Search

This article aims to outline a profile of Controllership research in papers published in the annals of the National Association of Post-Graduate Programs and Research in Business Administration (EnANPAD) meeting and the USP Controllership and Accountancy Congress, from 2001 to 2006. The adopted research methodology comprised an exploratory study, with documentary analysis and a quantitative approach. The research results showed the main themes of these works, the adopted research methods, the different approaches to the study of Controllership, the researchers' affiliations and the bibliography consulted and referenced in the articles. It was concluded that, even though more papers were published in 2005, the volume is still small when compared to other themes focused on at these events. The small number of articles may also have been influenced by the search technique employed for selecting works, using the words Controllership, Controller, Management Accounting and Management Control, contained in the title, abstract or keywords. Nevertheless, this study is relevant to the extent that it contributes to the identifi cation of the qualitative and quantitative evolution of Controllership research in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For empirical purposes, value stocks are usually defined as those traded at low price-to-earnings ratios (stock prices divided by earnings per share), low price-to-book ratios (stock prices divided by book value per share) or high dividend yields (dividends per share divided by stock prices). Growth stocks, on the other hand, are traded at high price-to-earnings ratios, high price-to-book ratios or low dividend yields. Academic research so far produced, international and Brazilian alike, shows that value stocks outperform growth stocks, challenging the Efficient Market Hypothesis, which states that the market prices of traded stocks are the best estimate of their intrinsic values. Most studies use a single ratio to sort stocks on percentiles; risks (generally defined as beta or standard deviations) and returns are then calculated for the resulting value and growth portfolios. In the present paper, we aim to further contribute to the growing literature on the field by applying a method not previously tested on the Brazilian market. We build portfolios sorted by the price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios alone and by a combination of both in order to assess value and growth stocks' risks and returns on the Brazilian stock market between 1989 and 2009. Furthermore, our risk analysis may be regarded as the paper's main contribution, since its approach departs from conventional risk concepts, as we not only test for beta: portfolios' returns are measured under different economic conditions. Results support a pervasive value premium in the Brazilian stock market. Risk analysis shows that this premium holds under every economic condition analyzed, suggesting that value stocks are indeed less risky. Beta proved not to be a satisfactory risk measure. Portfolios sorted by the price-to-earnings ratio yielded the best results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sought to analyze the historical evolution, the composition, and the determinants of debt specialization of Brazilian firms traded on Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (B3) from 2004 to 2019 in aggregate terms and in accordance with their financial constraints. This paper differs from the few studies on this topic carried out in Brazil and in other countries by promoting a discussion on the specialization of the debt structure in a context of financial constraints, as they are a relevant idiosyncrasy of emerging markets, such as in Brazil. The relevance of the study is to identify that debt specialization is a feature of only of financially constrained firms and not of the financially unconstrained ones. The impact of the study lies in a better understanding of why Brazilian firms are reducing their debt specialization, unlike other international evidences, such as the U.S. Descriptive statistics and regressions were estimated using the probit and tobit methods for 246 Brazilian firms between 2004 and 2019. The main result is that financial constrained firms are more likely to specialize their debt structure. Despite this propensity, these companies were the ones that most decreased their debt specialization between 2004 and 2019 (-27.77%), compared to the general sample (-27.5%) and unconstrained firms (-19.48%), revealing a behavior contrary to the U.S. scenario in which companies are increasingly specialists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to understand the relationships between the consolidation of the actuarial profession and social security policies in Brazil, from the First Republic up to the Vargas Era. In general, there is little literature on the history of the actuarial profession in Brazil. Specifically, there is no study that addresses the relationship between the development of the actuarial profession and the social security policies at the crucial moment of Brazilian social security expansion during the Vargas Era. This paper contributes to filling that gap. From time to time, Brazilian social security reforms are debated. The role of actuaries in this discussion is poorly understood. However, these professionals have historically been essential to social security policies. This article sheds light on that history. The text may broaden the knowledge on the history of the actuarial profession and its relationships with social security policies in Brazil. This is a historical study, built based on primary documentation. Sources were researched relating to the actuarial organizations for social security in Brazil and the actuarial professionals who composed their staff. The references to the professional trajectories of actuaries were crossed and considered in light of the information gathered regarding the actions of the institutions that employed them. The analysis was qualitative and the material was interpreted with the support of the referenced bibliography. This article reveals that the consolidation of the actuarial profession came about based on the participation of engineers-actuaries in the public organizations that supported the varguista social security policies. The paper also contributes to broadening the knowledge on the history of the actuarial profession in Brazil from the First Republic up to the Vargas Era (1930-1945). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's main objective is to present the circumstances that signal an imminent commercial bank liquidation and the conditions in which mergers are advantageous for a potential acquirer. In addition, it applies the method in an empirical investigation within the context of the domestic banking industry. The research reveals new explanatory factors for liquidations and mergers between robust and insolvent banking institutions, such as bankruptcy costs and tax credits derived from a corporate union. The framework stands out for highlighting the role of creditor financial institutions participating in the open and interbank markets, which in the search to maximize their utility together with that of the shareholders have a decisive influence over the continuity or closure of the bank in crisis. The soundness of the financial system is an essential public good for society. Systemic financial crises cause significant costs for economic agents, such as a fall in production, increased unemployment, a rise in the fiscal deficit, and asset price instability. Efforts to achieve stability involve the regular functioning of banks. In this context, it is important to understand the circumstances under which banking institution distress can be solved by alternatives that are less costly for the treasury. Often, the research indicates the causes of disruptions to corporate