This thesis deals with accounting issue regarding the rules for accounting and reporting. The fundamental part is a characteristic of generally accepted accounting principles, their forming and importance in the international financial scale. The aim of the thesis is to describe the process and conditions of the development of these principles and illustrate the impact of breaching of selected fundamental assumptions on the financial statements.

This study examines changes in British financial reporting that are in the progress with the focus on the year 2012. The subject of the analysis are the differences in selected areas between the new proposals (FREDs 46-48) and current FRSs, former proposals (FREDs 43-45), IFRS for SME, and "full" IFRS. The results suggest that Britain continues to preserve some particular treatments, even though those are not fully in line with IFRS for SME or "full" IFRS. In addition to this, formats of the financial statements according to UK GAAP were examined. The result suggests that the current formats defined by the company law will be preserved. The popularity of vertical balance sheet, which is typical for the UK, is illustrated by examining financial statements of selected companies.

This master´s thesis analyses financial situation of FEI Company during years 2003 – 2006 by means of selected methods of financial and economic analysis. It also includes proposals and recommendations for improvement of the present situation with regard to sphere of business and its possibilities.

This thesis focuses on the area of register and account of long-term material possession according to accounting legislative and American accounting US GAAP. The main goal of this thesis is to analyze current situation of register and account in selected company. The main solution is proposition of internal directive. All suggested solutions emerge from completed analysis.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The value added statement is published by about 200 of the 400 companies listed in the industrial sector on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This is the highest incidence of publication of such statements reported to date. It appears from a literature review that the usefulness of the statement has never been tested in depth from the perspective of the users. The importance of this study stems from the increased incidence of publication of the statement in South Africa and the lack of evidence substantiating its usefulness. The study aims to investigate the usefulness of the value added statement in South Africa from the perspective of all the different users of external financial information. The literature review revealed that, although the value added statement is based on the theory of value added and was aimed at broadening the scope of financial reporting, it did not develop to the point of being governed by statutory requirements. This resulted in diverse accounting treatment in the statement and the resultant loss of consistency and comparability, which gave an early indication from the literature that value added statements might not be very useful. The usefulness of the value added statement was evidenced by users actually using the statement and the explanatory and predictive power of value added information. No reliable evidence of users actually using the statement was found in the literature. Evidence was found that value added information had greater predictive and explanatory power than earnings, but these findings were found to be inconclusive. A questionnaire survey among users representing the South African users of external financial reports revealed little evidence of actual use of the value added statement. The general usage trend from past to present, was to use the statement less rather than more. More than fifty percent of the respondents do not intend to use the statement in future, even if the shortcomings experienced could be overcome. The major reason for this lack of support for the value added statement seems to be the shortcomings experienced by the users when publishing and using the statement, which stems mainly from the lack of statutory requirements. Another reason is that the value added statement introduces very little information that is not already available from the other financial statements. The predictive and explanatory power of value added information was examined by doing statistical analysis on empirical data of South African listed companies. This analysis indicated that value added information did not have additional explanatory and predictive power when compared to earnings and that the high inter-correlation between value added and earnings prevented value added from being used in prediction models in combination with earnings. The predictive and explanatory power of value added information is therefore limited. This research study could not find sufficient evidence of the usefulness of value added statements to justify their continued publication, neither could it find significant support for future use. It is therefore suggested that the publication of the statement be discontinued and that additional information be included in the income statement disclosures to accommodate this.

Dans un contexte d’harmonisation comptable internationale visant à améliorer la qualité de l’information financière publiée par les groupes internationaux afin d’en assurer l’utilité, notre recherche doctorale a pour objet d’apporter une contribution à l’évaluation de l’utilité et de la comparabilité de l’information sectorielle. Cette recherche adopte une approche qualitative mono-sectorielle à travers l’étude du contenu des rapports de recommandation des analystes et des rapports annuels des grands groupes hôteliers internationaux, et une approche internationale à travers la comparaison des référentiels IAS/IFRS et US GAAP. Nous proposons en premier lieu d’étudier l’utilité de l’information sectorielle pour les analystes financiers à travers l’utilisation qu’ils en font dans leurs rapports et le lien de cette utilisation avec l’exactitude des prévisions qu’ils réalisent. Nous analysons ensuite l’évolution de la comparabilité de l’information sectorielle « normée » publiée par les groupes et la comparabilité de leurs pratiques de publication hors annexe. En raison de la diversité des pratiques de publication des firmes, l’utilité et la comparabilité de l’information sectorielle publiée par les groupes hôteliers internationaux demeurent perfectibles. / International accounting harmonization aims to improve financial reporting quality in order to enhance its usefulness. In this context, we study the usefulness and the comparability of segment information. Our research is mainly qualitative – analysis of annual reports and analysts’ reports contents - , hotel industry based and IAS/IFRS versus US GAAP focused. First, we address whether segment information is useful for financial analysts assessing usefulness through its use and its link with forecasts’ precision. Second, the research deals with the evolution of normalized segment information comparability and with the comparability of segment voluntary disclosures reported by international hotel groups. We find that, mainly because of the heterogeneity of disclosure practices, both usefulness and comparability of segment information remains incomplete and perfectible in the international hotel industry.

