International Financial Reporting Standards and the quality of financial statement information

Abstract

This study focuses on the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) in the UK and concentrates in the switch from the UK GAAP to IFRSs. The study seeks to determine whether IFRS adoption leads to higher quality accounting numbers. By examining company accounting measures reported under the UK GAAP and IFRSs, the study investigates the earnings management potential under IFRSs. The paper also studies the value relevance of IFRS-based financial statement information. The study indicates that the implementation of IFRSs generally reinforces accounting quality. The findings show that the implementation of IFRSs reduces the scope for earnings management, is related to more timely loss recognition and leads to more value relevant accounting measures. This suggests that less information asymmetry and earnings manipulation would lead to the disclosure of informative and higher quality accounting information and would therefore assist investors in making informed and unbiased judgements. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.