The challenges faced by the external audit industry in Brazil: an exploratory study

The auditing role in the contemporaneous business environment, and increasing interest in and demand for governance and transparency, has become an element even more important to the society, as a whole, in order to build solid basis to the development of businesses and generation of wealth through technical knowledge, independence, transparency, credibility, and ethics. Nevertheless, the external financial audit industry in the world and also particularly in Brazil has faced several challenges which threaten its success and evolution. In this sense, since the external audit industry in Brazil has been immersed in a deep crisis with features that are explored through this study, allow me to create an analogy over this study saying that the external financial audit industry is like a sick person with a chronic disease, but the disease has not yet been diagnosed and the person has been dealing with the isolated symptoms. This person, the external audit industry, has struggled with this disease for many years and it is getting worse. It is fundamental to highlight that the challenges faced by the external audit industry in Brazil, ultimately, have not harmed the industry only, but they also materialize themselves as chronic issues for the corporate governance and the capital markets since they harm every interested party. In my point of view, the hardest affected are the investors or shareholders whose interest the independent auditor’s work seeks to preserve. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to have a picture of the challenges faced by the external audit industry in Brazil and understand those challenges as a requirement to analyze the potential alternatives to solve them or, analogically, to diagnose this disease. The research purpose is to map and identify the challenges faced by the external audit industry in Brazil based on the understanding of professionals seasoned in the area. Those challenges are mapped and understood through a methodological approach, a questionnaire answered by auditors with experience in the Brazilian auditing market. The challenges were preliminarily listed based on over 16 years of experience of the author in the area of auditing and financial and accounting services, discussions and interviews about the topic with seasoned professionals, and analyses of pieces of news, publications and academic studies. The questionnaire was used in order to validate the challenges, observations, perspectives, and perceptions gathered through those resources. Despite of the fact that the study is highly relevant, it was not found, through my research, other analyses on this topic with a similar approach which is intended by this study. It looks like the external audit industry in Brazil has walked through these new age dealing with problems on a daily basis and the real challenges of the industry may be concealed by the economic conditions in Brazil and other explanations. As in any problematic scenario, in which a critical analysis is needed, having an accurate picture and understanding of the challenges is a crucial step to start exploring alternatives to address them.

Auditoria externa em empresas que utilizam computador eletrônico: um estudo de casos

o objetivo deste estudo foi explorar a relação existente entre a li teratura sobre procedimentos de auditoria de PED e os procedimentos efetivamente utilizados pelas seis empresas de auditoria contábil no Brasil. Bus cou-se identificar a diferença entre os procedimentos de auditoria de PED utilizados pelas empresas nacionais e os utilizados pelas empresas de ori gem estrangei ra (Capitulo I). Na revisão de literatura, apresentam-se os atuais conhecimentos so bre a auditoria externa em empresas que utilizam sistemas complexos de com putador e as perspectivas previsiveis para o futuro (Capltulo 11). A seguir, apresenta-se a metodologia utilizada, justificando-se as razões de seu emprego neste tipo de estudo exploratório (Capltulo lU). Entrevistas utilizando um questionário contendo,em sua maioria, que~ tões abertas, possibilitaram uma descrição dos procedimentos de auditoria externa empregados pelas empresas de auditoria em clientes que utilizam computador (Capitulo IV). Os resultados obtidos possibilitaram uma análise dos procedimentos de auditoria de PED utilizados pelas seis empresas de auditoria pesquis~ das (Capitulo V). Finalmente, relacionando-se os resultados ã literatura existente, sao apresentadas conclusões, formuladas recomendações e sugeridos novos es tudos (Capitulo VI).

