In this thesis I try to clarify the concept of "creative accounting ". First I define the difference between error and fraud. Then I try to compare two different accounting systems (IFRS and Czech accounting standards). I specify the major differences between these two systems (the valuation of assets, the principle of revenue recognition etc.) and I compare their impact on the financial statements. In the end I consider the role of adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in relation to the creative accounting.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-03T18:33:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eloisa_Barbosa_Siqueira.pdf: 3847207 bytes, checksum: 2c51e224cdf6d6b3ff12d1f059562669 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-25 / This research analyzed the internal accounting controls of a Brazilian chemical industry, and the changes after the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley law. It is a descriptive, qualitative research and unique case study application. The research intented to understand: \"In what extent the Sarbanes-Oxley law has affected the internal accounting controls of the researched company?\". Therefore, the data collection was divided in two steps: the first, presented in the Sox Project database information, and the second described in interviews with the company employees. The interview was based in a script composed of 20 questions, divided in three dimensions / constructs: analysis of the interviewees opinion of the internal control area, before the implementation of Sox; verification of the contributions that Sox brought to the internal controls of the organization, and the identification of significant changes after the implementation of the law. The technique used to extract the data from communications was the content analysis. Moreover, after the data analysis, the conclusion was that before implementing Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the company did not have a structure of internal controls, the processes were not standardized and the organization did not have an effective record of important decisions. In 2014, with the advent of Sox, the control culture underwent a positive change, the proceedings were standardized, the employees were trained in Sox concepts, decisions were recorded in minutes, and an area of internal controls was created. Sox allowed the company to have a different vision of the market, and, in the beginning of 2015, the company received a purchase proposal / A presente pesquisa analisou os controles internos cont??beis de uma ind??stria qu??mica brasileira e as mudan??as ap??s a implanta????o da lei Sarbanes-Oxley. ?? uma pesquisa descritiva, qualitativa e de aplica????o de estudo de caso ??nico. O problema de pesquisa buscou entender: Em que medida a lei Sarbanes-Oxley afetou os controles internos cont??beis da empresa objeto da pesquisa? Nesse sentido, o levantamento dos dados foi dividido em duas etapas: a primeira, presente nas informa????es do banco de dados da empresa, e a segunda, descrita nas entrevistas com os colaboradores. Nas entrevistas, foi utilizado um roteiro composto por 20 perguntas, divididas em tr??s dimens??es/constructos: analisar a vis??o dos entrevistados perante a ??rea de controles internos antes da implanta????o da Sox; verificar as contribui????es que a Sox trouxe para os controles internos da organiza????o; identificar as mudan??as significativas ap??s sua implanta????o. A t??cnica utilizada para extrair os dados das comunica????es foi a an??lise de conte??do. Ap??s as an??lises dos dados, foi constatado que, antes de implantar a lei Sarbanes-Oxley, a empresa n??o apresentava uma estrutura de controles internos, os processos n??o eram padronizados e n??o havia um registro efetivo de decis??es importantes. Em 2014, com a chegada da Sox, a cultura de controle passou por uma mudan??a positiva, os processos foram padronizados, os colaboradores receberam treinamento sobre a Sox, as decis??es foram registradas em atas e foi criada uma ??rea de controles internos. A Sox permitiu que a empresa tivesse uma vis??o diferenciada do mercado, o que contribuiu para que no in??cio de 2015, a empresa recebesse uma proposta de compra

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T19:12:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Em um momento em que existem debates em destaque sobre transparência e ética nas organizações, especialmente após a publicação da Lei norte-americana Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) e do Código Civil brasileiro, este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a influência dessas leis no sistema de controles internos de empresas registradas na Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (FIESP), partindo da premissa de que os referidos controles são a base para a manutenção de boas práticas de governança corporativa, e são usados como ferramenta de apoio à Controladoria para o exercício de suas funções. Para tanto, fez-se uma pesquisa de campo, utilizando-se como instrumento um questionário enviado para 174 empresas de capital nacional e para subsidiárias de companhias norte-americanas com cadastro na FIESP, do qual obteve-se 48 respostas de executivos de empresas nacionais e norte-americanas. Após a coleta e análise de dados, conclui-se que entre as empresas pesquisadas, todas as subsidiárias de companhias norte-americanas ad / At a time when there are active debates on-going concerning transparency and ethics within organizations, particularly following the publication of the North American Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and of the latest brazilian Civil Code, the object of this study is to examine the influence of these laws on the internal control systems of companies that are registered with The Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP). An initial premise adopted is that these controls are the basis for the maintenance of good practice in corporate governance, and function as a support tool for the controllership in the exercise of their functions. To examine this a field study was carried out, using a questionnaire as an instrument, which was sent to 174 companies that are either Brazilian owned or are subsidiaries of North American companies that are registered with FIESP, of which 48 replies were received from their executives. After the collation and analysis of the data it was concluded that all of the North Ame

