Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010

Purpose and status of the Framework

The IFRS Framework describes the basic concepts that underlie the preparation and presentation of financial statements for external
users. The IFRS Framework serves as a guide to the Board in developing future IFRSs and as a guide to resolving accounting issues
that are not addressed directly in an International Accounting Standard or International Financial Reporting Standard or
Interpretation.

In the absence of a Standard or an Interpretation that specifically applies to a transaction, management must use its judgement in
developing and applying an accounting policy that results in information that is relevant and reliable. In making that judgement, IAS
8.11 requires management to consider the definitions, recognition criteria, and measurement concepts for assets, liabilities,
income, and expenses in the IFRS Framework. This elevation of the importance of the [IFRS] Framework was added in the 2003
revisions to IAS 8.

The IFRS Framework

Scope
The IFRS Framework addresses:
 the objective of financial reporting
 the qualitative characteristics of useful financial information
 the reporting entity
 the definition, recognition and measurement of the elements from which financial statements are constructed
 concepts of capital and capital maintenance
[IFRS Framework, Scope]

Chapter 1: The Objective of general purpose financial reporting

The primary users of general purpose financial reporting are present and potential investors, lenders and other creditors, who use
that information to make decisions about buying, selling or holding equity or debt instruments and providing or settling loans or
other forms of credit. [F OB2]

The primary users need information about the resources of the entity not only to assess an entity's prospects for future net cash
inflows but also how effectively and efficiently management has discharged their responsibilities to use the entity's existing
resources (i.e., stewardship). [F OB4]

The IFRS Framework notes that general purpose financial reports cannot provide all the information that users may need to make
economic decisions. They will need to consider pertinent information from other sources as well. [F OB6]

The IFRS Framework notes that other parties, including prudential and market regulators, may find general purpose financial reports
useful. However, the Board considered that the objectives of general purpose financial reporting and the objectives of financial
regulation may not be consistent. Hence, regulators are not considered a primary user and general purpose financial reports are not
primarily directed to regulators or other parties. [F OB10 and F BC1.20-BC 1.23]

Information about a reporting entity's economic resources, claims, and changes in resources and claims
Economic resources and claims
Information about the nature and amounts of a reporting entity's economic resources and claims assists users to assess that entity's
financial strengths and weaknesses; to assess liquidity and solvency, and its need and ability to obtain financing. Information about
the claims and payment requirements assists users to predict how future cash flows will be distributed among those with a claim on
the reporting entity. [F OB13]

A reporting entity's economic resources and claims are reported in the statement of financial position. [See IAS 1.54-80A]
Changes in economic resources and claims
Changes in a reporting entity's economic resources and claims result from that entity's performance and from other events or
transactions such as issuing debt or equity instruments. Users need to be able to distinguish between both of these changes. [F
OB15]

Financial performance reflected by accrual accounting

Information about a reporting entity's financial performance during a period, representing changes in economic resources
and claims other than those obtained directly from investors and creditors, is useful in assessing the entity's past and future
ability to generate net cash inflows. Such information may also indicate the extent to which general economic events have
changed the entity's ability to generate future cash inflows. [F OB18-OB19]

The changes in an entity's economic resources and claims are presented in the statement of comprehensive income. [See
IAS 1.81-105]

Financial performance reflected by past cash flows

Information about a reporting entity's cash flows during the reporting period also assists users to assess the entity's ability
to generate future net cash inflows. This information indicates how the entity obtains and spends cash, including
information about its borrowing and repayment of debt, cash dividends to shareholders, etc. [F OB20]

The changes in the entity's cash flows are presented in the statement of cash flows. [See IAS 7]

Changes in economic resources and claims not resulting from financial performance
Information about changes in an entity's economic resources and claims resulting from events and transactions other than
financial performance, such as the issue of equity instruments or distributions of cash or other assets to shareholders is
necessary to complete the picture of the total change in the entity's economic resources and claims. [F OB21]

The changes in an entity's economic resources and claims not resulting from financial performance is presented in the
statement of changes in equity. [See IAS 1.106-110]

Chapter 2: The Reporting entity

The chapter on the Reporting Entity will be reconsidered as part of the IASB's comprehensive project on the framework.