activities; however, the explanatory variables and the tools used by bankruptcy prediction models are constantly being evaluated. Theories that elucidate the phenomenon are even scarcer. The paper's result suggests the effectiveness of the method developed from the paradigmatic perspective of the field of economics and management, corroborating agency theory. The explanatory variables of bankruptcy and bank merger highlighted in this research can contribute to the elaboration of robust models to predict financial distress. The mathematical model of liquidation and merger was constructed from the viewpoint of an imperfect world where informational asymmetry and conflict of interests among shareholders, open and interbank market creditors, and bondholders (which includes depositors and holders of bonds issued by the bank) prevail. Bankruptcy maximizes shareholder and creditor utility if liquidation costs plus the value payable to the bondholders after liquidation are lower than the value they receive in the event of continuity. A merger is feasible for an acquirer if expected return plus tax benefits minus bondholder expenses is greater than the value payable to interbank market creditors. The method is applied to the merger between Itaú and Unibanco, considered a milestone in the process of consolidating the banking market in Brazil. This paper suggests the use of an algebraic model, based on agency theory, as an indicator of conditions for liquidations and bank mergers. The proposed approach was adequate for explaining the union between Unibanco and Itaú, which culminated in the largest private financial conglomerate in the Southern Hemisphere. Unibanco experienced the bankruptcy circumstances and there was evidence that Itaú's tax benefits encouraged the merger. This article contributes to academic epistemology because it revisits the classical model, characterized by mathematical and theoretical robustness, and adjusts it to the specificities of banks. In addition to this methodological novelty, it applies it to an emblematic case, making it a useful tool for corporate decision-making and bank supervision, especially with regards to actions focused on financial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the presence of window dressing in the Brazilian investment fund market, focusing on equity funds. Window dressing is a practice that presents a particular portfolio composition to the market, which is different from that held by the fund in the reporting period. Just before the end of the period, fund managers change their positions with the aim of presenting safer, more profitable securities portfolios. We believe that there is a lack of empirical evidence on this topic in Brazil. Previous research focuses on diversification, style analysis, fund portfolio turnover, manager profile, and performance. Therefore, we believe that our paper is pioneering in presenting results on window dressing in Brazil. With the presence of window dressing, the market may signal distorted results to investors and guide their allocations towards funds in which they would not invest in the absence of such practices. Moreover, the adoption of window dressing may increase transaction costs and thus destroy value. Our results present a connection with previous studies by Bremer and Kato (1996), O'Neal (2001), Ng and Wang (2004), Ortiz, Sarto, and Vicente (2012), and Agarwal, Gay, and Ling (2014). This paper provides evidence of window dressing in Brazilian equity funds and proposes an empirical study to verify the presence of the practice between 2010 and 2016, using market model residuals, rank gap, and backward holding return gap analysis techniques. In short, our results are consistent with window dressing practices in funds managed by small companies that were losers against the Bovespa Index and presented a high tracking error in the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate whether the key audit matters (KAMs) contained in the annual standardized financial statements (SFSs) of Brazilian listed companies have contributed with informational relevance for investors. The study fills a gap in the literature by evaluating the Brazilian market's reaction to the disclosure of the information contained in the KAMs, which became mandatory for listed companies to disclose in their financial statements as of the 2016 fiscal year. The topic under analysis is of practical relevance as the use of KAMs in the independent auditor's report is growing and expanding to other publicly-held companies in addition to listed ones. This study provides a contribution to the Brazilian capital market regulator (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários - CVM) and the Institute of Independent Auditors of Brazil (Ibracon) regarding understanding the impacts of the new auditor's report, thus enabling the improvement and expansion of this mechanism. For the analysis, we use the event study methodology, which consists of evaluating how information influences the market in a particular period associated with the occurrence of a disclosure event. To do so, we used the variation in the sum of the daily abnormal returns of each company on the days that form part of the information disclosure window. The results of this paper indicate the consistency of the informative content of the financial statements with KAMs, insofar as the variation in the cumulative abnormal return of the companies analyzed is positively associated with the cumulative returns in the information disclosure window for the SFSs following the adoption of the new independent auditor's report. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by presenting empirical evidence of the informational relevance of the content of the new audit report containing KAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to estimate mortality and analyze its differentials by sex, age, and groups of beneficiaries of the Brazilian National Institute of Social Security (INSS) in 2015 and make comparisons with official estimates for the general population, assessing the distribution of deaths by age and of survival after 65 years old. The results reinforce the need for more studies on mortality differentials between beneficiary groups and for continuous investment to improve the quality of the data. Population aging, among other aspects, puts pressure on the Brazilian social security system, and there is real concern about its sustainability. Life tables by population subgroups are fundamental as a tool for analyzing the financial and actuarial equilibrium of the system. The results contribute to the debate on the mortality differentials between groups of beneficiaries of the general pension and social security system in Brazil. The death and population data derive from the administrative records of the INSS. We used Gompertz and Van de Maen models and Topals regression to estimate the mortality rates above the age of 65, according to the following beneficiary groups: retirees through age of the General Social Security Regime (Regime Geral de Previdência Social - RGPS) - disaggregated by urban and rural clienteles; retirees through period of contribution; and beneficiaries of welfare support for low income seniors. Among the main results, it was possible to minimize the crossover in the mortality rates of older ages, when the mortality of the less advantaged population becomes lower than the mortality of populations with better social indicators. Cross-checking the results with the official mortality estimates, it was observed that life expectancies for the 65 and 75 year old age groups of the target population of this study are higher than in the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the degree of tax aggressiveness is associated with conditional conservatism in Brazil. After a thorough literature review on accounting conservatism by Brazilian academia and a discussion