La contabilizzazione delle operazioni di M&A è radicalmente mutata nel corso degli ultimi dieci anni, nel contesto statunitense come in quello europeo. A seguito di tali cambiamenti l’ammontare di goodwill (avviamento) iscritto nei bilanci di molte società si è incrementato. Questo studio si propone in primo luogo di far luce sulla reliability di tali valori analizzando le cause della svalutazione del goodwill, a partire dall’ipotesi essa sia causata in molti casi dal pagamento di un prezzo eccessivo da parte dell’impresa acquirente, piuttosto che essere la conseguenza di eventi successivi all’operazione. L’analisi, in secondo luogo, ha lo scopo valutare se l’impairment test del goodwill, reso obbligatorio dallo SFAS 142 raggiunga l’obiettivo di individuare in modo tempestivo le perdite durevoli di valore del goodwill acquisito e, dunque, di evitare che rimangano iscritti in bilancio come assets valori che di fatto non lo sono. Lo studio ha considerato un campione di 929 acquisizioni concluse nel periodo 1999-2007 che hanno coinvolto società statunitensi quotate ed è stato condotto sviluppando un modello predittivo basato su alcune misure indicanti potenziale overpayment da parte dell’acquirente alla data di acquisizione. I risultati mostrano in primo luogo come alcuni indicatori di overpayment, come la percentuale del prezzo pagata in azioni dell’impresa acquirente e un ammontare elevato di goodwill rispetto al prezzo di acquisto, diano un contributo significativo nella stima di future svalutazioni del goodwill. Un risultato piuttosto preoccupante, poiché segnala una almeno parziale incapacità da parte degli attuali Principi Contabili (SFAS 141) di garantire che alla data di acquisizione il valore attribuito a tale asset sia effettivamente fondato sulle sinergie e sul valore di “going-concern” del target (“core goodwill”), escludendo elementi ad esso estranei, come l’ overpayment da parte dell’acquirente. Per quanto attiene al secondo obiettivo, i risultati mostrano che il lasso temporale tra la data di acquisizione e il momento della svalutazione è in media di due - tre anni, a differenza di quanto accadeva precedentemente all’entrata in vigore dello SFAS 142, quando tale distanza temporale è stata stimata essere tra i quattro e i cinque anni. Tale risultato pertanto suggerisce che l’impairment test (almeno) annuale ha ottenuto l’effetto di migliorare la tempestività dell’individuazione di eventuali perdite durevoli di valore, contribuendo a bilanciare l’effetto sopra descritto che potenzialmente si ingenera alla data di acquisizione. / The purpose of this study is to shed light on the reliability of accounting goodwill numbers by examining whether the root cause of many goodwill impairment losses is the overpayment for the target at the time of the original acquisition, rather than the deterioration of goodwill values caused by events occurred after acquisition. A second related objective is to assess whether the annual impairment test of the acquired goodwill introduced by SFAS 142 improved the ability of accounting standards to timely capture situations in which the amount of goodwill is overstated and should thus be written down. I tested these hypotheses over a sample of 929 acquisitions completed by US listed companies over the nine-year period from 1999 to 2007. To assess whether the occurrence of a goodwill impairment loss can be predicted based on overpayment indicators, I developed a prediction model of goodwill impairment losses using some indicators measured at the acquisition date that signal potential overpayment by the acquiring firm. First, I found that certain measures, such as the percentage of stock in the consideration and the amount of purchase price assigned to goodwill, in fact represent powerful indicators of the occurrence of a subsequent goodwill impairment. This result is troubling as it suggests that SFAS 141 provisions are at least partially unable to avoid that components other than “core goodwill” being included in the amount recognized as goodwill, casting some doubt on the credibility of prominent goodwill amounts included in the financial statements of many corporations. I also found that the recognition of goodwill impairments lags behind the acquisition time by an average of two to three years. Compared with findings of earlier studies this result indicates that SFAS 142 requirements for annual impairment tests in fact improved the timeliness of recognizing goodwill write-offs, eventually helping to mitigate the failure of SFAS 141.

The diploma thesis focuses on intangible assets especially from IFRS point of view. Then principles of IFRS are compared with principles of US GAAP and Czech regulation. This thesis provides theoretical base which is explained on practical examples. Finally, the study on goodwill from business combinations and its impairment is carried out. Author evaluates its results and he is trying to clarify cause of high recorded goodwill.

