Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis: Text and Cases, 13th Edition illustrates how accounting standards impact the daily decisions of accounting professionals. This authoritative textbook shows how accounting theory explains why particular companies select certain accounting methods over others, and predicts the attributes of firms by analyzing their accounting methods. The text examines empirical research relevant to various theories of accounting and the uses of accounting information, including the fundamental analysis model, the efficient markets hypothesis, the behavioral finance model, the positive accounting theory model, the human information processing model, and the value creation model.
Enabling students to develop an informed perspective on accounting theory, the text reviews the development and current state of accounting theory and summarizes current disclosure requirements for various financial statement items. The new edition has been fully revised to reflect current methods of accounting education, including the incorporation of ethics into the curriculum, the analysis of a company’s quality of earnings and sustainable income, the use of the internet as a source of information, the international dimensions of accounting, and more. Designed for undergraduate and graduate accounting majors, the text aligns with the latest curriculum changes in the CPA exam.
Table of Contents
Preface v
1 The Development of Accounting Theory 1
The Early History of Accounting 2
Accounting in the United States Since 1930 5
The Role of Ethics in Accounting 19
Accounting in Crisis: The Events of the Early 2000s 19
International Accounting Standards 23
Cases 24
FASB ASC Research 26
Room for Debate 26
2 The Pursuit of the Conceptual Framework 27
The Early Theorists 27
Early Authoritative and Semiauthoritative Organizational Attempts to Develop the Conceptual Framework of Accounting 29
Statement on Accounting Theory and Theory Acceptance 35
The FASB’s Conceptual Framework Project 38
Principles-Based Versus Rules-Based Accounting Standards 54
International Convergence 58
Cases 68
FASB ASC Research 70
Room for Debate 70
3 International Accounting 71
International Business Accounting Issues 72
The Development of Accounting Systems 72
Preparation of Financial Statements for Foreign Users 74
The International Accounting Standards Committee 74
The Uses of International Accounting Standards 83
The IASC and the IOSCO 85
The IASB Annual Improvements Project 86
IASB-FASB Convergence 87
The Effects of International versus US GAAP Accounting Standards 88
Standards Overload 91
Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements 92
The IASB-FASB Financial Statement Presentation Project 101
Cases 103
FASB ASC Research 105
Room for Debate 106
4 Research Methodology and Theories on the Uses of Accounting Information 107
Research Methodology 107
The Outcomes of Providing Accounting Information 110
The Relationship Among Research, Education, and Practice 136
Cases 137
FASB ASC Research 139
Room for Debate 140
5 Income Concepts, Revenue Recognition, and Other Methods of Reporting 141
The Nature of Income 142
Economic Versus Accounting Income 146
Revenue Recognition 148
Matching 167
Income Recognition Constraints 169
Non-GAAP Measures of Performance 170
Sustainability Reporting 174
Earnings Quality, Earnings Management, and Fraudulent Financial Reporting 178
International Accounting Standards 184
Cases 186
FASB ASC Research 189
Room for Debate 190
6 Financial Statement I: The Income Statement 191
The Economic Consequences of Financial Reporting 191
Income Statement Elements 191
Statement Format 193
Proposed Format of the Statement of Comprehensive Income 216
The Value of Corporate Earnings 217
International Accounting Standards 222
Cases 227
FASB ASC Research 230
Room for Debate 231
7 Financial Statements II: The Balance Sheet and the Statement of Cash Flows 232
The Balance Sheet 232
Fair Value Measurements 244
Proposed Format of the Statement of Financial Position 251
Evaluating a Company’s Financial Position 251
The Statement of Cash Flows 254
Proposed Format of the Statement of Cash Flows 265
Financial Analysis of Cash-Flow Information 266
International Accounting Standards 267
Cases 274
FASB ASC Research 277
Room for Debate 278
8 Working Capital 279
Development of the Working Capital Concept 279
Current Usage 281
Components of Working Capital 281
Working Capital Management 292
International Accounting Standards 300
Cases 301
FASB ASC Research 304
Room for Debate 305
9 Long-Term Assets I: Property, Plant, and Equipment 306
Property, Plant, and Equipment 306
Financial Analysis of Property, Plant, and Equipment 311
Cost Allocation 311
Capital and Revenue Expenditures 315
Recognition and Measurement Issues 315
Impairment of Value 316
Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations 318
International Accounting Standards 320
Cases 327
FASB ASC Research 330
Room for Debate 331
10 Long-Term Assets II : Investments and Intangibles 332
Investments in Equity Securities 332
Investments in Debt Securities 339
Impairment of Investments in Unsecuritized Debt Including Receivables and Loans 343
The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets 347
Transfers of Financial Assets 348
Intangibles 349
Financial Analysis of Investments and Intangibles 358
International Accounting Standards 358
Cases 368
FASB ASC Research 372
Room for Debate 373
11 Long-Term Liabilities 374
The Definition of Liabilities 374
Recognition and Measurement of Liabilities 375
Debt versus Equity 376
Classification of Long-Term Debt 379
Other Liability Measurement Issues 392
Troubled Debt Restructurings 399
Financial Analysis of Long-Term Debt 401
International Accounting Standards 403
Cases 409
FASB ASC Research 413
Room for Debate 414
12 Accounting for Income Taxes 415
Historical Perspective 415
The Income Tax Allocation Issue 417
Permanent and Temporary Differences 417
Conceptual Issues 421
Alternative Interperiod Tax Allocation Methods 425
Financial Statement Disclosure 435
FIN No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes - an Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109” 436
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 437
Financial Analysis of Income Taxes 440
International Accounting Standards 443
Cases 446
FASB ASC Research 449
Room for Debate 450
13 Leases 451
Accounting for Leases 452
Subsequent Developments 463
ASU 2016-02 (FASB ASC 842) 466
Financial Analysis of the Effects of Capitalizing Operating Leases 473
International Accounting Standards 475
Cases 480
FASB ASC Research 485
Room for Debate 485
14 Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits 487
Historical Perspective 489
Accounting for the Pension Fund 500
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act 500
Other Postretirement Benefits 501
Postemployment Benefits 503
SFAS No 132 503
SFAS No 158 504
Financial Analysis of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits 506
International Accounting Standards 506
Cases 509
FASB ASC Research 512
Room for Debate 513
15 Equity 514
Theories of Equity 514
Definition of Equity 519
The Distinction Between Debt and Equity 520
Reporting Equity 522
Financial Analysis of Stockholders’ Equity 534
International Accounting Standards 536
Cases 538
FASB ASC Research 542
Room for Debate 543
16 Accounting for Multiple Entities 544
Business Combinations 544
Accounting for Business Combinations 545
Consolidations 551
Theories of Consolidation 557
Noncontrolling Interest 559
Drawbacks of Consolidation 561
Segment Reporting 562
Foreign Currency Translation 566
International Accounting Standards 574
Cases 585
FASB ASC Research 588
Room for Debate 589
17 Financial Reporting Disclosure Requirements and Ethical Responsibilities 590
FASB Recognition and Measurement Criteria 590
Areas Directly Affected by Existing FASB Standards: Supplementary Information 597
Other Means of Financial Reporting 605
Other Useful Information for Investment, Credit, and Similar Decisions 609
Securities and Exchange Commission Disclosure Requirements 611
Ethical Responsibilities 619
International Accounting Standards 627
Cases 630
FASB ASC Research 634
Room for Debate 635
Index I-1
