Skandalen som omvärvde Enron skakade affärsvärlden då det var den största skandal som dittills inträffat. De brott Enrons ledning stod anklagade för var många och av varierande art. De undersökningar som redan har genomförts har till stor del fokuserat på organisationen och ledarskapet. För att ge en annorlunda vinkel fokuserar denna uppsats istället på redovisningen och några av de misstag som begicks av Enrons ledning. Det är även därför som händelserna granskas ur ett revisorsperspektiv. Målgruppen är revisionsintresserade samt de som är intresserade av ekonomisk historia. De data som har använts i arbetet är sekundärdata som blev åtkomlig genom databaser och relevanta sökord. Enron använde sig av enheter som de skapat för speciella ändamål (SPE-enheter) för att kringgå gällande regler samt för att dölja förluster. Detta skedde bland annat i fallet med Talon, då de kringgick reglerna gällande redovisning av förluster genom att ta upp nya inkomster och på så sätt upprätthålla det egna aktievärdet. Tillgångarna i de SPE-enheter Enron skapade bestod till största del av aktier i Enron vilket gjorde enheterna beroende av att Enrons aktievärde upprätthölls. Enligt de regler som var aktuella innan konkursen skulle SPE-enheter konsolideras med grundarens balans- och resultaträkning då vissa kriterier inte uppfylldes. Detta var en regel som Enron konsekvent bröt mot genom att fortlöpande bilda nya enheter för att bibehålla det egna aktievärdet samt för att dölja att kraven kring konsolidering inte uppnåddes. Mark-to-market var en process som Enron utnyttjade frekvent när det gällde värdering av långtidskontrakt inom energihandeln. Processen går ut på att uppskatta kommande marknadsvärden för att kunna beräkna kommande inkomster. Enron var emellertid alltför optimistiska i sina uppskattningar vilket ledde till att vinsterna som redovisats var betydligt högre än de verkliga. För att dölja detta använde sig företaget av vinstförvaltning, vilket innebär att de flyttade inkomster för att upprätthålla en jämn vinstnivå genom åren. Något som blev till ett stort problem då avtalet med videojätten Blockbuster avbröts utan att några vinster verkligen inkommit. Enrons redovisningsbrott är till största delen fria tolkningar av reglerna eller det faktum att de lyckats kringgå dem helt. Enbart i fallen med SPE-enheterna kan brott påvisas. / The Enron scandal was the biggest scandal that had existed (at the time it occurred) and it chocked the entire business world. The crimes that Enron’s management were charged with were many and of different species. Previous investigations concentrate on leadership and organization. To give a different visual angle, this essay focuses on the accounting issues and some of the mistakes that the management in Enron made. Furthermore, the events in the case of Enron are seen from an auditor’s perspective. Our goal is to reach audit and other economic history interested parties. The data that were used is secondary data that became available through carefully selected search words. Enron used entities created for special purposes (SPE-entities) to avoid rules and to hide losses. This happened in the case with Talon, when Enron circumvent the rules regarding the ways in which losses presents in the financial statement, by showing incomes to maintain the value of the stocks. The assets in the SPE-entities were mainly stocks in Enron, which meant that the entities depended on Enron’s stock value to maintain an acceptable level. According to the rules before the bankruptcy, the entities balance- and result sheets did not need to be consolidated with the founders if certain criteria were met. This was a rule that Enron consistently broke by continuously create new entities and Enron could in that way retain their stock value and hide from the consolidating requirements. Mark-to-market is a process that was frequently used by Enron when they were to appreciate the values from long-term contracts within the energy business. According to the process the company estimate market values to present future incomes. However, Enron were to optimistic when they calculated, which meant that the profit estimated were higher than in reality. To cover the truth Enron used profit administration, which means that they shifted the profits to present a better profit level over the years. This became a big problem in the case with Blockbuster Video, a case that was interrupted before any profits were made. The crimes that were made by Enron’s management are to a large part their own interpretation of the accounting rules or the fact that they entirely manage to avoid the rules. Crimes can be pointed out only in the case with the SPE-entities.

