Accounting as a tool for communicating relevant information to multiple users must overcome issues and barriers of presenting such information. One of the issues is its understandability, once lack of understanding can impact decisions. However, understandability is not easily measured. Previous studies use readability metrics as proxies for understandability. They understand that these concepts are related to some extent, but while readability focuses on the text, understandability includes the reader characteristics. Thus, the main purpose of this research was to verify how readability impacts the understandability of the information from the notes to the financial statements. I also verified whether the distance between them was due to reporting language. The specific goals were: (i) to verify whether different readability levels have impact on the notes to the financial statements\' understandability; (ii) to verify whether the understandability levels are due to accounting specific terms; (iii) to verify if those notes\' understandability and readability are different for different languages; and (iv) to verify if the levels of readability and understandability changed after OCPC 07. I performed two different types of research methods, archival and experimental research. The archival research applied mean tests to 44 firms that presented their notes both in Portuguese and in English from 2012 to 2015. I studied the notes of Financial Instruments and Provisions. I used indexes of intelligibility as proxies to understandability, calculated by a linguistic software. I found that, for most indexes where firms had worse levels of readability, they showed better levels of intelligibility, which goes against the expected. My results also show that with few exceptions, the readability and intelligibility indexes are different for Portuguese and English. Moreover, I found that there was no change after the adoption of OCPC 07 on both readability and intelligibility indexes. In the experimental research, I applied a self-created instrument based on the MIT test to 112 students in Brazil of graduate and undergraduate courses related to business, to verify how readability impacts on understandability, by manipulating readability components of the Flesch index (number of words per sentence and number of syllables per word). I controlled for some characteristics of each participant and the technicality of accounting language. I used an ANCOVA to test the difference between treatments and a Mediation Analysis to verify the impact of the glossary. I found no difference in understanding through different levels of readability, while some participant\'s characteristics - such as previous understanding skills, level of education, courses and the type of school - showed relevance in explaining understandability. The evidence also suggests that using a glossary to assist the reader affected understandability, but mostly for those who have less prior knowledge regarding notes to the financial statements. These results allow me to conclude readability metrics are not good proxies to measure understandability in Accounting, glossary assists on reader\'s understandability, language has an impact over readability and understandability, and readability and understandability did not change with the OCPC 07. / A Contabilidade como ferramenta para comunicar informação relevante a múltiplos usuários, deve superar problemas e barreiras na apresentação dessa informação. Um dos problemas é sua compreensibilidade, dado que a falta de compreensão pode impactar as decisões. Contudo, compreensibilidade não é mensurada facilmente. Estudos anteriores usam métricas de legibilidade como proxies de compreensibilidade. Eles entendem que esses conceitos estão relacionados em certa medida, mas enquanto legibilidade foca no texto, compreensibilidade inclui características do leitor. Assim, o objetivo principal dessa pesquisa foi verificar como a legibilidade impacta na compreensibilidade das informações das Notas Explicativas. Foi verificado também se a distância entre elas se deve à língua do relatório. Os objetivos específicos eram: (i) verificar se diferentes níveis de legibilidade impactam a compreensibilidade das notas explicativas; (ii) verificar se os níveis de compreensibilidade dependem de termos específicos contábeis; (iii) verificar se a compreensibilidade e a legibilidade das notas são diferente em diferentes línguas; e (iv) verificar se a compreensibilidade e a legibilidade das notas mudaram depois da OCPC 07. Realizaram-se dois métodos de pesquisas diferentes, um de arquivo e outro experimental. A pesquisa de arquivo aplicou testes de média em 44 empresas abertas que apresentaram suas notas em português e em inglês de 2012 a 2015. Foram estudadas notas de Instrumentos Financeiros e Provisões. Utilizaram-se índices de inteligibilidade como proxies para compreensibilidade, calculados por um software linguístico. Os resultados mostram que a maior parte das empresas que possuíam os piores níveis de legibilidade, apresentaram os melhores níveis de inteligibilidade, o que é contrário ao esperado. Os resultados também mostram que, com algumas exceções, os índices de legibilidade e compreensibilidade são diferentes em português e inglês. Ademais, descobriu-se que não houve mudança após a adoção da OCPC 07 em ambos os índices de legibilidade e compreensibilidade. No experimento, foi aplicado um instrumento criado pela autora, baseado no teste MIT, a 112 estudantes no Brasil de cursos relacionados a negócios de graduação e pós-graduação, para verificar como a legibilidade impacta na compreensibilidade, manipulando os componentes de legibilidade do índice Flesch (número de palavras por frase e número de sílabas por palavra). Controlou-se algumas características de cada participante e pela tecnicidade da linguagem contábil. Usou-se a ANCOVA para testar a diferença entre tratamentos e a Análise de Mediação para verificar o impacto de um glossário. Não foram encontradas diferenças de compreensão entre os diferentes níveis de legibilidade, enquanto que algumas características dos participantes - como habilidades de compreensão prévias, nível educacional, curso e tipo de universidade - se mostraram relevantes para explicar compreensibilidade. Os resultados também sugerem que o uso de um glossário para ajudar o leitor afetou compreensibilidade, mas mais para aqueles que possuíam menor conhecimento prévio sobre Notas Explicativas. Os resultados permitem concluir que as métricas de legibilidade não são boas proxies para mensurar compreensibilidade em Contabilidade, o glossário auxilia na compreensibilidade do leitor, a língua impacta legibilidade e compreensibilidade e legibilidade e compreensibilidade não mudaram com a OCPC 07.