about tax aggressiveness and accounting conservatism, a literature gap was found because the relationship between a firm's degree of tax aggressiveness and its conditional conservatism had not been investigated previously. Taxable income has a relationship with accounting income in the Brazilian corporate income tax system. Hence, tax planning can affect financial information properties. This study offers a partial explanation of accounting conservatism based on tax issues that contribute to the conservatism and taxation literature. The results suggest that tax strategies that aim to avoid tax burden are related to conditional conservative accounting. Hence, the practice of conditional conservatism in Brazil appears to be linked with tax-deductible alternatives of reducing earnings, which would explain tax planning's association with the degree of conditional conservatism in financial reporting. This finding is relevant to financial reporting users that can consider our results in their analysis and to management that seeks to understand their decisions about tax planning better. For this research purpose, two Basu models (Basu, 1997) were adopted, adapted with tax-aggressiveness controls. The effective tax rate (ETR) was used as a tax-aggressiveness metric, controlling firms with both high and low ETR. The study period was from 2010 to 2019 for Brazilian firms from B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (B3). The findings demonstrate a significant relationship between tax avoidance and conditional conservatism, that is, more tax-aggressive firms tend to use more conservative accounting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between the level of debt structure heterogeneity and the cost of debt of publicly and privately held Brazilian companies in the period from 2020 to 2019. Debt structure heterogeneity is a relatively recent topic in the financial literature related to capital structure. As far as is known, the direct relationship between debt heterogeneity and the cost of debt has not yet been addressed in previous studies in the national and international literature. Research that broadens the knowledge regarding factors that attenuate the cost of debt is pertinent, especially in a context such as that of Brazil, in which high funding cost spreads end up compromising the economic viability of many projects and, consequently, the capacity for companies to generate value. The research results have impacts over the financial decision-making process, given the association identified between heterogeneity and debt cost, leading to reflections on the definition of a company's capital structure. Thus, it is closely related with firm value, whose maximization is the object of interest of managers and shareholders. Panel data regression models were estimated in which the dependent variable is represented by the cost of debt and the explanatory variables are represented by the heterogeneity level of companies' debt structure, which in turn is represented by two different proxies, aiming to give greater robustness to the results. The results are original and highlight the role of the debt structure in reducing the cost of debt. It is verified that the greater the debt heterogeneity, the lower companies' cost of debt. This relationship is even more intense for companies that are more susceptible to high agency costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to contribute to the literature on investment funds in emerging markets by looking at the performance of multimarket funds in Brazil from a manager perspective. The aim of the paper was to analyze whether some characteristics of investment fund managers, as well as their portfolio holdings, can affect fund performance. In emerging countries both portfolio asset allocation and manager characteristics can help explain differences in the fund performance, which increases the relevance of this study. Therefore, the impact of this research lies in its revealing a signifficant relationship between riskadjusted return and the portion of portfolios allocated to fixed or variable income, which seems that have not been explored in the context of emerging economies yet. A total of 6,002 multimarket funds were analyzed, covering the period between September 2009 and December 2015, using panel data with robust standard errors clustered by funds. We also employed robust statistics in order to assess some potential biases due to outliers, by analyzing the breakdown point in the estimated models. It should be noted that portfolio composition (allocation of portfolios into variable income and fixed income) was the most important factor in explaining a potential change in the performance of Brazilian multimarket funds. Also important were the effiectiveness of the management of these funds, that is, the best risk-adjusted returns were delivered by less experienced managers, funds investing more in fixed income, managers with more funds under management, and larger funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the impact of the adoption of fair value on the volatility of the results and reserves of Brazilian banks. The sample consisted of 73 banks, which represented, in June 2002, 95.93% of total assets in the national system. We conducted a comparative analysis between the volatilities, with and without the effects of the new regulation, and investigated if there is some symptom of utilization of practices for smoothing the benefits, related to the items of adjustments to fair value. The results of our research revealed that, as opposed to expectations, the new criterion in question has not increased volatility but, on the opposite, has exhibited symptoms of smoothing of benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the influence of market structure on the competition between banks and to determine whether competition affects their profitability in different countries in Latin America. The study also seeks to compare, between 16 countries in the continent, the levels of concentration, competition, and profitability of the respective banking sectors. This article fills the research gap regarding the structure and market power of banks in emerging countries, by comparing Brazil with the other countries in the continent. The topic is extremely important at a time of debate about the high interest rates in Brazil, the market structure observed, and the alleged effect of this on the high levels of spread between lending and borrowing rates. The research provides evidence for the debate regarding the structure of the banking industry. To evaluate competition, the Panzar-Rosse model was used. Concentration was measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and CR5 ratio. To verify the link between the variables, the hypotheses of the structure-conduct-performance model were tested, via a sample of 16 countries in Latin America, covering the period from 2011 to 2017, using panel data regression. This study, conducted for the banking industry in Latin America, rejected the premises of the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) model, which affirm that concentration reduces competition, causing higher profitability in the sector. In the comparison of the studied variables between the countries in the continent, Brazil presented the lowest competition index. The concentration and profitability assessments, in turn, presented results in line with the mean. The results of the research serve to elucidate the intense debate regarding the structure of the banking market. Moreover, they serve as a scientific basis for regulators' actions, aiming to incentivize competition and reduce bank spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the flows and the future returns of stock funds are related to investors' unobservable information. This article extends the knowledge about investment decisions regarding stock funds and