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Os arquivos históricos das organizações religiosas são fontes primárias importantes para a História da Contabilidade (Baños e López-Manjón, 2021, e outros). A Irmandade de Santa Cruz (ISC), de Braga, é uma dessas organizações, já multicentenária e foi escolhida para este estudo. As regras dos seus Estatutos são as fontes analisadas para questionar os processos de contabilidade, no período de 1581-1762. Pretende-se conhecer a informação produzida, seus utilizadores, cargos de administração e perfil pessoal dos irmãos eleitos para os mesmos. Esta análise seguiu a metodologia de investigação qualitativa. Foram evidenciadas como características principais: regras minuciosas e reduzidas expressões contabilísticas; registos e controlo de contas por atividades/recursos; informação destinada aos irmãos da administração. Para eleição destes, era exigido perfil pessoal adequado, omitindo conhecimentos de contabilidade. Os cargos eram exercidos graciosamente, do tipo de “voluntariado pro-bono”.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a bibliometric analysis of earnings management (EM), providing an overview of the main results and research trends in this area. EM is a relevant topic in financial studies. It has been widely studied over the past few decades as a phenomenon of intentional manipulation of financial reporting. Design/methodology/approach The Web of Science (WoS) database was used as a source, and this study has adopted VOSviewer as the bibliometric analysis tool to achieve an overview of EM research and understand current research trends on this matter. This study has collected data from 4,342 articles published from 1900 to 2020. Findings The conclusions of this study show that EM is strongly related to corporate governance, performance and quality of information. Publication trends and categories are useful to understand the development of trends and current domains in this area. This research analyses the most productive authors, countries and journals. This study conducted a cluster analysis using a keyword perspective to obtain emerging trends in EM. Research in EM through real activities represents a research gap, which can be an opportunity for future research. Research limitations/implications The authors recognize as limitations the fact that the study is limited to the WoS database. Another limitation is the keywords used for the search, as this study only uses “earnings management”, as it is the most used keyword in EM literature. An additional limitation is associated with the selection of only one type of document, “articles,” disregarding other types of publications. Originality/value Although there are some bibliometric studies on EM, this study found out that they focus on specific EM topics and fail to analyze this theme on a global scale. Most of the literature on this subject is disperse and consequently needs systematization. This research is also relevant for academic purpose, as this research contributes to understanding the state of art and contributes to the development of scientific knowledge by providing a systematization of the literature on the topic of EM.

There is widespread perception that bureaucracy is omnipresent in Portuguese health care management. This is despite bureaucracy being heavily deprecated. This paper addresses this dissonance by studying the Portuguese Public Enterprise Entity Hospitals context. It seeks to understand how a bureaucratic approach prevails. The study is based on document analysis and extends the Institutional Logics Perspective to the health care context. Three institutional logics were observed: State, community, and profession. The need to resolve conflicts between the different logics induces a neo-bureaucratic approach to management. This paper contributes by identifying the institutional drivers of bureaucratic logic in health care settings.

Purpose In the macroeconomic environment of the Iberian Peninsula, this paper aims to examine the influence of corporate governance characteristics on corporate sustainability performance. The purpose of this paper is to address corporate practices while determining which corporate governance characteristics can improve corporate sustainability, considering, for this purpose, three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental and social. Design/methodology/approach This sample comprises 99 non-financial companies of the Iberian Peninsula, during the 2013–2017 period. The authors have used the panel data methodology, specifically the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation method proposed by Arellano and Bover (1995) and Blundell and Bond (1998) to test the hypotheses formulated. Findings The results obtained have shown that corporate sustainability performance is affected differently depending on the sustainability dimension that is considered. Specifically, the economic dimension is determined by public debt, the board size, board diversity and the existence of an audit committee. Regarding the environmental dimension, the board size and the presence of the audit committee, as well the corporate social responsibility committee, are the most important determinants. Finally, the social dimension was influenced by the board size, audit committee and the control variable of capital structure, which means that in this dimension, the sources of financing used by the company also help in determining its levels of social concern. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that a study has been carried out in the Iberian Peninsula on the corporate sustainability using GMM-system model for three dimensions of sustainability. Corporate sustainability depends on external and internal factors of companies. Therefore, regulators and managers should realize that they will have to be more effective in their statements.