會計與財務報導之功能在於幫助企業主管透過財務資訊，分析歸納以作成各項經營管理決策。缺乏良好財會管理的企業，往往無法永續經營。而壽險業因為營運方式複雜，影響社會安定層面廣大，在各國均為受高度監理的特殊行業。由於我國尚無專屬保險會計原則，監理單位與壽險公司經營者無法根據保險公司之財務報表真實反映其經營成果，從而有效達到監理目的或防範保險公司所面臨的潛在風險。 先進國家如美國之財務會計準則委員會曾多次提出與美國保險業財務會計準則相關之規範。例如1982年針對保險業提出第60號「保險業會計及報導」，其後陸續發布第97號「保險業長期保險契約與投資已實現利得與損失之會計與報導」、第113號「短期契約與長期契約再保險會計處理與報導原則」公報等。對於保險業會計處理原則之規範可稱相當完備。 本論文依據國內壽險會計處理原則及美國相關財務會計準則公報之原理原則，擷取實際保險公司財務報表，依據不同會計制度下之相關規範，計算出其中差異。實證結果發現，有別於美國會計制度分別是一般公認會計原則(GAAP)及法定會計原則(SAP)；國內壽險業會計制度、會計環境假設不明確，財務會計參酌法定會計（或稱監理會計）的概念，使得財務報表未能呈現壽險公司實際經營成果，因此造成會計制度無法與國際接軌。 本論文認為；現在國內既存新舊保險公司營運方式不同，保險財務複雜度高。國內保險公司引用美國會計準則雖可改善目前缺失，但必須作全面周全考量。顧全業者立場，考慮可能之衝擊，配合監理機關與實務可行性，持續進行，方能獲得最佳成效。 / Finance and Accounting reports have the function of providing business managers financial information. Through analysis and consolidating of this information the managers may make sound decisions in business operations. A company without sound finance and accounting management usually won’t last for long. Due to its complicated operation methodology, and the great impact to social security, life insurance industry is often under high degree supervisory of government in every country. In Taiwan there is no exclusive insurance accounting principles, as a result, the government supervisory unit and life insurers can’t have a standardized financial reporting to reflect their operation result truly, nor can they effectively achieve supervisory objectives or prevent the potential risks which insurers face. Developed countries such as U. S. has the Financial Accounting Standards Board, (FASB) raises many times related guidelines of US insurance industry’s accounting principles. For example in 1982 the Board raised FAS 60, and FAS 97, FAS 113 in later days. Such guidelines of insurance accounting principles are sufficient for the business operations needs. This paper is developed based on the Taiwan life insurance accounting process principles and US related financial accounting guidelines, taking the financial reports of one insurer as example, to calculate the variance under two different sets of accounting regulations. Our finding is, unlike the US accounting system which is based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, (GAAP) and Statutory Accounting Principle, (SAP), Taiwan’s life insurance accounting system, underlying assumptions are not clear enough, as well as the concept of adapting Statutory accounting (or supervisory accounting), makes our financial reports not able to present the real operating results of life insurers. As a result our accounting system fails to align with international practices. This paper suggests that, In Taiwan there are both newly set up insurers and insurers established for long time, while their business models are different, under the complicated insurance. Applying the US accounting principles may improve certain defects, however we must make comprehensive assessment, balance the insurers’ view, consider possible impact, comply with supervisory unit, and feasibility of practice, then implement consistently to obtain the best effects.

The graduation thesis is targeted at the issue of accounting methods for business combinations. The main goal of the thesis is to describe and compare tree basic accounting methods for business combinations -- purchase method, pooling of interests method and new entity method, especially in terms of the International Financial Reporting Standards and the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Essential part of the thesis is dedicated to the historical development of harmonization of business combination accounting. Changes in calculation of goodwill are also included.

