Financial reporting reform and choices made by smaller entities

The aim of this study is to provide generalisable evidence of the utility of the statutory financial statements of small companies to the directors. The paper focuses on current and likely future financial reporting practices and the reasons for them

The role and current status of IFRS in the completion of national accounting rules: Evidence from the UK

Drawing on secondary data, we examine the transposition of the Accounting Directive 2013 into UK GAAP, with a specific focus on references to IFRS. The process involved consultation and regulatory impact assessment on the options in the Accounting Directive and proposed changes to accounting standards for non-publically accountable entities. This led to an IFRS-based approach from 2016 with three tiers: EU-adopted IFRS for group listed companies and other publicly accountable entities, an adaptation of IFRS for SMEs for non-publicly accountable entities, and a simplified version for micro-entities incorporating the requirements of the Accounting Directive. This outcome is not surprising since the UK was one of the founding members of the original IASC and a strong proponent of little GAAP. Indeed, the UK’s former Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities provided a model for the IFRS for SMEs. In the past, there were few references to IFRS by the UK’s enforcement and interpretation bodies. Today, guidance is taken from IFRIC. We contribute to the literature by describing the main processes involved in implementing the Accounting Directive and the move to an IFRS-based approach in UK GAAP. Our analysis should be of interest to researchers and policy makers alike

Agricultural innovations at a Late Iron Age oppidum: archaeobotanical evidence for flax, food and fodder from Calleva Atrebatum, UK

The development of oppida in the late first millennium BC across north-western Europe represents a major change in settlement form and social organisation. The construction of extensive earthwork systems, the presence of nucleated settlement areas, long-distance trade links and the development of hierarchical societies have been evidenced. These imply that changes in the style and organisation of agriculture would have been required to support these proto-urban population centres. Hypotheses of the subsistence bases of these settlements, ranging from a reliance on surplus arable production from local rural settlements, to an emphasis on pastoral activities, are here reviewed and grounded against a wider understanding of the expansion of agriculture in the Late Iron Age. These agricultural models have not been previously evaluated. This paper presents archaeobotanical data from six well fills from large-scale excavations at Late Iron Age and Early Roman Silchester, a Late Iron Age territorial oppidum and subsequent Roman civitas capital located in central-southern Britain. This is the first large-scale study of waterlogged plant macrofossils from within a settlement area of an oppidum. Waterlogged plant macrofossils were studied from a series of wells within the settlement. An assessment of taphonomy, considering stratigraphic and contextual information, is reported, followed by an analysis of the diverse assemblages of the plant remains through univariate analysis. Key results evidence animal stabling, flax cultivation, hay meadow management and the use of heathland resources. The staple crops cultivated and consumed at Late Iron Age and Early Roman Silchester are consistent with those cultivated in the wider region, whilst a range of imported fruits and flavourings were also present. The adoption of new oil crops and new grassland management shows that agricultural innovations were associated with foddering for animals rather than providing food for the proto-urban population. The evidence from Silchester is compared with other archaeobotanical datasets from oppida in Europe in order to identify key trends in agricultural change

An examination of the gender gap in smartphone adoption and use in Arab countries:a cross-national study

This is the first research to study gender differences among consumers in a cross-national context in the Middle East: the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan. A conceptual framework was developed by extending the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) further. It was tested among individuals aged 18–29 years using multi-stage cluster sampling. A total sample of around 900 usable responses from both countries were included in the analysis. The factors national IT development, enjoyment, perceived relative advantage, price value and effort expectancy were found to be significant in the model among Arab women in the UAE and Jordan. The study has theoretical, social and policy relating contributions. The study shows how an extended UTAUT2 fits among both genders in a cross-national context. The study is helpful for policymakers who intend to reduce the gender gap in smartphone adoption and use. The advancement of national IT development and the presence of effective policies focusing on women were found important in both countries

EFSA BIOHAZ Panel (EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards), 2013. Scientific Opinion on the public health hazards to be covered by inspection of meat (bovine animals).

A risk ranking process identified Salmonella spp. and pathogenic verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) as current high-priority biological hazards for meat inspection of bovine animals. As these hazards are not detected by traditional meat inspection, a meat safety assurance system for the farm-to-chilled carcass continuum using a risk-based approach was proposed. Key elements of the system are risk-categorisation of slaughter animals for high-priority biological hazards based on improved food chain information, as well as risk-categorisation of slaughterhouses according to their capability to control those hazards. Omission of palpation and incision during post-mortem inspection for animals subjected to routine slaughter may decrease spreading and cross-contamination with the high-priority biological hazards. For chemical hazards, dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls were ranked as being of high potential concern; all other substances were ranked as of medium or lower concern. Monitoring programmes for chemical hazards should be more flexible and based on the risk of occurrence, taking into account the completeness and quality of the food chain information supplied and the ranking of chemical substances, which should be regularly updated to include new hazards. Control programmes across the food chain, national residue control programmes, feed control and monitoring of environmental contaminants should be better integrated. Meat inspection is a valuable tool for surveillance and monitoring of animal health and welfare conditions. Omission of palpation and incision would reduce detection effectiveness for bovine tuberculosis and would have a negative impact on the overall surveillance system especially in officially tuberculosis free countries. The detection effectiveness for bovine cysticercosis, already low with the current meat inspection system, would result in a further decrease, if palpation and incision are removed. Extended use of food chain information could compensate for some, but not all, the information on animal health and welfare lost if only visual post-mortem inspection is applied

International Financial Reporting Standards and differential reporting

This paper examines the international development of financial reporting standards for smaller entities from a UK perspective. It examines the three elements of differential reporting: abbreviated accounts, the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities and exemption from the statutory audit

IFRSs and differential reporting: a UK case study

This paper examines the international development of financial reporting standards for smaller entities from a UK perspective. The paper examines the three elements of differential reporting that have been introduced in the UK: abbreviated accounts, the Financial Repoting Standard for Smaller Entities and exemption from the statutory audit

IFRSs and differential reporting

This paper examines the international development of financial reporting standards for smaller entities from a UK perspective. It examines the three elements of differential reporting introduced in the UK for qualifying small entities: abbreviated accounts, the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities and exemption from the statutory audit

The development of little GAAP in the UK: evidence from the directors of small companies

The aim of this study is to provide generalisable evidence of the utility of the statutory financial statements of small companies to the directors. The paper focuses on current and likely future financial reporting practices and reasons for them