This dissertation entitled "Deferred Tax and its Conceptual Complexities" addresses two immensely complex and intricate issues of deferred taxes and business combinations. Its aim is not only to analyse the development of accounting standards both individually and in mutual dependence, but also, with the help of scholarly works and practical reflections, to draw conclusions on the current state of accounting for deferred tax and on the process of international convergence. In order to achieve this goal, the following approaches were used: close reading of accounting standards as well as professional papers, analysis of the past development from both historical and regional perspective, and deduction of the author's personal conclusions using illustrative charts and a practical example. The dissertation is composed of three interlocking parts looking at deferred tax on its own, the deferred tax in business combinations and deferred tax in a broader context. It is evident, that deferred tax lies at the core of the whole study; however, it does not mean that the ultimate purpose was to dwell on its tiniest details. On the contrary, details, such as the distinction between enacted and substantively enacted tax rates and laws, are pointed out only to shed additional light on the general situation -- especially as the short-term convergence project on deferred taxes is coming to its end -- and on the role of rules versus principles in the current accounting standards, especially on the role of the true and fair view principle. In the first part, the fundamental building blocks (such as the methods of accounting for deferred taxes and the various differences) are introduced from the viewpoint of standards applicable in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Czech Republic, and of International Financial Reporting Standards. All the standards are first discussed in chronological order with only the defining issues being analysed; afterwards, the standards are grouped according to the relevant standard setters and discussed in greater detail. The overall picture summarises the main points of the first three chapters. The second part provides the reader first with a general overview of deferred taxes in business combinations, and then focuses on deferred tax assets and the temporary difference arising from the initial recognition of goodwill. The conceptual inconsistencies and the gradually increasing complexity are portrayed using illustrative charts and the results of a simplified practical example based on the data taken from the standards themselves. The conclusion of this part is quite simple: something needs to be done. The question is what. The third part tries to provide the answer. The tentative conclusion is that the path followed by UK standards might currently be the most principle-based, and therefore it could be worth looking at; moreover, it can show that the effort devoted to the reconciliation of US and international standards might be worthless unless it also reconsiders the logic of using the balance sheet liability method with comprehensive allocation but without discounting. The competition among individual standard setters has proved to be of a great importance as it demonstrates that the acceptable alternatives are working not only in the minds of academics, but also in the real world. Finally, the issues of individual responsibility and professional judgement are raised, the pros and cons weighed, and the direction for further research indicated.

<p><strong>Bakgrund: </strong>När IFRS-regelverket blev tvingande för svenska börsföretag år 2005 fanns förhoppningar om att immateriella tillgångar och goodwill, som uppstod vid förvärv, skulle redovisas på ett mer transparent och jämförbart vis än tidigare. De studier som gjorts på området har dock visat att dessa förhoppningar inte har besannats fullt ut.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet med studien är att jämföra hur börsföretag identifierar och redovisar förvärvade immateriella tillgångar med de uppfattningar som finns hos företagens nyckelpersoner, angående samma tillgångar. Vidare syftar studien till att ge svar på varför eventuella skillnader, mellan sättet att redovisa och nyckelpersoners uppfattningar om immateriella tillgångar, förekommer.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Metod: </strong>Studien har klassificerats som explorativ då den syftar till att undersöka ett relativt outforskat område. Kvalitativ metod har använts och data har samlats in genom intervjuer med både varumärkesnyckelpersoner och redovisningsnyckelpersoner på svenska börsföretag. Även årsredovisningar har använts som datamaterial.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Slutsatser: </strong>Det föreligger skillnader mellan varumärkesnyckelpersoners uppfattningar om företagens varumärken och den information som presenteras i företagens årsredovisningar. Mellan företagens varumärkesnyckelpersoner och redovisningsnyckelpersoner föreligger även skillnader i uppfattningarna om vad ett varumärke egentligen är. Kommunikationen mellan dessa har identifierats som en bidragande orsak till att varumärkesnyckelpersonernas uppfattningar om företagens varumärken skiljer sig från informationen som presenteras i årsredovisningarna.</p> / <p><strong>Background: </strong>When IFRS became mandatory for listed Swedish companies there were expectations that intangible assets and goodwill, deriving from business combinations, would be accounted for in a more transparent and comparable manner. Recent studies have shown that these expectations have not been entirely been fulfilled.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The purpose of this study is to compare how listed companies identify and report acquired intangible assets with the perceptions held by key personnel, concerning the assets. Furthermore, the study aims to provide answers to why any differences between the way of accounting and key personnel perceptions of intangible assets, are present.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Method: </strong>The study was classified as exploratory as it seeks to explore a relatively unexplored area. Qualitative methodology was used and data were collected through interviews with key personnel, both within brands and accounting. Financial statements have also been used as a data.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There are differences between key brand personnels’ perceptions of the companies’ brands and the information presented in financial statements. There are also differences concerning what a brand really is, between key brand personnel and key accounting. The communication between these two kinds of key personnel has been identified as a contributing factor to why there are differences between the key brand personnels’ perception of brands and the information presented in the companies’ financial statements.</p>

