SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Accounting 522: International Financial Reporting
SPRING 2014
Instructor: Dr. Victoria Krivogorsky
E-mail: ACCTG522.sdsu@gmail.com
Office: SSE-2435
Office Hours: Wednesdays from 15:00 to 16:00
Class Meets: Wednesdays from 16:00 to 18:40
7:00 to 9:40
Schedule # 20063;
Schedule # 20064
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

Law, Corporate Governance and Accounting: European perspectives. ed. V.
Krivogorsky, Routledge, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-0415871860
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explains the key factors that influence accounting standards and practices in
different countries with particular emphasis given to politics and culture and their unique
contribution to accounting standards and business practices around the world (Hofstede’s
theory, Nobe’s theory, Grey’s theory). This course also focuses on regulatory
environments in different countries and the IFRS conceptual framework. In addition this
course covers the issues related to the accounting convergence, IASB-FASB joint
projects and current changes in International Financial Reporting Standards. As such it
identifies the major differences between US GAAP and IFRS, and examines accounting
methods used by IAS/IFRS. In this respect, the goal of this course is to bridge the
information gap produced by convergence of accounting standards and help students to
gain practical insights for carrying out and promoting their future professional activities.
This approach gives students the opportunity to learn about international accounting from
a perspective similar to what they will experience in the business world.
Audience: This course is designed for graduate and undergraduate students with an
advanced knowledge of accounting.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Cross-examine the differences in business culture, market characteristics, and corporate
governance systems worldwide.
2. Emphasize culture’s unique contribution to accounting standards and practices.
3. Discuss the key factors that influence accounting standards and practices around the
world.
4. Compare IFRS with United States GAAP:
 Assets {Revaluation model, FMV, impairment, initial measurement and
measurement subsequent to the initial recognition (IAS16, IAS 36)}
 Financial Instruments {Recognition, Measurements, Presentation and Disclosure
(IAS 32, IFRS7, IAS39,)}
 Equity {Key features of corporate structure, Corporate Governance, Contributed
equity- issuance and subsequent movements, Reserves, Dividends, (IAS 1, IAS 8,
IAS10, IAS16)}
 Business Combinations {Accounting in the records of acquirer: assets and
liabilities assumed and considerations transferred, bargain purchase, etc.
Accounting in the records of an acquiree. Subsequent adjustments. Associates.
(IFRS 3, IFRS 9, IFRS 10)}
 Consolidations (controlled and wholly owned entities)
 Control as a criterion of consolidation, identification of acquirer, entries at the
acquisition date and subsequent to the acquisition date
6. Encourage students to use library and Internet resources in accounting.
7. Continue to develop students’ oral and writing communication skills.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Understand different ways to identify and classify accounting systems.
2. Understand how culture impacts accounting rules.
3. Understand the differences in corporate governance.
4. Calculate and interpret accounting differences between US GAAP and IFRS.
5. Demonstrate the ability to use technology to do the research and solve problems.
6. Demonstrate oral and writing communication skills.
Learning Outcome Measurement:
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Class Presentations
Summaries (Homework)
Exams
Questions posted on the discussion board (BB)
Cases
In-Class Discussions & Participation
COURSE ORGANIZATION
Class presentations, in-class cases and written summaries on the assigned material are
structured to be the team efforts. Discussion board questions, exams and in-class
participations are structured to be the individual efforts.
Attendance
To achieve the goals of this course successfully a high rate of attendance is necessary. Class
attendance will be taken at the beginning of the class on a random basis. If you arrive after
the attendance is taken, you will be marked as absent.
Professor’s Lecture
Every class will include professor’s lecture. It is imperative that students come to class well
prepared to make the class interesting and provide the opportunity to explore new areas.
The lecture integrates class discussion which includes questions directed by the
instructor to the students. These are point opportunities, don’t stay silent!
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Class Discussion
Every class period we will discuss the assigned readings, research papers, and/or relevant
business news regarding International Business and Accounting as identified in the
schedule. It is required that students come to class with a prepared summary for each
research paper and chapter on the assigned date and be prepared to discuss any and all
issues addressed in the assigned news articles in class. It is professor’s prerogative to assign
participation points according the quality and quantity of each student participation. Each
class we will have a team of students primarily responsible for the presentations and
summaries.
CONTRIBUTION TO CLASS DISCUSSION ASSESSMENT:
Active learning involves a substantial amount of class participation. Some of the
considerations in evaluating class participation are as follows:

I will be grading the quality of your participation according to how full and correct
your answer is. Repeating somebody else’s answer does not count as participation.
Jokes, unrelated comments don’t count as participation either, i.e. talking in class is
NOT the same as participating (see below for the detailed explanation). Also, I will
NOT make any adjustments in the grading policy for the international students.

Are the points that are made relevant to the discussion in terms of increasing
everyone's understanding or are they a pure repetition of case facts?
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Do the comments take into consideration the ideas offered by others earlier in the
discussion, or are the points isolated and disjointed? The best class contributions tend to
be those which reflect not only excellent preparation but also good listening,
interpretative, and integrative skills.