Stakeholder engagement policies have become a relevant strategy in firms because they may signal to stakeholders the commitment of the firm to the stakeholder’s needs and demands. In this research, we aim to examine whether firms with stakeholder engagement policies tend to disclose more environmental information. Additionally, we analyse the moderating role played by firm performance on the association between stakeholder engagement and environmental disclosure. As far as we know, previous research has not addressed these two questions. Our evidence shows that firms with stakeholder engagement policies are more likely to report environmental information, while firm performance negatively moderates the association between stakeholder engagement and environmental disclosure. These findings have implications for policy-makers, firms, stakeholders and other researchers., The authors acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the research project ECO 2017-82259-R and from the University Jaume I for the research project UJI-B2018-15. The authors also acknowledge financial support from the National Funds of the FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project UID/ECO/03182/2019.

Este artigo analisa o uso eficiente das receitas tributárias para a geração de educação nos países membros da OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) e Brasil, no período de 2000 a 2014, tendo como base a Teoria da Tributação Ótima. Para isso, foi utilizada a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) no modelo CCR (Charnes, Cooper e Rhodes) e o método hierárquico de clusters. Os resultados revelaram que a Letônia, Coreia do Sul, México, Chile, Estônia, Irlanda, Islândia, Estados Unidos, Austrália e Suíça foram os países mais eficientes no uso das receitas tributárias em favor do bem-estar educacional, enquanto que a Itália, França, Dinamarca, Suécia, Brasil, Áustria, Bélgica, Turquia, Alemanha e Noruega, apresentaram menor nível de eficiência. Os países com maiores receitas tributárias não são necessariamente, os mais eficientes na aplicação dessas receitas em favor da educação. A pesquisa contribuiu para ampliar os estudos sobre a mensuração de eficiência na área da contabilidade e para auxiliar os gestores na administração dos recursos públicos, no sentido de corrigir fragilidades e revisar ações para melhor alocar as receitas em favor do bem-estar educacional. Palavras-chave: Receita Tributária. Eficiência. Educação. DEA.

Using data from 2003 to 2020, this study uses a scientometric approach to investigate the nexus between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and corporate tax aggressiveness research. The objective is to identify under-explored regions, variables, citation patterns, theories, and unexplored topics in the body of knowledge to establish trends in publications on issues about corporate social responsibility and corporate tax aggressiveness. In addition, the study also considers publication journal areas of focus. Research linking CSR and tax avoidance using VOSviewer and triangulating with CiteSpace, by way of approach, is not found in the literature. The findings suggest that CSR and corporate tax aggressiveness researchers do not use far-reaching relevant theories and applicable findings from studies beyond their clusters. Another finding is that African countries remain under-explored due to the absence of institutional representation and an adequate number of investigators regarding CSR and corporate tax aggressiveness research. Finally, the study reveals a number of research topics to be explored. Governments, particularly in developing economies, should create policies that define taxes as part of an entity’s CSR narrative to enhance transparency and legitimacy. In addition, the study is of immense significance to master and PhD students since it provides an agenda for future research., This paper was financed by National Funds of the FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project “UIDB/03182/2020”.

Purpose In 2010, Portugal’s newly implemented Accounting Standardization System (SNC - Sistema de Normalização Contabilística) aligned Portuguese accounting standards for unlisted companies with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of the local context and the role of auditors in the institutionalization of this IFRS-based model in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from an institutional theory framework, the authors interviewed 16 Portuguese auditors in 2017 (seven years after formal implementation of the SNC) to determine their perceptions on whether barriers to the IFRS-based model persisted. Findings The authors reveal that the code-law institutional logic embedded in the Portuguese context is hindering full institutionalization of the new accounting model. Some persisting barriers to implementation reflected a decoupling between formal requirements and actual practices. Despite these barriers, there has been an encouraging institutionalization of SNC. The authors reveal a high level of commitment of auditors. They draw attention to the engagement of auditors in the institutional work that is intended to assist in SNC implementation, and their role as promoters of a power-knowledge discourse in propagating IFRS institutional logics at the national level, namely, through the justification and rationalization of the reported institutional contradictions. Practical implications The highlighting the authors provide of problems related to accounting change should assist international regulators, the Portuguese standard-setter and professional accounting associations to devise appropriate strategies to promote IFRS-based accounting systems implementation. Originality/value The authors contribute to the skimpy literature on micro institutional analysis and encourage further exploration of the dynamics between the micro and macro levels of analysis in institutional research.

