Ariovaldo dos Santos

Discretionary-Based Disclosure: Evidence from the Brazilian Market

The primary objective of this paper is to identify the factors that explain Brazilian companies’ level of voluntary disclosure. Underpinning this work is the Discretionary-based Disclosure theory. The sample is composed of the top 100 largest non-financial companies listed in the Bolsa de Valores de Sao Paulo (Brazilian Securities, Commodities, and Futures exchange - BOVESPA). Information was gathered from Financial Statements for the years ending in 2006, 2007, and 2008, with the use of content analysis. A disclosure framework based on 27 studies from these years was created, with a total of 92 voluntary items divided into two dimensions: economic (43) and socio-environmental (49). Based on the existing literature, a total of 12 hypotheses were elaborated and tested using a panel data approach. Results evidence that: (a) Sector and Origin of Control are statistically significant in all three models tested: economic, socio-environmental, and total; (b) ‘Profitability’ is relevant in the economic model and in the total model; (c) Tobin’s Q is relevant in the socio-environmental model and in the total disclosure model; (d) Leverage and Auditing Firm are only relevant in the economic disclosure model; (e) Size, Governance, Stock Issuing, Growth Opportunities and Concentration of Control are not statistically significant in any of the three models.

Comitê de Auditoria versus Conselho Fiscal Adaptado: a visão dos analistas de mercado e dos executivos das empresas que possuem ADRs

The aim of this study was to obtain the opinion of executives working in companies that companies that operate in Brazil and negotiate their titles in the North-American market and the opinion of market analysts. For that, we used questionnaires and made interviews. The majority of executives working in companies with an Audit Committee pointed out the level of Corporate Governance as one of the factors that most influenced the decision to establish either of the agencies. On the other hand, according to the majority of executives working in companies with an adapted Fiscal Council, the level of Corporate Governance, in addition to the fact that the company was audited by one of the Big4, and the companys classification according to the Aggregate Worldwide Market Value, were factors that influenced their decisions. There was no consensus of opinions among company executives and market analysts regarding a Fiscal Council being more adaptable to the Brazilian business environment than an Audit Committee, both in terms of the role of each entity being distinct and in terms of the costs associated with building an Audit Committee. Thus, we can conclude that in some cases, the point of view of analysts is different than that of company executives.

Lobbying na Regulação Contábil: Evidências do Setor Petrolífero

This work aims to identify the determining factors in the submission of comment letters to the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) on the discussion paper Extractive Activities as a lobbying strategy in the context of accounting regulation. The results show that size is a determining factor in all models used, indicating that large oil companies are more likely to lobby. This tendency is especially evident for companies that are predominantly opposed to the IASB proposals, which suggests that the IASBs review/replacement of International Financial Reporting Standards 6 (IFRS 6) will be a complex process subject to pressure from oil companies to maintain the status quo.

Determinants of Corporate Voluntary Disclosure in Brazil

The central objective of this paper is to identify the factors that explain the level of voluntary disclosure of Brazilian public companies. The theory underpinning this work is the Discretionary-based Disclosure (Verrecchia, 2001). Sample is composed by the top 100 largest non-financial public companies listed in Bovespa. Information has been gathered from Financial Statements for the years ended in 2006, 2007 and 2008 with the use of content analysis. For these, a disclosure framework based on 27 studies has been elaborated. This framework contains a total of 92 voluntary items, divided in two dimensions: economic (43), social-environmental (49). Based on the existing literature, a total of 12 hypotheses have been elaborated and tested using a panel data approach. We have also analyzed the association between voluntary disclosure and company’s sector, which has been confirmed by the Chi-square test at a significance level of 1%. Correspondence Analysis, by means of the perceptual map, has evidenced that (i) retail sector is associated with a ‘bad’ level of disclosure and (ii) electric sector is associated with a ‘good’ and ‘great’ level of voluntary disclosure. Panel data analysis has evidence that: (i) ‘Sector’ and ‘Origin of Control’ are statically significant in all three models tested: economic, social-environmental, and total; (ii) ‘Profitability’ is relevant in the economic model and in the total model; (iii) Tobin’s Q is relevant in the social-environmental model and in the total disclosure model, (iv) ‘Leverage’ and ‘Auditing Firm’ are relevant, only, in the economic disclosure model; (v) ‘Size’, ‘Governance’, ‘Stock Issuing’, ‘Growth Opportunities’ and ‘Concentration of Control’ are not statistically significant in any of the three models of disclosure.

ANÁLISE DOS IMPACTOS DA PRIVATIZAÇÃO NA DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE RIQUEZA A PARTIR DA DEMONSTRAÇÃO DO VALOR ADICIONADO

One of the most discussed issues in Brazil recently has been the substitution of the Statement of Origins and Applications of Funds for the Statement of Cash Flow. This substitution is included in the project to change Law no 6.404/76, known as the “Law for Public Companies”. Thus it seems necessary to discuss the Statement of Cash Flow, mainly its disclosure method: direct or indirect. The theory indicates that the Direct Method is simpler to understand than the Indirect Method. However, the Indirect Method is considered to be more informative because it reconciles earnings and cash. This paper analyses the opinions of academics, market analysts and accountants, and with the objective of identifying whether one of the disclosure methods is preferred. The results indicate that there is no specific

A Remuneração dos Capitais Utilizados para Financiamento dos Ativos de Empresas Distribuidoras de Energia Elétrica Medida por Meio da DVA

The electric power sector is hugely important from an economic, political and social standpoint. The wealth created by this sector represented, on average, 2% of Brazil’s GDP in the period from 1998 to 2002. By looking at the financial statements of companies in the sector, one finds a very low rate of investments, but that these firms are still highly indebted. As a result of this debt load and the respective increase in financial expenses, besides the lack of investments, most electricity distributors have been accumulating significant losses. The objective of this study is to examine the way these companies are financing themselves and how the wealth they produce is being distributed to internal and external financial agents. By means of their Value Added Statements (VAS), one can observe that the portion of wealth going to remunerate capital (own and third-party) has gone mainly to external financiers. Our research also shows that in the past three years, electricity distributors have been creating increasing levels of wealth, but the volume of assets necessary for its creation has fallen significantly.

