The objective of the present paper is to study the accounting treatment of goodwill and practices concerning this intangible asset before the application of new international accounting standards. The empirical study is based on the analysis of 33 annual reports of French top companies listed on...

This article, which is based on the analysis of 33 CAC 40 French companies, tries to give an overall picture of intangible asset accounting methods on the eve of the advent of the new international accounting standards. Despite the varying differences in the recognition of intangible assets, the...

From 2005, European listed firms and many more around the world are required to adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The introduction of a uniform accounting system is expected to ensure greater comparability and transparency of financial reporting around the world. Over...

Accounting for intangible assets is the object of an intense debate between advocates of increasing the mandatory requirements and partisans of the current voluntary disclosure system. We provide empirical evidence allowing to discriminate between these two competing cases. Examining disclosure...

In March 1968, a decree of the Minister of Economy and Finance approved the first methodology on the consolidation of balance sheets. The text, developed by the Conseil national de la comptabilité, aimed to provide to the French companies, the methodological elements needed to produce...