The interview protocol, the same for Singapore and Malaysia has three parts (A, B and
C). The copy for Malaysia is attached as Appendix A. The aim of the ‘A’ interview protocol
set was to ascertain interviewee’s observations or understanding of the IFRS benefits to wider
society. The time and expense devoted to IFRS adoption by each country specific interviewee
is implicitly acknowledged. The ‘B’ questions were used to gauge views on the technical
challenges of the IFRS standards and the wider societal rewards for the national effort in
mastering the newly harmonized code of accounting practice. Interview time was insufficient
to cover all 41 adopted IFRS standards, and so interviewees were asked to comment on the
‘most, and least, important standards.’ The enquiry extended to the impact unique cultural
attributes on the adoption process; such as Sharia law. The ‘C’ questions were used to
ascertain the impact of the converged IFRS standards’ higher technical demands on the
accounting profession—in two societies with low educational resources—and one with
adequate resources (Singapore).
A summary of the interviews conducted in each country is provided in Table 1,
depicting interviewees by country, professional role (academic, accounting professional or
accounting body). Of the practitioners interviewed, some were financial statement preparers.
The classes of interviewees for each country are unbalanced, which is a shortcoming of our
study, but this was inevitable mostly for cultural reasons. For instance, in Singapore