This research report examines the cost and benefits of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) on South African companies who have had to comply due to them or their holding companies being listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as well as voluntary adaptors of the code. This report further seeks to identify best practices implemented by these companies.

The survival of organizations is dependent upon their legitimacy since legitimacy provides them with access to valuable resources. Organizations do not possess legitimacy, but rather it is ascribed to them by the society they are in when their actions meet societal expectations. Fulfillment of these societal expectations requires the moral and practical obligations of organizations which we call Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To show their CSR performance, organizations have increasingly adopted the practice of CSR reporting. In CSR reporting, organizations are expected by their stakeholders to disclose both positive and negative aspects. Although disclosing negative aspects can pose a threat to organization’s legitimacy, a third party reporting them may cause more severe damages to the legitimacy of the organization. Therefore, organizations are motivated to legitimize their negative aspects by using legitimation strategies. Using the typology of Coombs and Holladay (1996), in combination with the legitimation strategies by Hahn and Lülfs (2014) as our frameworks, and the non-financial reports of the top ten German chemical companies as our illustrative cases, we investigate and interpret the choice of legitimation strategies used by organizations to report different types of negative aspects in CSR reports. Our findings show that there is a clear pattern in the use of corrective action as a legitimation strategy for all types of negative aspects. Furthermore, we identified instances, where a new type of legitimation strategy, which we called shifting blame legitimation strategy was used. We interpreted our findings using analytical reasoning and theoretical framework such as the concept of symbolic and substantive approach to interpret our findings. Based on the findings, we concluded that the dominant pattern identified falls under the substantive approach, theoretically known for helping companies retain their legitimacy.

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como finalidad evaluar el impacto financiero en las perdidas crediticias esperadas de las cuentas por cobrar comerciales a partir de la aplicación de la NIIF 9 en el sector de Telecomunicaciones. Esta nueva norma entrará en vigencia a partir del año 2018, y proporciona lineamientos específicos para el registro de la provisión por incobrables. Es por ello que las empresas deben considerar los cambios que surgirán en el registro de la provisión, así como el modelo a seleccionar, y esto se desarrollará a partir de nuestra investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa. Como parte de la metodología de investigación, se obtuvo las opiniones de expertos y colaboradores de las mismas empresas del sector, a través de entrevistas a profundidad y encuestas. Del mismo modo, se desarrolló un caso práctico con el fin de dar mayor énfasis en el efecto de la aplicación de la NIIF 9 en el ámbito contable. Después de analizar los datos recolectados y haber identificado las diferencias entre la NIC 39 y la NIIF 9, se exponen las conclusiones y recomendaciones a las empresas de Telecomunicaciones. / The purpose of this research work is to evaluate the financial impact on the expected credit losses of trade accounts receivable from the application of IFRS 9 in the Telecommunications sector. This new standard will become effective from the year 2018, and provides specific guidelines for the registration of bad debt provision. That is why companies must consider the changes that will arise in the record of the provision as well as the model to be selected, and this will be developed from our qualitative and quantitative research. As part of the research methodology, expert opinions were obtained and collaborators of the same companies in the sector, through in-depth interviews and surveys in the same way, a case study was developed in order to give more emphasis in the effect of the application of IFRS 9 in the accounting field. After analyzing the data collected and having identified the differences between the NIC 39 and IFRS 9, the conclusions and recommendations are presented to the Telecommunications companies. / Tesis

