Abstract
A company can engage in foreign currency operations in two ways. It may enter directly into transactions which are denominated in foreign currencies, the results of which need to be translated into the currency in which the company reports. Alternatively, it may conduct foreign operations through a foreign enterprise, normally a subsidiary or associated company, which keeps its accounting records in a foreign currency and, in order to prepare consolidated financial statements, will need to translate the financial statements of the foreign enterprise into its own reporting currency.1 Accounting for these translation processes has been one of the most significant problem areas in financial reporting in recent years.
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References
SSAP 20, Foreign currency translation, April 1983, para. 1.
SSAP 6, Extraordinary items and prior year adjustments, April 1984.
Ibid., para. 6.
ED 16, Supplement to extraordinary items and prior year adjustments, September 1975.
Ibid., para. 17.
Ibid., paras. 15 and 16.
Ibid., para. 5.
ED 21, Accounting for foreign currency transactions, September 1977.
Ibid., para. 30.
Ibid., paras. 32–34.
Ibid., para. 35.
ED 27, Accounting for foreign currency translations, October 1980, para. 92.
SFAS 8, Accounting for the translation of foreign currency transactions and foreign currency financial statements, FASB, October 1975.
CICA Handbook, Section 1650, Translation of foreign currency transactions and foreign currency financial statements.
SSAP 20, para. 2.
Ibid., paras. 36–44.
Ibid., para. 46.
Ibid., para. 48.
Ibid., para. 47.
Ibid., para. 7.
Ibid., paras. 49 and 50.
Ibid., para. 8.
Ibid., para. 28.
Ibid., para. 52.
Ibid., para. 13.
Ibid., para. 14.
Ibid., para. 21.
ED 27, para. 98.
SSAP 20, para. 16.
Ibid., para. 54.
Ibid., para. 2.
Ibid., para. 17
Ibid.
Ibid., para. 16.
Ibid., para. 54.
Ibid., paras. 53 and 54.
Ibid., para. 22.
Ibid., para. 23.
Accountants Digest No. 150, A guide to accounting standards — foreign currency translation, Winter 1983/84, p. 9.
SSAP 20, para. 24.
Ibid., para. 22.
Ibid., para. 30.
Ibid., para. 51.
Ibid.
SSAP 1, Accounting for associated companies, Revised April 1982.
SSAP 20, para. 52.
Ibid., para. 37.
Technical Release 504, Statement by the Accounting Standards Committee on the publication of SSAP 20: Foreign currency translation, April 1983, para. 24.
SSAP 20, para. 52.
Ibid., para. 59.
Ibid., para. 60.
Ibid.
Ibid.
TR 504, para. 28.
SFAS 52, Foreign currency translation, FASB, December 1981, para. 162.
SSAP 20, para. 46.
SFAS 52, para. 27.
Ibid., para. 26.
SSAP 20, para. 44.
Ibid., para. 6.
Ibid., para. 5.
SFAS 52, para. 48.
Ibid., para. 162.
SSAP 9, para. 29.
Ibid., para. 30(a).
Cadbury Schweppes p.l.c., Annual Report 1989; Fisons plc, Annual Report and Accounts 1988; London & Scottish Marine Oil PLC, Annual Report and Accounts 1987; Lonrho Plc, Annual Report 1988; Pearson plc, Annual Report 1987.
SSAP 20, para. 49.
Ibid., paras. 46 and 47.
CA 85, Sch. 4, paras. 17 and 22.
Ibid., para. 26(3).
Ibid.
SSAP 20, para. 51.
Ibid., para. 46.
SFAS 52, paras. 21 and 132.
Ibid., para. 133.
Ibid., para. 21.
Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 6.
C.A. Westwick, Accounting for Overseas Operations, p. 18.
SSAP 20, para. 42.
SFAS 52, paras. 17, 18 and 21.
Ibid., para. 21.
Ibid., para. 18.
Ibid., para. 21.
Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 5.
SFAS 52, para. 17.
Ibid., paras. 17 and 18.
SFAS 52, paras. 18 and 20.
Ibid., para. 20.
SFAS 52, para. 19.
CA 85, Sch. 4, para. 50(5).
SFAS 52, para. 17.
Issue No. 90–17, Hedging Foreign Currency Risks with Purchased Options, EITF.
SFAS 80, Accounting for Futures Contracts, FASB, August 1984.
See Issue No. 91–4, Hedging Foreign Currency Risks with Complex Options and Similar Transactions, EITF.
Ibid., para. 28.
Ibid., para. 139.
SFAS 52, para. 27.
Ibid., para. 138.
SSAP 20, para. 18.
SFAS 52, para. 12.
SSAP 6, paras. 31 and 39.
The Boots Company PLC, Report and Accounts 1985, p. 13 and Blue Circle Industries PLC, Report & Accounts 1985, p. 31.
L. C. L. Skeratt and D. J. Tonkin (eds.), Financial Reporting 1991–92: A Survey of UK Reporting Practice, London: ICAEW, 1992, p. 186.
