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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Full-Goodwill Method of Accounting for Business Combinations and Quality of Financial Statements
Author(s)
Jacek Welc
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DOI:10.17265/1548-6583/2015.11.001
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ABSTRACT
Accounting goodwill arises as a result of business combinations and appears in a consolidated balance sheet of an acquirer. It is an intangible asset which reflects an excess of value of an acquired business as a whole over a summed value of its identifiable net assets. Since 2010, the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) allow for two alternative methods of measuring goodwill in those business combinations, where an acquirer obtains a control over a target company without obtaining 100% share in its shareholder’s equity. Under one of these methods, which is called a “full-goodwill method”, the goodwill attributable to non-controlling interests in subsidiary is measured at fair value. Thus, the main accounting problem with this method lies in its requirement to estimate the fair value of non-controlling interests. This paper suggests that the “full-goodwill method” may sacrifice financial statement reliability for its alleged relevance, with significant potential for “creative accounting”. The problems with reliability and transparency of financial statements, when “full-goodwill method” is applied, are illustrated by a real-life example of the takeover of Formula Systems Ltd. by Asseco Group (one of the biggest IT companies in Europe, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange).
KEYWORDS
goodwill, full-goodwill method, business combinations, financial statement quality, fair value accounting
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