The wide adoption and implementation of International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) principally hinges on the notion that it promotes the production of high quality financial information for investor's decision making in the current globalized world. However, IFRS adoption is stated to be associated with the problem of information overload. This paper examines this assertion within the Nigerian banking industry. Data is generated from the financial reports of thirteen banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at 31 st December, 2014, two years pre and post-IFRS adoption. Descriptive statistics is utilized to analyse the data and the paired sampled t-test statistics to test the hypotheses. The descriptive results reveal that on average, IFRS adoption cause a 31.6% increase in the length of financial reports with the accounting policies segment increasing by 95.3%, income statement by 84.6%, notes to the accounts by 70.2%, management discussion and analysis by 23.2%, cash flow statement by 13.3%, and statement of financial position by 9.7%. Only the others segments of the financial reports decrease by 10%. The results of the paired ttest shows that there is a significant difference in the overall length of information disclosed by Nigerian banks in the pre and post-IFRS adoption periods implying IFRS adoption led to information over load in the financial reports of Nigerian banks. Further investigation reveals that notwithstanding the increase in information disclosure, post-IFRS reporting is more decision relevant. The paper recommends that investors seeking investment opportunities in the post-IFRS regime should patronize financial analyst to guide their decision making and the regulatory authorities especially the Central Bank of Nigeria should discourage company directors from disclosing unnecessary information by regulating on the maximum number of pages in annual reports and accounts.
The IFRS is a useful international financial reporting framework that ensures comparable and quality financial information disclosure. IFRS perceived benefits compare to local and regional accounting standards has led to its adoption and implementation by several countries around the globe. However, IFRS is argued to benefit the developed countries the most due to their strong market and institutional settings (He, Wong & Young, 2009). This paper critically explores the question of whether IFRS adoption benefits in a developing country such as Nigeria is time-lag. The paper is a library research thus inferences were drawn deductively base on previous works conducted in Nigeria and elsewhere on IFRS adoption. This approach was further complimented by the conduct of interview with three professional accountants in practice and two economics analysts. It was revealed and concluded that due to their weak market, institutional settings and other factors, a time-lag is necessary for Nigeria and indeed all other developing countries to fully maximise the benefits of IFRS adoption and implementation. Notwithstanding, the paper recommends that to fast track IFRS benefits, developing countries and Nigeria in particular, should overhaul capital market infrastructure and ensure a strong ethical and good corporate governance environment as well as strict compliance with IFRS requirements through increase monitoring and use of sanctions by regulators.
Accounting research, like many other social science disciplines, has gradually moved from qualitative to quantitative research with an emphasis on the use of multiple evidence or methods in the conduct of research. This chapter explores the concerns and implications of triangulation in the conduct of research in the social sciences, particularly in the field of accounting. Based on evidence from existing literature, the chapter submits that triangulation is an important strategy for enhancing the quality of accounting research. Accounting researchers, like those from other social science disciplines, often adopt triangulation when investigating a complex phenomenon whereby using a single data source or method may not allow an exhaustive investigation to fully understand it, hence the inability to reach a dependable conclusion. Despite the concerns and implications of use of triangulation in accounting and social science research, the chapter concluded it is a relevant approach especially at a time when adequate evidence and analytical rigor is required to substantiate research findings.
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