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:39:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gilberto Cabeleira Alves.pdf: 909648 bytes, checksum: ae5ef27c0ea7db4792c6c17142f495e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-20 / This dissertation, a case study, has the purpose of examining the control functions in a large financial institution in Brazil and answer the central question: how and why to integrate the control functions in financial institutions? The study comprised the analysis of concepts, mission and approaches in use by Internal Control, Operational Risk Management and SOX Compliance functions. The internal control concept was identified as being the foundation of the three control functions under analysis. The framework of best practices in internal controls, COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework, is used to compare the way in which those functions operate. Interviews and questionnaires are used to collect primary data and documental analysis and observation for secondary data. Answers from the participating areas indicate that the departments reviewed by the control functions consider integration as necessary. By analyzing the purpose of those functions it is identified that Operational Risk Management and SOX Compliance functions have different purposes and focuses, the first aims at reducing the historic of losses and the later focuses on the quality of financial reporting, both functions report to different directors, have different performance measures and require different skill from their professionals. Comparison of the practices in use indicates that those functions adopt similar approaches; however, not integrated. It is identified a number of examples of opportunities for integration, such as: implementing a shared process for identifying and ranking risks, monitoring controls and reporting. The full integration within a single department revealed to be not adequate, but it is accepted that those functions need to be reviewed to take advantage of the integration opportunities / Esta dissertação, um estudo de caso, tem por objetivo examinar funções de controle em instituição financeira de grande porte no Brasil e responder a questão central: como e por que integrar as funções de controle em instituições financeiras? O estudo compreende análise dos conceitos, objetivos e abordagens adotadas pelas funções: Controles Internos, Gestão de Riscos Operacionais e SOX Compliance. Identifica-se o conceito de controles internos como sendo o fundamento das três funções de controle em análise. A estrutura de melhores práticas do COSO Internal Control Integrated Framework é utilizada para comparar a atuação das três funções. Entrevistas e questionários são utilizados para coleta de dados primários, e análise documental e observação, para dados secundários. Respostas das áreas participantes indicam que departamentos sujeitos a revisões pelas funções de controle consideram a integração destas funções necessária. Análise dos objetivos destas funções identifica que Gestão de Riscos Operacionais e SOX Compliance possuem objetivos e enfoques diferentes, a primeira objetiva reduzir histórico de perdas, a segunda, qualidade dos reportes financeiros, ambas reportam para diretorias diferentes, possuem métricas de performance distintas e requerem diferentes habilidades de seus profissionais. Comparação das práticas em uso demonstra que estas funções adotam abordagens semelhantes, entretanto, não integradas. São identificados inúmeros exemplos de oportunidades de integração, tais como: implante de processos compartilhados para identificação e categorização de riscos, monitoramento de controles e reporte. A completa integração em área única mostrou-se não adequada, mas é aceito que a forma de atuação destas funções precisa ser revista para que aproveitem oportunidades de integração

