Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The transformation of local government in South Africa has established a complex model of multiple principals exercising municipal budget oversight on municipal managers. However, earlier research has not sufficiently focused on the phenomenon of the multiplicity of principals and its wider institutional architecture, relationship dynamics and effects in order to understand the institutional constellations of oversight principals, their behaviour and their interactions on the municipal budget process. Particularly, an empirical exploration focusing on understanding the experiences and perceptions of municipal managers and oversight principals on oversight through the multiple principal model remains elusive. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and perceptions of municipal managers, municipal councillors and the Provincial Treasury on the multiple oversight principals’ model, its manifestations, dynamics and effects on municipal budget oversight. The study utilised principal-agent theory to develop a conceptual and theoretical framework, and utilised the interpretive qualitative case study of the Western Cape to guide the research process. A sample of respondents consisting five (5) municipal managers, one (1) Provincial Treasury representative and ten (10) municipal councillors from municipalities in the Western Cape were interviewed for the study. The transcribed data from the 16 interviews were analysed, using a qualitative analysis method. The study findings reaffirmed the existence of multiple principals bequeathed with authority to exercise of municipal budget oversight in the Western Cape Province. Strong evidence emerged that application of the multiple principal model manifests independent, conflicting and fragmented budget oversight relationships and behaviour between the Provincial Treasury and municipal councillors during different stages of the municipal budget process. While the study acknowledges that the model and its application generates both positive and negative effects resulting in too complex, onerous and conflict-prone oversight relationships, it also highlighted these effects as necessary intrinsic attributes that do not necessarily have to manifest adverse consequences on the municipal budget oversight. These findings contradict the common-sense advocates for a collective model that emphasises coordination to improve cohesiveness among oversight principals, especially between the Provincial Treasury and the municipal councillors. The findings confirm that the Municipal Finance Management Act has consciously established a responsive system that distributes oversight among autonomous political structures in order to comprehensively eclipse the discretion of the municipal manager with varied and complementary oversight expertise, energy and diversity.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Commerce. Johannesburg, 02 August 2017 / The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the current perceptions of South African practitioners regarding the application of the IFRS for SMEs in the South African SME sector. This understanding would help assess whether the initial scepticism displayed when the IFRS for SMEs was first introduced in South Africa, has changed, and would also help assess what the drawbacks and benefits of the application of the IFRS for SME’s in South Africa are. The perceptions of South African practitioners were analysed by reference to two phases- first according to the results of a structured questionnaire that was issued to a sample of SAIPA practitioners, and then according to the results of semi-structured interviews conducted with thirteen South African practitioners. The primary conclusion drawn is that there appears to be an overall acceptance of the IFRS for SMEs in South Africa although there are also certain challenges of its application and certain aspects that affect the value of using the IFRS for SMEs as an accounting reporting framework. The uniformity that the IFRS for SMEs brings seems to be one of the more significant advantages. Factors, however, such as the age of the population of the practitioners; the use of automated software systems; and the legislative requirements regarding the application of the IFRS for SMEs, affect the relative merit of using the standard. Keywords: practitioners; IFRS for SMEs / GR2018

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Masters of Commerce in Accounting 2016. / This paper explores the logics of resistance to fair value accounting, which entails the motivations to resist, as well as the mechanisms of resistance. It applies an interpretive approach to investigate this, using data collected from interviews with a sample of South African accounting professionals. The study demonstrates that while fair value accounting is being applied in the financial statements of organisations from a legalistic perspective, the application is superficial and ceremonious due to an established culture of compliance, and the need for funding, which engenders a ‘tick the box’ approach. The superficiality of application is complimented with a range of motivations to resist IFRS 13, which stem from practical concerns as well as theoretical, to create for a resistant attitude to fair value accounting. This resistance has been evidenced in this study, to manifest in various mechanisms that can be employed to avoid fair value accounting. These mechanisms are indicative of decoupling since they involve gaps being created between the purpose of financial statements, and the financial statements prepared, without blatant disregard of fair value accounting principles. These findings have been used to formulate recommendations which may be useful for preparers of financial statements, auditors and standard setters alike. While the aim of the study is not to identify deficiencies of fair value accounting principles, the consequence of exploring logics of resistance to fair value accounting is that it highlights areas that require further assessment in order to achieve the objectives of standards. / MT2017