The choice of the research methodology is a critical stage of any research project. The complexity of the business environment and the multifaced nature of many accounting practices have resulted in an increased use of qualitative research methodology. Grounded theory is particularly appropriate when studying accounting in its social context. However, an abductive approach is helpful to study how qualitative studies are actually performed. Both grounded theory and an abductive approach offer enormous potential for application in the development of accounting theories from qualitative case studies. Despite its popularity as a research methodology in other social sciences, grounded theory remains scarcely explored by accounting researchers. Mixed methods have been gaining increasing attention in the qualitative accounting literature, but with some levels of resistance. There is significant potential for mixed methods in accounting research for both theory testing and theory building. The aim of this paper is to provide an informative reference work on qualitative research methodology. In particular, this paper offers an insight into some issues and debates which are emerging from grounded theory approach and the abductive mode of reasoning, as well as mixed methods application and their potential within the context of the accounting field. Since the methodological exposition represents the major source of authenticity and credibility in a qualitative paper, this theoretical debate is particularly useful for students and emerging scholars in accounting and management disciplines. BA16-BE06-B89C | Ana Paula Martins da Silva N/A

A look into the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reveals few studies focusing on the relationship between ethical concerns and corporate behavior of companies that perform tax evasion management. This study links tax management with ethics and CSR reporting. The purpose of this article is to analyze financial and social responsibility information disclosed by the five main Brazilian construction companies that are being investigated in Brazil&rsquo, s Operation Car Wash (Opera&ccedil, &atilde, o Lava-Jato&mdash, in Portuguese) because of inappropriate behavior. Based on the theoretical concepts of organizational fa&ccedil, ades and organized hypocrisy, we used content-analysis methodology and lexical search approach to analyze the consistency between the practices of tax management and CSR reporting. The results reveal evidence of aggressive tax management. To meet its tax management objectives, a company usually manages and plans taxes accordingly, delaying the payment of tax debt and not reporting all tax risks, thus being fined for violations of the law. We found evidence of organized hypocrisy and organizational fa&ccedil, ades, since there are contradictions between the tax behavior of the investigated companies and their CSR and ethical discourse.

We use a theoretical framework based on concepts of historical institutionalism, institutional logic and ideology to enhance understanding of how government accounting and taxation helped to institutionalize slavery in Brazil by interpreting enslaved people as an economic commodity. We conduct an interpretive critical analysis using archival sources from the period 1531–1888. The social practice of government accounting and taxation produced and conveyed meaning using symbolic forms that ranged from everyday statements to complex texts and images. These codified financial realities in a way that reified slavery and influenced the historical trajectory of slavery. Government accounting and taxation practices were self-reinforcing sequences. They encouraged a structural inertia that was not conducive to de-reification of the slave trade or of slavery. We reveal how government accounting and taxation institutionalized government administration of slavery by according it social authority, social reality and temporal endurance.

Through the theoretical lenses of Foucault’s governmentality, Latour’s action at a distance and Althusser’s ideology theory, this article shows how accounting regulations allowed the Brazilian government to exercise control over the tutelage system of former slaves (‘Free Africans’) between 1818 and 1864. It finds that the measures undertaken to reinforce the accounting regulations permitted the Brazilian government to control ‘Free Africans’ at a distance while minimizing interference in this process from a British government intent upon abolishing slavery.

