Impairment of assets – the role of norm reminders in non-compliant accounting decisions. An experimental investigation of gender differences

Abstract

Objective: This article examines the impact of accounting norm reminders on a decision about the impairment of two groups of assets: receivables and inventories. It also inves-tigates the ethical judgment of a non-compliant decision. Method: The examination is performed via a laboratory experiment. Results: A non-compliant decision was found to have a significant impact in the groups of males and females. Men’s propensity to non-compliance was higher regardless of the group of assets, suggesting that imprecise accounting regulations are perceived as a gateway to manipulations. Women’s propensity to make a non-compliant decision after recalling a norm was different, depending on the type of asset. The ethical evaluation was affected by gender: women evaluated a non-compliant decision of two groups of assets differently after recalling a norm. The main contribution of the study indicates that accountants may decide the opposite to the norm’s intention when the norm is less precise. Limitations: The study was conducted in one country and among masters’ degree ac-counting students. The number of males was relatively small. Practical implications: The results should be of interest to behavioral researchers, academic teachers, and Polish standards setters as they continue to develop national accounting standards. Contribution: We provide evidence that the interaction of norm recall, the type of asset, as well as the gender of the decision-maker impacts non-compliant decisions.

Keywords

• discretional accounting decision
• financial reporting
• norms
• compliance
• gender