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Commission Regulation (EC) No 1725/2003 of 29 September 2003 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC)   No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council

Content

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Objective

The objective of this Standard is to establish principles for reporting financial information by segment - information about the different types of products and services an enterprise produces and the different geographical areas in which it operates - to help users of financial statements:

(a) better understand the enterprise's past performance;

(b) better assess the enterprise's risks and returns; and

(c) make more informed judgements about the enterprise as a whole.

Many enterprises provide groups of products and services or operate in geographical areas that are subject to differing rates of profitability, opportunities for growth, future prospects, and risks. Information about an enterprise's different types of products and services and its operations in different geographical areas - often called segment information - is relevant to assessing the risks and returns of a diversified or multinational enterprise but may not be determinable from the aggregated data. Therefore, segment information is widely regarded as necessary to meeting the needs of users of financial statements.

Scope

1. This Standard should be applied in complete sets of published financial statements that comply with International Accounting Standards.

2. A complete set of financial statements includes a balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, a statement showing changes in equity, and notes, as provided in IAS 1, presentation of financial statements.

3. This Standard should be applied by enterprises whose equity or debt securities are publicly traded and by enterprises that are in the process of issuing equity or debt securities in public securities markets.

4. If an enterprise whose securities are not publicly traded prepares financial statements that comply with International Accounting Standards, that enterprise is encouraged to disclose financial information by segment voluntarily.

5. If an enterprise whose securities are not publicly traded chooses to disclose segment information voluntarily in financial statements that comply with International Accounting Standards, that enterprise should comply fully with the requirements of this Standard.

6. If a single financial report contains both consolidated financial statements of an enterprise whose securities are publicly traded and the separate financial statements of the parent or one or more subsidiaries, segment information need be presented only on the basis of the consolidated financial statements. If a subsidiary is itself an enterprise whose securities are publicly traded, it will present segment information in its own separate financial report.

7. Similarly, if a single financial report contains both the financial statements of an enterprise whose securities are publicly traded and the separate financial statements of an equity method associate or joint venture in which the enterprise has a financial interest, segment information need be presented only on the basis of the enterprise's financial statements. If the equity method associate or joint venture is itself an enterprise whose securities are publicly traded, it will present segment information in its own separate financial report.

Defintions

Definitions from other international accounting standards

8. The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified in IAS 7, cash flow statements; IAS 8, net profit or loss for the period, fundamental errors and changes in accounting policies; and IAS 18, revenue:

Operating activities are the principal revenue-producing activities of an enterprise and other activities that are not investing or financing activities.

Accounting policies are the specific principles, bases, conventions, rules and practices applied by an entity in preparing and presenting financial statements.

Revenue is the gross inflow of economic benefits during the period arising in the course of the ordinary activities of an enterprise when those inflows result in increases in equity, other than increases relating to contributions from equity participants.

Definitions of business segment and geographical segment

9. The terms business segment and geographical segment are used in this Standard with the following meanings:

A business segment is a distinguishable component of an enterprise that is engaged in providing an individual product or service or a group of related products or services and that is subject to risks and returns that are different from those of other business segments. Factors that should be considered in determining whether products and services are related include:

(a) the nature of the products or services;

(b) the nature of the production processes;

(c) the type or class of customer for the products or services;

(d) the methods used to distribute the products or provide the services; and

(e) if applicable, the nature of the regulatory environment, for example, banking, insurance, or public utilities.

A geographical segment is a distinguishable component of an enterprise that is engaged in providing products or services within a particular economic environment and that is subject to risks and returns that are different from those of components operating in other economic environments. Factors that should be considered in identifying geographical segments include:

(a) similarity of economic and political conditions;

(b) relationships between operations in different geographical areas;

(c) proximity of operations;

(d) special risks associated with operations in a particular area;

(e) exchange control regulations; and

(f) the underlying currency risks.

A reportable segment is a business segment or a geographical segment identified based on the foregoing definitions for which segment information is required to be disclosed by this Standard.

10. The factors in paragraph 9 for identifying business segments and geographical segments are not listed in any particular order.

11. A single business segment does not include products and services with significantly differing risks and returns. While there may be dissimilarities with respect to one or several of the factors in the definition of a business segment, the products and services included in a single business segment are expected to be similar with respect to a majority of the factors.

12. Similarly, a geographical segment does not include operations in economic environments with significantly differing risks and returns. A geographical segment may be a single country, a group of two or more countries, or a region within a country.