considers a representation of unobservable information that until now has not been contemplated by the Brazilian literature. Understanding decisions to invest in stocks has become more important since the fall in interest rates and migration toward equity investments. The use of unobservable information for making investment decisions is important when choosing stock funds and the return gap could be added to the list of information offered to investors. The return gap measures the value added by managers in relation to the most recently disclosed complete lagged portfolio and was calculated every month for every asset in the portfolios of every fund in the sample disclosed with a three-month lag. A parsimonious sample was used of 22 actively managed funds in the period from January of 2010 to December of 2018, containing one from every one of the 22 biggest independent Brazilian managers, because it is laborious to calculate this metric. The return gap represents unobservable information about a fund. Investors that direct their capital toward stock funds with a higher historical return gap tend to obtain higher returns in out-of-sample tests, suggesting persistence of the returns of these funds and supporting the importance of unobservable information. Investors that directed their capital toward funds with lower historical return gaps could also obtain positive alphas in some cases, indicating that some managers were neglected. The fund flow results were inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the methodological rigor of case studies in management accounting published in Brazilian journals. The study is descriptive. The data were collected using documentary research and content analysis, and 180 papers published from 2008 to 2012 in accounting journals rated as A2, B1, and B2 that were classified as case studies were selected. Based on the literature, we established a set of 15 criteria that we expected to be identified (either explicitly or implicitly) in the case studies to classify those case studies as appropriate from the standpoint of methodological rigor. These criteria were partially met by the papers analyzed. The aspects less aligned with those proposed in the literature were the following: little emphasis on justifying the need to understand phenomena in context; lack of explanation of the reason for choosing the case study strategy; the predominant use of questions that do not enable deeper analysis; many studies based on only one source of evidence; little use of data and information triangulation; little emphasis on the data collection method; a high number of cases in which confusion between case study as a research strategy and as data collection method were detected; a low number of papers reporting the method of data analysis; few reports on a study's contributions; and a minority highlighting the issues requiring further research. In conclusion, the method used to apply case studies to management accounting must be improved because few studies showed rigorous application of the procedures that this strategy requires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to identify the factors that influence people’s behavior with regard to tax evasion practices in Brazil based on an analysis of the internal and external rewards. The study analyzes internal and external rewards as a determining factor of tax evasion, unlike other studies that have focused on analyzing economic and social factors. The topic is addressed from a contemporary perspective, based on a behavioral analysis of economic and social factors. The paper contributes with its conceptual refinement and assumptions that may strengthen the foundations for studying the factors that influence tax evasion. The data collection was carried out by means of a quasi-experiment followed by the application of a questionnaire, in the period from November of 2016 to September of 2017, in loco, with 800 data collection instruments in all the geographic regions of the country, 598 of which were validated. Measures were adopted to ensure the content, criteria, and construct validities. The reliability test resulted in a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.63 and the composite reliability was higher than 0.60. The data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and using the binary logistic regression model. The results of this research illustrate, by means of the logistic regression analysis using a univariate approach, that external rewards – punishment – and internal rewards – self-concept, social norms, fiscal transparency, and cost of compliance – influence people’s dishonest behavior with regards to tax evasion practices in the sample studied. The study analyzes tax evasion based on an interdisciplinary approach, cooperating with the public administration in determining actions that can discourage evasion, by implementing strategies that include behavioral factors relating to the taxpayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the relationships between the portfolio turnover and performance of equity investment funds in Brazil. There are few published studies on the subject, but the previously identified Brazilian studies that have examined making changes to portfolios have been limited to very restricted data samples and have only worked with an ordinary least squares (OLS) model without taking into account the indications of international studies and economic theory itself of the possible endogeneity of turnover, which would make OLS estimation inadequate. The expressive growth of the fund industry in the Brazilian market shows the relevance of the object of research. Two portfolio turnover metrics were analyzed: one based on changes in the monetary values of the assets and another based on changing the weights of the assets in the portfolio. The estimations were performed for fixed effects panel data and then for a two-stage least squares model, using instrumental variables. The funds that make up the sample are those classified as “free shares” in the period from January of 2012 to January of 2018. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between the portfolio turnover and performance of the equity investment funds, showing that managers have been able to take advantage of moments of mispricing in the market and that they carry out more trades in search of higher returns. This research extends the results in the literature as it shows that there is a positive relationship between the turnover and performance of equity investment funds that is independent of the way turnover or performance are measured, which has shown inconclusive results in previous studies. Furthermore, it presents evidence for a more representative and current sample in an emerging market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies two aspects of the automobile insurance market in Brazil: first, it determines the degree of competition among insurance companies, and second, it estimates and analyzes the demand for automobile insurance. Most of the studies on the automobile insurance market in Brazil analyze the performance of the firms in this sector or present regional studies of the demand for insurance and its determinants. Thus, this study innovates both in showing the competition among the firms and estimating the demand for insurance in the country. The relevance of this research lies in the sequential and ordered way it analyzes the demand in a sector. Firstly, it identifies the type of competition that takes place in the sector and then, based on this, it proposes a structural framework based on optimizing decisions for estimating the price, income, and market power elasticities of demand. Furthermore, analyzing the insurance industry is of the utmost importance since it moves significant amounts of financial resources and provides an essential service in the economy. With information about the