Divergências entre o parecer prévio do Tribunal de Contas do Estado (TCE) e o resultado do julgamento das contas anuais de prefeitos em Pernambuco

Este estudo tem como objetivo identificar quais os fundamentos que levam algumas Câmaras Municipais pernambucanas a não acompanhar o parecer prévio do Tribunal de Contas do Estado no julgamento das contas anuais dos prefeitos. Tendo em vista que uma parcela significativa dos julgamentos das contas anuais dos prefeitos realizados pelas Câmaras Municipais não tem acompanhado as recomendações emitidas nos Pareceres Prévios do TCE, inicialmente foram identificadas as abordagens teóricas sobre a estrutura da relação do executivo com o legislativo que oferecem subsídios para o entendimento da face política das Câmaras Municipais nestes julgamentos. Destacou-se também o aspecto técnicoadministrativo viabilizado pelo processo legislativo do julgamento das contas, passível da análise e solicitação de revisão judicial pelo Ministério Público com vistas à anulação, caso não apresente motivação legal formalmente registrada que atenda às disposições constitucionais. O estudo foi realizado por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com vereadores das Câmaras Municipais pernambucanas. A metodologia qualitativa de análise de conteúdo foi escolhida para a análise dos dados. Os resultados da pesquisa permitiram identificar que os fundamentos que levam algumas Câmaras Municipais pernambucanas a não acompanhar o parecer prévio do Tribunal de Contas no julgamento das contas anuais dos prefeitos não estão formalmente evidenciados no processo legislativo pertinente, cujos documentos oficiais pesquisados não atendem aos requisitos legais de motivação, nem tampouco explicam as razões do não acompanhamento do parecer prévio do TCE. A opinião dos vereadores entrevistados conduz ao entendimento de que tais fundamentos são de natureza política, em detrimento dos fundamentos técnicos, explicados pela relação de preponderância do executivo sobre o poder legislativo municipal.

Technical change and factor shares

The implications of technical change that directly alters factor shares are examined. Such change can lower the income of some factors of production even when it raises total output, thus offering a possible explanation for episodes of social conflict such as the Luddite uprisings in 19th century England and the recent divergence in the U. S. between wages for skilled and unskilled labor. An explanation also why underdeveloped countries do not adopt the latest technology but continue to use outmoded production methods. Total factor productivity is shown to be a misleading measure of technical progress. Share-altering technical change brings into question the plausibility of a wide class of endogenous growth models.

Factors affecting the technical efficiency of production of the Brazilian banking system : a comparison of four statistical models in the context of data envelopment analysis

This paper uses an output oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) measure of technical efficiency to assess the technical efficiencies of the Brazilian banking system. Four approaches to estimation are compared in order to assess the significance of factors affecting inefficiency. These are nonparametric Analysis of Covariance, maximum likelihood using a family of exponential distributions, maximum likelihood using a family of truncated normal distributions, and the normal Tobit model. The sole focus of the paper is on a combined measure of output and the data analyzed refers to the year 2001. The factors of interest in the analysis and likely to affect efficiency are bank nature (multiple and commercial), bank type (credit, business, bursary and retail), bank size (large, medium, small and micro), bank control (private and public), bank origin (domestic and foreign), and non-performing loans. The latter is a measure of bank risk. All quantitative variables, including non-performing loans, are measured on a per employee basis. The best fits to the data are provided by the exponential family and the nonparametric Analysis of Covariance. The significance of a factor however varies according to the model fit although it can be said that there is some agreements between the best models. A highly significant association in all models fitted is observed only for nonperforming loans. The nonparametric Analysis of Covariance is more consistent with the inefficiency median responses observed for the qualitative factors. The findings of the analysis reinforce the significant association of the level of bank inefficiency, measured by DEA residuals, with the risk of bank failure.

Reelection incentives and political corruption : evidence from Brazil’s municipal audit reports

This paper uses a unique dataset of political corruption, constructed from municipal audit reports obtained from Brazil’s randomized anti-corruption program, to test whether reelection incentives affect the level of rent extraction of incumbent politicians. In order to identify reelection incentives, we use the existence of a term limit in Brazil’s municipal elections. We find that in municipalities where mayors are in their second and final term, there is significantly more corruption compared to similar municipalities where mayors are in their first-term. In particular, in municipalities with second-term mayors there is, on average, R$188,431 more diversion of resources and the incidence of irregularities is 23% higher. We also find more pronounced effects where the costs of rent-extraction are lower (municipalities without media and judicial presence), and the density of pivotal voters is higher (more political competition). Finally, we show that first-term mayors, while less corrupt, have a larger incidence of poor administration suggesting that there may exist a trade-off between corruption and quality in public good provision.