Contemporary Issues in Accounting Regulation looks at accounting regulation in a different way. The opening chapters explore the tension between the power of the state and the forces of the market, and other aspects of the political dimension to accounting regulation. The book also examines the process of setting accounting standards, highlighting the crucial role of standard setters in assessing the level of public support for an issue in the face of opposing positions taken by powerful interest groups. In addition, the book provides an introduction to the theoretical framework of accounting regulation, looking at choices between controversial accounting methods and at markets that are characterized by asymmetry of information and beliefs. The final chapters of the book are concerned with creative accounting, deregulation of financial reporting by smaller companies, and the link between price regulation and accounting policy choices.

Never before has a single reference provided such quick access to every critical aspect of financial reporting. In addition to covering the new Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, SEC rules and regulations, and corporate governance standards promulgated by the Independence Standards Board and the AICPA at institutions such as New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the American Stock Exchange, the Financial Reporting Handbook tackles important underlying themes such as the centrality of the audit committee, the individual responsibility of executives, and the integrity of the outside auditor. Best of all, the Financial Reporting Handbook will be updated every quarter with the relevant laws and regulations that are developed and implemented.

The importance of disclosure as a regulatory device in company law is widely recognized. This book explores the disclosure requirements of companies in their reporting activities, and seeks to bring together the main features of the reporting system. The book considers the theoretical basis of the corporate reporting system and describes the regulatory framework for that system. It explores financial reporting and 'narrative' reporting, highlighting the fact that financial reporting requirements are more substantially developed than narrative reporting requirements - a consequence of the shareholder-centred vision that persists in company law. The roles of those responsible for providing corporate reports and those entitled to receive such information are examined. The book concludes with some broad suggestions for future development, with particular focus on the need to recognize the relevance of the communicative role of corporate reporting. The use of new technology also presents both challenges and opportunities for improving the regime.

Designed to walk attorneys through the myriad of items found in corporate annual reports, balance sheets and financial statements which is critical for litigation purposes and for client edification regarding the importance of deciphering financial language in legal documents. Features extensive material on where to find the information you need, how to compare it to the information provided by other companies in the same industry or geographic location, how to corroborate the data in the basic statements, and locating the primary internal documents upon which financial statements are based. This edition contains updated information on the financial reporting consequences of litigation, nonprofit organizations, business interruption insurance, and an appendix with U.S. GAAP pronouncements.

This book is both revolutionary and traditional, using primary materials rather than author narrative. By adopting this traditional approach for law and accounting, Cunningham's new book puts the subject on par with other law school courses. This traditional "cases and materials" approach underscores how accounting standards bear earmarks of functional law. To facilitate analogical and critical engagement on par with other law school teaching books, pedagogical design follows the classic casebook method of arranging cases and materials in pairs of opposites and complements. This arrangement enables conceptualizing accounting as functional law as theoretical and analytical matters as well. This original content also illuminates transaction economics, factors associated with accounting irregularities and the lawyer's role in financial reporting.