market structure and demand profile in the automobile insurance sector it is possible to propose strategic policies for individual firms as well as for the whole sector in order to introduce more efficiency. To analyze the degree of competitiveness, several concentration indices were calculated using annually-aggregated monthly data on the premium paid to all the automobile insurance firms in the period from 2001 to 2016. To estimate the demand for automobile insurance, half-yearly data from 2002 to 2010 for each one of the 27 federative units of Brazil were used. Two main findings are presented in this study. First, we find evidence of little concentration in the Brazilian automobile insurance market, with shares being well distributed among the players. Second, we estimate the demand for automobile insurance in Brazil and find a price-elasticity of -0.47 in the short run and -1.33 in the long run, while the lagged profitability has a negative impact on the amount insured: -0.21 in the short run and -0.59 in the long run. Income does not significantly influence the demand for insurance in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether the performance of credit unions that offer microcredit in Brazil was affected by the advent of Crescer - the National Microcredit Program. This research fills a gap in the literature because few papers investigate credit unions that work with microcredit and also the effects of governmental interventions related to microcredit operations. Studies of this type may help evaluate the impact of governmental interventions on the performance of the institutions that are directly or indirectly affected. Our results add to the debate about microcredit and about the inclusion of credit unions in this market. In particular, our evidence may influence the design of public policies and the strategies of microfinance institutions, which typically combine economic and social objectives. Based on the literature, we calculate fifteen indicators for each credit union, related to their financial and social performance. The inferences are based on the implementation of the difference in differences estimator using the advent of Crescer, in 2011, as the exogenous event of interest and including in the control group the credit unions that did not provide microcredit loans throughout the sample period. This research presents evidence that the volume of clients and microcredit operations performed by Brazilian credit unions was positively affected by regulatory changes that took place in 2011, consistently with the objectives of the governmental intervention. The evidence also suggests that the governmental intervention did not harm the financial sustainability of the credit unions. The main changes are: a substantial reduction of interest rates and transaction costs, the implementation of subsidies to participants in the program, and a push for public banks to enhance their supply of productive and oriented microcredit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to study poison pills, investigate the conceptual aspects, as well as legal dispositions and other rules applicable. A research of publicly-held firms that use this anti-takeover instrument was done, sampled till June 2006, in order to discover peculiarities in the Brazilian environment. Moreover, as an objective of this paper, some theories that can explain the behavior of managers from poison pill firms were presented, focused on the classical agency problem: managers' interest against firms' interest. This exploratory study should support the development of a new empirical research area in Brazil. Theories here presented can and should be investigated in future research, in order to improve Brazilian literature focused on this matter. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to consider the idiosyncratic aspects of the Brazilian Stock Market and precocity of these poison pill firms in empirical studies, before coming to any conclusion about the figures and measures obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses equity analysts' forecasts for Brazilian firms to analyze whether there are signifi cant differences between the results from the estimation of equity value when applying the discounted cash flow model (DCF) and the residual income model (OHLSON). The approach used in this research is pioneer, considering that previous papers comparing valuation models in Brazil used researchers' assumptions, based on public information, to implement the valuation models. However, the correct implementation of these models relies on market expectations (i.e. equity analysts) to calculate equity values. Additionally, we evaluate what model (DCF or OHLSON) better explains the Price-to-Book relation for future periods. Conclusions are: i) there are statistically significant differences for estimates of equity value when using discounted cash flow models and residual income models, and ii) Price-to-Book ratios calculated through discounted cash flow models have higher explanatory power for future Price-to-Book ratios than the estimates of this ratio using residual income valuation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose a methodology to evaluate accounting and auditing journals published in English and available in the CAPES Journal Portal. The research is justified by two basic premises: Brazilian accounting research needs international penetration and foreign journals have not been evaluated by CAPES yet. This study sample is composed of the journals that had the words 'accounting' and 'auditing' in their title. Non-academic journals were not analyzed and the final sample consisted of 40 journals. Data were collected from the journals' websites and involved an analysis of the following aspects: editorial board, instructions for authors, aim/focus, blind review, indexation in SCOPUS and Institute for Scientifi c Information, Journal of Citation Report impact factor and temporality ratio. To collect information on the journal's cut rate, e-mails were sent to the chief editors. Based on the proposed methodology, 8 journals received an "A" concept, 20 "B" and 12 "C". The three best evaluated journals according to this study are: Journal of Accounting and Economics (JAE), Accounting Organization and Society (AOS) and The Accounting Review (TAR). This paper aims to contribute to Brazilian literature by proposing an alternative methodology for scientific journal evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper features a case study of one of the main Brazilian banks of the 90's: Banco Nacional S/A (BNSA). The bank had its intervention decreed by Central Bank of Brazil in 1995, after the existence of insolvent assets, originated by fraudulent earnings management, were identified. The study aims to investigate the fraudulent earnings management of BNSA, both in motivational aspects and in relation of the effects in its balance sheet structure. The methodological approach of the study encompasses: (i) an explanatory research, regarding the intended aim of the study; (ii) case study, regarding the applied procedures; and (iii) a qualitative research, regarding the approach to the problem. It was concluded that irreconcilable conflicts of interest might occur between the agent and the principal, according to the Agency Theory. The paper also emphasizes the importance of knowledge of finance information data to identify the main facts, the relevant adjustment and the correct disclosure of the financial condition of an entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to investigate the impact of levels of selectivity on the performance of equity funds using a methodology applied for the first time ever (as far as we know) in the Brazilian market. As an indicator of the activity level of a fund, we proposed the coefficient of determination (R2) of the regression of its returns over market returns. In total, 