13. The predominant sources of risks affect how most enterprises are organised and managed. Therefore, paragraph 27 of this Standard provides that an enterprise's organisational structure and its internal financial reporting system is the basis for identifying its segments. The risks and returns of an enterprise are influenced both by the geographical location of its operations (where its products are produced or where its service delivery activities are based) and also by the location of its markets (where its products are sold or services are rendered). The definition allows geographical segments to be based on either:

(a) the location of an enterprise's production or service facilities and other assets; or

(b) the location of its markets and customers.

14. An enterprise's organisational and internal reporting structure will normally provide evidence of whether its dominant source of geographical risks results from the location of its assets (the origin of its sales) or the location of its customers (the destination of its sales). Accordingly, an enterprise looks to this structure to determine whether its geographical segments should be based on the location of its assets or on the location of its customers.

15. Determining the composition of a business or geographical segment involves a certain amount of judgement. In making that judgement, enterprise management takes into account the objective of reporting financial information by segment as set forth in this Standard and the qualitative characteristics of financial statements as identified in the IASC framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements. Those qualitative characteristics include the relevance, reliability, and comparability over time of financial information that is reported about an enterprise's different groups of products and services and about its operations in particular geographical areas, and the usefulness of that information for assessing the risks and returns of the enterprise as a whole.

Definitions of segment revenue, expense, result, assets, and liabilities

16. The following additional terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified:

Segment revenue is revenue reported in the enterprise's income statement that is directly attributable to a segment and the relevant portion of enterprise revenue that can be allocated on a reasonable basis to a segment, whether from sales to external customers or from transactions with other segments of the same enterprise. Segment revenue does not include:

(a) 8deleted9

(b) interest or dividend income, including interest earned on advances or loans to other segments, unless the segment's operations are primarily of a financial nature; or

(c) gains on sales of investments or gains on extinguishment of debt unless the segment's operations are primarily of a financial nature.

Segment revenue includes an enterprise's share of profits or losses of associates, joint ventures, or other investments accounted for under the equity method only if those items are included in consolidated or total enterprise revenue.

Segment revenue includes a joint venturer's share of the revenue of a jointly controlled entity that is accounted for by proportionate consolidation in accordance with IAS 31, financial reporting of interests in joint ventures.

Segment expense is expense resulting from the operating activities of a segment that is directly attributable to the segment and the relevant portion of an expense that can be allocated on a reasonable basis to the segment, including expenses relating to sales to external customers and expenses relating to transactions with other segments of the same enterprise. Segment expense does not include:

(a) [deleted];

(b) interest, including interest incurred on advances or loans from other segments, unless the segment's operations are primarily of a financial nature;

(c) losses on sales of investments or losses on extinguishment of debt unless the segment's operations are primarily of a financial nature;

(d) an enterprise's share of losses of associates, joint ventures, or other investments accounted for under the equity method;

(e) income tax expense; or

(f) general administrative expenses, head-office expenses, and other expenses that arise at the enterprise level and relate to the enterprise as a whole. However, costs are sometimes incurred at the enterprise level on behalf of a segment. Such costs are segment expenses if they relate to the segment's operating activities and they can be directly attributed or allocated to the segment on a reasonable basis.

Segment expense includes a joint venturer's share of the expenses of a jointly controlled entity that is accounted for by proportionate consolidation in accordance with IAS 31.

For a segment's operations that are primarily of a financial nature, interest income and interest expense may be reported as a single net amount for segment reporting purposes only if those items are netted in the consolidated or enterprise financial statements.

Segment result is segment revenue less segment expense. Segment result is determined before any adjustments for minority interest.

Segment assets are those operating assets that are employed by a segment in its operating activities and that either are directly attributable to the segment or can be allocated to the segment on a reasonable basis.

If a segment's segment result includes interest or dividend income, its segment assets include the related receivables, loans, investments, or other income-producing assets.

Segment assets do not include income tax assets.

Segment assets include investments accounted for under the equity method only if the profit or loss from such investments is included in segment revenue. Segment assets include a joint venturer's share of the operating assets of a jointly controlled entity that is accounted for by proportionate consolidation in accordance with IAS 31.

Segment assets are determined after deducting related allowances that are reported as direct offsets in the enterprise's balance sheet.

Segment liabilities are those operating liabilities that result from the operating activities of a segment and that either are directly attributable to the segment or can be allocated to the segment on a reasonable basis.

