Information brokers and the use of budgetary and financial information by politicians: the case of Portugal

This paper analyses the intermediary role of the technical bodies that support the use of budgetary and financial information by central government politicians in Portugal. The main findings show that information brokers are playing a central role in preparing this information in a credible, simple and understandable way. However, even if not intentionally, the information they present can be biased. Politicians need to be aware that the information brokers they rely on may not be giving them ‘neutral’ information.

Organizational and financial transparency in the website of the foundations: an empirical study for Spain

Transparency in nonprofit sector and foundations, as an element to enhance the confidence of stakeholders in the organization, is a fact shown by several studies in recent decades. Transparency can be considered in various fields and through different channels. In our study we focused on the analysis of the organizational and economic transparency of foundations, shown through the voluntary information on their Website. We review the theoretical previous studies published to put to the foundations within the framework of the social economy. This theoretical framework has focused on accountability that make foundations in relation to its social function and its management, especially since the most recent focus of information transparency across the Website.In this theoretical framework was made an index to quantify the voluntary information which is shown on its website. This index has been developed ad hoc for this study and applied to a group of large corporate foundations.With the application of these data are obtained two kind of results, to a descriptive level and to a inferential level.We analyzed the statistical correlation between economic transparency and organizational transparency offered in the Website through quantified variables by a multiple linear regression. This empirical analysis allows us to draw conclusions about the level of transparency offered by these organizations in relation to their organizational and financial information, as well as explain the relation between them.

DONATION DECISIONS: THE ROLES OF FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL INFORMATION

This paper investigates the impact of personal affinity toward a charity and information regarding financial management of potential recipient charitable organizations on decisions to donate. Using an experiment, the study examines how personal donation decisions differ from corporate donation decisions made by managers and how the emotional intelligence of donors affects donation decisions. The results indicate that threshold and financial information on charities assembled by the Better Business Bureau, a charity rating agency, made a significant impact on corporate donation decisions. The study also shows that emotional intelligence plays an important role that aids both individual donors and managers to regulate their donation decisions.

A gestão do fluxo das informações contábeis-financeiras como subsídio do processo de decisão: estudo de caso em uma instituição de ensino superior do terceiro setor

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informação - FFC

Organización financiera-contable, con base a la Norma de Información Financiera para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES), en la Asociación Cooperativa de Producción Agroindustrial y Comercialización Ganadera de Cabañas de Responsabilidad Limitada (COPIGAC, DE R.L.), ubicada en el Municipio de Sensuntepeque, Departamento de Cabañas, a implementarse en el año 2015