867 funds were analyzed in the period between November 2004 and October 2014. The hypothesis tested is that more selective funds perform better to compensate for their higher operating costs. This hypothesis was confirmed in the Brazilian market. Dynamic equally-weighted portfolios of funds were simulated, according to their past R² and alphas, with monthly rebalancing and 12-month moving windows. The portfolio of the most selective funds had a Sharpe ratio of 0.0494, on a monthly basis, while the portfolio of the least selective funds had a Sharpe ratio of -0.0314. Performance was also higher in evaluations involving excess returns, Jensen's alpha, and accumulated returns, as well as when compared to randomly selected portfolios. Moreover, past performance (as measured by Jensen's alpha) was also a predictor of future performance. Particularly, the portfolio composed by funds with a higher past alpha and lower past R² presented a Sharpe ratio of 0.1483 and a Jensen's alpha of 0.87% (significant at 1%), while the one composed of funds with a lower past alpha and lower activity level presented a Sharpe ratio of -0.0673 and an alpha of -0.32% (also significant at 1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses profitability-liquidity relationships on accounting and market levels for 872 shares of publicly-traded Brazilian companies, observed between 1994 and 2013. On the market level, the assumption is that share liquidity is able to reduce some of the risks incurred by investors, making them more willing to pay a higher price for liquid shares, which would lower expected market returns. On the accounting level, the basic hypothesis argues that a firm's holding more liquid assets is related to a conservative investment policy, possibly reducing accounting returns for shareholders. Under the assumption of financial constraint, however, more accounting liquidity would allow positive net present value investments to be carried out, increasing future accounting returns, which would positively affect market liquidity and share prices in an efficient market, resulting in a lower market risk/expected return premium. Under the assumption of no financial constraint, however, more accounting liquidity would only represent a carry cost, compromising future accounting returns, which would adversely affect market liquidity and share prices and result in a higher market risk/expected return premium. Among the hypotheses, the presence of a negative market liquidity premium was verified in Brazil, with shares that traded more exhibiting a higher expected market return. On the margins of the major theories on the subject, only two negative relationships between excess accounting liquidity and market liquidity and accounting return, supporting the carry cost assumption for financially unconstrained firms, were verified. In terms of this paper's contributions, there is the analysis, unprecedented in Brazil as far as is known, of the relationship between liquidity and return on market and accounting levels, considering the financial constraint hypothesis to which the firms are subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International literature indicates that the capital buffers held by banks result notably from the trade-off that exists between the cost of holding capital, adjustment costs, and bankruptcy costs, which all have a direct impact on banks' capital structures. The aim of this paper is to study the degree of sensitivity of Brazilian banks' capital buffers to the determining factors established in the literature, by using a sample of 121 banks, covering the period from 2001 to 2011. The empirical analysis that was carried out found that there was a significant cost of adjusting capital buffers for the Brazilian banks. At the same time, bankruptcy cost indicated a positive relationship between risk profile and capital buffers, while the cost of holding capital did not exhibit statistical significance in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of the aggregate market volatility components - average volatility and average correlation - on the pricing of portfolios sorted by idiosyncratic volatility, using Brazilian data. The study investigates whether portfolios with high and low idiosyncratic volatility - in relation to the Fama and French model (1996) - have different exposures to innovations in average market volatility, and consequently, different expectations for return. The results are in line with those found for US data, although they portray the Brazilian reality. Decomposition of volatility allows the average volatility component, without the disturbance generated by the average correlation component, to better price the effects of a worsening or an improvement in the investment environment. This result is also identical to that found for US data. Average variance should thus command a risk premium. For US data, this premium is negative. According to Chen and Petkova (2012), the main reason for this negative sign is the high level of investment in research and development recorded by companies with high idiosyncratic volatility. As in Brazil this type of investment is significantly lower than in the US, it was expected that a result with the opposite sign would be found, which is in fact what occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to risk management literature, diversification helps mitigate risk. Index funds, known as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which were recently introduced into the Brazilian market, make diversification straightforward to accomplish. This paper investigates the efficiency of the valuation process of the Ibovespa iShares with respect to the fair value of the shares. For this purpose, a high-frequency time series analysis of ETFs and Ibovespa was used, followed by strategy simulations that included goodwill and negative goodwill between asset sets with and without transaction costs. To avoid data-snooping effects on the transaction outcomes, a time series bootstrap was applied. The results initially indicated share-pricing inefficiency because the inclusion of goodwill and negative goodwill in the strategy resulted in returns of 172.5% above the fund's index. Additionally, it became apparent that even with the introduction of operating costs, the gains continued to exhibit inefficiency. However, after applying the bootstrap technique, the results did not suggest excess returns, which could be attributed to data snooping. Therefore, the results demonstrate the impossibility of agents earning abnormal returns from the differences between the values of the ETF share and its corresponding index, thereby indicating that the Ibovespa iShare fund pricing is efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issuance of Brazilian Law 11.638/2007 is a critical step in the convergence of the Brazilian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs) towards International Financial Reporting Standards. After the law was implemented and later modified by Provisional Executive Order 449/2008 (converted into Law 11.941/2009), certain accounting choices were allowed during the transition period. The Brazilian GAAPs allowed for restructuring costs and costs related to opening a new facility to be recognised as assets. As a transitional provision, companies were allowed to choose between maintaining or eliminating these values. In this paper, we attempted to identify which company characteristics were associated with this accounting choice. The final sample consisted of Brazilian companies listed on the BM&FBOVESPA, and a logistic regression identified two characteristics. Participation in one of the three different corporate governance levels of the BM&FBOVESPA was associated with the choice to derecognise the deferred assets, while companies decided to maintain the deferred asset if it was relatively large. The empirical evidence reported