This week's case centers around our increasing dependency on international trade. As a result, there is a movement toward one set of international accounting standards that would increase trade globally and add to the transparency of financial reporting.

Please answer and discuss the questions below from Financial Reporting Case IFRS 1.5 located in Chapter 1: Financial Accounting and Accounting Standards, IFRS Concepts and Applications on pages 1-34 of the textbook.

Financial Report Case IFRS1.5

The following comments were made at an Annual Conference of the Financial Executives Institute (FEI).

There is an irreversible movement toward the harmonization of financial reporting throughout the world. The international capital markets require an end to:

The confusion caused by international companies announcing different results depending on the set of accounting standards applied.

Companies in some countries obtaining unfair commercial advantages from the use of particular national accounting standards.

The complications in negotiating commercial arrangements for international joint ventures caused by different accounting requirements.

The inefficiency of international companies having to understand and use a myriad of different accounting standards depending on the countries in which they operate and the countries in which they raise capital and debt. Executive talent is wasted on keeping up to date with numerous sets of accounting standards and the never-ending changes to them.

The inefficiency of investment managers, bankers, and financial analysts as they seek to compare financial reporting drawn up in accordance with different sets of accounting standards.

INSTRUCTIONS - just answer 1 question....

What is the International Accounting Standards Board?

What stakeholders might benefit from the use of International Accounting Standards?

What do you believe are some of the major obstacles to convergence?