This thesis presents a new methodology based on directly measuring user behavior and making decisions based on experimental results. I have built and tested a tool which will enable researchers to use the methodology to determine whether particular financial statement presentations are more beneficial than others. The tool records user movement on a computer screen with mouse tracking, which allows researchers to track user behavior in greater detail than ever before. The methodology was tested on a subject pool of non-professional financial analysts and junior professionals, who were presented with a company’s financial data in the current GAAP and a new proposed FASB presentation format. The results show that this methodology could be useful in differentiating between present GAAP and proposed alternatives.

I investigated whether implementing SOP 97-2, the revenue-recognition standard for the software industry, reduces earnings informativeness. This standard is particularly important for two reasons: First, its provisions coincide with provisions of SAB 101, the current general revenue-recognition standard. Second, the software industry provides a laboratory setting for examining multiple-element firms, whose revenue-recognition challenges keep mounting as more and more firms bundle multiple products and services. I found that implementing SOP 97-2 leads to additional revenue deferrals and a decline in earnings informativeness. However, the market prices these deferrals as revenues, as if these amounts had not been deferred. Moreover, the proforma earnings, which I calculated by undoing the revenue deferrals, more strongly correspond with market returns than do the reported earnings. My findings indicate that the accounting numbers calculated using the pre-SOP 97-2 revenue-recognition rules more strongly correspond with market returns than do those calculated using SOP 97-2. My findings should interest FASB in its project on developing a new revenue-recognition standard.

This paper examines the value-relevance of Scandinavian earnings information and book values over the past decade in order to shed some light on whether the extensive global adoption of IFRS/IAS has contributed to an increased accounting quality in terms of economic decision-usefulness to equity investors. We address this research question using a sample of 4.310 firm-year observations for 431 exchange-listed companies at NASDAQ OMX Nordic and Oslo Stock Exchange between 2001 and 2010. The degree of value-relevance in our firm-sample is operationalized through two price regressions and one return regression and empirically tested via the statistical association between capitalized values of equity or annual changes in capitalized values of equity and the study’s three explanatory accounting variables: (i) book values, (ii) accrual-based earnings and (iii) cash-flow-based earnings. Taken as a whole, our results show significant empirical signs of an increased value-relevance in both Scandinavian earnings information and book values, allowing us to draw significant as well as contributing conclusions on the information content of financial statement information disclosed in the Scandinavian region. We believe our study adds empirical substance to practical debates over the function of financial reporting as well as resourceful material to both Scandinavian investors and to the ongoing international discussion on the harmonization of financial reporting standards.