D. J. Tonkin and L. C. L. Skeratt (eds.), Financial Reporting 1984–85: A Survey of UK Published Accounts, London: ICAEW, 1984, p. 127.
Cadbury Schweppes p.l.c., Annual Report 1990, p. 41 and The BOC Group plc, Report and Accounts 1990, p. 48.
Cadbury Schweppes p.l.c., Annual Report 1989, p. 29 and The BOC Group plc, Report & Accounts 1989, pp. 38 and 48.
See, for example, The Boots Company PLC, Report and Accounts 1991, p. 48 and The General Electric Company, p.l.c., Report and accounts 1991, p. 40.
See, for example, Guinness PLC, Report and Accounts 1991, p. 53 and Laporte plc, Annual Report 1991, p. 38.
SFAS 52, para. 12.
CA 85, Sch. 4, para. 33.
TR 504, para. 34(g).
CA 85, Sch. 4, para. 12.
SFAS 52, para. 14.
FASB Interpretation No. 37, Accounting for Translation Adjustments upon Sale of Part of an Investment in a Foreign Entity, FASB, July 1983, para. 2.
SFAS 52, para. 46.
Ibid.
Ibid.
SSAP 20, para. 26.
SFAS 52, para. 11.
International Monetary Fund, International Financial Statistics.
SFAS 52, para. 11.
SSAP 20, para. 55.
SSAP 22, Accounting for Goodwill, Revised July 1989, para. 41.
SSAP 20, para. 43.
TR 504, para. 21.
SFAS 52, para. 101.
See, for example, Gestetner Holdings PLC, Annual Report and Accounts 1991, pp. 34 and 35; and The Weir Group PLC, Report & Accounts 1991, p. 34.
SFAS 52, para. 144.
TR 504, paras. 18 and 19.
The Council of The Stock Exchange, Admission of Securities to Listing, Section 3, Chapter 2, para. 5.16(b).
Westwick, op. cit., p. 22.
Touche Ross & Co., Manual of Financial Reporting & Accounting, Third Edition, London and Edinburgh: Butterworths, 1990, p. 224, and N. Spinney, The Accountant’s Magazine, May 1983, p. 178.
SSAP 20, para. 43.
TR 504, para. 21.
SFAS 52, para. 101.
Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 7.
TR 504, para. 18.
Ibid.
D. Hegarty, Accountancy, November 1983, p. 147.
SFAS 52, para. 20.
Ibid., para. 130.
Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 7.
SSAP 20, para. 48.
Ibid., para. 49.
Ibid., para. 12.
See Westwick, op. cit., p. 99 and J. Carty, Foreign Currency Accounting — A practical guide for 1982 financial statements, pp. 21 and 22.
SSAP 15, appendix, para. 4.
Carty, op. cit., pp. 21 and 22.
SSAP 20, para. 20.
See Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 16 and Westwick, op. cit., p. 99.
SSAP 20, paras. 20 and 43.
Ibid., paras. 46–51.
Touche Ross, op. cit., p. 220.
SSAP 20, para. 2.
Westwick, op. cit., p. 101.
Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 15.
SFAS 52, para. 25.
Ibid., para. 12.
SSAP 20, paras. 46 and 48.
Ibid., para. 42.
Ibid., para. 51.
Ibid., para. 57.
SFAS 52, paras. 20, 128 and 130.
SSAP 20, para. 53.
Ibid., para. 19.
See SFAS 52, para. 14 and FASB Interpretation No. 37, para. 2.
SSAP 2, para. 14(d).
SSAP 20, para. 44.
TR 504, para. 10.
Ibid., para. 11.
Ibid., para. 12.
Westwick, op. cit., p. 77.
Ibid., and Accountants Digest No. 150, p. 32.
CA 85, s 264.
TR 504, para. 32.
Ibid., para. 33(a).
TR 504, para. 32.
SSAP 20, para. 36.
Ibid., para. 53.
SFAS 52, para. 12.
SSAP 20, para. 54.
This is due to the definition of ‘foreign entity’ in SFAS 52, para. 162.
SFAS 52, para. 20(a).
Ibid.
Ibid., para. 130.
SSAP 20, paras. 51 and 58.
SFAS 52, paras. 17–20.
SSAP 20, paras. 46 and 48.
SFAS 52, para. 11.
SSAP 20, para. 26.
SFAS 52, para. 30.
Ibid., paras. 13 and 31.
SSAP 20, para. 60(a).
Ibid., paras. 54 and 60(b).
SFAS 52, para. 14 and FASB Interpretation No. 37, para. 2.
IAS 21, para. 28.
Ibid., para. 30.
Ibid., para. 26.
Ibid., para. 37.
Statement of Intent, Comparability of Financial Statements, IASC, July 1990.
E44, para. 39.
Ibid., para. 18.
Ibid., para. 44.
Ibid., para. 45.
E32, paras. 117–125 passim.
Ibid., para. 137; E44, para. 31.
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© 1992 Ernst & Young
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Davies, M., Paterson, R., Wilson, A. (1992). Foreign currencies. In: UK Gaap. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12998-0_5
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