XBRL International
Encyclopedia
XBRL International is the international
standards organization
which develops and maintains the XBRL
Specification. It is a not-for-profit consortium
of agencies and companies internationally, working together to build the XBRL language standard, and support and promote XBRL's adoption. As of February 2008, the XII had approximately 650 members. XII is the organization responsible for the XBRL taxonomy that will used by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for US public companies after 2010.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant Walter Hamscher, who began his work with the XML standards consortium XBRL International while he was working on his PhD in computer science at MIT, the mission of XII's international members is to facilitate a standard for the transfer of financial information along the business information supply chain. Hamscher says that by creating a common framework, the flow of information to investors and other users is accelerated.
In 2008, the SEC mandated the use of XBRL reporting for US public companies. XBRL US, a division of XBRL International, was chosen to develop a single taxonomy for SEC financial reporting.
In May 2008, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox thanked XBRL International for "continued leadership in growing interactive data into its preeminent role as the computer language of business and financial reporting for the world".
Organizations are members of and pay membership fees to XBRL jurisdictions. As of August 2008, there are 16 established jurisdictions, seven provisional jurisdictions, and one affiliated organization (XBRL Europe).
XII has a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors. Technical direction of the standards owned by XII is controlled by the XBRL Standards Board. The Best Practices Board is responsible for collecting, evaluating and disseminating best practices in XBRL implementation.
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
standards organization
Standards organization
A standards organization, standards body, standards developing organization , or standards setting organization is any organization whose primary activities are developing, coordinating, promulgating, revising, amending, reissuing, interpreting, or otherwise producing technical standards that are...
which develops and maintains the XBRL
XBRL
XBRL is a freely available, market-driven, open, and global standard for exchanging business information. XBRL allows information modeling and the expression of semantic meaning commonly required in business reporting. XBRL is XML-based...
Specification. It is a not-for-profit consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of agencies and companies internationally, working together to build the XBRL language standard, and support and promote XBRL's adoption. As of February 2008, the XII had approximately 650 members. XII is the organization responsible for the XBRL taxonomy that will used by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for US public companies after 2010.
Mission
SEC Chairman Christopher Cox says "The centerpiece of our regulatory approach is giving investors the information they need to make wise decisions. We have an opportunity to exponentially improve the way we perform that mission."According to PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant Walter Hamscher, who began his work with the XML standards consortium XBRL International while he was working on his PhD in computer science at MIT, the mission of XII's international members is to facilitate a standard for the transfer of financial information along the business information supply chain. Hamscher says that by creating a common framework, the flow of information to investors and other users is accelerated.
History
XBRL was originally the work of the AICPA as a way to advance financial reporting and facilitate the global exchange of financial data. In response to the new standard, XBRL International was created to ensure compatibility and agreement among industry members in the adoption of new standards in business reporting. The consortium was created to collaborate on a set of core principles and components which make up the XBRL standard business reporting language and to prevent XBRL from growing into many different forms that might confuse the users of financial data.In 2008, the SEC mandated the use of XBRL reporting for US public companies. XBRL US, a division of XBRL International, was chosen to develop a single taxonomy for SEC financial reporting.
In May 2008, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox thanked XBRL International for "continued leadership in growing interactive data into its preeminent role as the computer language of business and financial reporting for the world".
Membership
The consortium is governed by its membership, which comprises about 650 organizations. XII members consist of jurisdictions, either provisional or established, organized under the rules of the organization. XII also accepts direct members and associations members. Jurisdiction members include businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities, governmental entities and in some cases individuals. There is no provision for individual membership directly with XII.Organizations are members of and pay membership fees to XBRL jurisdictions. As of August 2008, there are 16 established jurisdictions, seven provisional jurisdictions, and one affiliated organization (XBRL Europe).
Administration
XII comprises several working groups having jurisdictional and international focus. A Steering Committee chosen from jursidictional and at-large representatives, sets the overall direction of the specification and coordinates these working groups.XII has a Board of Directors and a Board of Advisors. Technical direction of the standards owned by XII is controlled by the XBRL Standards Board. The Best Practices Board is responsible for collecting, evaluating and disseminating best practices in XBRL implementation.