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:40:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Raphael Moggioni de Lima.pdf: 444702 bytes, checksum: 56f47c113f2541bfd33f3159e4e6c428 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-17 / Bankruptcy cases as the ones occured in U.S. economy after 2001 involving big corporations, as Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing have exposed the fragilities of the companies internal control over financial reporting. Trying to reestablish the confidence in financial information provided to the investors and the market balance, the U.S. Congress enacted the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX), on 30 July 2002, introducing numerous changes to corporate governance and with respect to the controls over the results achieved. The rigorous changes introduced by SOX have been raised lots of discussions about the costs and benefits for the companies and the investors. This work aims to analyze the existing relations between the internal control over financial reporting disclosure (one requirement according to SOX) and the market performance of the companies shares. The analyses perform were based on regressions with brazilian companies informations issued in U.S. market share. The data used in the study are secondary, from the data base economática and the forms 20-F. The results show that the returns are badly affected in short term, however in longer periods there is no evidence between the internal control deficiencies disclosure and the increase in risk perceptions for the investors / Processos de falência como os ocorridos na economia norte-americana a partir do ano de 2001, afetando grandes organizações, tais como: Enron, WorldCom e Global Crossing expuseram a fragilidade do sistema de controles internos das empresas sobre as divulgações financeiras. Buscando restaurar a confiança nas informações fornecidas aos investidores e o equilíbrio dos mercados, o Congresso dos Estados Unidos promulgou a Lei Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), de 30 de julho de 2002, repleta de reformas no ambiente da governança corporativa e nos controles sobre a contabilização dos resultados alcançados. As rígidas alterações trazidas pela SOX têm suscitado diversas discussões sobre os custos e benefícios para as companhias e os investidores. O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar a relação existente entre a divulgação de deficiências no sistema de controles internos das empresas, uma das exigências da Lei Sarbanes-Oxley, e o desempenho das ações das companhias. A análise foi realizada por meio de regressões estatísticas com informações das empresas brasileiras que emitem títulos no mercado norte-americano. Os dados foram coletados do banco de dados Economática e dos formulários 20-F. Os resultados indicam que os retornos são afetados negativamente no curto prazo, contudo em períodos mais longos não há relação direta entre a divulgação de deficiências nos controles internos e aumento na percepção de risco pelos investidores

In the United States, approximately 7% of nonprofits' annual revenue is lost as a result of a lack of ethical financial operations among nonprofit executive directors (EDs). This represents $85 billion in estimated annual losses in available operating funds. This study addressed the problem of ineffective leadership in nonprofit organizations from the perspective of EDs responsible for ethical financial operations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of nonprofit EDs who self-reported the use of 1 of Burn's and Bass' 3 leadership styles and whether leadership style influenced the use of the Sarbanes Oxley Act to manage the ethical financial operations of their human service nonprofit organization. Qualitative data were collected from 12 EDs through semi structured interviews and then coded and analyzed using a modified van Kaam procedure. The results of the study indicated that EDs who self-reported using transformational leadership style were more inclined to adhere to the Sarbanes Oxley Act. In addition, participants acknowledged the need for organizational support to improve leadership qualities in EDs, efficiency, and effective ethical financial operations in nonprofit organizations. The study provides a baseline for nonprofit organizations to increase positive social change by adding knowledge on implementing strategies that will result in the enhancement of quality leadership in EDs that may ultimately result in more efficient and effective ethical financial operations in nonprofit organizations.

