Insights

The 2015 Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), a global survey of 2500 business leaders in 35 economies, has revealed that over the past 12 months more than 15% of businesses across the world have suffered a cyber-attack, costing a total of more than $300 billion (link). That's just the measurable costs. Who knows what the reputational damage, loss of trust and custom adds up to.

This publication brings you up to speed on IFRS 9's new classification and measurement requirements.

Drawing on interviews from our IBR and other sources this report explores the opportunities and challenges for business growth in Asia-Pacific. The slowdown in China, regional tensions and ageing populations emerge as key threats to regional growth prospects, while businesses are excited by the Trans-Pacific Partnership and increased ASEAN cooperation.

IFRS News is your quarterly update on all things relating to International Financial Reporting Standards. We’ll bring you up to speed on topical issues, provide comment and points of view and give you a summary of any significant developments.

The practical impact of the OECDs recommendations and the key issues that should be on your radar as a tax function and head of tax.

New research from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) reveals the extent to which contagion caused by China’s economic slowdown is spreading to businesses around the world. Business confidence and expectations for revenue and exports are down, not just in China’s near neighbours, but in several major economies which count on the world’s second biggest economy as a major trading partner.

Tomorrow, we can expect new technologies enabling the internet of things to create opportunities for future fast-growth companies. Some will become industry leaders – the Xiaomis and Ubers of tomorrow. Many more will fail – either because their offering wasn’t differentiated enough, or because their management made the wrong decisions.

This IFRS viewpoint addresses whether to treat the acquisition of an investment property as an asset purchase or a business combination. This is an important issue because the IFRS accounting requirements for a business combination are very different from asset purchases.

Comparison with evolution of women in Downton Abbey shows companies lagging behind society in terms of gender diversity.

5 October 2015 was a good day for companies operating across borders, with agreements on global transfer pricing rules (Base Erosion Profit Sharing or BEPS) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

So will the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan result in a tax system that’s fairer, more efficient and more understandable?

Companies with diverse executive boards outperform peers run by all-male boards according to new research from Grant Thornton. The study, which covers listed companies in India, UK and US, estimates the opportunity cost for companies with male-only executive boards (in terms of lower returns on assets) at a staggering US$655 billion in 2014