Key Words: Bangladesh, Developing Countries, International Accounting Standards (IASs), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)
Objectives of the Study/Research Questions:
The major objective of this study is to evaluate the extent of disclosure according to adopted IFRSs in Bangladesh. The specific objectives of the present study are as follows:
a) To examine the degree of compliance of disclosure of financial information under the sample International Accounting Standards;
b) To examine the relationship between disclosures of information as per sample adopted IFRSs and a selection of corporate attributes.
c) To examine the effect of culture and accounting regulation for the adoption of IFRSs in Bangladesh.
Why it is (Interviewing: Qualitative Methods) relevant for Data Collection?
Qualitative research, broadly defined, means "any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification" (. Cronbach () states that "the special task of the social scientist in each generation is to pin down the contemporary facts. Beyond that, he shares with the humanistic scholar and the artist in the effort to gain insight into contemporary relationships". Cronbach claims that statistical research is not able to take full account of the many interaction effects that take place in social settings. He gives examples of several empirical "laws" that do not hold true in actual settings to illustrate this point. Cronbach also states that "the time has come to exercise the null hypothesis," because it ignores effects that may be important, but that are not statistically significant. Qualitative inquiry accepts the complex and dynamic quality of the social world.
Miles and Huberman (1994, p. 10) have identified the strengths of qualitative data suggesting that a major feature ‘is that they focus on naturally occurring, ordinary events in natural settings, so that we have a strong handle on what real life is like’.
In asking accountants, Accounting Standards Committee in Bangladesh, The finance director of various companies to talk through the cases in detail it is possible to research real life applications in their natural settings.
Another feature of qualitative data is their richness and holism, with strong potential for revealing complexity; such data provide thick descriptions that are vivid, nested in a real context, and have a ring of truth that has strong impact on the reader. (Miles and Huberman, 1994, p. 10)
The analysis of this data encouraged the author towards the view that this form of interviewing was the way forward. Thus, in reality, this interview methodology is suitable for this research, because it helps to justify the real picture of implementing IFRSs in Bangladesh and any problems the people are facing to adopt the IFRSs.
Perhaps more subtle, influence was a discussant’s question at an accounting conference regarding the responses to the questionnaires (used by the previous researchers), ‘How do you know that they weren’t lying?’ The most obvious method to overcome these problems was participant observation. However, it was known from previous work that to get the information from the interviewees are difficult because of issues of confidentiality.
The combination of these factors led to the use of a method based upon Kelly’s construct theory (Kelly, 1955). This approach seemed to offer the answer to the problems identified as it was reputed to ascertain people’s basic constructs and it appeared that, with some slight adaptations, it would enable the research objectives to be met.
In all research, but more particularly in qualitative research, errors in method not identified at the outset through the use of a pilot study can have potentially disastrous effects on the success or failure of the research project. In this case, rather than collecting rich data that would enable the research objectives to be achieved, a mass of superficial data through interviewing would have been collected.
Limitations of Interviewing:
Bryman (1988) and Silverman (1989), in reviewing qualitative research, have commented upon the anecdotal approach to dealing with qualitative data they have encountered. In his later book, Silverman is critical of much qualitative data analysis, concluding that book with the following lines:
The worst thing that contemporary qualitative research can imply is that, in this post-modern age, anything goes. The trick is to produce intelligent, work on the very edge of the abyss. (Silverman, 1993, p. 211)
However, it is not necessary to differentiate these two paradigms (Quantitative and Qualitative) against one another in a competing stance. Patton (1990) advocates a "paradigm of choices" that seeks "methodological appropriateness as the primary criterion for judging methodological quality." This will allow for a "situational responsiveness" that strict adherence to one paradigm or another will not.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, some researchers believe that qualitative and quantitative research can be effectively combined in the same research project ( ). For example, Russek and Weinberg () claim that by using both quantitative and qualitative data, their study of technology-based materials for the elementary classroom gave insights that neither type of analysis could provide alone. My research topic will be covered by both quantitative and qualitative analysis. In essence, to find out the real picture of implementing IFRSs in Developing countries regarding the research questions, this combined methodology (Quantitative and Qualitative) will be much more effective tools.
Bibliography
Cronbach, L. J. (1975), “Beyond the two disciplines of scientific psychology”, American Psychologist, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 116-127.
Patton, M. Q. (1990), Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods (2nd ed.), Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Russek, B. E., & Weinberg, S. L. (1993), “Mixed methods in a study of implementation of technology-based materials in the elementary classroom”, Evaluation and Program Planning, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 131-142.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990), Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques, Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.