NONDISCLOSURE – A GOOD NEWS SIGNAL?

I examine the implications of nondisclosure in a setting where there is a credible signal as to the proprietary nature of the undisclosed information. Specifically, I investigate the market and analysts' response to firms’ application to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a confidential treatment order (CTO), which allows firms to redact required disclosures from SEC filings when the redacted information is proprietary. I find that the market and analysts react favorably to the voluntary nondisclosure of proprietary information using the SEC confidential treatment process. Market and analysts reactions are more favorable to the redaction of information that is more likely to have proprietary value, such as information related to research and development. In addition, I show that the redacting firms experience superior accounting performance compared to their peers in the years following the redaction, consistent with the market and analysts’ response to the redaction. However, I find that analysts engage in more intense private information search in response to a CTO redaction. This finding suggests that, although a CTO redaction can signal the nature of undisclosed information, analysts believe that the signal is not fully revealing of the economic magnitude of the undisclosed information. Overall, this study’s findings indicate that a firm's willingness to submit to the CTO approval process serves as a credible signal of the proprietary nature of the withheld information. The results of this study suggest a possible role for a credible signaling channel to facilitate communication between insiders and outsiders regarding the nature of withheld information.

EVALUACIÓN DEL ÁREA DE CIENCIAS APLICADAS (600 DEWEY) DE LA COLECCIÓN DE LA BIBLIOTECA “JOAQUIN GARCÍA MONGE”

Con esta investigación se pretende determinar la calidad, actualidad, grado de satisfacción de los usuarios, uso y pertinencia de la colección del área de Ciencias Aplicadas de la Biblioteca “Joaquín García Monge” en relación con las necesidades de los usuarios.Se seleccionó como estudio de caso la colección del área de Ciencias Aplicadas de la Biblioteca “Joaquín García Monge” que cubre ciencias ambientales, agrarias y forestales; física y química industrial; medicina veterinaria, psiquiatría, administración, contabilidad, mercadeo, manualidades y mecanografía. Se evaluará el fondo bibliográfico correspondiente únicamente a los libros de la colección y material bibliográfico de referencia.

Proposta do modelo ABC na contabilidade de gestão das instituições de ensino superior : o caso da Universidade de Évora

O contexto actual vivido pelas Instituições de Ensino Superior tem requerido a adopção de sistemas de Contabilidade de Gestão mais precisos face às crescentes necessidades de informação de custos e de gestão. Deste modo, o principal propósito deste trabalho de investigação é estudar os recentes desenvolvimentos dos sistemas de Contabilidade de Gestão, enfatizando o Custeio baseado nas Actividades (ABC) como o modelo mais apropriado para responder a estas exigências informativas. Esta abordagem é complementada com a realização de um estudo de caso na Universidade de Évora, onde é aplicado empiricamente o ABC, sendo o mesmo apresentado como proposta de modelo na Contabilidade de Gestão destas organizações. Esta dissertação apresenta uma análise crítica e comparativa entre os distintos sistemas de custos tradicionais e a contabilidade por actividades, sendo ainda destacadas as potencialidades da metodologia ABC como plataforma para implementação de outros sistemas de informação baseados nas actividades, nomeadamente ao nível da gestão, do orçamento, dos preços de transferência e da gestão da qualidade total. Neste âmbito, com recurso a vários estudos de caso, são descritas as propriedades, as limitações e os resultados que mais se evidenciam pela implementação do sistema ABC nestas entidades. Os principais resultados desta investigação permitem concluir que embora os sistemas de custeio tradicionais apresentem um substrato conceptual totalmente válido, o sistema ABC evidencia uma estrutura conceptual mais credível, capaz de produzir informação mais precisa de apoio à tomada de decisão. No entanto, há algumas reservas que lhe são apontadas, em especial, no que respeita à relevância, utilidade e praticabilidade do método, e insuficiente documentação sobre os resultados obtidos. Pela aplicação empírica do sistema ABC na Universidade de Évora, conclui-se que a informação disponibilizada por este modelo é relevante, facilitadora e influencia o processo de tomada de decisão da sua gestão, e responde às exigências contabilísticas e de prestação de contas do POC-Educação e de outras entidades externas. ABSTRACT; The present context of Institutions of Higher Education has required adoption of more accurate Management Accounting systems due to increasing needs for information about costs and management. Thus, the main propose of this research is to study the recent developments of the Management Accounting systems, emphasizing the Activity-based Costing (ABC) as the most appropriate model that addresses these information requirements. This approach has been enriched through a case study at the University of Évora, where the ABC methodology was applied empirically, and presented as a proposed model of Management Accounting of these organizations. This dissertation presents a critical and comparative analysis between the traditional cost systems and the ABC, pointing out the potentialities of this methodology as a platform for implementation of other information systems based on activities, namely, with regard to management, budget, transfer pricing and total quality management. ln this context and supported by some case studies, the main properties, limitations and results of the implementation of the ABC system in these institutions have been described. The main results of this research indicate that although the traditional cost systems present a total valid conceptual structure, the ABC system provide a more credible conceptual structure, which is able to produce a more accurate information base for decision-making. However, there are some reservations that are considered, namely the relevance, utility, practicability, and insufficient documentation with regard to the obtained results. The empirical application of the ABC system at the University of Évora makes it possible to conclude that the information provided through the use of this model is relevant in terms of its influence in the decision-making process, and provides the answers to the accounting requirements of Education-POC and other external entities. NOTA: O volume II na página 228 contém a Matriz 10, que não foi digitalizado devido ao enorme formato que não permitiu ser digitalizado.