Diese kumulative Dissertation besteht aus drei eigenständigen Arbeiten aus dem Bereich der Rechnungslegungsforschung. Die erste Arbeit ist eine Befragungsstudie von 137 internationalen Rechnungslegungsforschern über die Fair-Value-Orientierung von 28 lokalen Rechnungslegungssystemen. Anhand der Umfrageergebnisse war es möglich, einen internationalen Fair-Value Score zu bilden. Dieser zeigt, dass das portugiesische, slowenische und das russische Rechnungslegungssystem am meisten und das österreichische, deutsche und italienische Rechnungslegungssystem am wenigsten Fair-Value orientiert ist. Die zweite Arbeit untersucht die Determinanten der Wahl von Rechnungslegungssystemen mittels eines Prinzipal-Agenten-Models. In dem Model kann ein risikoneutraler Entrepreneur (Prinzipal) mit einem Anreiz zur Konsumglättung zwischen zwei Rechnungslegungssystemen wählen. Das Rechnungslegungssystem wird genutzt, um eine effiziente vertragstheoretische Lösung mit dem Manager herbeizuführen und um Informationen über das Unternehmen für Kapitalmarktteilnehmer bereitzustellen. Die Modellergebnisse zeigen, dass der Entrepreneur eher gewillt ist das Fair-Value-orientierte Rechnungslegungssystem zu wählen, wenn die Bedeutung von Eigenkapitalmärkten steigt, die Opportunitätskosten des Managements steigen, die Produktivität des Managements sinkt und die Qualität des Enforcements von Rechnungslegungsregeln abnimmt. Die empirischen Ergebnisse bestätigen größtenteils die theoretischen Erwartungen. Die dritte Arbeit untersucht, ob die verpflichtende Einführung der IFRS bei gleichzeitiger Anpassung des Enforcements zu einer Verbesserung der Ergebnisqualität geführt hat. Die empirischen Ergebnisse sind uneinheitlich und können daher den vermuteten Effekt nicht bestätigen. / This cumulative PhD-thesis consists of three papers within the field of empirical accounting research. The first paper provides descriptive evidence on the fair value orientation of existing local GAAP systems by surveying the perception of 137 international accounting academics about the fair value orientation of 28 local GAAP systems. The survey results enable us to rank countries’ local GAAP systems by their fair value orientation. The score ranking shows that Portuguese, Slovenian and Russian GAAP are the top three and Austrian, German and Italian GAAP are the bottom three of the fair value orientation. Furthermore, we are able to show that the fair value orientation of IFRS is higher than any of the 28 local GAAP systems. The second paper investigates the determinants of financial accounting regime choice in a principal agent setting. The model considers a risk-neutral entrepreneur who needs financial accounting information for contracting with a managerial agent and for communicating the firm value to a risk-averse secondary capital market. The comparative static results indicate that the preference of the entrepreneur for a fair value accounting regime increases with the relative importance of the secondary capital market and the opportunity costs of the managerial agent, while it decreases with the overall quality of the accounting signal, the effectiveness of the enforcement process and managerial productivity. Empirical evidence, which is based on country-year and country-level and US time series analysis, provides support for most of the theoretical predictions. The third paper investigates whether earnings quality effects are more pronounced post mandatory IFRS adoption in countries that substantially changed their enforcement system of accounting standards in comparison to countries that already had a strict enforcement system in place. The empirical analysis gives inconclusive results for the earnings quality measures.

Dans un contexte d'harmonisation comptable internationale visant à améliorer la qualité de l'information financière publiée par les groupes internationaux afin d'en assurer l'utilité, notre recherche doctorale a pour objet d'apporter une contribution à l'évaluation de l'utilité et de la comparabilité de l'information sectorielle. Cette recherche adopte une approche qualitative mono-sectorielle à travers l'étude du contenu des rapports de recommandation des analystes et des rapports annuels des grands groupes hôteliers internationaux, et une approche internationale à travers la comparaison des référentiels IAS/IFRS et US GAAP. Nous proposons en premier lieu d'étudier l'utilité de l'information sectorielle pour les analystes financiers à travers l'utilisation qu'ils en font dans leurs rapports et le lien de cette utilisation avec l'exactitude des prévisions qu'ils réalisent. Nous analysons ensuite l'évolution de la comparabilité de l'information sectorielle " normée " publiée par les groupes et la comparabilité de leurs pratiques de publication hors annexe. En raison de la diversité des pratiques de publication des firmes, l'utilité et la comparabilité de l'information sectorielle publiée par les groupes hôteliers internationaux demeurent perfectibles.