here contributes to the literature by explaining the manner in which a set of firm characteristics is related to a firm's accounting choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether default events of public companies in Brazil are predicted by a credit rating system based on accounting ratios. The credit rating system developed uses cluster analysis to classify companies in eight ratings, seven for solvent and one for default companies. The variable used to assign ratings to companies is the probability of default estimated by credit risk model developed by Brito and Assaf Neto (2008). The credit rating system assigns annual ratings to non-financial companies listed on Brazilian stock market from 1994 to 2006. Based on these ratings, several risk migration matrices are generated for the analysis period. The migration matrices show the risk increase of default companies prior to the year of occurrence of default event. Most of these companies are classified in the lowest rating or migrate to lower ratings in the years preceding the default. In addition, mortality rates of firms grow in the credit rating system. These results demonstrate that default events of companies can be predicted by a credit rating system based only on accounting ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether default events of public companies in Brazil are predicted by a credit rating system based on accounting ratios. The credit rating system developed uses cluster analysis to classify companies in eight ratings, seven for solvent and one for default companies. The variable used to assign ratings to companies is the probability of default estimated by credit risk model developed by Brito and Assaf Neto (2008). The credit rating system assigns annual ratings to non-financial companies listed on Brazilian stock market from 1994 to 2006. Based on these ratings, several risk migration matrices are generated for the analysis period. The migration matrices show the risk increase of default companies prior to the year of occurrence of default event. Most of these companies are classified in the lowest rating or migrate to lower ratings in the years preceding the default. In addition, mortality rates of firms grow in the credit rating system. These results demonstrate that default events of companies can be predicted by a credit rating system based only on accounting ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to check if the quantitative accounting model based on the Newcomb-Benford Law (NB-law) is applicable to ISS tax auditing. For this purpose, the result of the quantitative accounting model was confronted with the result of the accounting-fiscal audit registered in the Final Fiscalization report elaborated by the tax authorities of a municipal government in a city in the Brazilian Northeast. A case study was carried out in a publicity company and the analysis period covers the receipts (NFs) issued between 2002 and 2005. For data collection, multiple sources of evidence were used within reach for the study objectives. As for data treatment, descriptive (position and dispersion measures) and inference statistics (hypothesis and significance test and correlation analysis) were used. The results of the case study evidenced the applicability of the model based on the NB-law for the ISS tax auditing process, because this signaled the possible deviations in the issuing and bookkeeping of the receipts, which were confirmed by the results of the fiscalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes companies' motives to voluntarily disclose the SCF - Statement of Cash Flows in the Brazilian capital market, using the theoretical frame of Voluntary Disclosure Theory. Based on Verrecchia's (2001) model, five hypotheses are constructed to relate voluntary disclosure of SCF to other variables. These hypotheses are tested with data from public companies listed on BOVESPA, Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo, which voluntarily disclosed SCF from 2000 to 2004. Univariate statistical mean difference tests and multivariate logistic regression are used. Empirical evidence suggests a strong positive correlation between voluntary disclosure of SCF and previous voluntary disclosure of SCF; and positive with the weight the firm places on outsiders' perceptions. A positive correlation is also perceived with company performance; a negative correlation with disclosure costs; and negative with the degree of information asymmetry. A control variable is also used, related to companies that participate in ADRs, American Depositary Receipt Programs. A positive correlation is perceived between disclosure of SCF and companies' participation in ADR Programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to verify to which extent the use of a medical-hospital treatment protocol can promote quality improvement in the services provided by means of process standardization, while at the same time reducing surgical and inpatient costs directly related to the procedure under protocol. The study took place at the Orthopedics Department of the Hospital das Clínicas at the Federal University of Pernambuco and referred to a knee arthroplasty or prosthetic knee replacement procedure. Data was collected during the period from 2004 to 2005 regarding quality indicators and direct surgical and inpatient costs for 89 patients submitted to the procedure under observation. The study looked at two distinct time periods: before and after the implementation of the protocol that involved the entire medical and administrative processes, ranging from the initial contact of the patient at the outpatient service up to the surgery and discharge from the hospital ward. Statistical data analysis made it evident that the protocol implemented at the hospital promoted a reduction in the mean waiting period of three days from time of admission to surgery, of seven days in the overall length of the patient' stay, a mean reduction of 20 minutes in the time of surgery, although no signifi cant cost reduction in the materials consumed during the surgery itself was observed. It also proportioned a reduction in all direct cost categories related to the inpatient period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are to present some results of a research carried out in four large chemical companies operating in Brazil and to describe these companies' organizational performance measurement and evaluation systems. This is an exploratory and descriptive research based on multiple case studies, in accordance with a literature review on this subject. At the end, some conclusions and recommendations are presented, despite the limitations characteristic of the applied methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes classic models used in international academic literature to estimate discretionary accruals, which are an empirical proxy to detect earnings management. Additionally, it provides evidence that Brazilian public companies practice earnings management in response to capital market incentives. Initially, some important concepts are clarified, such as accruals and discretionary accruals. After a critical analysis of the main accruals model, the Kang & Silvaramakrishnan model (1995) was implemented in the context of Brazilian companies, which is technically considered the most accurate model for Brazil. To check the robustness of the model, circumstances were investigated where there were strong incentives to practice earnings management. The results confirm the earnings management hypothesis. Evidences were documented that Brazilian public companies manage their earnings to: a) Avoid reporting losses; b) Sustain recent performance and c) Worsen the current net income in order to have better future results (take a bath). