Kempf, Cornelius WalterCornelius WalterKempf2023-04-132023-04-132021-09-20https://www.alexandria.unisg.ch/handle/20.500.14171/109923The main objective of financial reporting (IFRS) is to provide decision-useful information. In recent years however, there is an increasing concern that the mandatory adoption of the IFRS has led to an increase in financial reporting complexity, which negatively affects the processing of information (decision-usefulness) by the capital market participants and therefore the objective of financial reporting. This study provides the theoretical framework and examines based on this framework empirically the perceived increase in financial reporting complexity and the assumed negative consequences based on a sample of 600 firms from 16 European countries. Considering an avoidable and unavoidable type of complexity, the empirical results reveal, that the amount of information (readability) negatively impacts (does not impact) the processing of information, and therefore the decision-usefulness of the information. Further, the results show that the amendments issued by the IASB to reduce financial reporting complexity, do not have the desired effect.deRechnungslegungKomplexitätEmpirische ForschungKapitalmarktInternational Financial Reporting StandardsEDIS-5116empirical researchinternational financial reporting standardscomplexityFinanzberichterstattungIFRSaccountingcapital marketFinancial reportingdoctoral thesis