Accounting Practitioners' Attitudes toward Accounting Harmonization: Adoption of IFRS for SMEs in Italy

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the logics that drive the attitudes of certified accounting practitioners for small firms (CAs) toward new accounting standards. It then unravels the heterogeneity within the accounting profession surrounding the accounting harmonization process. Through analysis of an extensive survey of 1,268 Italian CAs and of ten interviews with presidents of local professional associations regarding an ongoing accounting harmonization project (i.e., the IFRS for SMEs), we first document the coexistence of competitive logics in driving CAs' attitudes toward the new accounting standards. Second, we demonstrate the role of social characteristics in fragmenting the community of accounting professionals, particularly in expressing heterogeneous views on the IFRS for SMEs. This paper contributes to the literature on the relation between the accounting profession and accounting harmonization by illustrating the multifaceted attitudes of CAs toward a project of accounting harmonization. The results are also informative to policy makers in understanding the adoption and implementation process of new accounting standards.