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Do the comments show evidence of a thorough reading and analysis of the materials?
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Does the participant distinguish among different kinds of data: facts, opinions,
assumptions, and inferences?
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Is there a willingness to test new ideas or are all comments cautious or "safe"?
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Is there a willingness to interact with other class members by asking questions or
challenging conclusions?
Summaries
The summary assigned as homework will be collected at the beginning of the class. One
summary per team will be collected. The summary should be no more than 3 typed
pages in APA format, standard margins, 12 point font, and the cover and reference
pages do not count toward the page limit. Handwritten summaries will not be
accepted.
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Questions – BB Discussion Board
Each student should submit one question in the appropriate discussion board in Blackboard
(located in “Question Submissions”) on the assigned material by Monday 3:00pm on the
assigned date. During the class period, the submitted questions should be addressed in
class which will used for the in-class discussion. Please read any previously posted
submissions your classmates have submitted that week as repeat questions will receive a
lower or zero grade. Questions submitted on the material provided by a guest presenter should
be addressed during the presentation by their authors, otherwise they will not be graded.
Team Presentation
During the semester students will be working in teams. The same group of people will be
working throughout the semester and there will be NO reassignments to a different team.
(Being from the same country is not a good reason for the reassignment.)
The material to be presented during the semester is identified in the schedule. Team
members are required to search Internet, library, and other sources for the additional
information on the assigned topic. The information provided in the textbook and/or by the
instructor is not enough for the presentation.
Each member of the presenting team can earn 10 points maximum for the presentation.
The level of preparedness for the presentation will be graded for each team member
separately. Reading all the information from the list will not be permitted, using bullet
points is allowed. Each team member should be prepared to address the questions
posted on the BB in advance by their class mates. Presenting team cannot earn
participation points after or during the presentation.
Your grade will substantially depend on the quality and quantity of the information
gathered independently.
The quality of the presentation also includes the relevance of presented information to
the assigned topic, format of the presentation, how well students are prepared to answer
the questions.
Each team that presents should forward an electronic copy of their PowerPoint Presentation
to the instructor at least three hours prior to the class.
EVALUATION
This course has been designed for you to succeed. I expect you to participate in all
aspects of this course. I will encourage you and give you help and guidance when you ask
for it or when I observe that you are struggling with the material. Points earned from any
group work will be given to each group member. If you attend all classes, read all
assigned documents, and prepare for exams and group assignments, you should
successfully complete this course.
Grading
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Discussion
Question on BB
HW (summaries)
Cases in class
Team Presentation
Exams
5 points per selected class meeting (individual effort)
2 points per every class (individual effort)
5 points x number of HW collected (team effort)
5 points x number of cases (team effort)
10 points /member /presentation +/- Group Evaluation
60 points each (individual effort)
Grading Information
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Please contact the TA first regarding any potential grading errors.
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I will be happy to correct any mistakes in the record during the semester.
Otherwise your grade is NOT a starting point for negotiations.
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If you need help because of a physical or learning disability, I will be happy
to arrange for the help you need. Please contact me or Student Disability
Services for assistance.
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Mean grade is always = B-. The final results will be curved, and letter
grades brackets will be calculated accordingly.
In the day of the presentation a student can only earn points for the
presentation, but not for the participation.
Class Discussion Grading Rubric:
5 Outstanding Contributor (5 points) -- Contributions in class reflect exceptional
preparation. Ideas offered are always substantive, and provide one or more major insights
as well as direction for the class. Arguments, when offered, are well substantiated and
persuasively presented. If this person were not a member of this class, the quality of the
discussion would be diminished in a major way.
4 Good Contributor (3 points) -- Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation.
Ideas offered are usually substantive, provide good insights, and sometimes direction
for the class. Arguments, when presented, are generally well substantiated and are
often persuasive. If this person were not a member of this class, the quality of the
discussion would be diminished considerably.
3 Adequate Contributor (2 points) -- Contributions in class reflect satisfactory preparation.
Ideas offered are sometimes substantive, provide generally useful insights, but seldom
offer a major new direction for the discussion. Contributions tend to be somewhat more
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piecemeal than integrative. Arguments are sometimes presented, are fairly well
substantiated and sometimes persuasive. If this person were not a member of this class,
the quality of the discussion would be diminished somewhat.
2 Unsatisfactory Participant (1point) -- Comments in class reflect inadequate preparation.
Ideas offered are seldom substantive, provide few, if any insights, and don’t suggest a
constructive direction for the class. Integrative comments and effective arguments are
seldom made. Class contributions may include making isolated, obvious, or confusing
points.
1 Non-Participant (0 points) -- This person has said little or nothing in this class. If this
person were not a member of this class, the quality of the discussions would not be
changed.
STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITIES
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Students are responsible for checking e-mail/Blackboard for changes to the course
schedule, course content, and responding to requests. (See below)
Students are responsible for following the e-mail policy. (See below)
Students are responsible for following San Diego State University policies
including, but not limited to, those regarding academic integrity. (See next page)
Students are responsible for finding IFRS and GAAP standards assigned for
comparison.