In 2014, a European Union (EU) Directive required certain large undertakings and groups to disclose non-financial information from 2017 onwards. In 2017, the EU guidelines on non-financial reporting established that reporting climate-related information is part of the non-financial information. Later, in 2019, the guidelines were reinforced to include a supplement that envisages improving climate-related information reporting. Banks can contribute to reducing climate-related risks by supporting investments in economic activities that aim to mitigate the risk of climate change. Capital needs should be reoriented towards sustainable investment. Banks shall manage financial risks arising from climate change, therefore, they must integrate climate change into their policies and procedures, assessing the potential impact of projects and financing on climate change. This study aimed to evaluate how banks in Portugal have been reporting climate-related information and whether the level of information has increased since 2017. Using content analysis, findings indicated that banks are already including climate-related information, however, they are still far from approaching what the new guidelines require. Results suggested that there is still a long way to go in this area concerning banks and regulators.

This paper explores factors that have affected the success of candidates in the professional entry exam conducted by Brazil’s Federal Council of Accounting. We analyse results of 18,948 candidates who sat for the exam in 2012, using a logistic regression model and the key indicators used by government to monitor the performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) and the characteristics of candidates. We find that success is related positively to the quality of the HEIs from which candidates graduated and to a measure of student ability that is used widely in Brazil. We find also that males perform better than females and that younger candidates perform better than older candidates. The geographical region of Brazil within which candidates completed the exam was also significant. The insights provided will help public policy-makers in Brazil, and the Brazilian accounting profession, to understand key factors associated with current low pass rates published

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of Portuguese Foundation’s characteristics on their annual report disclosure practices. Data were collected from 142 Foundations in Portugal, which represents 50.9% of the Portuguese foundational sector. Supported by a Structural Equation Model (SEM), this study evaluates cause–effect relationship between Voluntary Disclosure, Board Structure, Organizations’ Characteristics and the existence of Auditing. Findings reveal that Organizations’ Characteristics influence the forms of Auditing, and on its turn, Auditing has a positive indirect impact on Voluntary Disclosure. Contrary to expectations, Board Structure does not affect Voluntary Disclosure. This paper fills a void in the literature by examining the impact of Foundations’ characteristics on their voluntary disclosure of financial and non-financial information.

This is a response to questions raised by Kuruppu and Lehman (2016) and Thomson (2016) on Fontes, Rodrigues and Craig’s (2016) model of Stakeholder Perceptions of a New Financial Reporting System. We clarify some matters that arise from the commentators’ concerns about the intended contribution of the model, and its conceptual foundations. We also respond to concerns raised about the need to adopt a holistic and contextualized approach; provide further insights to the complex and dynamic nature of stakeholder perceptions and their formation; and elaborate on methodological assumptions underpinning the model. We argue that interpretative-based research offers an appropriate and challenging way to further improve and extend the model. We encourage researchers to adopt critical and interpretive-based methods to foster a reflective debate that will lead to improvements in the Stakeholder Perceptions model.

While authentic leadership is highly valued in today’s business world, managers do not necessarily have the resources to attain it. Building on conservation of resources theory, we propose a conceptual model to address how personal and contextual resources predict authentic leadership. Study 1 analyzes the day-to-day variability in managers’ positive psychological capacities as personal resources in relation to changes in authentic leadership. In addition, it tests ethical organizational climates as stable, contextual resources for authentic leadership. In Study 2, we replicate our results on the between-person level and extend the research model by exploring promotion focus as a link in the relationship between personal resources and authentic leadership. Evidence from an experience sampling study with 89 managers surveyed daily on 10 consecutive work days (Study 1) and a field survey of 130 managers at two points in time (Study 2) supports the hypothesized role of personal resources and promotion focus for authentic leadership. In both studies, only principled but not benevolent ethical organizational climates emerged as a contextual resource for authentic leadership. We discuss the implications for current management research and practice.

