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Accounting Research Manager®
Weekly Summary of Developments
September 26-30, 2011
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Accounting Research Manager subscriber,

The Accounting Research Manager database now contains this week's weekly summary of developments. Click the link below to access and print the fully-formatted Weekly Summary:

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If you do not have immediate Internet access to the Accounting Research Manager database, below is the text of this week's Weekly Summary.

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ACCOUNTING AND SEC HEADLINES:
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Compensation Arrangements -- Interpretation Updated
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We have revised our publication, Accounting for Compensation Arrangements. This publication offers guidance on a variety of issues that companies and their advisers may face in accounting for various types of stock-based compensation arrangements. Among the changes we have made to this publication are to include updates to:

- Discuss certain matters resulting from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act;
- Reflect new guidance issued to account for a share-based payment award with an exercise price denominated in the currency of a market in which the underlying equity security trades;
- Provide the views expressed by the SEC staff on certain issues related to the valuation of privately-held-company equity securities issued as compensation; and
- Discuss certain views of the SEC staff on compensation arrangements with related parties.

See our Literature Update for complete details.

Reverse Mergers -- SEC Staff Issues Guidance on Reporting Reverse Mergers and Similar Transactions
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The staff in the Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) of the SEC has issued CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 1, “Staff Observations in the Review of Forms 8-K Filed to Report Reverse Mergers and Similar Transactions.” This guidance summarizes Corp Fin's observations and frequent comments cited in the review of Forms 8-K filed to report reverse mergers and similar transactions. Topics discussed in this guidance include the following items of Form 8-K:

- Item 2.01 disclosure for an acquisition or disposition of a significant amount of assets other than in the ordinary course of business;
- Item 5.01 information about a change in control for a company that was a shell company immediately before the respective transaction; and
- Item 9.01 considerations related to: (a) financial statements of businesses acquired; (b) pro forma financial information; (c) shell company transactions; and (d) requirements for exhibits.

In addition, the staff guidance discusses several specific requirements related to Form 10.

IFRS for SMEs -- IASB Publishes Proposed Implementation Guidance
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The IASB has published for public comment the following draft implementation guidance:

- Draft Implementation Guidance - IFRS for SMEs: General, Issue 1 - Application of the IFRS for SMEs for Financial Periods Ending Before the IFRS for SMEs was Issued;
- Draft Implementation Guidance - IFRS for SMEs: General, Issue 2 - Interpretation of ‘Undue Cost or Effort’ and ‘Impracticable’;
- Draft Implementation Guidance - IFRS for SMEs: Section 3, Issue 1 - Jurisdiction Requires Fallback to Full IFRSs;
- Draft Implementation Guidance - IFRS for SMEs: Section 3, Issue 2 - Departure from a Principle in the IFRS for SMEs; and
- Draft Implementation Guidance - IFRS for SMEs: Section 3, Issue 3 - Prescription of the Format of Financial Statements by Local Regulation.

This draft guidance was issued in a question and answer format and was prepared by the SME Implementation Group that is responsible for assisting the IASB on matters related to the implementation of IFRS for Small and Medium-sized Entities (SMEs). It is intended to provide nonmandatory and timely guidance on specific accounting questions that are being raised with the SME Implementation Group by users implementing the IFRS for SMEs.

Comments on this draft guidance are due November 30, 2011.

Leases -- IASB and FASB Discuss Leases and Other Matters
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As reported in its "IASB Update" publication, the IASB and FASB held joint sessions on September 19 and 21, 2011, and discussed the following topics:

- Leases;
- Impairment; and
- Insurance contracts.

The IASB held separate sessions on September 19-22, 2011, and discussed the following topics:

- IFRIC 20, Stripping Costs in the Production Phase of a Surface Mine;
- Put options written over non-controlling interests;
- IFRS Interpretations Committee-update from last meeting;
- Asset and liability offsetting;
- Hedge accounting under IFRS 9, Financial Instruments;
- Annual improvements;
- IFRS 2, Share-based Payment;
- Prospective application provisions for first-time adopters under IFRS 1, First-time Adoption of IFRSs;
- Aggregation criteria and identification of the Chief Operating Decision Maker under IFRS 8, Operating Segments;
- Macro hedge accounting; and
Work plan.

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AUDITING AND INTERNAL CONTROLS HEADLINES:
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Ethics -- AICPA Issues Proposed Ethics Guidance
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The AICPA has issued an Exposure Draft (ED), Omnibus Proposal – AICPA Professional Ethics Division – Proposed New and Revised Interpretations and Proposed Deletions of Ethics Rulings. This ED contains a number of proposals for review and comment by AICPA members and other interested parties. Two proposals clarify the requirements when a member prepares or reports on financial statements under another comprehensive basis of accounting or the financial reporting framework of a country that is not promulgated by a body designated by the AICPA Council. A third proposal makes changes to member requirements when it comes to responding to records requests from clients and former clients.

Comments on the ED are due November 23, 2011.

Group Financial Statement Audits -- Clarified SAS Discussed
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We have added a GAAS Update Service that provides discussion and analysis of a clarified Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS), Special Considerations-Audits of Group Financial Statements (Including the Work of Component Auditors), which was finalized as part of the AICPA's Clarity Project. The clarified SAS will supersede: (a) SAS 1 (AU Section 543), Part of Audit Performed by Other Independent Auditors; and (b) SAS 58 (AU Section 508), Reports on Audited Financial Statements, paragraphs 12 and 13 (pertaining to the auditor’s opinion that is based in part on the report of another auditor).

The clarified SAS will be effective for audits of group financial statements for periods ending on or after December 15, 2012.

The AICPA’s Clarity Project is intended to make existing U.S. generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) easier to understand, apply, and move toward converging U.S. GAAS with International Standards on Auditing issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. For further information on the AICPA's Clarity Project, see our previously published discussion and analysis in our publication "A Closer Look.

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GOVERNMENT HEADLINES:
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Deferrals -- GASB Proposal Discussed
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We have published a Governmental GAAP Update Service that discusses the GASB's Exposure Draft, Reporting Items Previously Recognized as Assets and Liabilities. This proposal is more commonly known as the “deferrals project” because it proposes which elements of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenditures (expenses) should be reclassified to deferred inflows and deferred outflows of resources. In addition, the proposal also clarifies when deferred inflows and deferred outflows of resources would appear in fund-based financial statements. Topics discussed in this update are:

- Advance refundings and defeasances of debt;
- Non-exchange transactions in governmental funds;
- Sales and intra-entity transfers of future revenues;
- Bond issuance costs and leases;
- Insurance, mortgages, and loans;
- Regulated operations;
- Revenue recognition items and the use of the term "deferred";
- Adjustment to major fund criteria; and
- Listing of proposed classifications.

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