Management performance measures – much-needed transparency and discipline (once they fix a few things)

It’s been a while since we mentioned the IASB’s exposure draft General Presentation and Disclosures, so let’s dip into it today. The comment period closed on September 30, 2020, after being extended because of covid-19. One of the headline-grabbing proposals was a new definition of “management performance measures,” defined as follows: subtotals of income and…

IFRS 16 – findings and expectations…

The UK’s Financial Reporting Council recently issued a report on its “thematic review” of disclosures in the first year of application of IFRS 16 Leases. Here’s how the news release summed it up: The FRC found that most companies provided a good explanation of the impact of adopting IFRS 16, which applies for the first…

Global sustainability standards – cannot be radical enough?

Let’s return to the Consultation Paper recently issued by the Trustees of the IFRS Foundation “to assess demand for global sustainability standards and, if demand is strong, assess whether and to what extent the Foundation might contribute to the development of such standards.” I’ve several times expressed my view that this initiative is more about preserving…

The Purpose of a Corporation – just as it ever was

We looked here and here last year at America’s Business Roundtable’s Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation. The document specifically rejected the previous bedrock principle that corporations exist principally to serve their shareholders, committing to such matters as investing in employees, supporting communities, and delivering value for all stakeholders. With With 200 “who’s who”-level…

Hans got covid-related mail!

Thanks to my mask-wearing, socially isolated but still diligent mole at the IFRS Foundation, I’m pleased to present another selection of recent correspondence to and from the office of IASB Chair Hans Hoogervorst, this time on the burning topic of covid-19. Please read and marvel. Dear Mr. Hoogervorst. I currently live in an environment where…