We revisit religiosity, gender, age, ethics education and experience as drivers of ethicality, while expanding prior research from Anglo-Saxon and Asiatic/Euro-Asiatic countries to a Latin European country, Portugal. We apply the Merchant (1989) instrument of attitudes towards earnings management, in a sample of Portuguese accounting students and alumni. We find no significant evidence of a positive association between religiosity and accountants’ judgments on earnings management. However, gender, age, education (and accounting ethics education) and experience are significant predictors of accountants’ judgments. The results are unchanged when we control for the intent (selfish benefit) of earnings management. Females, older individuals and alumni judge accounting earnings management more harshly than males, younger individuals, and students (who have not yet completed an accounting ethics course). A higher level of accounting work experience induces accountants to judge accounting earnings management as a less ethically questionable practice. This finding is theoretically relevant because it underscores the necessity of taking people’s constraints in the workplace into consideration when studying ethical behavior in business contexts. The results are also practically relevant, as they highlight the importance of a systematic ethics education throughout the accountant’s life., Funding -This paper is financed by National Funds of the FCT –Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within the project UID/ECO/03182/2019

Despite being widely pilloried, bureaucratic processes are present in many organizations as a form of neobureaucracy. In this paper, we analyse whether a technique used in Management Accounting Systems (MAS), known as the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), represents a bureaucratic order. We propose the following set of concepts to identify a bureaucratic order: authority, jurisdiction, professional qualications, knowledge, rationality, discipline, accountability, systematization and transparency. We discuss the presence of such a set of concepts in the design and implementation of the BSC and conclude that the BSC is an example of a neo-bureaucratic order. This paper also underlines another important finding, the value of bureaucracy in attaining good MAS. The theme we explore is overlooked in the accounting literature. This paper can be a starting point for further research. A pesar de haber sido ampliamente criticado, los procesos burocráticos están presente en muchos modelos organizacionales como una forma de neo-burocracia. En este artículo analizamos si una técnica utilizada en los Sistemas de contabilidad de gestión (MAS), conocida como Balanced Scorecard (BSC), representa una orden burocrática. Proponemos el siguiente conjunto de conceptos para identificar una orden burocrática: autoridad, jurisdicción, calificaciones profesionales, conocimiento, racionalidad, disciplina, responsabilidad, sistematización y transparencia. Discutimos la presencia de dicho conjunto de conceptos en la concepción e implementación del BSC y concluimos que el BSC es un ejemplo de un orden neo-burocrático. Este trabajo también subraya otro hallazgo importante, el valor de la burocracia para lograr un buen MAS. El tema que exploramos se pasa por alto en la literatura contable. Este artículo puede ser un punto de partida para futuras investigaciones.

PurposeCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) literature has focused mainly on larger firms. Only recently has discussion of the engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in CSR emerged in research studies. Here we contribute to that growing discussion of CSR in SMEs by analyzing the disclosure practices of 57 Portuguese companies of different sizes (small, medium, large).Design/methodology/approachWe use stakeholder theory to identify the stakeholders that SMEs and large firms prioritize. By means of thematic content analysis and an index of disclosure (calculated according to company type and stakeholder type) we analyze whether business characteristics influence CSR disclose strategies.FindingsCompanies give priority to CSR activities that are directly related to maintaining business and achieving economic results. CSR disclosure practices of SMEs and large companies do not differ significantly. However, larger companies disclose more information on Environment and Society. Companies who are closer to consumers disclose more information on Customers, Community and Society. The act of assuring a CSR report drives system improvements and extended CSR disclosure.Research limitations/implicationsWe recognize that it is difficult to compare CSR in Small and large enterprises. For this reason, we have developed a methodology based on the most basic aspects of the CSRD, and therefore applicable without distinction to large and small companies.Practical implicationsA framework to evaluate the CSRD of SMEs was developed. We identify CSR indicators divided in five dimensions (customers, employees, environment, community and society) that are applicable to firms of all sizes.Originality/valueThis study extends knowledge of CSR by comparing the disclosure practices of SMEs and large (listed and un-listed) Portuguese companies. This study takes account of the particularities of SMEs and other fundamental business characteristics using a replicable assessment framework.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo identificar y analizar un conjunto de variables relativas a la estrategia y entorno organizativo que pueden potencialmente influir en la adopción del Cuadro de Mando Integral (CMI) en empresas portuguesas de distintos tamaños. Para comprobar empíricamente las hipótesis formuladas hemos recurrido a los datos obtenidos mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario postal a 549 organizaciones privadas portuguesas (pequeñas y medianas empresas y grandes empresas), con una tasa de respuesta total del 28,2%. Los resultados obtenidos indican que la implementación del CMI es independiente de la actividad/sector económico en el que opera la organización. Además, hemos comprobado que las organizaciones que siguen una estrategia defensiva atribuyen mayor importancia a la perspectiva financiera o equivalente del CMI. Por otro lado, no hemos obtenido evidencia empírica respecto a la posible relación entre la implementación del CMI, el tipo de estrategia adoptada por la organización, la fase/etapa del ciclo de vida en que se encuentra la organización y la intensidad de competencia del entorno In this article we aim to identify and analyze a set of variables related to the organizational and environmental strategy that can potentially influence the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in Portuguese companies of different sizes. Hypotheses were tested using data obtained from a questionnaire sent to 549 privately-owned Portuguese organizations (small and medium enterprises and large companies), with an overall response rate of 28.2%. The results allow us to conclude that the BSC is independent of the activity/industry in which the organization operates. Furthermore, we have found that organizations that follow a defensive strategy attach greater importance to the BSC financial perspective or equivalent. On the other hand, we did not find empirical evidence regarding the possible relationship between the BSC, the type of strategy adopted by the organization, the phase/stage of the life cycle in which the organization is located, and the environmental intensity competition.

