International Accounting Standard (IAS) 14 on segment reporting was revised in 1997. IAS 14R substantially changed segment reporting requirements in response to numerous criticisms of the original standard. The objective of this study is to determine how IAS 14R affected the segment disclosure practices of companies claiming to comply with IAS.
This paper examines the following questions: (1) What items of information are disclosed under IAS 14 and IAS 14R? Was there a gain or a loss of information disclosed for business and geographic segments with the implementation of IAS 14R? (2) Has the number of business and geographic segments reported by companies changed with the implementation of IAS 14R? (3) Are companies disclosing the items required by IAS 14R? (4) Are companies' segment reporting practices related to size, country of domicile, industry, international listing status, and having a then-Big Five auditor?
We find that the impact of IAS 14R is mixed. Companies are responding to IAS 14R, but not wholly embracing it. Our findings suggest that companies audited by a Big Five (now Big Four) firm and, to a lesser extent, companies that are larger, listed on multiple stock exchanges, and from Switzerland have greater compliance with IAS 14R than other companies in our study.