Las asociaciones cooperativas han tenido mayor auge en nuestro país en los últimos años, siendo indispensables para el desarrollo de la economía nacional, en tal sentido el cooperativismo moderno ha diversificado las áreas de producción de las cooperativas, pasando de producir para el sector primario de la economía, al secundario y terciario; es decir, de la producción agrícola, al de agroindustria comercial hasta la prestación de servicios, con el fin último de satisfacer las diferentes necesidades de los usuarios del sistema cooperativo, sin perder de vista que desempeñan un papel importante en el ámbito social, convirtiéndose así en entidades de economía solidaria. En El Salvador, el departamento de Cabañas pertenece a una zona geográfica de gran importancia para el sector agroindustrial ya que de acuerdo al 4º Censo Agropecuario realizado por la Dirección General de Estadísticas y Censos (DIGESTYC) 2007-2008, de los 9 municipios del departamento el 27.17% de cabezas de ganado bovino pertenecen al municipio de Sensuntepeque, volviéndose así un mercado propicio para COPIGAC dedicada a la producción agroindustrial y comercialización de concentrado para ganado bovino. El Instituto Salvadoreño de Fomento Cooperativo (INSAFOCOOP) ha generado legislación especial denominada Norma de Información Financiera Para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES), con la finalidad de normar la constitución, funcionamiento y administración del sector cooperativo y que obtengan certeza de reflejar en su información financiera contable el cumplimiento de los requerimientos que demanda el organismo que las fiscaliza, a la vez que adopta uniformidad en la presentación de los datos contables en relación con los demás sectores. Debido a la importancia de la Asociación Cooperativa de Producción Agroindustrial y Comercialización Ganadera en el municipio de Sensuntepeque, el propósito principal que busca la ejecución del presente trabajo de investigación es diseñar una ORGANIZACIÓN FINANCIERA CONTABLE que sirva como un instrumento para estructurar, ordenar, clasificar y resumir la información que se genere de sus actividades; a fin de establecer resultados confiables, que sirvan a la administración para la toma de decisiones. La Organización Financiera Contable es regida por leyes y reglamentos generales, especiales, mercantiles, tributarios, y de previsión y seguridad social las cuales son fundamentales para su diseño, está compuesta por el Control Interno y el Sistema Contable y de Costos con base a la Norma de Información Financiera Para Asociaciones Cooperativas de El Salvador (NIFACES). El documento final que contiene la Organización Financiera Contable fue elaborado utilizando metodología que permitió la recolección de información bibliográfica de elementos teóricos sobre el cooperativismo, contabilidad general, contabilidad de costos y el control interno, se utilizaron como instrumentos de recolección de datos, la entrevista, la observación directa a las actividades ejecutadas por la cooperativa y listas de cotejo, los cuales permitieron el análisis e interpretación de los resultados. Así mismo al analizar e interpretar los resultados obtenidos en la investigación se lograron determinar las conclusiones y recomendaciones con el propósito de brindar solución a la problemática resultante, posteriormente se diseñó un plan de intervención para elaborar la Organización Financiera Contable. Es necesario mencionar que debido a la importancia de las asociaciones cooperativas ante un mundo globalizado y competitivo, deben mantener la uniformidad en la presentación de la información financiera contable en comparación con otros sectores económicos, por ello es beneficioso para la cooperativa en estudio aplicar los lineamientos que establece la normativa de información financiera especial. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Cooperative associations have had the greatest boom in our country in recent years, being indispensable for the development of the national economy, in this sense the modern cooperative has diversified production areas of cooperatives, from producing for the primary sector economy, secondary and tertiary; ie agricultural production, commercial agribusiness to provide services, with the ultimate aim to meet the different needs of users of the cooperative system, without losing sight of that play an important role in the social field, thus becoming in solidarity economy entities. In El Salvador Cabañas department belongs to a geographical area of great importance for the agribusiness sector since according to the 4th Census of Agriculture conducted by the Department of Statistics and Census (DIGESTYC) 2007-2008 of 9 municipalities in the department 27.17% of the heads of cattle belonging to the municipality of Sensuntepeque, thus becoming an enabling market for COPIGAC dedicated to the agroindustrial production and marketing of concentrate for cattle. The Salvadoran Institute for Cooperative Development (INSAFOCOOP) has created special legislation called Financial Reporting Standard for Cooperative Associations of El Salvador (NIFACES), in order to regulate the establishment, operation and administration of the cooperative sector and obtain certainty to reflect on their financial accounting information meeting the requirements demanded by the body that oversees, while adopting uniformity in the presentation of financial data relating to other sectors. Because of the importance of the Cooperative Production Association Agroindustrial and Marketing Livestock in the municipality of Sensuntepeque, the main purpose that seeks the implementation of this research is to design a STOCKHOLDERS financial organization that serves as an instrument to structure, order, classify and summarize the information generated by its activities; to establish reliable results that serve the administration for decision-making. Financial Organization Accounting is governed by laws and general, special, commercial, tax regulations, and welfare and social security which are fundamental to its design, it is made by the Internal Control and Accounting System and Cost based on the Standard Financial Information for Cooperative Associations of El Salvador (NIFACES). The final document containing the Financial Organization Accounting was developed using methodology that allowed the collection of bibliographic information theoretical elements on cooperativism, general accounting, cost accounting and internal control, were used as instruments of data collection, interview, direct observation of the activities carried out by the cooperative and checklists, which allowed the analysis and interpretation of results. Also to analyze and interpret the results of the investigation are able to determine the conclusions and recommendations in order to provide a solution to the resulting problem, then an intervention plan designed to develop the Financial Accounting Organization. It should be mentioned that because of the importance of cooperative associations in a globalized and competitive world, should maintain uniformity in the presentation of accounting and financial information compared with other economic sectors, it is beneficial for the cooperative study apply the guidelines which establishes special rules of financial information.

Public Value as Performance: Politicians’ and Managers’ Perspectives on the Importance of Budgetary, Accruals and Non-Financial Information

Purpose
The study contributes to the literature on public value and performance examining politicians’ and managers’ perspectives by investigating the importance they attach to the different facets of performance information (i.e. budgetary, accrual based- and non-financial information (NFI)).

