Editorial

ID: 8069

Authors: Fábio Frezatti.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 87-87, May-August, 2012. 1 page(s).

Document type: Editorial (Portuguese)

Analysis of Controllership’s Sociopolitical and Cognitive Legitimacy in Brazil

ID: 8070

Authors: Rogério João Lunkes, Darci Schnorrenberger, Claudio Marcio de Souza, Fabricia Silva da Rosa.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 89-101, May-August, 2012. 13 page(s).

Keyword: Controller , Controllership , Identity , Legitimacy

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

In different parts of the world, efforts have been made to find legitimacy and identity for controllership. In this context, the following research question emerges: What is the identity of controllership in Brazil? To answer this question, this research is based on studies of legitimacy and aims to identify and analyze the sociopolitical (Zimmerman & Zeitz, 2002; Aldrich, 1999) and cognitive legitimacy (Scott, 2001; Zimmerman & Zeitz, 2002) of controllership in Brazil. To achieve the proposed goal for sociopolitical legitimacy, we examine documents, rules, and resolutions of official and professional representative bodies. To analyze cognitive legitimacy, we investigate publications in major accounting journals, materials presented conferences and seminars, descriptions of courses on controllership, books, and manuals. The results show that controllership in Brazil has sociopolitical legitimacy. It has its own bodies and rules, but it must improve its organization and development levels, as has occurred in the United States and Germany. Cognitive legitimacy increases in books and manuals, and courses on controllership are present in most accounting programs. There are opportunities for improvement, mainly for journal publications.

Initial Public Offerings in Brazil: the Perceptions of Financial Executives

ID: 8071

Authors: Helen Cristina Steffen, Francisco Antônio Mesquita Zanini.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 102-115, May-August, 2012. 14 page(s).

Keyword: Financial Executive’s Perceptions , Life cycle , Market Timing

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This study examines financial executives’ perceptions of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in Brazil, replicating in large part the research of Brau, Ryan, and DeGraw (2006) in the United States. We surveyed 32 chief financial executives of companies that conducted an IPO between 2004 and 2008 in Brazil and tested two financial theories: the Life Cycle Theory and the Market Timing Theory. The results show that the financial executives in Brazil confirm the life cycle theory as well as market timing and static trade-off theories. The financial executives do not consider an IPO to be a way to change company control, and they do not  perceive the disadvantages of the loss of control and confidentiality that result from an IPO.

Federalism and health expenditures: competition and cooperation in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo

ID: 8072

Authors: Patrícia Siqueira Varela, Regina Silvia Viotto Monteiro Pacheco.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 116-127, May-August, 2012. 12 page(s).

Keyword: Comparative performance assessment , Competition and cooperation in federalism , Efficiency of public spending , Metropolitan Region of São Paulo , Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde – SUS)

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to examine the implications of the Brazilian federative structure in the comparative evaluation of publicspending performance in the health sector. Its further aim was to discuss the accountability of municipal public administrators and evaluate the technical efficiency of the municipalities of the São Paulo Metropolitan Region in terms of primary health-care. Primary health-care is the only sub-function that is the exclusive responsibility of local managers. Other health responsibilities are shared by the municipalities and the other federation entities, union and states. To explore the characteristics of cooperative and competitive federalism, data collected from the municipalities and aggregated for the different health regions that comprise the metropolitan region were analyzed. The study’s focus was the technical efficiency, which is theability of an entity to obtain maximum outputs with fewer inputs. The analysis was performed using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. The results showed a wide dispersion of municipality data in terms of both expenditure and the number of procedures performed, including coverage of the main primary health-care programs: the Family Health Program (Programa de Saúde da Família – PSF) and the Community Health Agents Program (Programa de Agentes Comunitários de Saúde – PACS). The results show that less than 20% of the municipalities are efficient. The analysis of the municipalities within their respective regions suggests the prevalence of competitive over cooperative practices. Such information may help improve the integration of services in health-care networks and encourage the reconsideration of the agreements existing between municipalities in a given health-care region. Furthermore, this article can contribute to the current debate on controllership in the public sector by outlining the potentialities and limitations of the methods used to generate information for decision making.

