The Relevance of Accounting Standards to Equity Valuation: The Entity Perspective Revisited

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03982
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Accounting
• Research Institution: Yokohama National University
• Principal Investigator: OTAKA Satoru 横浜国立大学, 大学院国際社会科学研究院, 教授 (40334619)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 持分 / 会計主体論 / 資本主説 / 企業主体説 / 残余請求権 / 残余利益 / 超過利潤 / コーポレート・ガバナンス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I reconsider the concept of equity in corporate accounting from the perspective of the origin and attribution of supernormal profit. Under the current corporate accounting, shareholders are assumed to be the sole residual claimants. However, the existence of implicit contracts in corporate activities implies other residual claimants in addition to shareholders. Unless shareholders are considered the sole residual claimants, it is crucially important to recognize the entity equity as distinguished from shareholders’ equity. From this point of view, shareholders' equity on a balance sheet is overvalued under the existing corporate accounting, and therefore the meaning and relevance of a P/B ratio is far from straightforward. We should critically examine the foundation of the current corporate accounting in order to design a more equitable corporate accounting system in which attribution of the results of corporate investments is determined according to contribution.

Free Research Field

会計学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、資本会計の諸問題を題材に、株主よりもエンティティ（企業）の観点を重視する会計基準が株式価値評価に資するのか、なぜ会計基準設定主体においてエンティティの観点が重視されるのかを明らかにしようとするものである。本研究では、企業成果のリスクを負担する残余請求権者がいつも株主であるとはいえないとすれば、株主持分とは別に、暫定的に企業持分を認識する余地が生まれることを指摘している。それは、企業成果の帰属が貢献に応じて認識される、より衡平な会計システムを構想する必要性も示唆している。