The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China

This paper examines the use of fair value accounting for investment properties by 96 randomly selected Chinese listed companies’ year-ending 2008 annual reports. Half the sampled companies use fair value while half use historical cost, both methods being allowable under International Financial Repor...

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Main Authors: Taplin, Ross, Yuan, Wei, Brown, Alistair
Format: Journal Article
Published: University of Wollongong, School of Accounting and Finance 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9629
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author Taplin, Ross
Yuan, Wei
Brown, Alistair
author_facet Taplin, Ross
Yuan, Wei
Brown, Alistair
author_sort Taplin, Ross
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper examines the use of fair value accounting for investment properties by 96 randomly selected Chinese listed companies’ year-ending 2008 annual reports. Half the sampled companies use fair value while half use historical cost, both methods being allowable under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS). This represents the lowest possible level of comparability (or harmony) when there are only two choices of method. A combination of T indices to summarise the level of comparability and logistic regression reveals that companies with an international influence (listed on international stock exchanges and/or with international operations) are more likely to use fair value. Furthermore, there is evidence that companies with above average volatility in earnings are more likely to use fair value than historical cost. The consequences for domestic and international harmony for regulators and investors is discussed in the context of the opening of Chinese markets to international investment.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-96292017-09-13T16:01:59Z The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China Taplin, Ross Yuan, Wei Brown, Alistair investment properties fair value China accounting policy choice This paper examines the use of fair value accounting for investment properties by 96 randomly selected Chinese listed companies’ year-ending 2008 annual reports. Half the sampled companies use fair value while half use historical cost, both methods being allowable under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS). This represents the lowest possible level of comparability (or harmony) when there are only two choices of method. A combination of T indices to summarise the level of comparability and logistic regression reveals that companies with an international influence (listed on international stock exchanges and/or with international operations) are more likely to use fair value. Furthermore, there is evidence that companies with above average volatility in earnings are more likely to use fair value than historical cost. The consequences for domestic and international harmony for regulators and investors is discussed in the context of the opening of Chinese markets to international investment. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9629 10.14453/aabfj.v8i1.6 University of Wollongong, School of Accounting and Finance fulltext
spellingShingle investment properties
fair value
China
accounting policy choice
Taplin, Ross
Yuan, Wei
Brown, Alistair
The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title_full The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title_fullStr The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title_full_unstemmed The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title_short The Use of Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting for Investment Properties in China
title_sort use of fair value and historical cost accounting for investment properties in china
topic investment properties
fair value
China
accounting policy choice
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/9629