If a segment's segment result includes interest expense, its segment liabilities include the related interest-bearing liabilities.

Segment liabilities include a joint venturer's share of the liabilities of a jointly controlled entity that is accounted for by proportionate consolidation in accordance with IAS 31.

Segment liabilities do not include income tax liabilities.

Segment accounting policies are the accounting policies adopted for preparing and presenting the financial statements of the consolidated group or enterprise as well as those accounting policies that relate specifically to segment reporting.

17. The definitions of segment revenue, segment expense, segment assets, and segment liabilities include amounts of such items that are directly attributable to a segment and amounts of such items that can be allocated to a segment on a reasonable basis. An enterprise looks to its internal financial reporting system as the starting point for identifying those items that can be directly attributed, or reasonably allocated, to segments. That is, there is a presumption that amounts that have been identified with segments for internal financial reporting purposes are directly attributable or reasonably allocable to segments for the purpose of measuring the segment revenue, segment expense, segment assets, and segment liabilities of reportable segments.

18. In some cases, however, a revenue, expense, asset, or liability may have been allocated to segments for internal financial reporting purposes on a basis that is understood by enterprise management but that could be deemed subjective, arbitrary, or difficult to understand by external users of financial statements. Such an allocation would not constitute a reasonable basis under the definitions of segment revenue, segment expense, segment assets, and segment liabilities in this Standard. Conversely, an enterprise may choose not to allocate some item of revenue, expense, asset, or liability for internal financial reporting purposes, even though a reasonable basis for doing so exists. Such an item is allocated pursuant to the definitions of segment revenue, segment expense, segment assets, and segment liabilities in this Standard.

19. Examples of segment assets include current assets that are used in the operating activities of the segment, property, plant, and equipment, assets that are the subject of finance leases (IAS 17 Leases), and intangible assets. If a particular item of depreciation or amortisation is included in segment expense, the related asset is also included in segment assets. Segment assets do not include assets used for general entity or head office purposes. Segment assets include operating assets shared by two or more segments if a reasonable basis for allocation exists. Segment assets include goodwill that is directly attributable to a segment or can be allocated to a segment on a reasonable basis, and segment expense includes any impairment losses recognised for goodwill.

20. Examples of segment liabilities include trade and other payables, accrued liabilities, customer advances, product warranty provisions, and other claims relating to the provision of goods and services. Segment liabilities do not include borrowings, liabilities related to assets that are the subject of finance leases (IAS 17), and other liabilities that are incurred for financing rather than operating purposes. If interest expense is included in segment result, the related interest-bearing liability is included in segment liabilities. The liabilities of segments whose operations are not primarily of a financial nature do not include borrowings and similar liabilities because segment result represents an operating, rather than a net-of-financing, profit or loss. Further, because debt is often issued at the head-office level on an enterprise-wide basis, it is often not possible to directly attribute, or reasonably allocate, the interest-bearing liability to the segment.

21. Measurements of segment assets and liabilities include adjustments to the prior carrying amounts of the identifiable segment assets and segment liabilities of an entity acquired in a business combination, even if those adjustments are made only for the purpose of preparing consolidated financial statements and are not recognised in either the parent’s separate or the subsidiary’s individual financial statements. Similarly, if property, plant or equipment has been revalued after acquisition in accordance with the revaluation model in IAS 16, then measurements of segment assets reflect those revaluations.

22. Some guidance for cost allocation can be found in other Standards. For example, paragraphs 11-20 of IAS 2 Inventories (as revised in 2003) provide guidance on attributing and allocating costs to inventories, and paragraphs 16-21 of IAS 11 Construction Contracts provide guidance on attributing and allocating costs to contracts. That guidance may be useful in attributing or allocating costs to segments.

23. IAS 7, cash flow statements, provides guidance as to whether bank overdrafts should be included as a component of cash or should be reported as borrowings.

24. Segment revenue, segment expense, segment assets, and segment liabilities are determined before intra-group balances and intra-group transactions are eliminated as part of the consolidation process, except to the extent that such intra-group balances and transactions are between group enterprises within a single segment.

25. While the accounting policies used in preparing and presenting the financial statements of the enterprise as a whole are also the fundamental segment accounting policies, segment accounting policies include, in addition, policies that relate specifically to segment reporting, such as identification of segments, method of pricing inter-segment transfers, and basis for allocating revenues and expenses to segments.

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