Do Serbian Companies Provide Relevant Disclosures About Goodwill?

Abstract

Abstract IFRS 3 have been adopted to increase the relevance of information on business combinations. Consequently, it is expected that information on goodwill will contribute to that goal. By analysing the sample of the most important companies in the Republic of Serbia, this paper identifies several key areas of disclosure regarding recognition, initial recognition, and subsequent measurement of goodwill. All companies listed on the Belgrade Stock Exchange (BSE) which prepare consolidated financial statements are taken for the sample. In addition, the paper includes selected non-listed companies (that are most important for the Serbian economy according to the criteria of revenue, number of employees, and the share in the total GDP) in the sample. The final sample consists of 156 consolidated financial statements of 43 groups in the analysed four-year period (2013-2016). Descriptive statistic is used. The author found a low level of disclosure, which is further accompanied by misapplication of IFRS.