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational performance analysis is always a source of great discussion. Questions on which indicators to use and how to consolidate them so as to establish a fair performance assessment criterion are present in several studies and in companies' daily reality. In this sense, this paper presents a modeling proposal for this problem through the use of the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The goal is to find a relative performance ratio that is capable of conjugating financial profitability and risk indicators in organizational performance analysis. In other words, each company's ratio is an integrated combination of several performance vectors and a function not only of its own performance, but also of the performance of other analyzed companies. Insurance companies from four segments were part of the research sample: 25 auto, 10 health, 13 life and retirement and 18 of numerous coverage, which were operating in Brazil in 2003, listed in the Gazeta Mercatil -- Balanço Financeiro Magazine ranking (2004) about the performance of the best insurance companies and other financial institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an application of a new Asset/Liability Management model in a Brazilian Defined Benefit pension fund. The proposed model is a portfolio management tool that adopts a static approach. The uncertainty of assets is included in the model as a penalty that depends on a risk aversion parameter and on the volatility of risk factors. The application of the model to a real asset allocation problem shows that the tool represents a simple and accurate approach to pension fund management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to verify if the information supplied to the stock market on the intention of adhesion to the Differentiated Levels of Corporate Governance on the São Paulo Stock Exchange generates abnormal returns in the stock prices of these companies. Adherence to this market is expected to result in the growth of company image, negotiability of its papers and the amount of information disclosed to its investors. An event study, based on the assumptions of MacKinlay (1997), was used for the empirical research, with a sample of 18 companies that send the relevant information to the market. Non-parametric regression was applied to test the parameters of the market model of the event study. This tool was taken from the bibliography by Dombrown, Rodriguez and Sirmans (2000) and Lima (2005). The results of the event study demonstrated no abnormal returns in the prices of the companies stocks, demonstrating that information about adherence to the Differentiated Levels of Corporate Governance on the São Paulo Stock Exchange was not important for the market. Despite the results and conclusions, some research limitations must be taken into account, such as: the conclusions were been restricted to the sample, the variable and the econometric tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an aspect in taxation which has not called the attention of researchers: its operational cost, that is, the costs the fiscal administration and taxpayers incur to have taxes paid and to comply with the bureaucratic aspects of taxation. It has already been calculated that the compliance costs of taxation correspond to 0.75% of GDP in average listed companies and can be as high as 5.82% of GDP in companies with less than R$ 100 million in sales per year. This paper deals with another operational cost of taxation: the costs the Brazilian Federal Administration has to administer federal taxation. We present a survey of the costs in other countries and in Brazil, attempting to picture the taxation costs incurred by different federal administrative entities. The survey shows that the public administration faces great difficulties to adequately control its accounts and that there is lack of uniformity and transparency. Another aspect is the fact that the Government is involved in more than 90% of judicial processes, being the main responsible for delays in federal courts. The administrative costs of taxation correspond to 1.35% of tax revenues and 0.36% of GDP. The total of operating costs of taxation correspond to 1.11% of GDP or R$ 16.8 billion. Finally, we propose measures to improve the system and reduce its costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an aspect in taxation which has not called the attention of researchers: its operational cost, that is, the costs the fiscal administration and taxpayers incur to have taxes paid and to comply with the bureaucratic aspects of taxation. It has already been calculated that the compliance costs of taxation correspond to 0.75% of GDP in average listed companies and can be as high as 5.82% of GDP in companies with less than R$ 100 million in sales per year. This paper deals with another operational cost of taxation: the costs the Brazilian Federal Administration has to administer federal taxation. We present a survey of the costs in other countries and in Brazil, attempting to picture the taxation costs incurred by different federal administrative entities. The survey shows that the public administration faces great difficulties to adequately control its accounts and that there is lack of uniformity and transparency. Another aspect is the fact that the Government is involved in more than 90% of judicial processes, being the main responsible for delays in federal courts. The administrative costs of taxation correspond to 1.35% of tax revenues and 0.36% of GDP. The total of operating costs of taxation correspond to 1.11% of GDP or R$ 16.8 billion. Finally, we propose measures to improve the system and reduce its costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an aspect in taxation which has not called the attention of researchers: its operational cost, that is, the costs the fiscal administration and taxpayers incur to have taxes paid and to comply with the bureaucratic aspects, of taxation. It has already been calculated that the compliance costs of taxation correspond to 0.75% of GDP in average listed companies and can be as high as 5.82% of GDP in companies with less than R$ 1O0 million in sales per year. This paper deals with another operational cost of taxation: the costs the Brazilian Federal Administration has to administer federal taxation. We present a survey of the costs in other countries and in Brazil, attempting to picture the taxation costs incurred by different federal administrative entities. The survey shows that the public administration faces great difficulties to adequately control its accounts and that there is lack of uniformity and transparency. Another aspect is the fact that the Government is involved in more than 90% of judicial processes, being the main responsible for delays in federal courts. The administrative costs of taxation correspond to 1.35% of tax revenues and 0.36% of GDP. The total of operating costs of taxation correspond to 1.11% of GDP or R$ 16.8 billion. Finally, we propose measures to improve the system and reduce its costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses an event study to examine stock returns associated to public equity issues carried out by Brazilian firms listed on BOVESPA, from 1992 to 2002, with the purpose of determining how the market reacted before, during, and after the issue announcement dates. After utilizing the conventional method for measuring abnormal returns by OLS, we used ARCH and GARCH models, which take into account the conditional heteroskedastic volatility of the abnormal returns in more than 70% of the sample, since the presence of these processes was found in the original residuals. The results show that (1) there is evidence of insider information prior to the announcement date, (2) abnormal returns occurred on the announcement date, and (3) within one year after the issues, the shares of issuing firms had negative returns after adjusting for risk and market effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]