Chapter 3: Qualitative characteristics of useful financial information

The qualitative characteristics of useful financial reporting identify the types of information are likely to be most useful to users in
making decisions about the reporting entity on the basis of information in its financial report. The qualitative characteristics apply
equally to financial information in general purpose financial reports as well as to financial information provided in other ways. [F
QC1, QC3]

Financial information is useful when it is relevant and represents faithfully what it purports to represent. The usefulness of financial
information is enhanced if it is comparable, verifiable, timely and understandable. [F QC4]

Fundamental qualitative characteristics

Relevance and faithful representation are the fundamental qualitative characteristics of useful financial information. [F QC5]

Relevance
Relevant financial information is capable of making a difference in the decisions made by users. Financial information is
capable of making a difference in decisions if it has predictive value, confirmatory value, or both. The predictive value and
confirmatory value of financial information are interrelated. [F QC6-QC10]

Materiality is an entity-specific aspect of relevance based on the nature or magnitude (or both) of the items to which the
information relates in the context of an individual entity's financial report. [F QC11]

Faithful representation
General purpose financial reports represent economic phenomena in words and numbers, To be useful, financial
information must not only be relevant, it must also represent faithfully the phenomena it purports to represent. This
 fundamental characteristic seeks to maximise the underlying characteristics of completeness, neutrality and freedom from
error. [F QC12] Information must be both relevant and faithfully represented if it is to be useful. [F QC17]

Enhancing qualitative characteristics

Comparability, verifiability, timeliness and understandability are qualitative characteristics that enhance the usefulness of
information that is relevant and faithfully represented. [F QC19]

Comparability
Information about a reporting entity is more useful if it can be compared with a similar information about other entities
and with similar information about the same entity for another period or another date. Comparability enables users to
identify and understand similarities in, and differences among, items. [F QC20-QC21]

Verifiability
Verifiability helps to assure users that information represents faithfully the economic phenomena it purports to represent.
Verifiability means that different knowledgeable and independent observers could reach consensus, although not
necessarily complete agreement, that a particular depiction is a faithful representation. [F QC26]

Timeliness
Timeliness means that information is available to decision-makers in time to be capable of influencing their decisions. [F
QC29]

Understandability
Classifying, characterising and presenting information clearly and concisely makes it understandable. While some
phenomena are inherently complex and cannot be made easy to understand, to exclude such information would make
financial reports incomplete and potentially misleading. Financial reports are prepared for users who have a reasonable
knowledge of business and economic activities and who review and analyse the information with diligence. [F QC30-QC32]

Applying the enhancing qualitative characteristics

Enhancing qualitative characteristics should be maximised to the extent necessary. However, enhancing qualitative characteristics
(either individually or collectively) render information useful if that information is irrelevant or not represented faithfully. [F QC33]

The cost constraint on useful financial reporting

Cost is a pervasive constraint on the information that can be provided by general purpose financial reporting. Reporting such
information imposes costs and those costs should be justified by the benefits of reporting that information. The IASB assesses costs
and benefits in relation to financial reporting generally, and not solely in relation to individual reporting entities. The IASB will
consider whether different sizes of entities and other factors justify different reporting requirements in certain situations. [F QC35-
QC39]

Chapter 4: The Framework: the remaining text

Chapter 4 contains the remaining text of the Framework approved in 1989. As the project to revise the Framework
progresses, relevant paragraphs in Chapter 4 will be deleted and replaced by new Chapters in the IFRS Framework. Until it
is replaced, a paragraph in Chapter 4 has the same level of authority within IFRSs as those in Chapters 1-3.

Underlying assumption
The IFRS Framework states that the going concern assumption is an underlying assumption. Thus, the financial statements presume
that an entity will continue in operation indefinitely or, if that presumption is not valid, disclosure and a different basis of reporting
are required. [F 4.1]

The elements of financial statements

Financial statements portray the financial effects of transactions and other events by grouping them into broad classes according to
their economic characteristics. These broad classes are termed the elements of financial statements.

