Deterioro del Valor de la Llave de Negocio, Primera Parte

Abstract

The current report originates from the analysis about the goodwill impairment test. As a consequence, we wanted to dig deeper into the concepts of loss in value of goodwill and its accounting treatment at present, focusing on goodwill with an indefinite shelf life.
The employed methodology consists of a doctrinal and normative kind of exploratory research, national and international, and the beginning of an empirical study in which considerate cases of our own elaboration, taken from our database.
 For the analysis of the cases, two companies, currently listed in the national stock market have been taken into account; in that regard, the presented information for the operations of 2011, 2012 and 2013 has been relieve. Although getting the previously mentioned information is difficult, it has been possible to gain access to two companies that register the goodwill value as a part of their intangible assets. In one of the exposed case, it was clear that while the impairment criteria application was not obligatory, the information is presented in a much less detailed way.
As a conclusion, it seems that companies avoid the impairment test application, even though they risk the amortization model’s disadvantages.
By the moment of revealing the information and performing the analysis, it was exposed that companies apply the impairment criteria mainly with formal aims; this is only to fulfill the rule that says so, what proves that it is not a priority improving the applicability of the countable information provided by the users.
This paper only represents the first exploratory phase of the treatment in companies from the local environment; it is recommended that to keep digging, in order to gain a better foundation in the conclusion. Nevertheless, everything seems to indicate that the old debate about whether to amortize the goodwill value or not, is somehow not over, because, although amortization does not represent the best choice, the impairment test is something that the people involved in the countable states preparation are reluctant to apply, due to the previously mentioned causes.
As a way of closure, it is important to highlight that the core issue, which cannot be missed and must have priority, is to improve the usefulness of countable information offered to the users.