The Lisbon School of Commerce, established in 1759, was important in the diffusion of knowledge about accounting in Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. Although scholarly literature has canvassed the reasons for the school’s creation, and has profiled its first two teachers, little is known about the manuscripts that were dictated in classes, or the early textbooks used. This paper fills this void by exploring three manuscripts used in the Lisbon School of Commerce that are indexed at the National Library of Portugal and the University of Coimbra Library. Two important insights emerge. We show how Souza and Sales used the technical and the rhetorical dimension of accounting to diffuse new accounting practices; and we reveal why manuscripts were dictated and why they were used in the classroom. In doing so, we explore how double entry bookkeeping (DEB) was taught and we highlight how Souza and Sales helped to diffuse DEB knowledge in Portugal.

This chapter provides insights on earnings management (EM) explanatory factors. These factors are analyzed within the framework of a specific strategy of EM: income smoothing (IS). This strategy is often used to report earnings with an artificially reduced variability. Thereby, the purpose of the chapter is to explore the motivations, the determinants (anticipated by the positive accounting theory), and some firm-specific factors that might explain IS practices. The relevance of this chapter is justified essentially by two reasons. First, it highlights the contemporary importance of this research line. The academic community, professionals, and regulatory bodies have expressed publicly the concern about the quality of financial reporting. Consequently, a deep knowledge of the factors that possibly explain these accounting discretionary practices is crucial. Second, the extensive literature on EM also justifies this chapter. Thereby, the systematization of the literature on the IS explanatory factors can help researchers and increase future empirical research focused on this area.

