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The recent adoption in the U.S.A. and Canada of the management approach to identify reportable segments places relevance of the disclosed segmental data as the overriding concern over comparability. This study investigates whether relevance and comparability are mutually exclusive or can be simultaneously achieved in segmental disclosure. It is explicitly recognized that both properties are a joint function of segment performance and segment identification, the performance-identification conundrum. By using a data set drawn from the U.K., a jurisdiction that explicitly allows directors' discretion when identifying reportable segments, and a series of tests which remove performance differences, the potential impact of segment identification on the relevance/comparability issue is highlighted. The results of the tests reveal that for a significant portion of the sample the levels of both relevance and comparability are simultaneously low due to the segment identification choices made. These choices appear to match the possible outcomes of following the management approach to identification. By implication, the adoption of the management approach may lead to reduced comparability and relevance in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
