In June 2004 the IASB issued the Discussion Paper 'Preliminary Views on Accounting Standards for Small and Medium-Sized Entities'. This invited comments on the central question of whether the IASB should develop separate standards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and on further issues and questions arising from this. This paper briefly introduces the background to the publication of the Discussion Paper. This is followed by a review of prior literature on SME financial reporting implications, prepared by the European Accounting Association's Financial Reporting Standards Committee as the basis of its response to the Discussion Paper. The paper concludes with a brief summary of events and issues arising since the end of the consultation period

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a structured overview of literature in the nexus of trust and accounting. This can serve as a basis for future research, and thus provide a framework for asking more precise and focused research questions.Design/methodology/approachAll papers published in prominent accounting journals during a 15‐year period were examined. Papers pertaining to the field of trust and accounting were categorized and analyzed in more detail, and qualitatively classified in accordance with selected dimensions. The review focused on papers explicitly exploring the link between accounting and trust.FindingsA large proportion of the papers is in the field of management accounting (MAN). The majority of published papers in the field are based on sociological theory, but there are some economics‐based papers. Sociologically based analysis seems to provide more structure, but is also less paradigmatic in nature than economic theory. Only a small number of papers have an explicit definition of the concept of trust. The authors' conclusion is that the state of research has been developing to become more paradigmatic in recent years.Originality/valueThis is the only literature review that provides a comprehensive overview of research on trust and accounting. Thus, it is an aid to future research in the area.

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1 AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between annual report human capital disclosures and human capital management practices.Methodology -The paper used two sets of data. Disclosure data was collected from annual reports. Data on management practices was collected by e-mail questionnaire.16 of the most traded companies on the Stockholm Stock Exchange (SSE) were included in the study.Findings -Results indicated that there is limited association between the two sets of data. Even though the association was significant on an aggregate level, more detailed testing showed no systematic associations. There was, however, a significant association between internal management practices and companies' perceived importance of disclosure, even though this was not reflected in actual disclosure.Research limitations -The most important limitations of the study are that it was based on a small non-random sample of companies from only one country and used annual report disclosures from a single year. Also, the study focuses on quantity rather than quality of disclosures.Originality -A feature of previous research is that it tends to focus on human capital (intellectual capital) from either an external or internal perspective. This study is the first that links human capital annual report disclosure and internal human capital management practices.

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