Individual Investors' Perceptions Regarding the Meaning of US and UK Audit Report Terminology: ‘Present Fairly in Conformity with GAAP’ and ‘Give a True and Fair View’

John E. McEnroe and Stanley C. Martens

Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 1998, vol. 25, issue 3‐4, 289-307

Abstract: The standard unqualified audit report in the United States contains the phrase ‘present fairly ... in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles’ (PFGAAP), while in the United Kingdom, the corresponding phrase is ‘give a true and fair view’ (TFV). Despite the former phrase existing in audit reports since 1939 and the latter since 1947, there is little agreement as to what the respective phrases represent. Accordingly, this paper examined UK and US individual investors' perceptions towards various dimensions of the meanings of the phrases including whether they imply that the financial statements are not misleading and free from bias. The results indicate that a majority of both groups perceive that the UK phrase precludes misleading financial statements. A smaller percentage of both groups feel that the US terminology achieves this objective. The results are similar as to whether the respective wording implies that the financial statements are free from bias. In general, the respondents awarded a greater level of confidence to the UK ‘true and fair view’ than the US ‘present fairly in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.’ No policy recommendation is drawn from these results, however, since there is also evidence that as long as audit report language is pre‐determined by law or some official body, investors will evince indifference as to the kind of language prescribed.

Date: 1998
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