Accounting as a tool for communicating relevant information to multiple users must overcome issues and barriers of presenting such information. One of the issues is its understandability, once lack of understanding can impact decisions. However, understandability is not easily measured. Previous studies use readability metrics as proxies for understandability. They understand that these concepts are related to some extent, but while readability focuses on the text, understandability includes the reader characteristics. Thus, the main purpose of this research was to verify how readability impacts the understandability of the information from the notes to the financial statements. I also verified whether the distance between them was due to reporting language. The specific goals were: (i) to verify whether different readability levels have impact on the notes to the financial statements\' understandability; (ii) to verify whether the understandability levels are due to accounting specific terms; (iii) to verify if those notes\' understandability and readability are different for different languages; and (iv) to verify if the levels of readability and understandability changed after OCPC 07. I performed two different types of research methods, archival and experimental research. The archival research applied mean tests to 44 firms that presented their notes both in Portuguese and in English from 2012 to 2015. I studied the notes of Financial Instruments and Provisions. I used indexes of intelligibility as proxies to understandability, calculated by a linguistic software. I found that, for most indexes where firms had worse levels of readability, they showed better levels of intelligibility, which goes against the expected. My results also show that with few exceptions, the readability and intelligibility indexes are different for Portuguese and English. Moreover, I found that there was no change after the adoption of OCPC 07 on both readability and intelligibility indexes. In the experimental research, I applied a self-created instrument based on the MIT test to 112 students in Brazil of graduate and undergraduate courses related to business, to verify how readability impacts on understandability, by manipulating readability components of the Flesch index (number of words per sentence and number of syllables per word). I controlled for some characteristics of each participant and the technicality of accounting language. I used an ANCOVA to test the difference between treatments and a Mediation Analysis to verify the impact of the glossary. I found no difference in understanding through different levels of readability, while some participant\'s characteristics - such as previous understanding skills, level of education, courses and the type of school - showed relevance in explaining understandability. The evidence also suggests that using a glossary to assist the reader affected understandability, but mostly for those who have less prior knowledge regarding notes to the financial statements. These results allow me to conclude readability metrics are not good proxies to measure understandability in Accounting, glossary assists on reader\'s understandability, language has an impact over readability and understandability, and readability and understandability did not change with the OCPC 07. / A Contabilidade como ferramenta para comunicar informação relevante a múltiplos usuários, deve superar problemas e barreiras na apresentação dessa informação. Um dos problemas é sua compreensibilidade, dado que a falta de compreensão pode impactar as decisões. Contudo, compreensibilidade não é mensurada facilmente. Estudos anteriores usam métricas de legibilidade como proxies de compreensibilidade. Eles entendem que esses conceitos estão relacionados em certa medida, mas enquanto legibilidade foca no texto, compreensibilidade inclui características do leitor. Assim, o objetivo principal dessa pesquisa foi verificar como a legibilidade impacta na compreensibilidade das informações das Notas Explicativas. Foi verificado também se a distância entre elas se deve à língua do relatório. Os objetivos específicos eram: (i) verificar se diferentes níveis de legibilidade impactam a compreensibilidade das notas explicativas; (ii) verificar se os níveis de compreensibilidade dependem de termos específicos contábeis; (iii) verificar se a compreensibilidade e a legibilidade das notas são diferente em diferentes línguas; e (iv) verificar se a compreensibilidade e a legibilidade das notas mudaram depois da OCPC 07. Realizaram-se dois métodos de pesquisas diferentes, um de arquivo e outro experimental. A pesquisa de arquivo aplicou testes de média em 44 empresas abertas que apresentaram suas notas em português e em inglês de 2012 a 2015. Foram estudadas notas de Instrumentos Financeiros e Provisões. Utilizaram-se índices de inteligibilidade como proxies para compreensibilidade, calculados por um software linguístico. Os resultados mostram que a maior parte das empresas que possuíam os piores níveis de legibilidade, apresentaram os melhores níveis de inteligibilidade, o que é contrário ao esperado. Os resultados também mostram que, com algumas exceções, os índices de legibilidade e compreensibilidade são diferentes em português e inglês. Ademais, descobriu-se que não houve mudança após a adoção da OCPC 07 em ambos os índices de legibilidade e compreensibilidade. No experimento, foi aplicado um instrumento criado pela autora, baseado no teste MIT, a 112 estudantes no Brasil de cursos relacionados a negócios de graduação e pós-graduação, para verificar como a legibilidade impacta na compreensibilidade, manipulando os componentes de legibilidade do índice Flesch (número de palavras por frase e número de sílabas por palavra). Controlou-se algumas características de cada participante e pela tecnicidade da linguagem contábil. Usou-se a ANCOVA para testar a diferença entre tratamentos e a Análise de Mediação para verificar o impacto de um glossário. Não foram encontradas diferenças de compreensão entre os diferentes níveis de legibilidade, enquanto que algumas características dos participantes - como habilidades de compreensão prévias, nível educacional, curso e tipo de universidade - se mostraram relevantes para explicar compreensibilidade. Os resultados também sugerem que o uso de um glossário para ajudar o leitor afetou compreensibilidade, mas mais para aqueles que possuíam menor conhecimento prévio sobre Notas Explicativas. Os resultados permitem concluir que as métricas de legibilidade não são boas proxies para mensurar compreensibilidade em Contabilidade, o glossário auxilia na compreensibilidade do leitor, a língua impacta legibilidade e compreensibilidade e legibilidade e compreensibilidade não mudaram com a OCPC 07.

