IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bracre/v48y2016i2p220-239.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Isomorphism and resistance in implementing IFRS 10 and IFRS 12

Author

Listed:
  • Maroun, Warren
  • van Zijl, Wayne

Abstract

The recently released International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on consolidation accounting are used as a case study for demonstrating how coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphism are at work, driving a propensity to comply with the IFRS. At the same time the research explores how a ‘logic of resistance’ by preparers of financial statements influences how these standards are applied. The study finds that, far from being a neutral technical process, the functioning of accounting systems itself produces a dynamic for change and reform. Interviews describe a mutually reinforcing relationship between the introduction of new accounting requirements and the application of these requirements in complex social settings characterised by a ‘logic of resistance’. With no practical means of resolving this, the conflict between the International Accounting Standards Board (purportedly trying to improve financial statements) and users of the IFRS (in some instances seeking to apply the accounting standards to their own ends) is likely to be a defining feature of the next round of changes to the IFRS dealing with consolidation and the principle of control.

Suggested Citation

  • Maroun, Warren & van Zijl, Wayne, 2016. "Isomorphism and resistance in implementing IFRS 10 and IFRS 12," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 220-239.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:48:y:2016:i:2:p:220-239
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bar.2015.07.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890838915000360
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bar.2015.07.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Blake E. Ashforth & Barrie W. Gibbs, 1990. "The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(2), pages 177-194, May.
    2. Brivot, Marion & Gendron, Yves, 2011. "Beyond panopticism: On the ramifications of surveillance in a contemporary professional setting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 135-155, April.
    3. Fogarty, Timothy J., 1992. "Organizational socialization in accounting firms: A theoretical framework and agenda for future research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 129-149, February.
    4. Niamh M. Brennan & Jill Solomon, 2008. "Corporate governance, accountability and mechanisms of accountability: an overview," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(7), pages 885-906, September.
    5. Cooper, David J. & Robson, Keith, 2006. "Accounting, professions and regulation: Locating the sites of professionalization," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(4-5), pages 415-444.
    6. J. B. Holland & P. Doran, 1998. "Financial institutions, private acquisition of corporate information, and fund management," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(2), pages 129-155.
    7. Hopwood, Anthony G., 2000. "Understanding financial accounting practice," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 25(8), pages 763-766, November.
    8. Andrew West, 2006. "Theorising South Africa’s Corporate Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 68(4), pages 433-448, November.
    9. Hsu, Audrey Wen-hsin & Duh, Rong-Ruey & Cheng, Kang, 2012. "Does the Control-based Approach to Consolidated Statements Better Reflect Market Value than the Ownership-based Approach?," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 198-225.
    10. Bengtsson, Elias, 2011. "Repoliticalization of accounting standard setting—The IASB, the EU and the global financial crisis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(6), pages 567-580.
    11. Avner Shared & John Sutton, 1981. "The Self-Regulating Profession," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 48(2), pages 217-234.
    12. Vakkur, Nicholas V. & McAfee, R. Preston & Kipperman, Fred, 2010. "The unintended effects of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002," Research in Accounting Regulation, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 18-28.
    13. Ravenscroft, Sue & Williams, Paul F., 2009. "Making imaginary worlds real: The case of expensing employee stock options," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 770-786, August.
    14. Jennifer Rowley, 2012. "Conducting research interviews," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(3/4), pages 260-271, March.
    15. Roberts, John & Sanderson, Paul & Barker, Richard & Hendry, John, 2006. "In the mirror of the market: The disciplinary effects of company/fund manager meetings," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 277-294, April.
    16. Doreen Gilfedder & Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, 1998. "The Grasshoppers and the Great Cattle: Participation and Non-Participation in the ASB's Standard-Setting Process," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 2(3), pages 287-296, September.
