An Executive Guide to IFRS: Content, Costs and Benefits to Business

Lobbying the IASB

As this chapter has discussed due process, it has also indicated where it is possible to contribute to the formation of a standard. In this section we will just go over the basics of that. Essentially, it is important to intervene as early as possible in the process to put forward your view. The first key stage is the agenda decision. If you were trying to avoid the IASB addressing a subject, the best thing you can do is lobby against including it on the agenda, if you know that this is a possibility.

How do you lobby? Well, so far the IASB is relatively open in terms of e-mail addresses being easily available, so you can correspond with the Technical Director or Board members. You can write to them to express a view, but probably it is more effective if you can send them research material that would help them in making a decision.

Once an item has gone on the active agenda, the next most fruitful approach is to offer to participate in the working group, if there is one. If there is no such group, you can still offer to assist the staff by giving access to your business, for example, so that they can see what the problems are in practice. Research material or factual analyses are also very useful. Staff and Board members in the first instance want to know as much as possible about the realities of the area they plan to work on before they start taking positions. So this is the time to establish a fruitful relationship by offering cooperation. In this way you will ...