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Until the end of 1997, governmental accounting in Portugal was characterised as essentially cash-based budgetary accounting, using singleentry as the bookkeeping method. The only compulsory accounting system was Budgetary Accounting. As many countries all over the world, nowadays Portugal is implementing a reform of the whole governmental accounting, which has as most important innovations the use of double-entry within a system compulsorily integrating accrual-based Financial and Cost Accounting along with Budgetary Accounting (still essentially cash-based). The main purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the reform and current situation of governmental accounting in Portugal, especially discussing the accrual basis implementation. In particular, it shows that not only governmental accounting reform in Portugal has been going towards international harmonization, but also problems that have arisen are common to others faced by several countries. Perspectives of future evolution are also presented.

Corporate digital responsibility is a challenge for companies as it recognizes that the use of technology can have a significant impact on society. In addition, a whole philosophy of nonfinancial disclosure has recently been developing and has become a priority for organizations seeking to be transparent and accountable. While some companies have already adopted this approach, practices related to information transparency in corporate digital responsibility are still in their early stages, creating a need to improve reporting and promote greater understanding in this evolving field. Based on a study analyzing the disclosure of information on digitization and taking into account that the board of directors is the body in charge of companies’ disclosure policy, the study aims to identify the factors that favor this disclosure.

As established by Ponce et al. (2022), IBEX-35 companies are Public Interest Companies subject to European and international regulations and are required to provide information on economic efficiency indicators and nonfinancial indicators. In relation to the proposed objectives, the aim is to analyze the possible factors that condition the degree of dissemination of information on digitization. To this end, a multiple linear regression of the dissemination index has been proposed following the works of Gil et al. (2018), Rodríguez-Ariza et al. (2014) and Briano-Turrent & Rodríguez-Ariza (2013). The estimation will be performed using the SPSS software (version 27).

The results show that the number of independent directors has a positive influence on the level of information disclosed by companies online. Conversely – and in line with previous studies – board size does not have a significant impact on the level of information transparency.

This study has a few limitations that adversely impact the generalizability of the results. First, the subjective problem inherent in the rating and evaluation of information collected in the annual reports of sample companies cannot be excluded. Second, the consideration that each element that constitutes the IDT has the same weight, there being no weighting criteria. Finally, the study population is limited to 35 listed companies, not considering medium and small companies. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, the results are sufficiently interesting to justify and extend the research to a larger number of companies and, of course, to other stock market indices. Another interesting future line of research would be to include more independent variables to analyze what other factors determine the degree of digital transparency of companies.

The study may be useful for organizations to take into account when identifying the corporate governance characteristics that will improve the disclosure of information on digitalization, which is still incipient and voluntary. Similar considerations could be made with respect to the competent authorities in regulating the disclosure of information by companies, insofar as they should promote policies that, in general, favor corporate transparency.

This study contributes to the literature in three main ways: 1) although there is a large body of research that has explored the impact of corporate governance dimensions on the level of nonfinancial transparency, the present study pioneers the approach to digitalization disclosure in Spanish listed companies; 2) it provides evidence that it is highly advisable to have a majority of independent directors to achieve a higher degree of digital disclosure; and 3) the results of this research show the current state of digital transparency on the websites of most of the listed companies in Spain, which could serve as a benchmark for those responsible for issuing corporate governance policies and guidelines.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of IFRS mandatory adoption on accounting conservatism and to shed light on the drivers of such impact.

Using a sample of listed firms for five Latin American countries, the authors analyze the relation between mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards and the conditional accounting conservatism of earnings.

The authors find evidence that IFRS adoption boosts earnings conservatism. This result is robust and heterogeneous. The results also show that the effect of IFRS differs across firms and countries. Specifically, the impact of IFRS adoption is higher for low-earnings-quality firms and for firms with high levels of investment opportunities.

The results suggest that IFRS adoption in Latin America has enhanced comparability of financial information both across and within countries.

This paper contributes to the literature by providing new evidence on the drivers of the impacts of IFRS adoption in emerging markets.

Este artículo analiza el impacto de la adopción obligatoria de las Normas Internacionales de Información contable (IFRS o NIIF) en el conservadurismo contable y aclara los determinantes de dicho impacto.

Usamos una muestra de empresas listadas en cinco países latinoamericanos para analizar la relación entre la adopción obligatoria de IFRS y el conservadurismo contable condicional.