Students are responsible for conducting independent Internet research.
Changes to the Course Schedule and Content
You are responsible for checking your e-mail and Blackboard for any changes to the
course schedule, syllabus, and/or content. If you are not present in class when an
announcement is made of changes to the schedule, syllabus, and/or content, you are still
responsible for any updated changes. Changes can occur at any time during the semester
at the discretion of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The SDSU Standards for Student Conduct (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html)
states that unacceptable student behavior includes “cheating, plagiarism, or other forms
of academic dishonesty that are intended to gain unfair academic advantage.”
Unprofessional conduct adversely impacts your fellow students, the accounting faculty,
the School of Accountancy, SDSU, and the accounting profession. The School of
Accountancy takes academic honesty very seriously and vigorously enforces university
policy related to any such infractions. As such, any student suspected of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the SDSU Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities;
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if found responsible for academic dishonesty, the student will receive an F in ACCTG
522.
E-Mail Policy
I apologize if the e-mail process described below seems a bit onerous. It is not meant to
discourage you from e-mailing. It is meant to replicate the type of process you should use
in the real business world. Whether you go into public or private accounting, the
impression you make on your supervisor/boss will have long lasting repercussions for
you in terms of pay and promotions. The quickest way to give a poor impression is by
asking questions whose answers are readily available to you or by not showing a
thorough effort to attempt to answer your own question first. In public accounting you are
likely to be assessed after each engagement on “ownership” of your problems. In private
accounting, a yearly review will likely include “appropriate use of own and supervisor’s
time” as well as an “initiative” component. The process described below approximates
(in an academic sense) what you should do in public and private accounting and should
lead to acceptable ratings from your supervisors.
If you need to contact me through e-mail, please use the following guidelines:
1)
You should send e-mails to: ACCTG522.sdsu@gmail.com
2)
The subject line should contain: ACCTG 522 (for both me and the TAs)
3)
I will not reply without your full name and subject information.
4)
Please do not e-mail me or the TA with questions unless you have first verified
that the information is not in the syllabus, have not been e-mailed to you already
and in addition posted on the BB, and you have checked with your study group.
In other words, if you have questions about what assignment is due, when the
exam is, etc., please make sure that information is not publicly available already.
5)
The expected turnaround time for e-mails sent between 9 am to 6 pm, M – F is
within 24 hours.
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SCHEDULE (subject to change):
Session
#
Date
1
22-Jan
2
29-Jan
Description
Introduction & IFRS Adoption.
Impact of politics on Acc.
Standards
The Impact of Culture on
Accounting – Part 1
5-Feb
In-Class
1. Summary of Zeff Paper
Gray, S.J. 1988. Toward a
2. Question on Impact of
theory of cultural influence on
Culture on Accounting
the development of accounting
(Gray)
systems internationally. Abacus,
24(1), 1-15
The Impact of Culture on
Accounting – Part 2
3
Homework
Nobes, C. W. 2005. RulesBased Standards and the Lack
of Principles in Accounting,
Accounting Horizons Vol. 19,
No. 1, March 2005, pp. 25.34
1. Summary of Gray Paper
2. Question on Impact of
Culture on Accounting
(Nobes)
12-Feb
France (Chapter 7)
Germany (Chapter 8)
1. Question on French
Accounting & German
Accounting
Team 1 Presentation
Team 2 Presentation
5
19-Feb
Spain (Chapter 10)
Sweden (Chapter 11)
1. Question on Spanish
Accounting & Swedish
Accounting
Team 3 Presentation
Team 4 Presentation
6
26-Feb
Conceptual Framework for
IFRS (Chapter 1)
1. Question on the
Conceptual Framework for
IFRS
Team 5 Presentation
Group Case Study #1
4
Session
#
Date
7
5-Mar
8
12-Mar
9
19-Mar
10
21-Mar
FRIDAY
11
26-Mar
2-Apr
12
9-Apr
16-Apr
Description
Homework
Presentation of Financial
Statements
In-Class
Group Case Study #2
Mid-Term Exam
Corporate Governance (Chapter
3)
1. Summary on Corporate
Governance
Team 6 Presentation
2. Question for Guest
Presentation
Questions MUST be asked
during the presentation for
credit.
Guest Presentation
MANDATORY
Business Combinations and
Financial Instruments
Group Case Study #3
Spring Break - No Class
Consolidations
Group Case Study #4
No Class
13
23-Apr
Guest Presentation - Steve
Martin
MANDATORY
14
25-Apr
FRIDAY
Guest Presentation - Dr.
Holger Erchinger
MANDATORY
1. Question for Guest
Presentation
Questions MUST be asked
during the presentation for
credit.
PP&E Revaluation Model &
Intangibles
1. Question on PP&E
Revaluation Model /
Intangibles
Group Case Study #5
15
30-Apr
7-May
Final
12-May
No Class
Final Exam
1. Question for Guest
Presentation
Questions MUST be asked
during the presentation for
credit.