O presente trabalho possui o objetivo de investigar se a adoção das IFRS mudou a relação da variação do valor justo dos derivativos no valor de mercado em instituições financeiras do mundo e em particular no Brasil entre os anos de 2005 e 2015. A abordagem desta pesquisa é empírico-analítica e para a análise dos modelos propostos foi utilizada a técnica de dados em painel e realizados testes de adequação para melhor estimação. A hipótese investigada é que a variação do valor justo dos derivativos, associada à adoção das IFRS, podem influenciar o valor de mercado da empresa. Adicionalmente, foi realizada análise complementar segregando o valor justo dos derivativos entre os que foram designados para hedge e os não de hedge. Nos modelos completos foram considerados controles como o Tamanho do banco, Índice de Basileia, a ocorrência da Crise em 2008, o número de analistas que seguem a instituição e o sistema jurídico para a amostra mundial. Após os testes empíricos, não foram encontradas relações estatisticamente relevantes entre a variação do valor justo dos derivativos após a adoção das IFRS e o valor de mercado das companhias investigadas tanto no Brasil como no mundo, de uma forma geral. A pouca liquidez do mercado de capitais do Brasil, o tratamento dos derivativos pelas normas locais do Banco Central antecedente ao IFRS e a utilização de bases de dados secundárias com grande presença de dados faltantes para a amostra mundial podem explicar esse resultado. / The objective of this study is to investigate whether the adoption of IFRS has changed the relationship of the derivatives fair value on the market value of financial institutions in the world and in particular in Brazil between 2005 and 2015. The approach of this research is empirical-analytical and for the analysis of the proposed models, the panel data technique was used and adequacy tests were performed for better estimation. The investigated hypothesis is that the variation of the derivatives fair value, associated with the adoption of IFRS, can influence the market value of the company. In addition, a complementary analysis was performed segregating the derivatives fair value between those that were designated for hedge and the non hedge. In the full models, controls such as Bank Size, Basle Index, the occurrence of the Crisis in 2008, the number of analysts who followed the institution and the legal system for the world sample were considered. After the empirical tests, there were no statistically significant relationship between the variation of the derivatives fair value after the adoption of the IFRS and the market value of the companies investigated in Brazil as in the world, in general. The low liquidity of the Brazilian capital market, the treatment of derivatives by the local standards of the Central Bank of Brazil prior to IFRS and the use of secondary databases with a large presence of missing data for the world sample may explain this result.

Diploma thesis deals with the comparison of financial statements in accordance with Czech accounting regulations and International Financial Reporting Standards. The theoretical section is divided into several chapters devoted to IFRS, conceptual framework, convergence project and Czech legislation. The main part of the theoretical section is divided according to individual financial statements, where particular related requirements are put into a comparison. Practical section of the thesis concerns financial statements of the Czech Post prepared in accordance with Czech legislation and financial statements of the Slovak Post, which is committed to disclose under IFRS. Conclusion summarizes the main differences which have been identified.

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued International Financial Reporting Standard No. 8 (IFRS 8) “Operating Segments” in November 2006 as a part of its convergence programme with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); the new standard became effective for periods beginning on or after 1/January/2009 (IASB, 2006a). IFRS 8 supersedes the previous international accounting standard (IAS): IAS 14 Revised (IAS 14R) “Segment Reporting” (IASC, 1997). IFRS 8 requires segments to be identified in accordance with the management approach. In particular, operating segments are to be identified on the basis of internal reports that are “regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance” (IASB, 2006a, para 5). There are two main objectives to this study: (i) to assess the impact of IFRS 8 on the segmental disclosures of Jordanian listed firms in their annual reports for 2009 when the standard became effective; and (ii) to explore the perceptions of external auditors, preparers and users (investors and analysts) of financial statements about this new segmental reporting standard. A decision usefulness theoretical framework underpins the research; the research was carried out by using a disclosure index analysis and semi-structured interviews. The two objectives of this thesis were investigated by employing these two methods; a disclosure index and semi-structured interviews. The research is located in Burrell and Morgan’s (1979) functionalist paradigm using a decision usefulness theory lens. The findings suggest that IFRS 8 has had a significant and sizeable impact on the segmental disclosure practices of Jordanian companies in 2009 compared to disclosure practices in annual reports for 2008 based on IAS 14R; a sample of reports for 109 first market Jordanian listed companies were investigated. The disclosure index findings indicate that the Jordanian listed companies provided more disaggregated segmental information, published data on additional segmental items and supplied new Entity-Wide Disclosures (EWDs) in accordance with IFRS 8’s management approach. For example, 10% of the sample companies provided segmental information for the first time in 2009. The Jordanian listed companies provided details about more disaggregated business segments (where the mean number of segments rose from 2.4 to 2.7) and geographic segments / EWDs (where xii the mean number of segments increased from 1.5 to 1.8). The average disclosure index score rose from 18.6% in 2008 to 30.6% in 2009. In addition, 27% of the sample companies went beyond the requirements of IFRS 8 by identifying the CODM in their annual reports for 2009. With regards to the semi-structured interviews, 31 participants agreed to provide their views on IFRS 8. The respondents indicated that the quantity and quality of segmental information provided under IFRS 8 in annual reports for 2009 was “better” than that disclosed in 2008; it was more understandable, relevant, reliable and comparable than the segmental information which had previously been reported. Their responses also indicated that the implementation of IFRS 8 did not appear to cause any difficulties for external auditors, preparers and users during 2009; most interviewees reported that IFRS 8 was not a problematic standard. They believed that the disclosure of segmental information increased, published segmental information became more organised and better explained and the segmental information disclosed was more transparent. The current study is the first of its kind in Jordan, and adds to the growing literature on financial disclosure; it therefore fills a gap about segmental disclosure in developing countries. It is also exploratory in nature, since very little is known about segmental reporting practices in Jordan. Thus, this study’s findings represent a significant contribution to knowledge.