    17. Roberts, John & Scapens, Robert, 1985. "Accounting systems and systems of accountability -- understanding accounting practices in their organisational contexts," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 10(4), pages 443-456, October.
    18. Roberts, John, 2009. "No one is perfect: The limits of transparency and an ethic for 'intelligent' accountability," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 957-970, November.
    19. Karampinis, Nikolaos I. & Hevas, Dimosthenis L., 2011. "Mandating IFRS in an Unfavorable Environment: The Greek Experience," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 304-332, September.
    20. Bronson, Scott N. & Hogan, Chris E. & Johnson, Marilyn F. & Ramesh, K., 2011. "The unintended consequences of PCAOB auditing Standard Nos. 2 and 3 on the reliability of preliminary earnings releases," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1-2), pages 95-114, February.
    21. Carruthers, Bruce G., 1995. "Accounting, ambiguity, and the new institutionalism," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 313-328, May.
    22. Philip Brown, 2011. "International Financial Reporting Standards: what are the benefits?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 269-285, August.
    23. O'Dwyer, Brendan & Owen, David & Unerman, Jeffrey, 2011. "Seeking legitimacy for new assurance forms: The case of assurance on sustainability reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 31-52, January.
    24. Sylvain Durocher & Yves Gendron, 2014. "Epistemic commitment and cognitive disunity toward fair-value accounting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(6), pages 630-655, December.
    25. Zhang, Ying & Andrew, Jane, 2014. "Financialisation and the Conceptual Framework," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 17-26.
    26. J. Holland, 1998. "Private disclosure and financial reporting," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 255-269.
    27. Gregory Waymire & Sudipta Basu, 2011. "Economic crisis and accounting evolution," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(3), pages 207-232, August.
    28. Murphy, Tim & O’Connell, Vincent & Ó hÓgartaigh, Ciarán, 2013. "Discourses surrounding the evolution of the IASB/FASB Conceptual Framework: What they reveal about the “living law” of accounting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 72-91.
    29. Christopher Nobes, 2014. "The development of national and transnational regulation on the scope of consolidation," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 27(5), pages 995-1025.
    30. Christopher Nobes, 2014. "The development of national and transnational regulation on the scope of consolidation," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(6), pages 995-1025, July.
    31. Tremblay, Marie-Soleil & Gendron, Yves, 2011. "Governance prescriptions under trial: On the interplay between the logics of resistance and compliance in audit committees," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 259-272.
    32. Bronson, Scott N. & Hogan, Chris E. & Johnson, Marilyn F. & Ramesh, K., 2011. "The unintended consequences of PCAOB auditing Standard Nos. 2 and 3 on the reliability of preliminary earnings releases," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 95-114.
    33. Black, Julia, 2008. "Forms and paradoxes of principles-based regulation," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 23103, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    34. John Holland, 1998. "Private Voluntary Disclosure, Financial Intermediation and Market Efficiency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1&2), pages 29-68.
    35. John Holland, 1998. "Private Voluntary Disclosure, Financial Intermediation and Market Efficiency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1‐2), pages 29-68, January.
    36. Alleyne, Philmore & Hudaib, Mohammad & Pike, Richard, 2013. "Towards a conceptual model of whistle-blowing intentions among external auditors," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 10-23.
    37. Malsch, Bertrand & Gendron, Yves, 2011. "Reining in auditors: On the dynamics of power surrounding an “innovation” in the regulatory space," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 456-476.
    38. Hopwood, Anthony G., 1987. "The archeology of accounting systems," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 207-234, April.
    39. Sikka, Prem, 2009. "Financial crisis and the silence of the auditors," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 34(6-7), pages 868-873, August.
    40. Maroun, Warren & Atkins, Jill, 2014. "Section 45 of the Auditing Profession Act: Blowing the whistle for audit quality?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 248-263.
    41. Power, Michael K., 2003. "Auditing and the production of legitimacy," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 379-394, May.