Industry Linkages and Audit Firms' Industry Portfolio Choice: Evidence from Product Language

Audit firms are organized along industry lines and industry specialization is a prominent feature of the audit market. Yet, we know little about how audit firms make their industry portfolio decisions, i.e., how audit firms decide which set of industries to specialize in. In this study, I examine how the linkages between industries in the product space affect audit firms’ industry portfolio choice. Using text-based product space measures to capture these industry linkages, I find that both Big 4 and small audit firms tend to specialize in industry-pairs that 1) are close to each other in the product space (i.e., have more similar product language) and 2) have a greater number of “between-industries” in the product space (i.e., have a greater number of industries with product language that is similar to both industries in the pair). Consistent with the basic tradeoff between specialization and coordination, these results suggest that specializing in industries that have more similar product language and more linkages to other industries in the product space allow audit firms greater flexibility to transfer industry-specific expertise across industries as well as greater mobility in the product space, hence enhancing its competitive advantage. Additional analysis using the collapse of Arthur Andersen as an exogenous supply shock in the audit market finds consistent results. Taken together, the findings suggest that industry linkages in the product space play an important role in shaping the audit market structure.

Aa necessidades de informação conducentes ao desenvolvimento da contabilidade de gestão na GNR

O presente trabalho de investigação aplicado perspetiva os contributos do desenvolvimento da contabilidade de gestão na Guarda subordina-se ao tema: “As necessidades de informação conducentes ao desenvolvimento da contabilidade de gestão na Guarda Nacional Republicana”. Para a prossecução da investigação, adotou-se o modelo hipotético-dedutivo. Assim sendo, o estudo prima por verificar as hipóteses, responder às perguntas derivadas e tem o propósito último de dar resposta à questão de partida. A metodologia empregue na realização deste trabalho de investigação, foi delineada por Quivy & Campenhoudt (2008) e Sarmento (2013), na qual a análise documental e a pesquisa bibliográfica, as entrevistas, os inquéritos por questionário e as observações diretas foram os procedimentos de recolha de dados empregues. Este trabalho de investigação é constituído por cinco capítulos, esquematizados em três partes, designadamente a Parte I – Enquadramento teórico, a Parte II – Parte prática e as conclusões e recomendações. Na parte I, são apresentados conceitos teóricos, nomeadamente a definição de informação e os conceitos relacionados com os sistemas de informação. Em seguida, é efetuada a abordagem teórica aos conceitos, finalidade e contributos da contabilidade de gestão. A parte II expõe os métodos e procedimentos utilizados, a análise e discussão dos resultados obtidos e são expostas as principais necessidades de informação de gestão das chefias. As conclusões e recomendações futuras são redigidas no último capítulo. Conclui-se que o contributo da contabilidade de gestão, poderá ser preponderante para suprir as necessidades de informação das chefias da Guarda Nacional Republicana, uma vez que estas disporão de informação de gestão que por sua vez permite: a) avaliação dos serviços mais criteriosa; b) determinação de necessidades; c) concretização da economia, eficiência e eficácia; d) efetuar comparações, análises e o controlo dos gastos; e, e) identificar a duplicação de gastos e tarefas. Em suma, contribui para a melhoria do desempenho organizacional.

