With New Zealand being an early adopter of IFRS[4], the results of this study have far‐reaching implications for standard‐setters and regulators of countries adopting IFRS. Further, the results provide an important contribution to the creative accounting and earnings management literature, as the definitional clarity of accounting concepts is believed to be an important component in reducing creative or aggressive reporting practices.
With IFRS convergence, a subtle change in the definition of even a seemingly straightforward item such as cash (for purposes of the cash flow statement) can result in different interpretations (connotative meaning) for different parties to the financial reporting communication process, and, in turn, impact on accounting decisions. Future research may build on the findings of this study by investigating the issues raised in the study in relation to other IFRS standards.
The next section provides a review of the literature. This is followed by the research hypotheses and an outline of the research method employed in the study. The results are then considered, followed by a discussion of the research findings and conclusion.