Introduction

Review of the literature

Theoretical framework

Methodology

Results

Conclusions

References

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether changes in accounting standards improve value relevance of financial information on listed companiesinMexico.The research was conducted forthe period 2000–۲۰۱۳ using a sample of 141 companies that report to the Mexican stock exchange using the methodology of panel data. Our findings show that changes in local regulations (generally accepted accounting principles) to internationally approved standards (Financial Reporting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards) increase the value relevance and therefore the quality of information. The study shows that the accounting information with international Financial Reporting Standards is more trustworthy for foreign and national investors.

Introduction

The research done regarding the quality of the accounting information is of interest to different agents such as the institutions that issue standards, e.g., the FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) or the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board), financial intermediaries, regulatory bodies, researchers and academics, and in general, to the users of financial statements for the making of decisions. Our work contributes to the debate on whether the adoption of the accounting standards adapted throughout the period of 2000 to 2013 are associated with the improvement of the quality of accounting information. The objective of this work is to analyze if the changes in the accounting standards improve the evaluative relevance of the financial information in listed companies in Mexico. We intend to show if the variables of accounting profit and book value of the net worth are associated with the market value of the companies listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange. Our discoveries show that the changes from local standards (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) to internationally homologated standards (International Financial Reporting Standards) increase the evaluative relevance and therefore the quality of the information. The investigation is divided into five sections; the first one corresponds to the review of the literature where the background of the accounting standards and previous investigations are analyzed. In the second section we present the theoretical framework where we explain definitions and measurements of the accounting quality and of the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). In the third section we present the methodology where we explain the sample, the models to be assessed and the hypotheses. Lastly, the fourth and fifth sections correspond to the results and conclusions, respectively.