Conceptual Frameworks vs Accounting Standards: Difference and Comparison

Accounting Concepts mean different conventions structured to include a common financial reporting framework. In choosing accounting policies, accountants use professional judgment in order to present their desired customers with fair financial statements.

Accounting standards are the financial report standards published by relevant governing bodies.

Accounting standards set out standards for specific transactions, e.g., effects of foreign exchange rate changes, customer income contracts, provision accounting, reserves, and Continent liabilities, etc.

The International Financial Reporting Standard (IASB) is an international organization that publishes accounting standards in the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and has now replaced the term ‘international financial reporting standards (IFRS).

Key Takeaways

1. A conceptual framework is a theoretical framework that outlines the underlying principles and concepts of accounting. In contrast, accounting standards are specific rules and guidelines that dictate how accounting transactions should be recorded and reported.
2. Conceptual frameworks serve as a foundation for developing accounting standards, providing a broad and flexible structure that can be adapted to various circumstances. In contrast, accounting standards are designed to provide specific and detailed guidance for accountants to follow.
3. While conceptual frameworks are not enforceable and do not carry legal weight, accounting standards are legally binding and must be followed by businesses and organizations.

Conceptual Frameworks vs Accounting Standards

Conceptual frameworks and accounting standards are essential components in the financial reporting landscape. Conceptual frameworks provide a set of general principles and guidelines that form the foundation for developing accounting standards. Accounting standards are specific rules and regulations derived from the conceptual frameworks that govern preparing and presenting financial statements, ensuring consistency and comparability across businesses.

A conceptual framework is a graphic illustration to demonstrate the intended connection between cause and effect in a financial sense. It is also known as a conceptual model or model of science.

The models contain and represent the preferences of different variables and the relationships expected between these variables.

An accounting standard consists of a collection of public standards for measuring, identifying, presenting, and disclosing the facts contained in an organisation’s financial statements.

A company’s accounting statements must have been developed within the system and understood, or auditors would not issue them with a clean audit opinion.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Conceptual Frameworks	Accounting Standards
Function	They assist financial auditors and preparations for improving the implementation of the IFRS Regulation.	Encourage and promote the use of sound local financing mechanisms while fostering global financial soundness.
Flexibility	Conceptual Frameworks feature of the logical system is versatile.	Accounting rules are stringent and not compatible with different financial accounting perspectives.
Benefits	It contributes to confirming the credibility of a reliable financial statement.	Help consumers and stakeholders to get information that is not available due to policy failure.
Reliability	Most individuals use conceptual frameworks such that no particular intellectual construct will contribute to meeting their financial accounting needs.	Only after consensus has been reached are conceptual constructs to be used. Consensus on the right accounting standards that a whole country could use will be difficult to achieve.
Meaning	A conceptual framework is a graphic illustration to demonstrate the intended connection between cause and effect in a financial sense.	Accounting standards consist of a collection of public standards for measuring, identifying, presenting, and disclosing the facts contained in an organisation’s financial statements.

What are Conceptual Frameworks?

A conceptual framework can extend to many fields, but where financial reporting, in particular, a conceptual framework is considered as an accounting principles declaration that shapes the framework for evaluating current practices and developing new ones.

Generally agreed accounting principles (GAAPs).

To give valuable knowledge in economic decision-making, financial reporting aims to provide a conceptual context for the assessment of transactions and for reporting – i.e., how transactions are interpreted or transmitted to the customer.

One or more conceptual Frameworks and other philosophical and observational results of literature are included in a conceptual context.

It shows links between these ideas and how they apply to the thesis. In qualitative studies, conceptual frameworks are common in the social and behavioural fields, for example, since one hypothesis frequently does not sufficiently deal with the studied phenomena.

A conceptual structure may be seen as an attempt to describe the meaning and function of accounting in a general context.

What are Accounting Standards?

Accounting standards enhance financial reporting integrity in both countries. In the USA, Accounting Principles are accepted as a set of financial statement accounting regulations.

International firms follow the IFRS, which has been established by the International Accounting Standards Board and acts as guidelines for non-U.S. GAAP firms filing financial statements.

Accounting standards are accepted and widely used by public and private companies in the United States. IFRS is mainly used for the rest of the planet.

These principles must be used for multinational corporations. The IASB defines and interprets international accounting principles in the compilation of financial statements.

Accounting standards cover all facets of the accounts of a company, including the assets, liabilities, revenues, expenditures, and equity of its owners.

Specific examples of accounting standards cover income identification, asset classification, permissible depreciation methodology, depreciable items, lease classifications, and non-existent equity calculation.

Main Differences Between Conceptual Frameworks and Accounting Standards

1. Conceptual frameworks define specific definitions for the discussion of accounting problems, whereas accounting standards define specific financial statements’ credibility and reliability.
2. Conceptual frameworks also assist auditors in solving financial reporting issues, although accounting guidelines are not available, whereas accounting standards practices also help to establish the management office’s transparency.
3. Conceptual frameworks aim to reinforce the regulation and supervision of finance while also enhancing transparency, whereas the accounting standards also help auditors and financial statement preparers to implement the IFRS.
4. Conceptual frameworks feature of the logical system is versatile, whereas accounting standards are strict and cannot fit into various financial accounting viewpoints
5. A completely separate body conceptual framework from is a formal structure, whereas accounting standards are an informal structure.

References

1. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00014788.2010.9663403
2. https://meridian.allenpress.com/accounting-horizons/article-abstract/29/1/199/52660