The elements directly related to financial position (balance sheet) are: [F 4.4]
 Assets
 Liabilities
 Equity
The elements directly related to performance (income statement) are: [F 4.25]
 Income
 Expenses

The cash flow statement reflects both income statement elements and some changes in balance sheet elements.

Definitions of the elements relating to financial position

 Asset. An asset is a resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits
are expected to flow to the entity. [F 4.4(a)]
 Liability. A liability is a present obligation of the entity arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to
result in an outflow from the entity of resources embodying economic benefits. [F 4.4(b)]
 Equity. Equity is the residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting all its liabilities. [F 4.4(c)]

Definitions of the elements relating to performance

 Income. Income is increases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of inflows or enhancements of
assets or decreases of liabilities that result in increases in equity, other than those relating to contributions from equity
participants. [F 4.25(a)]
 Expense. Expenses are decreases in economic benefits during the accounting period in the form of outflows or depletions
of assets or incurrences of liabilities that result in decreases in equity, other than those relating to distributions to equity
participants. [F 4.25(b)]

The definition of income encompasses both revenue and gains. Revenue arises in the course of the ordinary activities of an entity
and is referred to by a variety of different names including sales, fees, interest, dividends, royalties and rent. Gains represent other
items that meet the definition of income and may, or may not, arise in the course of the ordinary activities of an entity. Gains
represent increases in economic benefits and as such are no different in nature from revenue. Hence, they are not regarded as
constituting a separate element in the IFRS Framework. [F 4.29 and F 4.30]

The definition of expenses encompasses losses as well as those expenses that arise in the course of the ordinary activities of the
entity. Expenses that arise in the course of the ordinary activities of the entity include, for example, cost of sales, wages and
depreciation. They usually take the form of an outflow or depletion of assets such as cash and cash equivalents, inventory, property,
plant and equipment. Losses represent other items that meet the definition of expenses and may, or may not, arise in the course of
the ordinary activities of the entity. Losses represent decreases in economic benefits and as such they are no different in nature
from other expenses. Hence, they are not regarded as a separate element in this Framework. [F 4.33 and F 4.34]

Recognition of the elements of financial statements

Recognition is the process of incorporating in the balance sheet or income statement an item that meets the definition of an
element and satisfies the following criteria for recognition: [F 4.37 and F 4.38]
 It is probable that any future economic benefit associated with the item will flow to or from the entity; and
 The item's cost or value can be measured with reliability.

Based on these general criteria:

 An asset is recognised in the balance sheet when it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the entity
and the asset has a cost or value that can be measured reliably. [F 4.44]
 A liability is recognised in the balance sheet when it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits
will result from the settlement of a present obligation and the amount at which the settlement will take place can be
measured reliably. [F 4.46]
 Income is recognised in the income statement when an increase in future economic benefits related to an increase in an
asset or a decrease of a liability has arisen that can be measured reliably. This means, in effect, that recognition of income
occurs simultaneously with the recognition of increases in assets or decreases in liabilities (for example, the net increase in
assets arising on a sale of goods or services or the decrease in liabilities arising from the waiver of a debt payable). [F 4.47]
 Expenses are recognised when a decrease in future economic benefits related to a decrease in an asset or an increase of a
liability has arisen that can be measured reliably. This means, in effect, that recognition of expenses occurs simultaneously
with the recognition of an increase in liabilities or a decrease in assets (for example, the accrual of employee entitlements
or the depreciation of equipment). [F 4.49]
Measurement of the elements of financial statements
Measurement involves assigning monetary amounts at which the elements of the financial statements are to be recognised and
reported. [F 4.54]

The IFRS Framework acknowledges that a variety of measurement bases are used today to different degrees and in varying
combinations in financial statements, including: [F 4.55]
 Historical cost
 Current cost
 Net realisable (settlement) value
 Present value (discounted)

Historical cost is the measurement basis most commonly used today, but it is usually combined with other measurement bases. [F.
4.56] The IFRS Framework does not include concepts or principles for selecting which measurement basis should be used for
particular elements of financial statements or in particular circumstances. Individual standards and interpretations do provide this
guidance, however.