Muensteraner Schriften zur Internationalen Unternehmensrechnung – serie

Fair value accounting is viewed as a major feature of IFRS and several standards either require assets to be measured at fair value or at least provide an option to fair value measurement instead of applying historical cost. While it is argued that fair values provide more timely and relevant information, the global financial crisis led to a considerable debate about the usefulness of fair value accounting. The study examines the implications of fair value accounting for financial analysts and nonprofessional investors. It provides evidence that, even if financial analysts find it challenging to produce accurate forecasts under a fair value regime, nonprofessional investors make larger investments and are more confident with their judgments for fair value firms.

Cost accounting in Anglophone countries is in general less detailed than German cost accounting. Such cross-national differences imply a tension for Anglophone multinationals operating in Germany. These firms have to balance the group-wide application of their home-country traditions and the approval of diverging local cost accounting systems. By the means of a dyadic research design, this study finds empirical evidence for Anglophone cost accounting traditions to prevail in subsidiaries of Anglophone multinationals in Germany. However, the top management teams in these subsidiaries tend to work around such coercive pressures. The findings also suggest that the subsidiaries prefer to deviate from their parent companies’ traditions to ensure the usefulness of information for their cost accounting systems.

The issuance of the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) in July 2009 has mixed up the bipolar financial reporting landscape between Local Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) and Full IFRS by adding a third dimension to international GAAP choice. The study examines the characteristics and determinants of Full IFRS and IFRS for SMEs adoption by private firms in 110 countries. It finds empirical evidence for the continued existence of local versions of IFRS and the worldwide emergence of a two standard system. The findings also suggest that while Full IFRS adoption was mainly driven by network effects and political pressures, countries adopt the IFRS for SMEs notably due to cost-benefit considerations.

The adoption of IFRS 8 marked a major change in the segment reporting rules under IFRS. This step, however, was heavily criticized and several questions regarding IFRS 8 still remain unanswered. Therefore, this study analyzes the impact of IFRS 8 on segment reporting practice and its economic consequences. The results show that firms report on average more segment information. Moreover, segment reports from the management’s perspective are useful and mitigate information asymmetries, reduce the cost of capital and affect the work of financial analysts. The findings have implications for the IASB, preparers, auditors and users of financial statements as well as enforcement institutions.

Contrary to their increasingly important role in the global economy, little is known so far about the financial reporting practices in emerging economies. This study therefore analyses the financial reporting practices of listed firms in Brazil and South Africa. It also investigates the determinants of financial reporting quality and its effect on information asymmetries. In addition, the author compares the results for the two emerging economies to those for Germany representing a developed economy. The empirical findings have several implications for researchers and lecturers as well as for practitioners, such as preparers and users of financial reports, legislators, standard setters and auditors.

The introduction of Integrated Reporting (IR) is supposed to tackle shortcomings of corporate reporting that have been criticized for decades. The new reporting format intends to improve the understandability of corporate reports and broaden their often merely financial and backward-looking perspective. This study investigates the usefulness of IR for investors. A conceptual analysis provides an in-depth examination of the IIRC’s International Framework, the basis to prepare integrated reports. An empirical analysis examines the presence of IR in existing reports from South Africa and the USA, before testing potential consequences for the capital market. The findings have implications not only for investors, but also for the reporting firms, regulators and academics.

Cost accounting traditions differ across countries, especially between Germany and the US/UK. Consequently, multinational companies often face cross-national differences in the design of their subunits’ cost accounting systems. To improve comparability and facilitate control, multinational companies seek to globally align these systems. In this respect, they have to balance the needs of the headquarters and the subunits. By the means of a mixed-method approach, this study analyses the design of cost accounting systems from both perspectives. It finds empirical evidence for cross-case and cross-country differences in the complexity and standardization of cost accounting systems in subunits of German multinational companies and identifies important determinants and success factors. The findings have implications for researchers and practitioners in the field of management accounting.

As most acquisitions destroy shareholder value, this study examines the effect of synergy and goodwill controlling on acquisition success. Based on a sample of German, Austrian, and Swiss acquirer companies, a descriptive analysis presents design options for the M&A organization and related controlling tasks. Empirical analyses identify various determinants of synergy and goodwill controlling and reveal that acquisitions positively impact financial success in the short term and accounting-based success in the medium term. The results also indicate that synergy and goodwill controlling influence internal and external measures of acquisition success in different ways. Thus, the findings do not only entail implications for acquirers but also for investors, standard setters, and academics.

While nonfinancial key performance indicators have recently gained importance in corporate reporting, their preparation process for management reports has remained a «black box». Based on interviews with experts from various areas and hierarchical levels, the study empirically analyzes preparation processes in three publicly listed and four privately held German firms. The findings provide detailed insights into phases of preparation processes. Moreover, the promotor model is applied to determine the roles and communication of process participants. In addition, several internal and external factors influencing the process design are discussed using organizational theories. The findings of this study offer several implications for academics and stakeholders such as preparers or regulators.

Performance Measurement Systems (PMSs) are of utmost importance for multinational companies since they provide head offices with information on the subsidiaries’ performance and are expected to influence the subsidiaries’ decisions. However, despite their high importance, little is known about the design and adoption of PMSs in multinational companies. Therefore, this study analyzes in detail how head offices of German multinational companies design their PMSs. Furthermore, it also investigates how this PMS is adopted by the subsidiaries of these multinational companies. The findings have implications for researchers and practitioners such as management accountants in multinational companies’ head offices and subsidiaries.

Shared Service Organizations (SSOs) are of growing relevance in research and corporate practice since they combine a number of benefits for multinational corporations, such as cost reductions and an improved risk management. However, managers voice concerns about potential negative impacts on the firm’s effectiveness due to a lower service quality. A major reason for the ongoing controversy of the SSOs’ outcome is closely related to the shortcoming of measuring their performance. This study analyzes Performance Measurement System (PMS) design in SSOs and sheds light on its effectiveness. Furthermore, the findings reveal which determinants increase PMS effectiveness. This empirical analysis yields practical design recommendations for practitioners working in a shared service environment.