Distanciamiento entre el mundo académico y el mundo profesional en contabilidad de gestión

El debate sobre la contribución de la academia contable a la práctica profesional ha retornado a la literatura internacional; en particular, se observa un incremento de foros y publicaciones alarmando de un progresivo distanciamiento entre la investigación y la práctica profesional. En este sentido, la vinculación entre docencia, investigación contable y práctica profesional ha venido estudiándose a través de una estructura triangular, como reflejo de las relaciones causales que se dan entre sus vértices y de la necesidad de una interrelación entre los mismos. En líneas generales, se tacha a la investigación contable de insuficientemente innovadora y de ir progresivamente alejándose de la realidad contable y sus necesidades, conforme ha ido consolidando su carácter como ciencia. Con relación a la Contabilidad de Gestión, los motivos del gap que se señalan como frecuentes en las publicaciones internacionales son: la falta de contacto con los problemas de los profesionales; la necesidad de respuestas rápidas de las organizaciones; la dificultad para acceder a la información contable; la infravaloración de la investigación de carácter aplicado; la evaluación de las investigaciones en función de su complejidad estadística; los cánones establecidos por las revistas de mayor impacto para publicar y el sistema de incentivos del profesorado universitario. Por otra parte, han proliferado los estudios sobre el contenido técnico y las capacidades que requieren los profesionales y su reflejo en la docencia con motivo de las nuevas titulaciones universitarias de Grado. Complementariamente, numerosas publicaciones internacionales y documentos de instituciones de profesionales intentan profundizar en un cambio en el perfil del “Management Accounting o controller”, como consecuencia del entorno competitivo y convulso al que se enfrentan actualmente las organizaciones. Sin embargo, en España son limitados los trabajos sobre la docencia universitaria en Contabilidad de Gestión y el perfil profesional de su especialista...

Implementação da contabilidade analítica no Instituto Politécnico de Beja

A opção por uma gestão eficiente e eficaz é a resposta a dar à crescente racionalização de recursos que tem vindo a ser imposta às entidades públicas portuguesas e à qual não escapam as instituições que integram o sector do ensino superior. Assim sendo, estas entidades devem desenvolver e ao mesmo tempo, adoptar mecanismos que lhes permitam gerir recursos, quer os colocados à sua disposição, quer os gerados internamente, tendo em vista a sua optimização. Actualmente a prática da Contabilidade Analítica nas Instituições assume, cada vez mais, um papel dominante na análise e controlo dos custos, mas também dos proveitos e resultados por actividade. O objectivo da implementação deste Projecto, além de ser um desafio pessoal e Institucional, é uma obrigação legislativa, à qual pretendemos responder ao colocarmos em prática a Contabilidade Analítica, inserida no Plano Oficial de Contabilidade para o Sector Público - Sector da Educação, aprovado pela Portaria nº 794/2000, de 20 de Setembro. ABSTRACT: The choice of an efficient and effective management is the answer to the increasing rationalization of resources that have been imposed on portuguese public entities and of which the institutions from the higher education sector do not escape. Therefore, these entities must develop, and at the same time, adopt mechanisms that allow them to manage resources, both those placed at their disposal, and those that are internally generated, with an aim of optimization. Currently the practice of management accounting in the institutions assumes an increasingly a dominant role in the analysis and control of costs, but also in the income and earnings per activity. The purpose of implementing this project, besides being a personal and institutional challenge, is a legislative requirement that must be dealt with, by putting into practice the Management Accounting, inserted in the Official Accounting Plan for the Public Sector- Education Sector, approved by the Ordinance Nº 794/2000 of September 20.

Deriving grassland management factors for a carbon accounting method developed by the intergovernmental panel on climate change

Grassland management affects soil organic carbon (SOC) storage and can be used to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, for a country to assess emission reductions due to grassland management, there must be an inventory method for estimating the change in SOC storage. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has developed a simple carbon accounting approach for this purpose, and here we derive new grassland management factors that represent the effect of changing management on carbon storage for this method. Our literature search identified 49 studies dealing with effects of management practices that either degraded or improved conditions relative to nominally managed grasslands. On average, degradation reduced SOC storage to 95% +/- 0.06 and 97% +/- 0.05 of carbon stored under nominal conditions in temperate and tropical regions, respectively. In contrast, improving grasslands with a single management activity enhanced SOC storage by 14% 0.06 and 17% +/- 0.05 in temperate and tropical regions, respectively, and with an additional improvement(s), storage increased by another 11% +/- 0.04. We applied the newly derived factor coefficients to analyze C sequestration potential for managed grasslands in the U.S., and found that over a 20-year period changing management could sequester from 5 to 142 Tg C yr(-1) or 0.1 to 0.9 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1), depending on the level of change. This analysis provides revised factor coefficients for the IPCC method that can be used to estimate impacts of management; it also provides a methodological framework for countries to derive factor coefficients specific to conditions in their region.