Goodwill har sedan länge varit ett kontroversiellt ämne. Genom införandet av det nya internationella regelverket IFRS kom hanteringen av goodwill att förändras. Istället för att göra årliga nedskrivningar ska nu goodwillposten hos börsnoterade företag på minst årlig basis genomgå en nedskrivningsprövning, för att se om ett nedskrivningsbehov föreligger. Detta har emellertid mottagit viss kritik, då det anses vara subjektiva bedömningar som ligger till grund. En följd av detta skulle således kunna vara att företag medvetet undviker nedskrivningar.  Kritik riktas även mot de höga goodwillposter som svenska företag redovisar. Trots den globala kris som världen har befunnit sig i sedan 2007 förefaller det som att goodwill hos svenska företag inte har påverkats i en negativ riktning. Detta kritiseras öppet av praktiserande ekonomer, samt strider mot tidigare forskning inom ämnet. Studier har funnit att makroekonomiska faktorer såsom lågkonjunktur bör leda till sänkta nivåer av goodwill, då en nedskrivning sannolikt bör vara aktuell.  För att kunna studera de fulla effekterna av en lågkonjunktur bör vidare, enligt forskning, en viss tidsfördröjning ha ägt rum. Detta åskådliggjorde ett forskningsgap över svensk ekonomi, och således något som denna uppsats ämnar fylla. Genom att studera årsredovisningar från 36 stycken svenska företag noterade på Large Cap-listan, granskades företagens andel goodwill av eget kapital. En jämförelse av goodwillposten innan lågkonjunkturen samt efter lågkonjunkturens början exekverades. För att kunna ta en eventuell effekt av en tidsfördröjning i beaktande, studerades goodwill år 2011. Ytterligare jämförelser utfördes för år 2010, 2009, 2008 och 2007 med året innan konjunkturförsämringen (som här representeras av år 2006). Detta för att undersöka om andelen goodwill i förhållande till eget kapitel minskade i ett tidigare skede av konjunkturförsämringen. Studiens resultat indikerar att de undersökta företagen inte uppvisar en lägre andel goodwill efter lågkonjunkturens början. Data visar att goodwillposten de facto var högre efter lågkonjunkturens början än innan. Detta strider mot tidigare forskning, samt är avvikande mot den trend som kan observeras i andra länder som exempelvis USA. Då även länder som USA tillämpar ett regelverk som anses vara ekvivalent med IFRS, är måhända subjektiva bedömningar av goodwillpostens värde otillräckligt för att förklara de höga goodwillposterna som förekommer i Sverige. En förklaring som eventuellt kan anses ligga bakom denna diskrepens av erhållna resultat för svenska företag och tidigare forskning om lågkonjunktur, är den svenska ekonomin. Begreppet tigerekonomi har använts för att beskriva den styrka och beständighet som har illustrerats i den svenska återhämtningen från finanskrisen.

A crise vivida pela economia mundial em 2008 trouxe consigo inúmeras oportunidades de crescimento e internacionalização para empresas brasileiras, conforme divulgação da Pwc (Price Waterhouse e Coopers), com base na pesquisa do Jornal Valor Econômico. A internacionalização dessas empresas, além das oportunidades de crescimento, aduziu novas responsabilidades legais, entre elas a introduzida pelo Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis (CPC), em seu pronunciamento técnico nº 2, regulamentado pela Deliberação n° 640/10 da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários. Esse pronunciamento possui características semelhantes ao Statement nº 52 do Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) norte-americano e visa melhorar a qualidade das informações contábeis, proporcionando maior transparência e credibilidade às demonstrações contábeis no âmbito internacional. Neste cenário globalizado, o Brasil necessita se equiparar aos mais de cem países que já adaptaram suas normas ao contexto internacional e começar a utilizar uma única linguagem contábil. Portanto, objetiva-se com esse estudo examinar as exigências que o CPC 2 trouxe para as empresas brasileiras que internacionalizaram seus negócios e quais as principais semelhanças e diferenças entre o CPC 2 e o FASB 52. Estes pronunciamentos auxiliam e regulamentam as Leis contábeis no foco de conversão da moeda, com o principal objetivo de estar convergentes e padronizadas. Nesse sentido conclui-se que a harmonização das normas contábeis é necessária e inevitável, visto que fortalece a profissão e a linguagem contábil que cada vez mais se padroniza mundialmente, mesmo reconhecendo-se que existem diferenças tributárias entre países. Deste modo faz-se necessário estar sempre atualizado. O contador do século XXI terá que se tornar um profissional com muito mais organização e disciplina, e sua profissão já está caracterizada pela modernidade e variedade em campos de atuação. O estudo realizado através de pesquisa bibliográfica, também, em normas americanas e brasileiras. Citando principais divergências e convergências entre os países. Sendo de principal importância para os estudiosos e profissionais da área. / The crisis in the world economy in 2008 brought with it numerous opportunities for growth and internationalization for Brazilian companies, as disclosed by PwC Brazil, based on the newspaper Valor Economico research. The internationalization of these companies and the growth opportunities, put forward new legal responsibilities, including the introduced by the Accounting Pronouncements Committee (CPC), in its technical pronouncement # 2, regulated by Resolution No. 640/10 of the Brazilian Securities Commission. This statement has similar characteristics to Statement 52 of the Financial Accounting Standarts Board (FASB) US and aims to improve the