Accounting for Goodwill: The Differences Between Private and Public Firms

Scott P. Schwend
Dr. Isaac Ison, Faculty Mentor

Accounting for goodwill, a topic that has been met with controversy, can be costly at times, and investors often argue that the benefits do not justify the costs of reporting. To add to the controversy, private companies receive an optional alternative treatment in regards to their accounting for goodwill, thus allowing these entities the opportunity to save both time and money. While public companies also recently received a cost saving adjustment to the accounting of their goodwill, the savings are less than what has been provided to private firms. Therefore, there is still a major void in goodwill accounting between public and private companies. Through evaluation of factors such as cost savings, comparability, and stakeholder considerations, I have determined that the pros of implementing over-arching goodwill guidance outweigh the negative implications.

Keywords: Goodwill, Accounting, Private Companies, Public Companies, Financial Reporting

Topic(s):Accounting

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: 1-
Location: GEO - SUB
Time: 

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