Next we compare accounting quality for IAS firms in the pre- and post adoption periods to determine whether application of IAS is associated with higher accounting quality for LAS firms. We do this for two reasons. First, this comparison is an alternative approach to determining whether differences in accounting quality between IAS and NIAS firms in the post adoption period are attributable to differences in economic characteristics between the two groups of lions. This is because comparing accounting quality for IAS firms in the pre- and post adoption periods uses each IAS firm as its own control.