quality of accounting information, providing greater transparency and credibility to the financial statements at the international level. In this globalized scenario, Brazil needs to equate to more than one hundred countries have adapted their standards to the international context and start recording a single accounting language. Therefore, aims at presenting what conditions the CPC 2 brought to the Brazilian companies to internationalize their business and what are the main similarities and differences between the CPC 2 and 52. These FASB pronouncements and help regulate the accounting laws on currency conversion focus with the main objective to be convergent and standardized. In this sense it is concluded that the harmonization of accounting standards is necessary and inevitable, as strengthens the profession and the accounting language and increasingly standardizes worldwide. Of course, knowing that there is tax differences between countries. In this mode it is necessary to be always up to date. The XXI Century counter will have to become a professional with more organization and discipline, and their profession is already characterized by modernity and variety in fields. The study conducted through literature search also in American and Brazilian standards. Citing major differences and similarities between countries. It is of prime importance to scholars and professionals.

A crise vivida pela economia mundial em 2008 trouxe consigo inúmeras oportunidades de crescimento e internacionalização para empresas brasileiras, conforme divulgação da Pwc (Price Waterhouse e Coopers), com base na pesquisa do Jornal Valor Econômico. A internacionalização dessas empresas, além das oportunidades de crescimento, aduziu novas responsabilidades legais, entre elas a introduzida pelo Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis (CPC), em seu pronunciamento técnico nº 2, regulamentado pela Deliberação n° 640/10 da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários. Esse pronunciamento possui características semelhantes ao Statement nº 52 do Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) norte-americano e visa melhorar a qualidade das informações contábeis, proporcionando maior transparência e credibilidade às demonstrações contábeis no âmbito internacional. Neste cenário globalizado, o Brasil necessita se equiparar aos mais de cem países que já adaptaram suas normas ao contexto internacional e começar a utilizar uma única linguagem contábil. Portanto, objetiva-se com esse estudo examinar as exigências que o CPC 2 trouxe para as empresas brasileiras que internacionalizaram seus negócios e quais as principais semelhanças e diferenças entre o CPC 2 e o FASB 52. Estes pronunciamentos auxiliam e regulamentam as Leis contábeis no foco de conversão da moeda, com o principal objetivo de estar convergentes e padronizadas. Nesse sentido conclui-se que a harmonização das normas contábeis é necessária e inevitável, visto que fortalece a profissão e a linguagem contábil que cada vez mais se padroniza mundialmente, mesmo reconhecendo-se que existem diferenças tributárias entre países. Deste modo faz-se necessário estar sempre atualizado. O contador do século XXI terá que se tornar um profissional com muito mais organização e disciplina, e sua profissão já está caracterizada pela modernidade e variedade em campos de atuação. O estudo realizado através de pesquisa bibliográfica, também, em normas americanas e brasileiras. Citando principais divergências e convergências entre os países. Sendo de principal importância para os estudiosos e profissionais da área. / The crisis in the world economy in 2008 brought with it numerous opportunities for growth and internationalization for Brazilian companies, as disclosed by PwC Brazil, based on the newspaper Valor Economico research. The internationalization of these companies and the growth opportunities, put forward new legal responsibilities, including the introduced by the Accounting Pronouncements Committee (CPC), in its technical pronouncement # 2, regulated by Resolution No. 640/10 of the Brazilian Securities Commission. This statement has similar characteristics to Statement 52 of the Financial Accounting Standarts Board (FASB) US and aims to improve the quality of accounting information, providing greater transparency and credibility to the financial statements at the international level. In this globalized scenario, Brazil needs to equate to more than one hundred countries have adapted their standards to the international context and start recording a single accounting language. Therefore, aims at presenting what conditions the CPC 2 brought to the Brazilian companies to internationalize their business and what are the main similarities and differences between the CPC 2 and 52. These FASB pronouncements and help regulate the accounting laws on currency conversion focus with the main objective to be convergent and standardized. In this sense it is concluded that the harmonization of accounting standards is necessary and inevitable, as strengthens the profession and the accounting language and increasingly standardizes worldwide. Of course, knowing that there is tax differences between countries. In this mode it is necessary to be always up to date. The XXI Century counter will have to become a professional with more organization and discipline, and their profession is already characterized by modernity and variety in fields. The study conducted through literature search also in American and Brazilian standards. Citing major differences and similarities between countries. It is of prime importance to scholars and professionals.

