外文翻译--可操控资产计提减值的原因及结果.docVIP

本科毕业论文（设计） 外 文 翻 译 外文题目 Causes and Ettects of Discretionary Asset Write-Offs 外文出处 Journal of Accounting Research Vol.34 Supplement 1996 外文作者 Jennifer Francis,J.Douglas Hanna,and Linda VincentCauses and Effects of Discretionary Asset Write-Offs Introduction This paper provides evidence on the causes and shareholder wealth effects of discretionary asset write-offs. We use the term write-off to refer to both complete and partial downward asset revaluations, and we describe our sample write-offs as discretionary because over the 1989-92 period covered by the study, there was little authoritative guidance on the accounting for most types of asset impairments, other than inventory. The absence of explicit guidance for many assets permitted substantial management discretion about amounts and timing of write-offs. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants urged the Financial Accounting Standards Board in 1980 to examine the asset impairment issue because they believed that the variety of practices, terminology, and valuation methods in use reduced the comparability and consistency of financial statements. These concerns, echoed by the Emerging Issues Task Force, the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Committee, the Financial Executives Institute, and the National Association of Accoun- tants, intensified as both the frequency and the magnitude of write-offs increased during the 1980s .The FASBs response was to adopt SFAS No. 121 (March 1995) which specifies criteria for determining whether impairment of long-lived assets has occurred and how much impairment should be recognized. The expressed demands for authoritative guidance on the accounting for asset impairments appear to be based on a notion that managements take advantage of the discretion afforded by the accounting rules to manipulate earnings either by not recognizing impairment when it has occurred or by recognizing it only when it is advantageo