Submitted by Claudio Manfredi (cafmanfredi@msn.com) on 2013-10-09T18:20:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 EBAPE-MEX2011-Dissertação-Manfredi,CAF.pdf: 2229754 bytes, checksum: 41145bff33a84b8375d5b1386db67bd7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2013-10-09T20:24:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 EBAPE-MEX2011-Dissertação-Manfredi,CAF.pdf: 2229754 bytes, checksum: 41145bff33a84b8375d5b1386db67bd7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2013-10-11T17:56:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 EBAPE-MEX2011-Dissertação-Manfredi,CAF.pdf: 2229754 bytes, checksum: 41145bff33a84b8375d5b1386db67bd7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-11T17:57:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EBAPE-MEX2011-Dissertação-Manfredi,CAF.pdf: 2229754 bytes, checksum: 41145bff33a84b8375d5b1386db67bd7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-18 / Companies seek to create an enabling context in which trust is a predominant element . In 2002, after the well - known corporate governance scandals, the Congress of the United States of America (USA) enacted the Sarbanes - Oxley Act (SOx), in order to protect investors and reestablish the shaken confidence. U.S. public companies were forced to adopt corporate codes of ethics, ensuring maximum effectiveness in preventing frauds committed by their employees, subject to heavy civil and criminal penalties for both companies and their executives. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the Co rporate Codes of Ethics ( CC E) by the perception of Brazilian employee s of Brazilian national companies subject to comply with S o x . Based on the model described by Singh (2011), 18 independent variables of CCE’ effectiveness were analyzed . The results reve aled that 84.4% of the questionnaire respondents positively evaluated the C CE of their respective companies. But the model of Singh (2011) did not fully reflect the factors identified by him , allowing the proposi tion of a new model of effectiveness of the CCE . Further research should include an analysis of the Brazilian cultural aspects that may impact the effectiveness of the EEC. Case studies regarding the universe of employees of one sole public company should be conducted , aiming to provide a n actual diagnosis of the effectiveness of its code of ethics. / As empresas buscam criar um contexto capacitante no qual a confiança é elemento preponderante para tais objetivos. Em 2002, após os conhecidos escândalos de governança corporativa, o Congresso dos Estados Unidos da América (EUA) sancionou a Lei Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx), com o objetivo de proteger os investidores e resgatar a confiança abalada. Empresas norte-americanas de capital aberto foram obrigadas a adotar códigos de ética corporativos, garantindo a máxima efetividade na prevenção de fraudes praticadas por empregados, sob pena de pesadas sanções cíveis e criminais para as empresas e seus executivos. O presente estudo visa verificar a efetividade dos Códigos de Ética Empresarial (CEE) na percepção do empregado brasileiro de empresa nacional subordinada à SOx. Com base no modelo de Singh (2011), foram analisadas 18 variáveis independentes de efetividade dos códigos de ética corporativos. Os resultados revelaram que 84,4% dos respondentes ao questionário avaliaram positivamente os CEE de suas respectivas empresas. Mas o modelo de Singh (2011) não refletiu integralmente os fatores por ele identificados, permitindo a proposição de um novo modelo de efetividade dos CEE. Novas pesquisas deverão contemplar a análise dos aspectos culturais brasileiros que podem impactar na efetividade dos CEE. Estudos de caso, considerando o universo de funcionários de uma única empresa, poderão aprofundar as pesquisas sobre o tema, além de possibilitar à empresa estudada um diagnóstico mais real da efetividade de seu código de ética.

This diploma thesis is focused on basic parts of internal control systems in modern companies and its interaction among them. It expains main control mechanisms, approach to risk management and impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Act on internal controls. Application part describes actualisation, testing and validation of internal controls in Sarbanes-Oxley 404 Annex 4 form.

No description available.

This dissertation consists of three essays on the effect of excess compensation and corporate governance changes on the firm’s performance. The first paper utilizes a cost minimization stochastic frontier approach to investigate the efficiency of director total compensation. Our findings suggest that board members are over compensated. We show that, on average, the director actual compensation level is above the efficient compensation level by around 63%. Our results suggest that an increase in director excess compensation decreases the likelihood of CEO turnover, reduces the turnover-performance sensitivity, and increases managerial entrenchment. Thus, the surplus in director compensation is directly associated with managerial job security and entrenchment. Furthermore, although director excess compensation is not significantly inversely related to the firm’s future performance, it has an indirect negative effect on future performance through its impact on the entrenchment-performance relationship. Therefore, this essay proposes that the overcompensation of directors is directly associated with a board culture predicated by mutual back-scratching and collusion between the CEO and the board members. The second essay tests the effect of an exogenous shock, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002, on the structure of corporate boards and their efficiency as a monitoring mechanism. The results suggest an increase in the participation of independent directors at the expense of insiders. Consequently, we investigate the implications of board composition changes on CEO turnover and firm value. We document a noticeable reduction in CEO turnover in the post-SOX period. We also demonstrate that, after SOX, a board dominated by independent directors is less likely to remove a CEO due to poor performance. Finally, we highlight a negative association between the change in board composition and firm value. We propose that our findings are predicated on an off equilibrium result whereby firms were forced to modify iv their endogenously chosen board composition. Therefore, contrary to the legislators’ objectives, we suggest that the change in board structure brought about inefficient monitoring and promoted an unfavorable tradeoff between independent directors and insiders. The third essay examines the relationship between the firm’s governance structure and its value during different economic conditions. We show that both relative industry turnover and CEO entrenchment increase during economic downturns. We also find that relative industry turnover and managerial entrenchment have opposite impacts on the value of the firm throughout the recessionary period. While industry turnover leads to an appreciation in firm value, managerial entrenchment reduces shareholders’ wealth. The negative impact of managerial entrenchment on firm value, however, outweighs the positive impact of industry turnover. Accordingly, we propose that a recession provides managers with a good opportunity to camouflage their behavior and extract more private benefits and, thus, blame the poor performance on bad economic conditions.