Valuation of defined pension schemes in IAS 19 employee benefits &- true and fair?

AbstractPurpose This paper aims to argue that the accounting standards' requirements for the valuation of defined benefit pension schemes in the financial statements of scheme sponsoring companies potentially produce an artificial result which is at odds with the "faithful representati...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Garvey, Anne Marie|||0000-0002-5630-9635, McNally, Bridget, O'Connor, Thomas
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/64228
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/64228
https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFRC-03-2018-0048
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Hedging
Faitful Representation
Relevance
Risk free assets
Economía
Empresa
Economics
Management science
Descripción
Sumario:AbstractPurpose This paper aims to argue that the accounting standards' requirements for the valuation of defined benefit pension schemes in the financial statements of scheme sponsoring companies potentially produce an artificial result which is at odds with the "faithful representation" and "relevance" objectives of these standards. Design/methodology/approach The approach is a theoretical analysis of the relevant reporting standards with the use of a practical example to demonstrate the impact where trustees adopt a hedged approach to portfolio investment. Findings Where a pension fund engages in asset liability matching and invests in "risk-free" assets, the term, quantity and duration/maturity of which is intended to match some or all of its scheme liabilities, the required accounting treatment potentially results in the sponsoring company's financial statements reporting fluctuating surpluses or deficits each year which are potentially ill informed and misleading. Originality/value Pension scheme surpluses or deficits reported in the financial statements of listed companies are potentially very significant numbers; however, the dangers posed by theoretical nature of the calculation have largely gone unreported.