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M.Com. (International Accounting) / Leases have been used as an alternative means of financing for many years and they form part of the business models of entities in various industries. Many large JSE listed companies in different industries also use leases extensively. Although lease accounting requirements under IFRS have been in place for a number of years, some of the fundamental principles underlying the current lease accounting models have been the subject of much debate by standard setters and practitioners. In particular, the conceptual soundness of lessees not capitalising operating lease commitments has been a key area of consideration. In response to the conceptual debates, the IASB published an exposure draft titled ED/2010/9 Leases (hereafter ED), which will ultimately replace the current lease standard IAS 17. The ED establishes a new “right-of-use model”, which requires lessees to capitalize all leases on their balance sheets. The purpose of the minor dissertation was to determine the impact that the capitalisation of operating lease commitments under the requirements of the ED will have on the financial statements of JSE listed companies. In support of the research problem, the methodology applied in the minor dissertation was a quantitative content analysis, which was designed to obtain ex ante evidence on the potential future impact of the implementation of the ED. In order to assess the impact, the minor dissertation analysed the impact on total liabilities and total assets due to operating lease capitalisation, as well as the impact on certain key financial indicators and ratios. The initial sample was the top 50 companies in terms of market capitalisation that were listed on the JSE at 31 December 2011. After excluding companies with no or immaterial operating lease commitments, the final sample size was 44. The literature review showed that the impact of operating lease capitalisation has been researched in various countries, such as Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the UK and the US. During the completion of the minor dissertation it was found that a South African study was recently published on the impact of operating lease capitalisation on JSE listed companies. The study applied one of the methods identified in the literature for deriving information required to perform the operating lease capitalisation calculation and also assumed a uniform discount rate. The minor dissertation was based on an alternative method of deriving the required information and applied company-specific discount rates. The results of the research showed an increase in total liabilities and total assets due to operating lease capitalization. The impact on the key financial indicators and ratios varied, with some ratios impacted positively and others negatively. The impact was also found to be generally lower than international trends and differed from a similar study performed in South Africa.

M.Comm. (Auditing) / 2009, SAICA released its Competency Framework. The Competency Framework detailed specific competencies to be achieved at entry point into the profession, but placed specific emphasis on pervasive qualities and skills. The competencies in the Competency Framework now form the foundation of SAICA’s qualification model, which will be assessed in the revised Part I and Part II in 2013 and 2014 respectively. As a consequence, SAICA-accredited academic providers are now being tasked to deliver not only specific competencies, but also pervasive qualities and skills. No research had been conducted on the views of individual academics at SAICA-accredited academic programmes on the delivery methods that result in the acquisition/development and assessment of SAICA’s pervasive qualities and skills, as well as on the challenges related to the delivery of these competencies. Thus, there was significant pressure on academic providers to respond to SAICA’s requirements in the Competency Framework, and, in the context of this dissertation, to respond vis-à-vis pervasive qualities and skills. The research problem was addressed by following a two-pronged approach, which firstly entailed conducting an extensive literature review and then performing empirical work. The literature review identified delivery methods that are recognized by IFAC, applied by CAGE member bodies’ and used in the accounting profession to equip candidates with pervasive qualities and skills. The empirical work solicited the views of individual academics at SAICA’s accredited academic programmes on delivery methods that may be applied in the transfer of pervasive qualities and skills, and on the challenges associated with this debate. This study found that an array of delivery methods must be used in the delivery of competencies, and formulated 19 acquisition/development and 17 assessment methods that may be applied by academic providers in addressing SAICA’s pervasive qualities and skills, and by HODS in drafting policies that address these competencies. In addition, this dissertation highlighted the inconsistencies between academics providing instruction on the undergraduate programme and their honours counterparts. It was emphasized that competence is a continual process, and that the onus to deliver all SAICA’s competencies rests with the academic providers during their education programmes. Furthermore, the research findings make a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge on pervasive qualities and skills.

A key incentive for accounting research is to provide evidence on the usefulness of earnings in making economic decisions. Of particular interest over the last two decades is the issue of the quality of financial reporting, specifically the quality of earnings, given the number of global financial scandals reported during that period. The quality of earnings is driven by the choices, estimates and judgments that the accounting standards make available to managers in order to portray the firm’s economic position and performance in a timely and credible manner. However, this leeway in financial reporting also creates opportunities for earnings management. The objective of this thesis is firstly to establish whether earnings manipulation has had the ability to predict cross-sectional returns in South Africa during the 2007-2014 period. In other words, the purpose of this thesis is to find evidence whether the market reacts to earnings management practices, as measured by accruals, and rewards high earnings quality companies with higher equity returns (a process known as the accrual anomaly). The timeframe selected for the research encompasses the global financial crisis, a period in which accounting manipulation incentives are likely to be strong. Secondly, this study attempts to establish the presence of the accrual anomaly amongst growth and value firms. The motivations for earnings management of the former are expected to be strong. Securities are allocated to portfolios according to accruals and the subsequent equity returns are analysed cross-sectionally to establish the existence of the accrual anomaly and hence assessing the usefulness of earnings manipulation in predicting equity returns. To provide evidence for the presence of the accrual anomaly amongst growth and value shares, securities are independently allocated to portfolios according to their book-to-market ratio and accruals and a cross-sectional analysis is performed on their subsequent equity returns. In order to increase the robustness of the tests, two measures of accruals are used: a balance sheet approach and a cash flow measure. Evidence is provided for the presence of the accrual anomaly among South African listed companies for the balance sheet measure of accruals but not the cash flow approach. Whilst the accrual anomaly is significantly present in a growth-neutral-value construct, statistical significance is not established when growth and value shares are considered individually.

A harmonização contábil é uma preocupação mundial em um ambiente de desenvolvimento e de globalização de economias, existindo esforços para torná-la viável. Os blocos econômicos procuram encontrar soluções para as diferenças existentes entre as normas contábeis. O presente trabalho é um estudo sobre a harmonização contábil em cinco Países da América do Sul e a necessidade de implementar dita harmonização. Inicialmente são apresentados os antecedentes dos dois blocos econômicos da América do Sul, o Mercosul e a Comunidade Andina; em seguida, são estudadas as características de ambos os blocos e seus objetivos. Posteriormente são analisados os marcos conceituais contábeis e algumas das principais semelhanças e divergências de critérios na contabilidade de cinco países: Argentina, Brasil, Colômbia, Peru e Venezuela. Na última parte, são feitas as considerações finais do trabalho, destacando-se a importância de se conseguir a harmonização contábil. / The harmonization of the accounting standards is a world preoccupation in a global economy. The preparers and users of the financial reports make efforts for achieving harmonization. Leaders of the accounting profession from most economic regions try to find solutions for the differences that exist among the accounting standards. This work is a study about the harmonization of the accounting standards in five South American countries and the necessity of achieving this harmonization. The origins of the two mega common markets from South America, namely Mercosul and The Andean Community are examined first, followed by an analysis of their characteristics and of their objectives. After that, this work continues with an analysis of the accounting framework and the major similarities and differences of standards in five countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. Finally the conclusions are presented, emphasizing the importance of achieving the harmonization of the accounting standards.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Konstanz, 2001.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2007--Köln.

Nürtingen, FH, Diplomarb., 2003. / Betreuer: Gerrit Leopoldsberger.

Zugl.: Köln, Univ., Habil.-Schr., 2001.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2008.