CORPORATE COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN THE CAPE COAST METROPOLIS

The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Cape Coast Metropolis (CCM) comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). The study further looked at firm attributes (size, profitability, audit type, internationality, type of SME, and leverage) that influence the level of SMEs' compliance with IFRSs. The descriptive design was adopted for this study. The study sampled 89 SMEs within the metropolis, however, data from 67 medium scale enterprises were used. A self-constructed compliance index (CINDEX) checklist was the instrument used. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analysing the data. The findings revealed that medium scale enterprises average level of compliance of IFRSs is 77.9%. Also, enterprise's attributes such as types, profitability, and audit type are able to influence 70.6% of the variance in the level of enterprise's compliance with IFRSs disclosure requirements. The study recommended that the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and the owner/managers of the various SMEs in the metropolis should liaise with Institute of chartered Accountant Ghana (ICAG) to organise regular training programmes, for accountants within the sector, intended to provide practical guide for compliance with the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB).