates and prosecutes
companies for breaches of the Act
• Promotes confidence in the financial system

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5
Q

Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) role

A

• Administers Listing Rules
• Played a major role in influencing the move towards the AASB’s adoption
of IASB standards

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6
Q

International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) role?

A
  • Independent, privately funded accounting standard setter
  • Overseen by the IFRS Foundation
  • Established in 2001, replacing the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC)
  • Committed to the development of a single set of high quality, enforceable global accounting standards
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7
Q

IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRSIC) role?

A

• Sub-committee of the IASB
• Considers issues of widespread importance not covered
in IFRS standards
• IFRS Interpretations are adapted by the AASB to suit the Australian environment

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8
Q

POLITICAL LOBBYING ON ACCOUNTING STANDARDS:

Lobbying include

A

writing letters or giving oral testimony at a hearing arranged by a standard-setter to expose its tentative views to public comment

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9
Q

POLITICAL LOBBYING ON ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

political lobbying inlude

A

overt or covert threats to seek intervention to overturn a proposed standard or to compromise the standard-setter’s reputation, independence, or powers

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10
Q

POLITICAL LOBBYING ON ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

what might pressure constitute?

A

threats to withdraw funding or appeals to public opinion

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11
Q

ROLE OF THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:

A
  • Develop logical and consistent standards
  • Provide guidance where no standard exists
  • Enhance the understanding of users
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12
Q

What is the Conceptual Framework of Financial Reporting?

A
  • ‘A coherent system of interrelated objectives and fundamentals that is expected to lead to consistent standards’;
  • Also, it is an attempt to provide a structured theory of accounting that prescribes practice.
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13
Q

Purpose and Status of conceptual framework:

A
  • Establishes concepts/ideas that underlie the preparation and presentation of financial reports;
  • Assists standard setters, preparers & auditors, users and those interested in the work of standard setters.
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14
Q

definition of reporting entity?

A

It is an entity in which it is reasonable to expect the existence of users who depend on general purpose financial reports for information to enable them to make and evaluate economic decisions.

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15
Q

reporting entity must provide:

A

financial reports for users that comply with accounting standards issued and adopted by the AASB.

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16
Q

What are the indicators that would determine whether an entity should be classified as a reporting entity

A
  1. Separation of management from economic interest.
  2. Economic or political influence.
  3. FinancialCharacteristics.
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17
Q

OBJECTIVES OF GENERAL PURPOSE FINANCIAL REPORTING

A

those intended to meet the information needs common to a range of users who are unable to command the preparation of reports tailored to meet their own particular needs.

18
Q

The Conceptual Framework primary users are resource providers.

A

equity investors: shareholders
lenders: banks
other creditors: employees, suppliers

19
Q

Decision-usefulness objective:

A

The objective of general-purpose is to provide information to users that is useful for making and evaluating decisions about allocation of scarce resources (perspective of Australian CF SAC 2).

20
Q

Stewardship and accountability objectives:

A
  • For entities where there is a separation of ownership from control, general- purpose financial reports can support stewardship/accountability function.
  • Managers use reports to show owners they are fulfilling their stewardship function and managing resources effectively.
  • Shareholders use reports to check on managers and make them accountable.
21
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Fundamental:

A

relevance

financial representation

22
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

relevance?

A

Must have a quality that influences users’ decisions
of an economic nature.
• Must have predictive value and/or confirmatory value
• Example – revenue information for 2012 can be used to predict the company’s performance in 2013.

23
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

faithful rep?

A

Information must be complete, neutral and free from material error.

24
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

enhancing:

A

comparability
verifiability
timeliness
understandability

25
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

comparability/

A

Users can compare aspects of an entity over time and

between entities

26
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

verifiability?

A

Different knowledgeable and independent observers could reach consensus that a particular piece of information is a faithful representation of the economic phenomena.

27
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

timeliness:

A

Having information available to decision makers on time.

28
Q

QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

understandability:

A

Users should be able to comprehend the meaning of the reports.

29
Q

Constraint on financial reporting:

A

Costs versus benefits:

COSTS OF PREPARING FINANCIAL REPORTS SHOULD NOT EXCEED THE BENEFITS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE REPORTS.

30
Q

The elements of financial statements include:

A
  • assets
  • liabilities
  • equity
  • income
  • expenses
31
Q

Assets:

A

resources controlled by the entity; result of past events; with future economic benefits

32
Q

Liabilities:

A

present obligation; arising from past events; expected outflow of resources embodying economic benefits

33
Q

equity:

A

residual interest in the assets after deducting all liabilities

34
Q

income:

A

increases in economic benefits in the form of inflows of assets or decreases in liabilities that result in increases in equity

35
Q

expenses

A

ecreases in economic benefits in the form of outflows of assets that result in decreases in equity

36
Q

RECOGNITION CRITERIA

Asset:

A

probable that the economic benefit will flow to the entity; cost or other value can be measured reliably

37
Q

RECOGNITION CRITERIA

liability:

A

probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will result from settling the present obligation; amount can be measured reliably

38
Q

RECOGNITION CRITERIA

income:

A

increase in future economic benefits is probable and can be measured reliably

39
Q

RECOGNITION CRITERIA

expense:

A

decrease in future economic benefits is probable and can be measured reliably

40
Q

measurement:

A
  • Historical cost
  • Current cost
  • Realisable value
  • Present value
  • Fair value
41
Q

THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT

REQUIRED

A
  • Framework requires professional judgment in relation to substance over form
  • Accounting treatment of some transactions is unregulated
42
Q

THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL JUDGEMENT

Issues:

A

• Difficult to accept that judgement is neutral and unbiased • Different judgments can lead to different disclosures