International Energy Reserves Accounting System: Harmonization of Statistical Information for SNA Purposes

The article covers the study of several international and foreign information and methodological standards and documents on energy resources statistics. It also examines the possibilities of harmonizing energy resources statistics with the System of National Accounts (SNA). The relevance of the problems is determined by the need for further development of the Russian system of environmental-economic accounting and, in particular, of statistics on energy reserves, adaptation of international standards and best practices in this area in some foreign countries. International standards and foreign methodological documents are characterized in the context of ensuring international comparability of energy resources assessment and compilation of environmental-economic accounts for the SNA. Since the ongoing adaptation of environmental-economic accounting will be completed shortly, a compilation of Mineral and Energy Resource Accounts is also a vital activity of statistical offices. To adequately integrate them into the SNA, indicators of proven resources should be estimated in value terms. The implementation of these approaches will in turn lead to a statistically correct valuation of natural capital and the inclusion of these data in the SNA. However, prices for capital valuation can be applied, on the basis of the disaggregation of statistical indicators, exogenous extraction factor, as well as analysts' forecasts. The harmonization of statistical information on energy reserves on the conceptual basis of national accounting will ensure international comparability of the indicators under consideration as well as will promote to the ecological orientation of sustainable economic development and green growth both in Russia and abroad.

Regional tourism satellite accounts: towards international comparability

Purpose Despite its popularity as the only method for measuring the national economic contribution of tourism accredited by the United Nations and other multilateral economic institutions, Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) is rarely applied to subnational regions. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent the compliance with some general principles that any regional TSA should follow contributes to better international comparability of tourism statistics, one of the main goals of the TSA. Design/methodology/approach Through secondary research, 14 countries have been identified making regional TSA applications by complying most likely with these principles. In this regard, some methodological issues and main results obtained by these countries are investigated. Findings This study concludes that international comparability of TSA compilation data at regional levels should be a long-term goal once congruence is achieved between national and regional TSAs. Research limitations/implications The paper is not based on a primary data collection of TSA data. Practical implications The paper shows that regional TSAs might also be envisaged in the international comparability process of the national TSA data. It provides suggestions for how to use data to improve measurement of the economic contribution of tourism to regions. Originality/value It is the first paper addressing the international comparability of a sizable number of regional TSAs from 14 countries.

Implementation of foreign practice of regulation and accounting and reporting in Russia

The reform of accounting and reporting in Russia began in the 1990s. The benchmark was taken on International Financial Reporting Standards, as many countries use these standards. IFRS have a number of advantages, such as simplicity, objectivity, international comparability. The author of the article gives the main problems, as a result of which, for almost thirty years, national standards have come very slightly closer to international ones. The author of the article gives the main problems, as a result of which, for almost thirty years, national standards have come very slightly closer to international ones. In the comparative analysis of accounting and the preparation of accounting and tax reporting according to Russian Accounting Standards (RAS) with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), fundamental differences were revealed in the reflection of accounting objects in financial statements.

International comparability and translation: how is the concept of equivalence used and understood in accounting research?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of translation equivalence in extant research on translation in accounting: What is the equivalence that is expected of translation, and how is it assumed to come into being? This paper presents a coherent, theoretically informed approach to how different views on equivalence are connected to the objective of international comparability in financial accounting and how related, often-underlying assumptions intertwine in this discussion.Design/methodology/approachThis paper takes an interdisciplinary approach by utilizing equivalence theories from the discipline of translation studies. It canvasses two dichotomy-like approaches – natural versus directional equivalence and formal versus dynamic equivalence – to compose a theoretical framework within which to analyze 25 translation-related papers discussing accounting harmonization published from 1989 to 2018.FindingsThis paper presents evidence of theoretical contradictions likely to affect the development of translation research in accounting if they go unrecognized. Moreover, the analysis suggests that these contradictions are likely to originate in the assumptions of mainstream accounting research, which neglect both the constructed nature of equivalence and the socially constructed nature of accounting concepts.Originality/valueDespite the significance of translation for the objective of international comparability, this paper is the first comprehensive theoretical approach to equivalence in accounting research. It responds to a recognized demand for studying equivalence and its limitations, challenges many of the expectations accounting research places on translation and discusses the possible origins of related assumptions.

Validation Data of Mexico's Trade Balance

The collection, compilation and dissemination of international merchandise trade statistics must follow standards for international comparability. These processes are structured according to particular institutional arrangements in countries. The general responsibility and dissemination of the Merchandise Trade Balance in Mexico are Tax Administration Service, Ministry of the Economy, Banco de México and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. At most points of entry, goods are brought into or withdrawn from the customs territory of a country under various customs procedures. The objective of this paper is to establish a method of validation of imports and exports considering the volumes by tariff fraction and unit of measure, as well as the incoterms, to generate a specific registry that allows obtaining more reliable information and serves to make decisions of the actors involved in foreign trade. This information will be used to analyze the evolution and structure of the Commercial Balance of Mexico, as well as to evaluate the interaction that is registered between the commercial activity and the behavior of the national economy, that is why the analysis of the information it generates the commercial balance of Mexico, since this is basic for the decision making of those in charge of public policies in commercial and financial matters.

ISO Standards and Audit

Standards are applicable to any kind of activity and could be defined, in a general way, as an activity aiming to apply an ordered system to repetitive functions that take place in the context of industry, technology, science, and economy. Auditing is deeply connected to the implementation of any standard, and this chapter aims to do its connection. Standardization can stimulate international comparability eliminating obstacles arising from some different national practices in accounting and in auditing using IFRS and ISA, in risk analysis using ERM or ISO 31000, in people's safety, in the product or in the environment. A case study about ISO 31000 in a municipality where IFRS and ISA are followed and ISO 9001, 14001, 18000 are a reality will frame this issue. ISO 26000 about corporate social responsibility will be the new future challenge.