Objectif: Le capital intellectuel est une ressource stratégique qui joue un rôle important dans le processus de création de valeur. Le sujet du capital intellectuel a été intéressant au cours des dernières décennies en tenant compte du fait que le vingtième siècle est un siècle d’idées, de connaissances, d’innovations, d’informations et de changements. Parallèlement, le marché financier est devenu influent sur le marché mondial, le capital intellectuel a donc joué un rôle très important. La plupart des recherches ont pour but d'identifier le lien entre le capital intellectuel et les performances financières à court terme, telles que les bénéfices, les parts de marché, les chiffres d'affaires ou la valeur marchande. Cette recherche vise à combler les lacunes de la littérature lorsqu'il s'agit de la valeur comptable totale en tant que performance finale. En améliorant la valeur comptable totale de la société et en créant de nouveaux actifs grâce à la capitalisation des investissements en composants de capital intellectuel, la société génère des avantages à long terme.Méthodologie: Nous avons inclus 498 entreprises françaises et 475 dans une analyse statistique de corrélation complexe respectivement dans deux modèles de recherche principaux. Les informations financières sont extraites de la base de données financières «Point Risk» pour répondre à la question de recherche principale. Le modèle utilisé dans cette étude est le modèle d'évaluation de la transformation du capital intellectuel (ICTEM) développé par Molodchik et al. (2012). Ce modèle étudie le processus de transformation du capital intellectuel dans la performance d’une entreprise.Constatations: Les entreprises transforment et capitalisent leurs investissements dans les composantes du capital intellectuel en actifs concrets de la valeur comptable totale. Les trois principales composantes du capital intellectuel dans lesquelles les entreprises investissent sont: le capital humain, le capital organisationnel et le capital relationnel.Conséquences et limites: La principale contribution de notre recherche est l’identification du lien entre les investissements dans les composantes du capital intellectuel et la valeur comptable totale de la société en tant que performance finale. Jusqu’à présent, la valeur comptable totale de la performance finale d’une entreprise n’était pas utilisée en corrélation avec le capital intellectuel et ses investissements.Les limites de l’étude sont la recherche d’informations financières adéquates sur les entreprises qui seront utilisées dans une analyse. Les informations financières, telles que les dépenses de marketing et les dépenses de R & D, ne sont pas toujours disponibles dans les comptes des entreprises.Caractéristique originale: cette étude présente la première vérification de la relation positive entre les investissements dans les composantes du capital intellectuel et la valeur comptable totale de la société. / Objective: Intellectual capital is a strategic resource that plays an important role in the value creation process. Taking into account that the twentieth century is a century of ideas, knowledge, innovations, information and changes, intellectual capital has been an interesting topic over the past few decades. At the same time, the financial market has become influential in the global market, so intellectual capital found a very important role for itself. Most of the research is aimed at identifying the relation between intellectual capital and short-term financial performance, such as profits, market shares, turnovers, or market value. This research aims to fill the gap in the literature that relates to the total book value as a final performance. By improving the total book value of a company and creating new assets through the capitalization of investments in intellectual capital components, a company generates benefits on a long-term basis. Methodology: We included 498 and 475 French companies in a complex correlation statistical analysis in two main research models respectively. The financial information was obtained from the financial database “Point Risk” for the purpose of addressing the main research question. The model used in the study is the Intellectual Capital Transformation Evaluating Model (ICTEM) developed by Molodchik et al. (2012). This model investigates the process of intellectual capital transformation in the performance of a company.Findings: Companies transform and capitalize their investments in intellectual capital components into concrete assets in the total book value. The three main intellectual capital components that companies invest in are: human capital, organizational capital and relational capital. Implications and limitations: The main contribution of our research is the identification of the link between investments in intellectual capital components and a company’s total book value as final performance. Until now, the total book value as company final performance has not been used in correlation with intellectual capital and its investments. There are limitations of the study. One of them is to find adequate financial information about companies that will be used in an analysis and another one is financial information, such as marketing expenses and R&D expenses, which is not always available in the accounts of a company. Original feature: This study presents the first verification of a positive relationship between investments in intellectual capital components and a company’s total book value.

Den svenska idrottsrörelsen har gått över från att vara en amatör- och folkrörelsebaserad verksamhet till en mer kommersiell och professionell verksamhet. Det finns ett ökat fokus på arbetet med att förbättra redovisningen hos ideella föreningar, därför att det finns en ökad oro kring kvalitén. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur de ekonomiansvariga i de ideella idrottsföreningarna upplever arbetet med den ekonomiska redovisningen och utifrån detta diskutera möjliga orsaker till varför ideella idrottsföreningars redovisning varierar i kvalité. För att uppfylla syftet genomfördes åtta kvalitativa intervjuer. Representanter från sex idrottsföreningar som är anslutna till Riksidrottsförbundet deltog i studien. Dessutom intervjuades två anställda på ett distriktsidrottsförbund. Våra resultat tyder på att de ekonomiansvariga upplever att arbetet med att upprätta den ideella idrottsföreningens redovisning tar mycket tid. Detta kan vara ett tecken på att redovisningen har vuxit i omfattning. Vidare kan denna ökade omfattning leda till tidsbrist som möjligen kan påverka redovisningens kvalité. Tidsbristen kan möjligen göra att redovisningen som en ideell idrottsförening producerar inte kan uppfylla de kvalitetsförbättrande kriterierna som finns gällande redovisning. / The Swedish sports movement has developed from sporting among common folks and amateurs to a more commercial and professional movement. The work of improving nonprofit accounting has been focused on since there are rising concerns about the quality of the accounting. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the bookkeepers experience working with the accounting, and on this basis, discuss possible causes as to why non-profit sports organizations’ accounting varies in quality. The study has been conducted through eight qualitative interviews. The participants were six representatives from non-profit sports organizations and two representatives of a District Federation from the Swedish Sport Confederation. Our study indicates that the bookkeepers find the accounting time consuming. This could be a sign that the scope of this kind of accounting has grown. This growth might further affect the quality of the accounting due to an increasing lack of time, which in turn could possibly lead to the accounting produced by a non-profit sports association not fulfilling the qualitative characteristics.