The objective of this study is to add to the body of research concerning International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). To accomplish this objective, it will examine whether Canada’s adoption of IFRS, which replaced Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), appears to affect the reported financial performance of Canadian public mining companies. Financial information for 2010 from the audited financial statements, as stated under IFRS and Canadian GAAP, were used to compute selected financial ratios. These financial ratios were tested to determine if statistically significant differences in their dispersion and central tendency resulted from adopting IFRS. It was found that no statistically significant differences existed in the dispersion of the ratios. However, statistically significant differences were found in the central tendency of three of the ratios: quick ratio, return on assets, and comprehensive return on assets. The results of this study will provide valuable information for investors, Canadian public mining companies, and government policy makers in other countries around the world.

This study investigates the effect of CFO gender on auditor turnover, audit fees, and financial reporting timeliness. Since investors value audit outcomes such as auditor turnover, audit fees, and reporting timeliness as important financial signals, differences in the probability of auditor turnovers, the amount of audit fees, and the speed of financial reporting between male CFO firms and female CFO firms can help investors make better informed financial decisions. Additionally, these audit outcome differences between male and female CFOs can also provide insights to executive hiring-decisions and audit budgeting. The results of this study suggest that firms with female CFOs take longer to report financial statements than their male counterparts. However, I do not find evidence for differences in the probability of auditor turnover between female CFO and male CFO firms. I also do not find significant differences in audit fees between firms with female and male CFOs. Overall, this study highlights how gender differences in risk-tolerance and confidence level can affect tangible audit outcomes.

My dissertation consists of three studies. My first study builds a literature review of state and local general-purpose government financial reporting research (including bond and financial condition research) after Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 34’s issuance in 1999. The research referenced shows that reporting information after GASB 34 has, and will, continue to shape governmental financial reporting studies. My second study examines both the rearrangement of governmental fund balance amounts after GASB Statement No. 54 and the factors associated with updated fund balance categories. My pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that pre-standard “unreserved” fund balances had greater variance in allocation to GASB fund balance categories than “reserved” fund balances. In my determinants analysis, general service charges and wealth are positively, while prior deficits, population, and unemployment are negatively, related to GASB 54 governmental fund balance categories that have higher spending flexibility. The findings suggest reporting consistency improvements with GASB 54 requirements. My third study examines how GASB 54 flexible governmental fund balance types are associated with future bond-specific outcomes and future revenue/expenditure compositions. Estimating pooled OLS regressions, the results demonstrate that future bond interest costs decrease and bond ratings increase as the amounts of “unrestricted” or “unassigned” balances increase. Flexible fund balance changes are also positively related to future operating expenditure changes, while negatively related to future property tax, service charge, and specific intergovernmental revenue changes. These results indicate that flexible fund balance information signals financial health, affecting both external and internal decision-making.

There has been a dearth of research on ‘auditors and environmental matters’ since Collison (1996) and Collison and Gray (1997) completed their study on the views of UK auditors about whether auditing is changing, or should be changing, in relation to environmental concerns. It is now more than ten years since the publication of that study. Growing international concern for environmental matters has since led to the issue of International Auditing Practice Statement (IAPS) -1010: The consideration of environmental matters in the audit of financial report in 1998 and, in New Zealand, Audit Guidance Statement (AGS) -1010: The consideration of environmental matters in the audit of a financial statement in 2001. Yet, to date, there has been no examination of the impact of IAPS-1010 or AGS-1010 on either current audit practice, or the issues raised by Collison (1996) and Collison and Gray (1997). This doctoral thesis has attempted to address the environmental impact gap in the auditing research literature. In particular, it has investigated the consideration of environmental matters in the audit of financial reports in the light of AGS-1010, with a view to understanding better the following issues: (1) how auditors generally perceive the consideration of environmental matters in the audit of financial reports; (2) the common approaches and practices auditors undertake when auditing environmental matters; (3) the challenges (if any) that auditors face in the audit of environmental matters (4) the impact (if any) of AGS 1010 on current audit practice and, finally, (5) how current practices in the audit of environmental matters may be improved and further developed to meet better the espoused aims of AGS-1010. Qualitative interviews with twenty-seven senior financial audit practitioners and others in New Zealand provided the basis for the findings. The interviews were taped, transcribed and managed with the use of computerised qualitative analysis software (NViVo7). Key findings from the research interviews were as follows: (1) the introduction of AGS-1010 had little impact on current audit practice in New Zealand; (2) environmental matters were treated no differently from any other audit issues, and auditors tended to apply common, familiar audit approaches in dealing with environmental matters; (3) auditors found the effective auditing of environmental matters challenging owing to their inability to identify such matters, and their lack of relevant expert knowledge. The most significant finding from this study is that, in general, common audit practices were riddled with issues of concern. These issues point to a broader and more significant problem. It would seem that current audit practices fail to consider many potential audit issues (including environmental matters) adequately in the audit of financial reports. For auditors to be more effective in their audit practice and in protecting the public interest, not only does audit methodology need a major review, but auditors themselves need to change their attitudes and mindsets in their approach to auditing.