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- Explanatory factors for the use of the financial report in decision-making: evidence from local government in PortugalPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.This study aims to identify to what extent certain factors perceived by internal decision-makers (politi-cians and financial officials) influence the usefulness they consider the information presented in thefinancial reports of municipalities has for decision-making purposes.It follows a quantitative research approach at a first stage, using a questionnaire. At a second andcomplementary stage, it uses a qualitative research perspective, with interviews in a small group ofmunicipalities, which might be seen as case studies, in order to explore and understand the (external andinternal) contextual factors that determine the usefulness of the financial report in decision-making byinternal decision-makers.The main findings show that the pressure of professional organizations and of a national problem(external factors), as well as the lack of knowledge and training on the accounting information system(internal organizational factor) are factors that most influence the usefulness of the financial report forinternal decision-making. Qualitative analysis confirms these results, reinforcing a factor relating to awork overload.Two important implications of this study are the following: first, professional bodies and the financialsituation in the country; while stimulating informational needs by internal users in the public sectorthey determine the usefulness they offer to financial reporting for decision-making. Second, the lack ofknowledge of the accounting information system, especially by local politicians, is a hindering factor ofthe usefulness given to financial reporting for internal decision-making. Nowadays, when many countriesare considering reforms of public sector accounting in line with the International Public Sector AccountingStandards (IPSAS), supposedly increasing the sophistication,
- The usefulness of financial reporting for internal decision-making in portuguese municipalitiesPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.; Cervera Oliver, MercedesThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the perception of internal users regarding the usefulness of municipal financial reporting in the context of decision-making in Portuguese Local Administration. This research is quantitative and positive, based on a cross-section analysis through online application of a questionnaire to decision-makers (politicians and technicians) of the 308 Portuguese municipalities. The approach is based on the information usefulness paradigm. Results indicate a high usefulness for decision-making of the municipal financial reporting, in its current form and content. However, this usefulness would increase if information, other than what is mandatory, were introduced. In general, the two different groups of decision-makers, politicians and technicians, behave somewhat differently, regarding the usefulness financial reporting holds for them. Technical decision-makers consider it of greater value. There is no statistical evidence showing that there is a link between the training area and professional experience of the internal decision-makers and the usefulness of municipal financial reporting. Both types of users show a preference for the information set within the budgetary accounts, although accrual-based information also proved to be of very high value. This study has important repercussions on internal decision-makers concerning the usefulness of municipal financial reporting. Particularly, the general approach towards reporting usefulness could become a solid work basis for the regulatory bodies to enhance the current reporting model in the light of its suitability for internal decision-making.
- Translating IPSASs Into national standards: a comparison between Spain and PortugalPublication . Jorge, Susana M.; Brusca Alijarde, Isabel; Nogueira, Sónia P.The purpose of this paper is to explain, from the national standard-setters standpoint, how the adoption and/or adaptation of IPSASs has been considered and developed in the Iberian countries, in a comparative-international perspective. Using questionnaires, it addresses in particular reasons for adapting the former existent public sector accounting system to IPSASs, as well as the driving forces leading to this decision, the steps that were or are being undertaken in the process, and the advantages and benefits that each country expects to derive or have derived from the adoption and implementation of an IPSAS-based system. The paper is framed by a combination of the Actor-Network Theory with the Institutional Theory to help understanding how and why organizations interact and how this interaction could have an impact on their choice of accounting policies. Main findings allow to conclude that in Spain the main driver for adapting public sector accounting to IPSASs has been the reform of business accounting adopting IFRSs, while in Portugal the most important driver seems to have been the requirement of lenders, namely the IMF, who were supporting the country’s financial crisis. The paper contributes to the understanding of the issues underlying the process of embarking in public sector accounting reforms towards IPSASs.
- The contribution of pilot entities to the implementation of the new public sector accounting system in PortugalPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.; Ribeiro, Nuno A.; Jesus, Maria AntóniaThe global financial crisis has emphasized the need for harmonized public sector accounts. Concerning accountability, transparency and sustainability several countries initiated reforms in public sector accounting. Across the world there has been a general trend for public sector accounting moving into accrual-based systems, supported by the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). In the institutionalization process, pilot entities seem to be strategically important to consider, especially in cases where the new system involves significant innovations. This paper introduces new theoretical arguments to explain, combining the new institutional theory with institutional logics. Using Portugal as an illustrative case, it addresses both the perspective of stakeholders and decision-makers. Main findings show that the use of pilot entities is acknowledged important mainly where prudence seems to be relevant to assure success in implementing accounting innovations. However, pilot entities must be offered enough means and support, so they can deal with the changes, offer relevant feedback to supervising bodies and express a more committed attitude towards the reforms.
- The use of public sector reporting information by politicians: mapping the trends and identifying the gapsPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.; Oliveira, Willian Batista de; Baião, LaraThis paper carries out a bibliometric study followed by a structured literature review, on the use of information from public sector reports by politicians, in the last fifteen years. The methodological approach consisted, in a first stage, of a bibliometric analysis, preceded by a systematic literature search. Then, a structured content analysis of the literature was performed, looking at the main topics, methods and theoretical approaches used, seeking to identify future research opportunities. The bibliographic research aimed to identify international papers on the use of financial and non-financial information by politicians, through the Web of Science and Scopus databases. After applying reading filters to the titles and abstracts of the papers initially extracted, 55 specific papers remained, published in 25 scientific journals. Subsequently, bibliometric techniques were applied, through the use of indicators of scientific quality and scientific impact, for the measurement of indexes of production and dissemination of knowledge, as well as monitoring the development of several scientific areas and the standards of authorship and publication. The results evidence a predominance of studies on the use of performance information and on the local government. Also, papers researching on the use of public sector reporting by politicians were published in journals of significant impact, with a greater number in the last five years. The structured literature review allowed to identify opportunities to increase research on the use of financial information by politicians, with lack of international comparative studies, involving politicians at central level. Furthermore. it continues to be important to explore theoretical bases to underline studies on the topic of the use of public sector reports by politicians, particularly looking for using theories other than contingency, agency, and institutional theory.