    42. John Holland, 2005. "A grounded theory of corporate disclosure," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 249-267.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hedi Baazaoui, 2020. "For A New Method Of Calculating The Disclosure Index," Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 9(2), pages 9-24.
    2. Mantzari, Elisavet & Georgiou, Omiros, 2019. "Ideological hegemony and consent to IFRS: Insights from practitioners in Greece," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 70-93.
    3. Weetman, Pauline, 2018. "Financial reporting in Europe: Prospects for research," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 153-160.
    4. Albu, Nadia & Albu, Cătălin Nicolae & Cho, Charles H. & Pesci, Caterina, 2023. "Not on the ruins, but with the ruins of the past – Inertia and change in the financial reporting field in a transitioning country," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. van Zijl, Wayne & Maroun, Warren, 2017. "Discipline and punish: Exploring the application of IFRS 10 and IFRS 12," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 42-58.
    2. Maroun, Warren & Solomon, Jill, 2014. "Whistle-blowing by external auditors: Seeking legitimacy for the South African Audit Profession?," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 109-121.
    3. Maroun, Warren & Atkins, Jill, 2014. "Section 45 of the Auditing Profession Act: Blowing the whistle for audit quality?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 248-263.
    4. Maroun, Warren, 2015. "Reportable irregularities and audit quality: Insights from South Africa," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 19-33.
    5. Maroun, Warren, 2017. "Assuring the integrated report: Insights and recommendations from auditors and preparers," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 329-346.
    6. Stenka, Renata, 2022. "Beyond intentionality in accounting regulation: Habitual strategizing by the IASB," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Barker, Richard & Schulte, Sebastian, 2017. "Representing the market perspective: Fair value measurement for non-financial assets," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 55-67.
    8. Stenka, Renata & Jaworska, Sylvia, 2019. "The use of made-up users," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Baudot, Lisa & Cooper, David J., 2022. "Regulatory mandates and responses to uncomfortable knowledge: The case of country-by-country reporting in the extractive sector," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Solomon, Jill F. & Solomon, Aris & Joseph, Nathan L. & Norton, Simon D., 2013. "Impression management, myth creation and fabrication in private social and environmental reporting: Insights from Erving Goffman," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 195-213.
    11. Abraham, Santhosh & Bamber, Matthew, 2017. "The Q&A: Under surveillance," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 15-31.
    12. Justin Logie & Warren Maroun, 2021. "Evaluating Audit Quality Using the Results of Inspection Processes Performed by an Independent Regulator," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 31(2), pages 128-149, June.
    13. Barker, Richard & Hendry, John & Roberts, John & Sanderson, Paul, 2012. "Can company-fund manager meetings convey informational benefits? Exploring the rationalisation of equity investment decision making by UK fund managers," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 207-222.
    14. Genevé Richard & Elza Odendaal, 2020. "Integrated reporting assurance practices—a study of South African firms," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(4), pages 245-266, December.
    15. Cerbone, Dannielle & Maroun, Warren, 2020. "Materiality in an integrated reporting setting: Insights using an institutional logics framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(3).
    16. Xu, Shirley Geyi & Andrew, Brian, 2021. "Competing for the leading role: Trials in categorizing greenhouse and energy auditors," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    17. Pernilla Broberg & Torbjörn Tagesson & Daniela Argento & Niclas Gyllengahm & Ola Mårtensson, 2017. "Explaining the influence of time budget pressure on audit quality in Sweden," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 21(2), pages 331-350, June.
    18. Cooper, Christine, 2015. "Accounting for the fictitious: A Marxist contribution to understanding accounting's roles in the financial crisis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 63-82.
    19. Duboisée de Ricquebourg, Alan & Maroun, Warren, 2023. "How do auditor rotations affect key audit matters? Archival evidence from South African audits," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    20. Jeff Everett & Constance Friesen & Dean Neu & Abu Shiraz Rahaman, 2018. "We Have Never Been Secular: Religious Identities, Duties, and Ethics in Audit Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 1121-1142, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:48:y:2016:i:2:p:220-239. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-british-accounting-review .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.