The Effect of the Welfare Factor on Large Social Welfare Numbers

ID: 8073

Authors: Diana Vaz de Lima, Marcelo Driemeyer Wilbert, José Matias-Pereira, Edilson Paulo.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 128-141, May-August, 2012. 14 page(s).

Keyword: Brazil , Social welfare , Welfare factor

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

The welfare factor was introduced in 1999 by Act 9876 to promote a balance between the revenues and expenditures of the General Social Welfare System - GSWS. However, since its inception, it has been the target of criticism, and its abolition is often discussed. Given the importance of understanding the extent to which the introduction of the factor changed the financial structure of Brazilian social welfare and because limited research supports discussions on the retention or removal of the welfare factor, this study aims to analyze the effect of the welfare factor on large social welfare numbers. To that end,  stationarity tests were performed to decide which model to use. Then, the structural breakdown of the data was tested, and an analysis was performed using an autoregressive model with trends to verify if the welfare factor variable (dummy) affected the series "Net Revenue", "Social Welfare Benefits  Expenditure" and "Expenditure on Pensions by Contribution Period." The supporting monthly data were collected from the historical database of the Infologo Social Welfare Statistical Yearbook (Anuário Estatístico da Previdência Social - AEPS) from January 1988 to April 2011 for the first two variables and from January 1993 to August 2011 for the third. The results indicate that the implementation of the welfare factor has not been able to reverse the trend of higher growth of expenditures relative to revenue, thus confirming the expectation that social welfare finances will remain in deficit. For "Expenditure on Pensions by Contribution Period," since the implementation of the welfare factor, a slowdown in the growth trend of benefit payments has occurred. However, as this mode corresponds to only a portion of the total benefits paid, while acknowledging that the factor provided savings to the public coffers, its implementation has been unable to promote a balance between revenues and expenditures for the GSWS.

The Knowledge of Model Professors in Teaching Accounting

ID: 8074

Authors: Gilberto José Miranda, Silvia Pereira de Castro Casa Nova, Edgard Bruno Cornachione Junior.

Source: Revista Contabilidade & Finanças, v. 23, n. 59, p. 142-153, May-August, 2012. 12 page(s).

Keyword: Accounting , Knowledge , Model Teachers , Teaching

Document type: Article (Portuguese) Show Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the knowledge prevalent in teachers perceived as model professors by students in an accounting course at a public Brazilian university. The study is justified by the recent significant changes in accounting in Brazil. To achieve this purpose, a qualitative study was structured in which the following research strategies and data collection techniques were used: (i) bibliographical research concerning relevant literature on the subject; (ii) documentary research examining teacher evaluations made by the institution; (iii) questionnaires completed by students in their last year; (iv) focus groups with a number of the students who responded to the questionnaires; and (v) semi-structured interviews with professors characterized by students as model professors. Supported by discussions concerning the knowledge, expertise, and skills needed for teaching (Shulman, 1986; Garcia, 1992; Freire, 2000; Pimenta, 1998; Pimenta & Anastasiou, 2002; Gauthier, Martineau, Desbiens, Malo, & Simard, 1998; Tardif, 2003; Cunha, 2004; Masetto, 1998; Braslavsky, 1999; Perrenoud, 2000; Zabalza, 2006) and those required for teaching accounting (Antonelli, Colauto, & Cunha, 2012; Miranda, 2011; Catapan, Colauto, & Sillas, 2011; Vasconcelos, 2010; Slomsky, 2009; Araujo & Santana, 2008; Celerino & Pereira, 2008; Andere & Araújo, 2008; Laffin, 2005), as well as research on exemplary teachers (Young & Shaw, 1999; Lowman, 2007), the following results were obtained: the subjects responsible for the most significant learning experiences during the program were those perceived as the basis of the program (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Accounting) and that had the greatest practical application. The main criteria for selecting model teachers were the teacher’s teaching methodology, attitudes, and personal qualities. Furthermore, it was observed that the three types of teaching knowledge that supported these choices were, in order of importance, didactic knowledge, mastery of content, and experiential knowledge. These results demonstrate the need for systematic teacher preparation for teaching; the need for continuing education, especially to obtain more knowledge on the content being taught; and the importance of the teachers’ being connected with market practices.