Accounting for management costs in sensitivity analyses of matrix population models

Traditional sensitivity and elasticity analyses of matrix population models have been used to inform management decisions, but they ignore the economic costs of manipulating vital rates. For example, the growth rate of a population is often most sensitive to changes in adult survival rate, but this does not mean that increasing that rate is the best option for managing the population because it may be much more expensive than other options. To explore how managers should optimize their manipulation of vital rates, we incorporated the cost of changing those rates into matrix population models. We derived analytic expressions for locations in parameter space where managers should shift between management of fecundity and survival, for the balance between fecundity and survival management at those boundaries, and for the allocation of management resources to sustain that optimal balance. For simple matrices, the optimal budget allocation can often be expressed as simple functions of vital rates and the relative costs of changing them. We applied our method to management of the Helmeted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops cassidix; an endangered Australian bird) and the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) as examples. Our method showed that cost-efficient management of the Helmeted Honeyeater should focus on increasing fecundity via nest protection, whereas optimal koala management should focus on manipulating both fecundity and survival simultaneously. These findings are contrary to the cost-negligent recommendations of elasticity analysis, which would suggest focusing on managing survival in both cases. A further investigation of Helmeted Honeyeater management options, based on an individual-based model incorporating density dependence, spatial structure, and environmental stochasticity, confirmed that fecundity management was the most cost-effective strategy. Our results demonstrate that decisions that ignore economic factors will reduce management efficiency. ©2006 Society for Conservation Biology.

Readings in motivation accounting management... comp. por Ma. deJesús Martínez Cadena y otros

UANL

Accounting and management concepts

UANL

Optimal management of natural resources. Accounting for heterogeneity

Dynamic optimization methods have become increasingly important over the last years in economics. Within the dynamic optimization techniques employed, optimal control has emerged as the most powerful tool for the theoretical economic analysis. However, there is the need to advance further and take account that many dynamic economic processes are, in addition, dependent on some other parameter different than time. One can think of relaxing the assumption of a representative (homogeneous) agent in macro- and micro-economic applications allowing for heterogeneity among the agents. For instance, the optimal adaptation and diffusion of a new technology over time, may depend on the age of the person that adopted the new technology. Therefore, the economic models must take account of heterogeneity conditions within the dynamic framework. This thesis intends to accomplish two goals. The first goal is to analyze and revise existing environmental policies that focus on defining the optimal management of natural resources over time, by taking account of the heterogeneity of environmental conditions. Thus, the thesis makes a policy orientated contribution in the field of environmental policy by defining the necessary changes to transform an environmental policy based on the assumption of homogeneity into an environmental policy which takes account of heterogeneity. As a result the newly defined environmental policy will be more efficient and likely also politically more acceptable since it is tailored more specifically to the heterogeneous environmental conditions. Additionally to its policy orientated contribution, this thesis aims making a methodological contribution by applying a new optimization technique for solving problems where the control variables depend on two or more arguments --- the so-called two-stage solution approach ---, and by applying a numerical method --- the Escalator Boxcar Train Method --- for solving distributed optimal control problems, i.e., problems where the state variables, in addition to the control variables, depend on two or more arguments. Chapter 2 presents a theoretical framework to determine optimal resource allocation over time for the production of a good by heterogeneous producers, who generate a stock externalit and derives government policies to modify the behavior of competitive producers in order to achieve optimality. Chapter 3 illustrates the method in a more specific context, and integrates the aspects of quality and time, presenting a theoretical model that allows to determine the socially optimal outcome over time and space for the problem of waterlogging in irrigated agricultural production. Chapter 4 of this thesis concentrates on forestry resources and analyses the optimal selective-logging regime of a size-distributed forest.

Accounting information systems as institutional carriers: a case study of regulatory compliance in UK asset management houses

Previously, governments have responded to the impacts of economic failures and consequently have developed more regulations to protect employees, customers, shareholders and the economic wellbeing of the state. Our research addresses how Accounting Information Systems (AIS) may act as carriers for institutionalised practices associated with maintaining regulatory compliance within the context of UK Asset Management Houses. The AIS was found to be a strong conduit for institutionalized compliance related practices, utilising symbolic systems, relational systems, routines and artefacts to carry approaches relating to regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive strands of institutionalism. Thus, AIS are integral to the development and dissipation of best practice for the management of regulatory compliance. As institutional elements are clearly present we argue that AIS and regulatory compliance provide a rich context to further institutionalism. Since AIS may act as conduits for regulatory approaches, both systems adopters and clients may benefit from actively seeking to codify and abstract best practices into AIS. However, the application of generic institutionalized approaches, which may be applied across similar organizations, must be tempered with each firm’s business environment and associated regulatory exposure. A balance should be sought between approaches specific enough to be useful but generic enough to be universally applied.