Correção Monetária: por uma Periodização do Uso da Ferramenta, de 1944 a 1995

This article works with the history of how the tool inflation adjustment of annual reports was arranged over half a century until its extinction. To do this, we related the social contexts, the legislation, and the academic perception corresponding to its best implementation in the financial system of Brazil. This study introduces a chronology of using this tool since the 1940s, when a sporadic revaluation of assets began, until the 1990s, when the signs of fatigue and the very extinction of inflation adjustment became apparent in Brazil. The importance of this historical contextualization relies on the possibility of understanding the history of inflation adjustment related to recent events in the country’s history, marked over these 50 years by troubled times in national politics, permeated with strong instabilities. The Brazilian economy has faced, in its recent history, long periods of high inflation rates. Several measures and plans were needed to reduce inflation rates and seek economic stability. Even so, it was observed that, in the first moments when the country experienced a less severe inflation process, compared to some later ones, there was support from a regulatory legislation and concern to measure and mitigate the impacts of devaluation of the currency’s purchasing power on the assets of companies. Thus, we also point out the limits imposed by the prohibition to use this tool to deal with the lack of accuracy of annual reports prepared by companies since 1996.

Investimentos avaliados pelo método da equivalência patrimonial: erro na contabilização de dividendos quando existem lucros não realizados

Whenever there are commercial transactions involving investees and investors, the figure of unrealized profit may come up. When the subsidiary sells any asset to the controlling company with a profit, and the latter has not sold it yet to a third part, it is said that, for the economic group, this profit has not been realized yet. It may happen that the subsidiary distributes this profit and, thus, the controlling company will receive dividends early. This study deals with accounting practices of financial statements when this profit is distributed, as well as how these anticipated dividends should be presented on the individual statements of controlling company and subsidiary; it also treats possibility of reflex in the consolidated financial statements. As this subject has not been discussed in the accounting sphere, neither has it been included in Brazilian legislation nor technical literature, this research aims to contribute to the subject by seeking to answer three questions: the first is related to the adequacy or not of the current accounting treatment of dividends from profits that have not been realized yet by the economic group. The second question seeks alternatives to the adequate accounting treatment of these dividends. The third refers to the presentation of financial statements in case of dividend payment from unrealized profits.

Demonstrações consolidadas pró-forma: importância avaliada em um caso real

This study deals with the consolidation of financial statements upon the acquisition of company control, emphasizing the comparability of statements at the time of acquisition, in the preceding and in the subsequent period. When a subsidiary is inserted for the first time in the consolidated balance of the holding company, this fact may lead to decreased comparability because, in the year of control acquisition, the balance sheet is fully consolidated, but the income statement is only consolidated from the acquisition date onwards. Therefore, the comparative analysis may be impaired since, in the previous year, there was no consolidation, since the subsidiary was not part of the economic group of the holding company while, in the next period, twelve months are consolidated in the accounts. The study aims to present an alternative to recover comparability between consolidated statements in control acquisition or business restructuring periods. This comparison can be achieved through pro forma consolidated statements. As a complement, we present a research carried out among financial and capital market professionals in order to evaluate their opinions about the publication of pro forma consolidated statements when relevant facts occur, such as control acquisition and business restructuring.

Impactos da eliminação da consolidação proporcional nas demonstrações contábeis da Itaúsa

is research aims to evaluate the impacts of the elimination of the proportionate consolidation method to recognize joint ventures investments, with the adoption of the Technical Pronouncement CPC 19 (R2), on the accounting amounts reported by Itaúsa – Investimentos Itaú S.A., and identify which accounting adjustments are necessary to explain the di erences in reported amounts. Until December 31, 2012, there were two methods to recognize these investments: proportionate consolidation and equity method. e adoption of CPC 19 (R2), from January 1, 2013, brought relevant changes and the elimination of the proportionate consolidation method was the most controversial one. ere are many users and researchers that argue that this method provides more relevant information. e e ects of this change, with signi cant impacts on the amounts reported by the joint venturer rm, were even more relevant in Brazil, since almost all Brazilian rms used the proportionate consolidation. It was chosen the case of Itaúsa and, consequently, of Itaú Unibanco Holding because this is the largest private group in Brazil and represents a relevant investment for its joint venturers. e analyses indicated that the total asset reported by Itaúsa using proportionate consolidation was 832% higher than the value reported by the equity method. For liabilities and revenues, this percentage was even higher: 5,096% and 17,771%, respectively. is impact a ects nancial indicators, industry rankings, and other nancial analyses. For example, the debt indicator decreased from 91% to 16%, when the accounting method was changed to the equity method. e analyses also indicated a set of accounting adjustments that explain the di erences in the accounting amounts reported by Itaúsa, and these adjustments are beyond the recognition of the proportionate amounts of joint ventures, including goodwill, unrealized intercompany results, among others. e main contribution of this research is to discuss the relevance of CPC 19 (R2) to the Brazilian market and its consequences for the largest private group in Brazil.