Full Disclosure in

Financial Reporting

Chapter
24
Intermediate Accounting
12th Edition
Kieso, Weygandt, and Warfield

Prepared by Coby Harmon, University of California, Santa Barbara

Chapter As modified by Teresa Gordon, University of Idaho
24-1
 Learning Objectives
1. Review the full disclosure principle and describe
implementation problems.
2. Explain the use of notes in financial statement preparation.
3. Discuss the disclosure requirements for major business
segments.
4. Describe the accounting problems associated with interim
reporting.
5. Identify the major disclosures in the auditor’s report.
6. Understand management’s responsibilities for financials.
7. Identify issues related to financial forecasts and
projections.
8. Describe the profession’s response to fraudulent financial
reporting.
Chapter
24-2
 Full Disclosure in Financial Reporting

Full Notes to Auditor’s and Current

Disclosure
Disclosure Financial Management’s Reporting
Issues
Principle Statements Report Issues

Increase in Accounting Special Auditor’s Reporting on

reporting policies transactions report forecasts and
requirements Common or events Management’s projections
Differential notes Post-balance- reports Internet financial
disclosure sheet events reporting
Diversified Fraudulent
companies financial
Interim reporting
reports Criteria for
accounting and
reporting
choices
Chapter
24-3
 Full Disclosure Principle

Full disclosure principle calls for financial

reporting of any financial facts significant
enough to influence the judgment of an informed
reader.

Financial disasters at Microstrategy, PharMor,

WorldCom, and Global Crossing highlight
the difficulty of implementing the full disclosure
principle.

Chapter
24-4 LO 1 Review the full disclosure principle and describe implementation problems.
 Types of Financial Information

Chapter
24-5
 Full Disclosure Principle

Increase in Reporting Requirements

Reasons:
• Complexity of Business Environment.
• Necessity for Timely Information.
• Accounting as a Control and Monitoring Device.

Chapter
24-6 LO 1 Review the full disclosure principle and describe implementation problems.
 Full Disclosure Principle

Differential Disclosure

“Big GAAP versus Little GAAP”.

FASB takes the position that there should be

one set of GAAP.

Chapter
24-7 LO 1 Review the full disclosure principle and describe implementation problems.
 Notes to the Financial Statements

Notes are the means of amplifying or explaining

the items presented in the main body of the
statements.

Accounting Policies
Companies should present a statement
identifying the accounting policies adopted
(Summary of Significant Accounting Policies).

Chapter
24-8 LO 2 Explain the use of notes in financial statement preparation.
 Notes to the Financial Statements

Common Notes
Inventory
Property, Plant, and Equipment
Creditor Claims
Equity Holders’ Claims
Contingencies and Commitments
Deferred Taxes, Pensions, and Leases
Changes in Accounting Principles

Chapter
24-9 LO 2 Explain the use of notes in financial statement preparation.
 Disclosure Issues

Disclosure of Special Transactions or Events

Related-party transactions
Illegal acts

Chapter
24-10 LO 2 Explain the use of notes in financial statement preparation.
 Disclosure Issues

Post-Balance-Sheet Events (Subsequent Events)

Illustration 24-4

1 - Events that provide additional 2 - Events that provide

evidence about conditions that evidence about conditions
existed at the balance sheet that did not exist at the
date. balance sheet date.
Chapter
24-11 LO 2 Explain the use of notes in financial statement preparation.
 Disclosure Issues

Reporting for Diversified Companies

Investors and investment analysts income

statement, balance sheet, and cash flow
information on the individual segments that
compose the total income figure.

Chapter
24-12 LO 3 Discuss the disclosure requirements for major business segments.
 Disclosure Issues

Objective of Reporting Segmented Information

To provide information about the different types

of business activities in which an enterprise
engages and the different economic environments
in which it operates.
A company can meet objective by providing financial
statements segmented based on how the company’s
operations are managed (Operating Segment).

Chapter
24-13 LO 3 Discuss the disclosure requirements for major business segments.
 Reportable Segments

An operating segment is identified as a

reportable segment if it satisfies one or
more of the following criteria:
1. revenue criterion
2. profit or loss criterion
3. identifiable assets criterion

Chapter
24-14
 Reportable Segments

Criterion Thresholds
 Segment revenue  Is more than ten percent of the
combined revenue of all
operating segments
 Segment profit or loss  Is ten percent or more of the
greater of: the combined profit
of all operating segments not
showing a loss, or the combined
loss of all operating segments
reporting a loss
 Ten percent or more of the
 Identifiable assets combined assets of all
operating segments

Chapter
24-15
 Disclosure Issues

Segmented Information Reported

1. General information about operating segments.
2. Segment profit and loss and related information.
3. Segment assets.
4. Reconciliations.
5. Information about products and services and
geographic areas.
6. Major customers.

Chapter
24-16 LO 3 Discuss the disclosure requirements for major business segments.
 Disclosure Issues

Interim Reports
Cover periods of less than one year.

Two viewpoints exist:

1. The discrete approach
2. The integral approach

Companies should use the same accounting

principles for interim reports that they use for
annual reports.
Chapter
24-17 LO 4 Describe the accounting problems associated with interim reporting.
 Disclosure Issues

Unique Problems of Interim Reporting

(1) Advertising and similar costs

(2) Expenses subject to year-end adjustment

(3) Income taxes

(4) Extraordinary items

(5) Earnings per share

(6) Seasonality

Chapter
24-18 LO 4 Describe the accounting problems associated with interim reporting.
 Auditor’s and Management’s Reports

Auditor’s Report
Standard unqualified opinion – auditor expresses
the opinion that the financial statements are
presented fairly, in all material respects, in
conformity with GAAP.
Other opinions:
Qualified
Adverse
Disclaim
Illustration 24-14

Chapter
24-19 LO 5 Identify the major disclosures in the auditor’s report.
 Auditor’s and Management’s Reports

Management’s Report

The SEC mandates inclusion of management’s

discussion and analysis (MD&A).

Management highlights favorable or unfavorable

trends related to liquidity, capital resources,
and results of operations.

Chapter
24-20 LO 5 Identify the major disclosures in the auditor’s report.
 Auditor’s and Management’s Reports

Management’s Responsibilities for Financial

Statements

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires the SEC to

develop guidelines for all publicly traded
companies to report on management’s
responsibilities for, and assessment of, the
internal control system.

Chapter
24-21 LO 6 Understand management’s responsibilities for financials.
 Current Reporting Issues

Reporting on Financial Forecasts and Projections

Financial forecast is a set of prospective financial
statements that present, a company’s expected
financial position, results of operations, and cash
flows.

Financial projections are prospective financial

statements that present, given one or more
hypothetical assumptions, an entity’s expected
financial position, results of operations, and cash
flows. SEC Safe Harbor Rule
Chapter
24-22 LO 7 Identify issues related to financial forecasts and projections.
 Current Reporting Issues

Fraudulent Financial Reporting

Intentional or reckless conduct, whether
through act or omission, that results in
materially misleading financial statements.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has numerous

provisions intended to help prevent fraudulent
financial reporting.

Chapter
24-23 LO 8 Describe the profession’s response to fraudulent financial reporting.