A crise vivida pela economia mundial em 2008 trouxe consigo inúmeras oportunidades de crescimento e internacionalização para empresas brasileiras, conforme divulgação da Pwc (Price Waterhouse e Coopers), com base na pesquisa do Jornal Valor Econômico. A internacionalização dessas empresas, além das oportunidades de crescimento, aduziu novas responsabilidades legais, entre elas a introduzida pelo Comitê de Pronunciamentos Contábeis (CPC), em seu pronunciamento técnico nº 2, regulamentado pela Deliberação n° 640/10 da Comissão de Valores Mobiliários. Esse pronunciamento possui características semelhantes ao Statement nº 52 do Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) norte-americano e visa melhorar a qualidade das informações contábeis, proporcionando maior transparência e credibilidade às demonstrações contábeis no âmbito internacional. Neste cenário globalizado, o Brasil necessita se equiparar aos mais de cem países que já adaptaram suas normas ao contexto internacional e começar a utilizar uma única linguagem contábil. Portanto, objetiva-se com esse estudo examinar as exigências que o CPC 2 trouxe para as empresas brasileiras que internacionalizaram seus negócios e quais as principais semelhanças e diferenças entre o CPC 2 e o FASB 52. Estes pronunciamentos auxiliam e regulamentam as Leis contábeis no foco de conversão da moeda, com o principal objetivo de estar convergentes e padronizadas. Nesse sentido conclui-se que a harmonização das normas contábeis é necessária e inevitável, visto que fortalece a profissão e a linguagem contábil que cada vez mais se padroniza mundialmente, mesmo reconhecendo-se que existem diferenças tributárias entre países. Deste modo faz-se necessário estar sempre atualizado. O contador do século XXI terá que se tornar um profissional com muito mais organização e disciplina, e sua profissão já está caracterizada pela modernidade e variedade em campos de atuação. O estudo realizado através de pesquisa bibliográfica, também, em normas americanas e brasileiras. Citando principais divergências e convergências entre os países. Sendo de principal importância para os estudiosos e profissionais da área. / The crisis in the world economy in 2008 brought with it numerous opportunities for growth and internationalization for Brazilian companies, as disclosed by PwC Brazil, based on the newspaper Valor Economico research. The internationalization of these companies and the growth opportunities, put forward new legal responsibilities, including the introduced by the Accounting Pronouncements Committee (CPC), in its technical pronouncement # 2, regulated by Resolution No. 640/10 of the Brazilian Securities Commission. This statement has similar characteristics to Statement 52 of the Financial Accounting Standarts Board (FASB) US and aims to improve the quality of accounting information, providing greater transparency and credibility to the financial statements at the international level. In this globalized scenario, Brazil needs to equate to more than one hundred countries have adapted their standards to the international context and start recording a single accounting language. Therefore, aims at presenting what conditions the CPC 2 brought to the Brazilian companies to internationalize their business and what are the main similarities and differences between the CPC 2 and 52. These FASB pronouncements and help regulate the accounting laws on currency conversion focus with the main objective to be convergent and standardized. In this sense it is concluded that the harmonization of accounting standards is necessary and inevitable, as strengthens the profession and the accounting language and increasingly standardizes worldwide. Of course, knowing that there is tax differences between countries. In this mode it is necessary to be always up to date. The XXI Century counter will have to become a professional with more organization and discipline, and their profession is already characterized by modernity and variety in fields. The study conducted through literature search also in American and Brazilian standards. Citing major differences and similarities between countries. It is of prime importance to scholars and professionals.