Thesis deals with harmonization of financial reporting in the area of insurance contracts. IFRS 4 phase I adjusts reporting of insurance contracts, defines a term insurance contract, bans generating catastrophe provisions or equalisation provisions, show a new view at reporting of insurance contract with discretionary participation feature and at reporting embedded derivates.IFRS 4 phase II solves complex reporting of insurance contracts. The aim is to achieve "real" measurement of liabilities arising from insurance contracts. The thesis shows a measurement model form exposure draft.

Most of international groups are obliged to create and report consolidated financial statements. In this thesis, I will describe and analyze essential principles and procedures for groups when creating consolidated financial statements according to existing norms and regulations. Furthermore I will present modifications and rules for groups that report their individual financial statements according to Czech legal norm, but consolidate according to International Financial Reporting Standards.

This thesis deals with measurement of financial performance of a company. The main goal of the thesis is to find appropriate tools and use them to enhance current situation in specific company. In theoretical part it analyses problem in general.Then, it analyses the problem from the point of view of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and finally from the point of view of Management accounting. In practical part, the earned knowledge is used to achieve improvement in performace measurement in the chosen company.

In December 2017, Congress enacted the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA), which transitioned the U.S. to a quasi-territorial tax system and reduced incentives for U.S. multinational firms to invest overseas. Although prior studies find that the U.S. repatriation tax motivates firms to reinvest earnings offshore, they do not differentiate between investment outcomes attributable to tax deferral and financial reporting motives. I investigate the effect of financial reporting incentives to designate foreign earnings as indefinitely reinvested (IRFE) under APB 23 on foreign investment. Using a sample of U.S. multinational firms from 2007-2015, I decompose reported IRFE into a component based on investment and tax incentives to invest overseas (predicted IRFE), and a residual component that captures financial reporting incentives (excess IRFE). I find that excess IRFE are positively correlated with a history of benchmark-beating and CEO equity incentives. Excess IRFE, but not predicted IRFE, are significantly negatively associated with future foreign pretax ROA, especially relative to an estimated benchmark ROA. An increase in excess IRFE of one percent of assets is associated with a cumulative reduction of approximately 66 to 79 basis points in foreign pretax ROA and foreign ROA gap over the next three years. Among a set of privately owned firms, which face reduced reporting incentives, excess IRFE is not associated with future foreign profitability. Moreover, excess IRFE is associated with greater total cash holdings and foreign short-term investments than predicted IRFE. These results suggest that financial reporting incentives play a significant role in the accumulation of foreign earnings abroad and have negative profitability consequences.

Companies throughout the world use different methods for reporting their financial information to capital market investors and regulators. These different methods have caused financial reporting of statements to become less transparent, has increased adjustment errors and forecasting errors, and has reduced investor confidence. As a result, the International Accounting Standards Board created International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) to establish a global standard. Currently, 140 jurisdictions worldwide have implemented IFRS. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of IFRS on 248 Canadian companies and to analyze whether the 2011 implementation of IFRS affected corporate stock prices, key financial measurements of companies, and industry sectors. Arrow's social choice theory and general equilibrium analysis provided the theoretical framework for this quantitative investigation. Two 1-year time periods, 2009-2010 (the year before IFRS was implemented) and 2011-2012 (the year after IFRS was implemented), were analyzed using secondary data. A multiple regression model was used to examine the impact of IFRS implementation on price-to-earnings ratio, price-to-sales ratio, and price-to-cash flow ratio of the 248 Canadian companies. Findings indicate that IFRS led to an overall improvement in financial reporting by Canadian companies, which suggests IFRS's effectiveness. Mandating IFRS worldwide may facilitate comparisons of corporate financial information, reduce costs, reduce investor fatigue, improve adjustment errors and forecasting errors, and provide capital market participants the confidence to make valued investment decisions, leading to positive social change.