Merger and acquisition transactions are often explained and justified by reference to their potential capacity to generate value - for example through the achievement of operational synergies, critical scale or optimal scope. In contrast, a significant and growing literature questions the worth...

The adoption of IFRS based reporting in Australia for all reporting periods commencing 1 January 2005 onwards resulted in substantial variations to prior accepted reporting practices. One area in which change was particularly profound was in the shift to an impairment testing based regime for...

By convention, the quality of an audit is understood to relate to the joint probability that its conduct results in the detection and reporting of material financial statement errors. Early research into this phenomenon suggested a positive relationship between audit firm size and audit quality....

Data recently published by the Reserve Bank of Australia clearly demonstrates that after a period in abeyance, hybrid financial instruments have again become popular tools for capital raising and management. This raises several questions of practical and theoretical significance, particularly in...

Purpose – This paper aims to provide evidence relating to the potential for and extent of opportunistic exercise of discretion by large Australian and New Zealand reporting entities undertaking goodwill impairment testing pursuant to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)...

Although there have been substantial developments in financial reporting over recent years, the reporting of risk in statutory reports is still very much evolving. This comes as no surprise, given numerous definitions and subsequent measures of risk. In the financial services sector, the...

This paper examines the important role of the Management Expense Ratio (MER) in fee disclosure, and why it is useful in assisting investors in the selection and retention of investment funds. Reporting on a study of 50 Australian investment funds, this paper identifies 17 different fee types...

Many commentators have identified the pivotal role of intellectual capital in the valuation of firms and the determination of their future earnings. Innovation in voluntary disclosure of intellectual capital lead by European firms, such as Celemi and Skandia, has generated a plethora of new...