Bakgrund: När IFRS-regelverket blev tvingande för svenska börsföretag år 2005 fanns förhoppningar om att immateriella tillgångar och goodwill, som uppstod vid förvärv, skulle redovisas på ett mer transparent och jämförbart vis än tidigare. De studier som gjorts på området har dock visat att dessa förhoppningar inte har besannats fullt ut. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att jämföra hur börsföretag identifierar och redovisar förvärvade immateriella tillgångar med de uppfattningar som finns hos företagens nyckelpersoner, angående samma tillgångar. Vidare syftar studien till att ge svar på varför eventuella skillnader, mellan sättet att redovisa och nyckelpersoners uppfattningar om immateriella tillgångar, förekommer. Metod: Studien har klassificerats som explorativ då den syftar till att undersöka ett relativt outforskat område. Kvalitativ metod har använts och data har samlats in genom intervjuer med både varumärkesnyckelpersoner och redovisningsnyckelpersoner på svenska börsföretag. Även årsredovisningar har använts som datamaterial. Slutsatser: Det föreligger skillnader mellan varumärkesnyckelpersoners uppfattningar om företagens varumärken och den information som presenteras i företagens årsredovisningar. Mellan företagens varumärkesnyckelpersoner och redovisningsnyckelpersoner föreligger även skillnader i uppfattningarna om vad ett varumärke egentligen är. Kommunikationen mellan dessa har identifierats som en bidragande orsak till att varumärkesnyckelpersonernas uppfattningar om företagens varumärken skiljer sig från informationen som presenteras i årsredovisningarna. / Background: When IFRS became mandatory for listed Swedish companies there were expectations that intangible assets and goodwill, deriving from business combinations, would be accounted for in a more transparent and comparable manner. Recent studies have shown that these expectations have not been entirely been fulfilled. Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare how listed companies identify and report acquired intangible assets with the perceptions held by key personnel, concerning the assets. Furthermore, the study aims to provide answers to why any differences between the way of accounting and key personnel perceptions of intangible assets, are present. Method: The study was classified as exploratory as it seeks to explore a relatively unexplored area. Qualitative methodology was used and data were collected through interviews with key personnel, both within brands and accounting. Financial statements have also been used as a data. Results: There are differences between key brand personnels’ perceptions of the companies’ brands and the information presented in financial statements. There are also differences concerning what a brand really is, between key brand personnel and key accounting. The communication between these two kinds of key personnel has been identified as a contributing factor to why there are differences between the key brand personnels’ perception of brands and the information presented in the companies’ financial statements.

SammandragGoodwill har de senaste åren fått en allt mer betydelsefull roll i svenska bolag och utgör idag majoriteten av köpeskillingen vid ett rörelseförvärv. Rådande redovisningsstandarder lämnar en stor del av ansvaret för köpeskillingsallokering hos bolagen själva, något som tidigare studier visat ger utrymme för opportunistiskt agerande. Vi undersöker i denna studie 213 rörelseförvärv gjorda på den svenska marknaden under åren 2011-2013. Via en multipel regressionsanalys finner vi belägg för att rörlig ersättning till företagsledare baserad på kortsiktiga resultatmål, tenderar att leda till en högre allokering till goodwill i relation till immateriella tillgångar vid rörelseförvärv. Resultatet kan tolkas som att företagsledare maximerar resultatet ur ett kortsiktigt perspektiv i syfte att också maximera sin egen lön. Detta skapar en problematik då företagsledare som agerar i egenintresse försvagar de kvalitativa karaktäristika IASB efterstävar vid standardsättande. / Abstract Goodwill has over the last years gained a more influential role in Swedish corporations and accounts for a majority of the purchase price during an acquisition. Current accounting standards leave a substantial part of the responsibility of the purchase price allocation to the firms themselves, something that previous studies have found gives room for opportunistic behavior. We study 213 company acquisitions on the Swedish market during the years of 2011-2013. Through a multiple regression analysis we find that short-term compensations based on short-term financial results, tend to lead to a higher allocation to goodwill in relation to intangible assets. These findings could be interpreted as an indication of executives striving to maximize short-term results in order to also maximize their compensation. This creates a problematic situation since executives acting in self-interest diminishes the qualitative characteristics IASB endeavor when setting accounting standards.

This thesis focuses on business combinations according to IFRS and Czech accounting regulations. According to IFRS, Purchase Price Allocation (PPA) is a vital tool in acquisition reporting and therefore this paper mainly focuses on it. The theoretical part serves as a solid based for the empirical part, highlighting the main differences within the examined accounting types. The empirical part primarily focuses on setting the purchase price containing a contingent consideration, newly identified intangible assets and contingent liabilities reporting, and also net asset's fair value valuation to the acquisition date. The results show a major difference and drawbacks in using the Czech accounting regulations when solving business combinations.

This thesis deals with legal, accounting and tax aspects of mergers in the legal environment of the Czech republic, particularly in relation to the amendment to Act. No. 125/2008 Coll., on Transformations of Trading Companies and Cooperatives, and to other related legislation. Furthermore, the paper identifies the main differences in accounting solutions when performed according to Czech accounting standards and IAS/IFRS, defines the basic features and characteristics of mergers and acquisitions and outlines their current importance in the international context. The above is demonstrated on the case of a merger of two capital-related companies in the telecommunications industry. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the present work also evaluates the success of the selected transaction.

The master’s thesis deals with the subject of consolidated financial statement of group TOS VARNSDORF with the main focus on evaluation of economic influence caused by consolidation group expansion. First part of the master’s thesis concerns with definition of consolidation and therefore represents basics for the following practical application. Subsequently, the actual economic situation of the concern is analysed, consolidation of financial statements is accomplished by appropriate consolidation methods and afterwards, the final assessment of achieved impact is executed.

The master´s thesis is focuses on the Business combinations. The aim of this thesis is to project accounting procedures of the merger and then analyze financial situation of the acquiring company.