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Financial reporting quality in international settings: A comparative study of the USA, Japan, Thailand, France and Germany

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  • Rahman, Asheq
  • Yammeesri, Jira
  • Perera, Hector

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to show the importance of the business contexts of individual countries to understand corporate accounting practices in international settings. Using data from five countries, we show that while agency theory constructs are effective in explaining accounting practices in corporate settings that have a strong agency orientation, such as that of the United States, it is necessary to go beyond such constructs to understand accounting practices in other corporate settings. Given the variety of international business settings, we use a generic theory, institutional theory. To conduct this examination into cross-country accounting practices, we focus on an earnings quality measure based on accrual accounting practices, the abnormal accruals component of accounting earnings. We provide evidence to support the view that with varying business settings we are likely to see diversity in accounting practices that result in different levels of accruals or accruals based earnings quality.

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  • Rahman, Asheq & Yammeesri, Jira & Perera, Hector, 2010. "Financial reporting quality in international settings: A comparative study of the USA, Japan, Thailand, France and Germany," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 1-34, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:45:y:2010:i:1:p:1-34
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    Cited by:

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    2. Tsunogaya Noriyuki & Okada Hiromasa & Patel Chris, 2011. "The Case for Economic and Accounting Dualism: Towards Reconciling the Japanese Accounting System with the Global Trend of Fair Value Accounting," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 1(2), pages 1-56, October.
    3. Sugiyama, Sachiko & Islam, Jesmin, 2016. "Empirical findings from the reconciliations in the first IFRS compliant reports prepared by Japanese-owned subsidiaries in Australia," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 143-158.
    4. Katsuyoshi Okabe & Martha G. Suez-Sales, 2021. "The Use of the Statement of Cash Flows by Japanese SMEs," Eurasian Journal of Business and Management, Eurasian Publications, vol. 9(4), pages 268-282.
    5. Yasean A. Tahat & Ahmed H. Ahmed & David Power, 2022. "Earnings quality and investment efficiency: the role of the institutional settings," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1277-1306, April.
    6. Blasco, Natividad & Corredor, Pilar & Ferreruela, Sandra, 2017. "Can agents sensitive to cultural, organizational and environmental issues avoid herding?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 114-121.
    7. Hellmann, Andreas & Perera, Hector & Patel, Chris, 2013. "Continental European accounting model and accounting modernization in Germany," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 124-133.

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