Encontramos evidencia de que la adopción de IFRS aumenta el conservadurismo contable. Este resultado es robusto y heterogéneo. Nuestros resultados también muestran que el efecto de IFRS en conservadurismo difiere entre empresas y países. En particular, el impacto de IFRS es mayor para firmas con baja calidad contable y altos niveles de oportunidades de inversión.

Nuestros resultados sugieren que la adopción de IFRS en Latinoamérica fomentó la comparabilidad de los estados financieros tanto intra como entre países.

Nuestro estudio contribuye a la literatura proveyendo evidencia nueva sobre los determinantes de los impactos de la adopción de IFRS en mercados emergentes.

This study aims to analyse a new model to assess the sustainable behaviours, sustainable attitudes and sustainable knowledge on sport practitioners.

This paper employs a scale of 44 items divided into three different dimensions to analyse the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards sustainable development on 227 sport participants.

Through this study the authors have been able to obtain a reliable scale that allows us to analyse and the knowledge, attitudes and sustainable behaviours of physical and sports education practitioners.

Both psychometric properties of the initial scale and the differences between studies contexts may affect the results of the present analysis. Therefore, new studies are needed in order to analyse how sport physical activities influence sustainable behaviours among physical activity and sport practitioners.

In this work the authors present a valid and reliable tool for the study of the environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of physical activity and sport practitioners.

Regarding the importance of sport in relation to sustainable development, this work is the first to adapt a scale to the context of practitioners of physical activity and sport in order to improve the understanding of how physical activity and sport affect sustainable behaviours, serving as a starting point for future research in sustainable development sports field.

This study aims to explore undergraduate students’ stereotypes of auditing and the influence of knowledge of the profession and its sources on the stereotype.

This study is based on a questionnaire distributed among 360 undergraduate business students at 21 higher education institutions in Spain.

The study reveals that undergraduate business students consider auditors competent and ethical. Auditing is viewed as an interesting and rigorous activity, which requires high responsibility and contributes significantly to society. Students perceive that the auditing career is difficult but contributes to professional development. The knowledge acquired through business studies influences the creation of a positive image of the profession and of auditors.

The profession could benefit from the fact that having more information about the profession improves students’ perceptions of it. The provision of auditing courses through the degree and related activities to increase the visibility of the profession during the first years of the degree could improve the auditor stereotype and enhance students’ intentions to enter this profession.

Previous studies have analyzed the image of the accounting professional as a homogeneous professional status. This study specifically addresses the image of auditors, who are at the core of the traditional accounting domain. It analyzes the influence of sources of knowledge (academic training, having familiars and media) on auditors’ stereotypes. Moreover, it provides evidence concerning the perceptions of the new generations (Gen Z).

This paper investigates whether the greater flexibility of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in contrast to accounting models that were used before those standards became mandatory meant a significant change in the magnitude of accruals recognized in the accounting income.

18,126 observations are analyzed on 1,881 non-financial companies in 19 European countries in 2000–2012. A difference-in-differences regression method is used. The treatment sample includes companies that were required to adopt IFRS as from the 2005 fiscal year, while the control sample comprises companies that voluntarily adopted IFRS prior to 2005.

Compared to prior accounting standards, the mandatory adoption of IFRS increased the absolute value of accruals. This result is seen only in those companies where the magnitude of accruals is negative. The observed effect is independent of the degree of similarity between IFRS and prior standards.

This paper complements the literature analyzing the effect of IFRS on the financial statements and on the financial-economic indicators of companies. It analyzes the component of accounting income that is most sensitive to the use of professional judgment: accruals. Focusing on observed accruals helps avoid an error in measurement that can be made when working with the discretionary component of accruals. Additionally, a longer time horizon than in previous studies is considered.

Este trabajo investiga si la mayor flexibilidad de las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera (NIIF) respecto a los modelos contables que se empleaban antes de que dichas normas fueran obligatorias supuso un cambio significativo de la magnitud de los ajustes por devengo reconocidos en el resultado contable.

Se analizan 18.126 observaciones de 1.881 empresas no financieras de 19 países europeos en 2000–2012. Se utiliza la metodología de regresión del tipo diferencia en diferencias. La muestra de tratamiento incluye empresas que adoptaron obligatoriamente las NIIF, lo que tuvo lugar en el ejercicio contable 2005, y la muestra de control está compuesta por empresas que las adoptaron voluntariamente antes de 2005.

