As global business activities have increased, the comparability of financial information between firms from different countries has become an important issue. Standard setters and regulators from many countries have become involved in initiatives to harmonize reporting requirements, such as the development of global standards and regulations through the IASC (and subsequently the IASB) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). These activities suggest that at least
some firms seek uniform requirements, to assist them in producing more comparable financial statements. One way to improve comparability and transparency in financial reporting is to use ‘‘international’’ accounting standards. However the motivation for firms to use ‘‘international’’ standards, and the extent to which they are able to do so, will reflect the institutional framework in each country. These issues are investigated in this research.