Differences Across Countries Affecting Book Value
Revaluing assets is a violation of CSR if the accompanying credit is taken directly to
equity. Yet asset revaluations bring book value nearer to market value. Immediate write-off
of goodwill violates CSR and usually moves book values farther from market values. In
summary, both recognizing goodwill (consistent with CSR) and revaluing assets (violating
CSR) bring book value nearer to market value. Hence, developing predictions on the
effects of specific accounting treatments on value relevance is not always clear.
Conservative accounting (bias) is expected to generally reduce the value relevance of
both book value and earnings since the essence of conservatism is delay in reflecting
certain events in the accounting records.
Recording goodwill is common practice in Indonesia and the Philippines, and
uncommon but allowed in Malaysia and Thailand. Korea and Taiwan do not allow
goodwill to be recorded. Asset revaluations are common in all countries except Indonesia
and Taiwan where they are allowed but restricted in practice. Table 2 presents a summary
of our analysis of these accounting practices.