Con respecto a las normas contables previas, la adopción obligatoria de las NIIF incrementó el valor absoluto de los ajustes por devengo. Este resultado se observa solamente en el grupo de empresas donde la magnitud de los devengos es negativa. El efecto observado es independiente del grado de similitud entre las NIIF y las normas previas.

Este trabajo complementa la literatura que analiza el efecto de las NIIF sobre los estados financieros y los indicadores económico-financieros de las empresas, analizando el componente del resultado contable más sensible al uso del juicio profesional: los devengos. El hecho de centrarse en los devengos observados permite evitar el error de medición en el que se incurre cuando se trabaja con el componente discrecional de los mismos. Adicionalmente, se analiza un horizonte temporal más amplio que en trabajos previos.

This issue includes five contributions from six countries; four of these are revised versions of the best works presented at the Business Association of Latin American Studies Congress (BALAS), in 2012. The first article is a study of the effectiveness of price promotion strategies in retail chains across Chile; a topic of growing importance in Latin America. The second is a study of the literature on the accounting treatment of the decision to buy or lease with option to buy, which is a topic that reflects international changes in accounting practices that will take place as from 2013. The third contribution is a case study of the strategy of Miss Venezuela, an organisation of the Cisneros group that has become an icon of overwhelming success in international beauty contests. The fourth article narrates the difficulties faced by a Brazilian restaurant chain in their internationalisation process through the master franchises concept. The last contribution is the Britt case study, telling the story of a Costa Rican company founded by an innovating North American businessman. The article recounts the company's interesting process of development in international business and the complex strategic decisions it faced when it came to the subsequent steps to be taken in international markets. Although all the articles are in English, Academia is multilingual. As from 2013, all its articles will be available in their original language as well as in English.

Este número incluye cinco contribuciones originadas en seis países, cuatro de las cuales son versiones revisadas de los mejores trabajos presentados en el congreso de la Business Association of Latin American Studies (Balas) de 2012. La primera contribución es un estudio sobre la efectividad de las estrategias de promoción de precios en cadenas detallistas en Chile, un tema de creciente importancia en América Latina. La segunda es un estudio de la literatura sobre el tratamiento contable de la decisión de comprar o de realizar un arrendamiento con opción de compra (lease), tema que refleja el cambio internacional en las prácticas contables que ocurrirá a partir de 2013. La tercera contribución es el caso de la estrategia de Miss Venezuela, la organización del grupo Cisneros que se ha constituido en un icono en Venezuela por su éxito avasallador en concursos internacionales de belleza. El cuarto es un caso que narra las vicisitudes de una cadena brasileña de restaurantes con la internacionalización mediante el concepto de máster de marca. La última contribución es el caso Grupo Britt N.V., empresa fundada por un empresario estadounidense en Curazao y Costa Rica, que ha tenido un interesante desarrollo de negocios internacionales y se enfrenta a decisiones estratégicas complejas sobre sus siguientes pasos en los mercados mundiales. Aunque todos los trabajos están en inglés, Academia es multilenguaje. A partir de 2013 todos los artículos de la revista están disponibles en inglés, además de su idioma original.

The objective of this study aims at reviewing a synthesis of the economic impact of the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in an attempt to provide directions for future research. There are significant evidences of adopting a high-quality set of harmonised accounting standards (i.e. IFRS) fosters trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), financial transparency, and comparability and reduces information asymmetries. From the extensive structured review of literature using the Scopus database tool, the study reviewed 108 articles, and in particular, the topic-related 41 articles were analysed. Seven journals contribute to 39% of the articles (The Accounting Review; European Accounting Review; International Journal of Accounting; Journal of Accounting Research; Revista Espanola de Financiacion y Contabilidad; Asian Review of Accounting; and International Journal of Economics and Management). However, most of the cited journals were Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, European Accounting Review, and International Journal of Accounting (Armstrong, Barth, Jagolinzer, & Riedl, 2010; Brüggemann, Hitz, & Sellhorn, 2013; Christensen, Lee, & Walker, 2007; Daske, Hail, Leuz, & Verdi, 2008, 2013). Most of the studies did not use any theory, and most of the articles utilised quantitative approach. The study calls for future research on the theoretical impactions on the economic impact of IFRS implementation in a country-specific study, cross-country study, and global study. Future studies should also focus on the policymaking agenda for the local and international standard setters.