Today problems exist with how the leases are recognized in public companies that uses the IFRS. The liability to make lease payments is not recognized as a liability in the balance sheet even though it should according to the current lease accounting standard. There are two different classifications of leases, financial and operational, where the latter means that the liability to make lease payment does not end up in the balance sheet. Today many lease contracts are tailored to be classified as operational to avoid the liability on the balance sheet. The problem described above has for long been known and the international accounting organisations, IASB and FASB, have been working on a solution to the problem for many years. The project’s completion in form of a new standard has been postponed several times and it is currently scheduled for the earliest to entry into service during 2013. This thesis aims at investigating the IASB’s and FASB’s joint project to solve the lease accounting problem and its effects on the Swedish commercial real estate market. The approach adopted in this thesis is to examine the available literature about the problem and the project and to conduct interviews with expert in the field and possible future stakeholder that will be affected. The conclusions of the thesis are that the effects due to the project will mainly be for the lessee and then indirectly for the lessor. The lessees will try to find solutions like shorter leases to avoid the biggest effects of the new standard but to what extent they will avoid these remains uncertain. The lessor will most likely see a higher demand for shorter leases that will increase the risk in the lessors business. This will probably cause higher rental prices for listed companies.

Die vorliegende kumulative Dissertationsschrift befasst sich mit den konzeptionellen Grundlagen und der historischen Entstehung verschiedener Aspekte der Rechnungslegung. Der erste Artikel setzt sich mit den konzeptionellen Grundlagen des amerikanischen Standardsetzers FASB auseinander und zeigt, dass die Entstehung des amerikanischen Rahmenkonzepts in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren stark von Umweltfaktoren abhing. Im zweiten Beitrag wird dargelegt, dass das vom internationalen und amerikanischen Standardsetzer im Jahr 2010 überarbeitete Rahmenkonzept, mithin die qualitativen Anforderungen an nützliche Finanzinformationen, im konditional-normativen Sinne keine ausreichende Basis für die Entwicklung von Rechnungslegungsnormen ist. Der dritte Artikel fokussiert auf die regulatorische Entwicklung der Bewertung von Vermögenswerten in Deutschland und stellt regulatorische Änderungen sozioökonomischen und politischen Umweltfaktoren gegenüber. Der abschließende vierte Beitrag enthält eine historisch-kritische Analyse des der Rechnungslegung zugrunde liegenden Rechenschaftskonzepts, welches zur Zeit des Nationalsozialismus an einer deutschen Hochschule untersucht wird. Dabei werden insbesondere die Grenzen von Rechnungsanforderungen analysiert und dargelegt. / This cumulative dissertation covers the conceptual foundations and historical evolution of various aspects in accounting. The first article discusses the conceptual framework of the U.S. standard setter FASB and shows that the evolution of the U.S. GAAP conceptual framework in the 1970s and 1980s was considerably influenced by economic factors. The second manuscript employs a conditional-normative approach to analyze the 2010 joint conceptual framework of the international and the U.S. standard setter, in particular the qualitative characteristics of useful financial information. The paper shows that the qualitative characteristics are not a sufficient basis for developing accounting standards. The third article focuses on the regulatory history of asset valuation in Germany and explains regulatory changes by socio-economic and political events. The fourth and final article contains a historical-critical analysis of the concept of accountability, which forms the basis of accounting. The article analyzes accountability at a German university during the Nazi regime and illustrates the limits of the concept.