Design/methodology/approach
We survey politicians and managers in all Italian municipalities of at least 80,000 inhabitants.

Findings
Overall, NFI is more appreciated than financial information (FI). Moreover, budgetary accounting is preferred to accrual accounting. Politicians’ and managers’ preferences are generally aligned.

Research limitations/implications
NFI as a measure of public value is not alternative, but rather complementary, to FI. The latter remains a fundamental element of public sector accounting due to its role in resource allocation and control.

Practical implications
The preference for NFI over FI and of budgetary over accruals accounting suggests that the current predominant emphasis on (accrual-based) financial reporting might be misplaced.

Originality/value
Public value and performance are multi-faceted concepts. They can be captured by different types of information and evaluated according to different criteria, which will also depend on the category of stakeholders or users who assesses public performance. So far, most literature has considered the financial and non-financial facets of performance as virtually separate. Similarly, in the practice, financial management tends to be decoupled from non-financial performance management. However, this research shows that only by considering their joint interactions we can achieve an accurate representation of what public value really is.

Undergraduate performance in accounting and business-based information technology

The pervasiveness of information systems (IS) in organizations mandates the need for high levels of IS skills. In recognition, professional bodies impose IS course requirements for accreditation. For both students and employers, performance in IS courses has become important. The tertiary entrance overall performance score accounted for 19.7 per cent of the variance in students' passing grades. Thereafter, proficiency in office automation software and programming accounted for 1.5 and 0.8 per cent of the variance, respectively. Students living in a stable, family home-based environment performed better and it is likely that this environment underpinned other factors affecting performance.

Role of financial and other information in trade credit decisions in SMEs: An international study

Trade credit is an important source of finance for SMEs and this study investigates the use of the financial statements and other information in making trade credit decisions in smaller entities in Finland, the UK, USA and South Africa. The study adds to the literature by examining the information needs of unincorporated entities as a basis for making comparisons with small, unlisted companies. In-depth, semi-structured interviews in each country were used to collect data from the owner-managers of SMEs and from credit rating agencies and credit insurers. The findings provide insights into similarities and differences between countries and between developed and developing economies. The evidence suggests that there are three main influences on the trade credit decision: formal and report-based information, soft information relating to social capital and contingency factors. The latter dictate the extent to which hard/formal information versus soft/informal information is used.

Functional fixation : experimental evidence on the presentation of financial information through different digital formats

This study examines whether, in the presentation of financial information, digital formats address the concern over users’ functional fixation. The accounting literature indicates that the presentation of financial information either within the financial statements or in the notes to the financial statements often creates functional fixation where users of financial statements fail to adjust for differences in accounting policy. This leads users to judge what would otherwise be identical financial situations as being different due to the different accounting policies and methods adopted. It has been suggested that the use of digital formats in presenting financial reports may overcome functional fixation. Using an experimental design involving accountants in public practice, the results indicate that the use of digital formats to present financial reports does not fully overcome the issue of functional fixation in the processing of financial information. Although the participants were able to identify and extract relevant information, irrespective of whether or not the information was presented within the financial statements or in the notes to the accounts, the evidence indicates that functional fixation remained when the participants made final decisions based on available information. This suggests that functional fixation may not be caused by access to or extraction of information but by the level of perceived significance based on where the information is reported in the financial statements. In general, the results indicate that current technology may not be able to fully reduce functional fixation in the evaluation of financial information prepared in accordance with different accounting policies and methods.

Understanding financial information used to assess small firm performance : an Australian qualitative study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reality of financial and management accounting in a small group of small firms. Specifically, from the owner's perspective, an exploration is undertaken to see what financial information is collected, how it is used (or not) to make business decisions and evaluate the firm's performance, and the role played by the accountant in that process. Design/methodology/approach A phenomenological paradigm underpins this exploratory study. Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with the owners of ten small firms, where the focus was on understanding what happens in an organisational setting, as opposed to theory and textbook practice. Findings The qualitative data supported prior research in other countries. The in‐depth analysis revealed a very basic understanding of accounting information and problems with the financial literacy amongst these small firm owners. Accounting reports were not widely produced or used, so an informal assessment, such as how much cash was in the bank, was the primary means of assessing business performance. Accountants were used for taxation services, although some owners sought more general business advice. Originality/value An understanding is developed of why there might be a gap between textbook rhetoric and reality of accounting practice in small firms. The conclusion is that accounting textbooks need to include more information about the reality of financial management in small firms.