Ribeiro, Humberto2013-04-022013-04-022008Ribeiro, Humberto (2008). The inconvenience of accounting choice in business combinations following adoption of IASB standards. In 30ème Congrès de l'AFC, Francophone Accounting Association Annual Conference. Parishttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/8312This paper studies the accounting choice issue in the field of M&A. Purchase and pooling of interests are the classical methods used for business combinations accounting. However, the FASB banned the use of pooling in 2001 and the IASB also followed such a decision in 2004. The early reaction to the FASB’s proposals was of great concern, particularly from companies in technological and financial sectors, which argued that M&A activity and the U.S. economy could be negatively affected. The FASB confirmed the prohibition of pooling use, after it compromised, by replacing the purchased goodwill amortization by impairment tests. E.U. adopted IASB standards and since 2005 French listed companies with consolidated accounting have to report under international GAAP, and can no longer use pooling, in contrast to the remaining companies. In this paper, evidence is presented showing that the enforcement of new accounting principles for the business combinations in the U.S.A. in 2001 did not affect the M&A activity. This finding may imply that if IFRS 3 guidelines were extended to all the French companies it would be unlikely to result in significant impacts on the M&A activity in France. It would also improve comparability among companies involved in M&A deals.engconference object