- Harmonização europeia da Contabilidade Pública e as EPSASPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.Uma boa governance e uma Administração Pública de qualidade são essenciais para o bom funcionamento de cada Estado. As Administrações Públicas são responsáveis por contribuir para maximizar o valor público com os recursos de que dispõem e, assim, contribuir para o crescimento geral da economia. Nos tempos atuais de escassez, um dos principais fatores para uma governance bem-sucedida é a sustentabilidade financeira. No entanto, a continuada falta de transparência nas finanças públicas, que não refletem devidamente a realidade das entidades e dos governos, causa problemas para a tomada de decisões, a responsabilização, a despesa pública e o controlo da democracia em toda a União Europeia (UE).
- Aquabilidade do relato financeiro: Perceção dos decisores internos nos governos locais em PortugalPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar, compreender e explicar as diferentes perceções dos utilizadores internos relativamente à adequabilidade do modelo de relato financeiro municipal e identificar melhorias no conteúdo do mesmo de modo a torná-lo mais útil para a tomada de decisões. Para a concretização dos objetivos definidos recorreu-se ao método de investigação mista com abordagem quantitativa (questionário) e qualitativa (entrevistas). A amostra é constituída pelos decisores (técnicos e políticos) internos responsáveis pela área financeira dos municípios. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que os decisores internos percionam o atual modelo de relato financeiro como geralmente adequado para a disponibilização de informação útil. Contudo, os decisores internos consideram que essa utilidade poderia ser aumentada caso viessem a ser incluídos no atual relato novos tipos de informação, como sejam informação consolidada e informação separada sobre ativos suscetíveis de gerar rendimentos futuros e ativos suscetíveis de gerar um potencial serviço público, ou ultrapassados certos desajustamentos, nomeadamente a definição e designação uniforme de indicadores económicos-financeiros.
- A influência da conjuntura económica-financeira no endividamento dos municípios portuguesesPublication . Ribeiro, Nuno A.; Jorge, Susana M.; Nogueira, Sónia P.As teorias explicativas do endividamento, nomeadamente a da escolha pública e da ilusão fiscal, permitem identificar um leque de fatores que o podem influenciar, designadamente institucionais, fiscais, político-ideológicos e económico-financeiros. Os vários estudos internacionais têm mostrado que os fatores económico-financeiros são, sem dúvida, os mais testados empiricamente, o que demonstra que os vários autores têm a perceção de que podem ser eles que melhor explicam o endividamento da Administração Local. Neste contexto, esta investigação tem como objetivo perceber que fatores associados à conjuntura económico-financeira influenciam o endividamento dos municípios portugueses, no período de 2004 a 2009. Assim, serão estudados, de entre outros, os seguintes: desemprego, índice de poder de compra, saldo corrente, receita de capital, investimento, despesa total, transferência do Governo Central. Para a elaboração do estudo recorrer-se-á à metodologia tratamento de dados em painel. Esta metodologia enquadra-se perfeitamente no tipo de estudo que se pretende elaborar, pois permitirá analisar simultaneamente as variações intermunicipais (dimensão seccional) e ao longo do tempo (dimensão temporal).
- Fatores explicativos da utilidade do relato financeiro para a tomada de decisões: perceção dos decisores internos locaisPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.Literature on the field highlights that the usefulness for decision-making, of financial reporting prepared and disclosed by public entities, depends on several factors contextual to entities. This paper tries to identify the explanatory factors (internal and external) of the usefulness of financial reporting for decision-making by internal decision-makers (political and technical) of the Portuguese municipalities. The results show that the pressure of professional organisations and the pressure of a national problem (both external factors) as well as the lack of knowledge and proper training on the accounting information system (internal organisational factor) are the factors that most influence the usefulness of financial reporting. These results are also confirmed in the qualitative analysis, which reinforces the factor relating to work overload.
- Adequacy of the local government financial reporting model in the context of internal decision-making: an exploratory study in the municipality of BragançaPublication . Nogueira, Sónia P.; Jorge, Susana M.This paper addresses the adequacy of the Local Government financial reporting model for internal decision-making by developing an exploratory empirical study that evaluates internal users’ satisfaction concerning the reporting model within the municipality of Bragança. It additionally examines to what extent internal control and financial reporting information opportunity are important for municipalities’ internal decision-making. In Portugal important developments have recently emerged in public sector accounting systems in the context of internal decision-making and control, hence calling for further studying Local Government current financial reporting model in this context. From an experimental questionnaire applied to decision-makers of Bragança municipality in 2010, main findings show that the actual reporting model is not the most appropriate in providing information for internal decision-making in that municipality. Moreover, both internal control and opportunity of the financial reporting information seem to have significant importance in the context of internal decision-making.