The thesis deals with Notes to the Financial statements its explanatory ability for users of accounting information. The theoretical part is focused on presentation of the Financial statements and charakteristics of individual statements of the FThe thesis deals with Notes to the Financial statements its explanatory ability for users of accounting information. The theoretical part is focused on presentation of the Financial statements and charakteristics of individual statements of the Financial statements. The indispensable component of this part is the introduction and specification of the amendment to the Act on Accounting and the Implementing Decree for Entrepreneurs. Attention is mainly focused on classification of accounting units, the scope of the financial statements and the method of valuing inventories created by their own activities, Last but not least there is described the structure and the scope of the Notes to the Finacial statements including a commentary of changes based on the amendment to the Act on Accounting. The practical part deals with the analysis of Notes to the Financial statements of manufacturing companies operating in the automotive industry. The result is an appreciation of the reported requirements depending on the classification of accounting unit and the assessment of the content of the Notes based on valid legislation. The main finding is the quntification of supplementary and disposing information in the Notes of the Financial statements and thus, the assessment of the explanatory ability for users of accounting information

This thesis deals with notes to the financial statements and their explanatory power. Firstly annual financial statement is presented shortly with other context. Then content of the notes to the financial statements is specified in details together with information how should the notes look to provide satisfactory explanatory power. A survey of the real notes was realized for evaluation of these notes. Information stated in the notes were evaluated and the average number of errors in these notes was found out. In the survey it was found out that three errors you can find in the notes of unaudited companies on the average and that the notes of audited companies are worse than the notes of unaudited companies. The main finding is that you can find errors in the notes to the financial statements and these errors can reduce the explanatory power.

The objective of this thesis is to compare financial statements prepared under Czech law (?ČÚL? or ?CZ GAAP?) and financial statements prepared under international accounting standards IAS/IFRS. The theoretical part elaborates on the formal comparison of financial statements prepared under ČÚL and under IAS/IFRS and the objective of the comparison is the contents, form and methods used for preparing financial statements under the two legislations. General accounting in the Czech Republic is governed by Act 563/1991 Coll., on Accounting and IAS/IFRS is similarly governed by the Framework. The other part discusses some selected IAS/IFRS standards that are applied in a certain company and they are compared with Czech accounting standards. The practical part of the thesis discusses the transformation of the financial statements prepared under ČÚL to financial statements under IAS/IFRS in a certain company. As a result of such transformation, certain lines disclosed under the balance sheet and the income statement show different figures and they have impact on the closing amounts and the profit/loss of the company. The outcome of the practical part are reports prepared under ČÚL and under IAS/IFRS and in the end I assess the influence of different methods used on the reported data. I focused only on two most important parts of financial statements, i.e. balance sheet and income statement.

The aim of this thesis is to comparasion the defferences in the reporting of financial inforamtion by the Czech accounting legislation and IFRS. In the theoretical part, the author deals with the main differences in these two accounting systems. In the second part, practical part, the author deals with compare the financial statements of business. In the last part assess I the main differences.

The primary purpose of this thesis is to describe all areas of presentation of the financial statements in shareholders corporation according to the Czech accounting standards and Czech legal environment. Theoretical part of the thesis describes the general principles of the preparation of the financial statements followed by detailed analysis of four key areas associated with the financial statements. Theoretical part starts with focus on the year ending accounting procedures including inventory, control of accruals and deferrals, impairment of assets, depreciation, appreciation and tax due as well as deferred tax. Subsequently, it describes the actual closing of the accounts followed by the description of the financial statements. Theoretical part is completed by description of all related subsequent events such as audit, declaration of taxes, preparation of annual report and publication duties of the corporation. Practical part of the thesis focused on application of the theoretical findings on the process of the 2008 financial statements preparation of Planet A Corporation and evaluation of the financial statements and accounting as a true presentation of the company. Discrepancies and potential mistakes were commented with recommendation of possible solutions presented to the company management. Finally, the financial statements were considered as representing the true financial situation of the company.