Purpose – This study analyses the determinants of the level of corporategovernance disclosure (CGD) by Portuguese companies listed onEuronext Lisbon between 2005 and 2011.Design/methodology/approach – Using content analysis, weconstruct a corporate governance index for each firm based on the dataextracted from the firm’s corporate governance and annual reports. Anordinal logistic regression model is used to examine the relationshipbetween the level of CGD and its determinants.Findings – The empirical evidence suggests that foreign investorownership, board size, board independence, external audit quality anddegree of internationalization had a significant and positive influenceon the corporate governance disclosure level, whereas ownershipconcentration, unitary leadership structure and debt had a significantand negative influence on corporate governance disclosure. No resultswere observed for board of director ownership and manager stockoption compensation variables.Originality/value – This study extends the previous literature byexamining corporate governance disclosure. Moreover, it extends priorwork by analysing foreign investor ownership, manager stock optioncompensation and degree of internationalization as determinants ofinformation disclosure. Finally, we believe that this study, conductedover a longer period of time, might give us stronger statistical evidence. Objetivo – Este estudo analisa os determinantes da divulgação deinformação sobre a estrutura de governança (DIEG) de uma amostrade empresas portuguesas listadas na Euronext Lisbon, entre 2005 e 2011.Metodologia – Utilizando a técnica de análise de conteúdo, construiuseum índice de divulgação para cada empresa e aplicou-se um modelode regressão ordinal logística para aferir as hipóteses.Resultados – Os resultados sugerem que a participação de investidoresestrangeiros no capital, o tamanho e a independência do conselhode administração, a qualidade da auditoria externa e o grau deinternacionalização das empresas melhoram o nível de DIEG. Porsua vez, a concentração da propriedade, a existência de estruturasde liderança unitárias e o endividamento exercem uma influêncianegativa no nível de divulgação. Não foi possível constatar resultadosestatisticamente significativos para as variáveis participação da gestãono capital e remuneração dos gestores com base em stock options emPortugal.Contribuições – Este estudo contribui para a literatura relativa àdivulgação de informação, tendo como foco a informação sobre aestrutura de governança das empresas. Além disso, acrescenta à literaturaas dimensões: investidores qualificados estrangeiros, atribuição deplanos de ações aos membros do conselho de administração e grau deinternacionalização, até agora pouco exploradas. Por fim, é realizadauma análise longitudinal e transversal ao longo de sete anos, poucoutilizada em estudos prévios. Objetivo – Este estudo analisa os determinantes da divulgação deinformação sobre a estrutura de governança (DIEG) de uma amostrade empresas portuguesas listadas na Euronext Lisbon, entre 2005 e 2011.Metodologia – Utilizando a técnica de análise de conteúdo, construiuseum índice de divulgação para cada empresa e aplicou-se um modelode regressão ordinal logística para aferir as hipóteses.Resultados – Os resultados sugerem que a participação de investidoresestrangeiros no capital, o tamanho e a independência do conselhode administração, a qualidade da auditoria externa e o grau deinternacionalização das empresas melhoram o nível de DIEG. Porsua vez, a concentração da propriedade, a existência de estruturasde liderança unitárias e o endividamento exercem uma influêncianegativa no nível de divulgação. Não foi possível constatar resultadosestatisticamente significativos para as variáveis participação da gestãono capital e remuneração dos gestores com base em stock options emPortugal.Contribuições – Este estudo contribui para a literatura relativa àdivulgação de informação, tendo como foco a informação sobre aestrutura de governança das empresas. Além disso, acrescenta à literaturaas dimensões: investidores qualificados estrangeiros, atribuição deplanos de ações aos membros do conselho de administração e grau deinternacionalização, até agora pouco exploradas. Por fim, é realizadauma análise longitudinal e transversal ao longo de sete anos, poucoutilizada em estudos prévios.

Although ports have a direct and substantial impact on the social and physical environments in which they operate, studies on corporate sustainability focussing on ports are scant. This study investigates the under-researched topic of sustainability communication practices in the European seaport sector. Its purpose is to analyse to what extent, if any, are there differences in these practices. It seeks to capture the influence of national institutions and some port specific characteristics in sustainability reporting. Using content analysis, we analysed the extent and content of corporate sustainability information disclosed in the websites of 186 European seaports. We used an institutional theory framework, the Varieties of Capitalism approach, as lens of analysis. Multivariate ordinal regressions were used to analyse the influence of national institutions on disclosure. We found that sustainability communication varies from country to country not entirely in accordance with the Varieties of Capitalism framework. Despite the majority of ports identified by our study having already included corporate sustainability topics in their online communication practices, we conclude that there is still much work to be done.

The almost absence of sustainability reports in Portugal prepared using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines in public sector (PS) entities led to the study of the strategic responses to institutional pressures, as suggested by Oliver (1991), in the few entities that publish such reports. The objective of this chapter is to determine the institutional factors that motivated sustainability disclosure in GRI reports. An interpretative approach through open questionnaire was used to analyze the strategic responses to the institutional pressures and expectations provided by PS entities. The results show that not all the institutional factors that lead Portuguese PS entities to disclose their social responsibility are in the acquiescence line, accommodating other strategic responses. Thus, this acquiescence is verified when the consistency with organizational goals is high and when the constraints and the multiplicity of stakeholders are low.

In this research, we aim to examine how large auditing firms and audit/non‐audit fees affect corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure. We show that the big four auditing firms and the audit and non‐audit fees paid by audited firms encourage CSR reporting. Overall, our findings suggest that big auditing firms play a relevant role in CSR disclosure, which may help to mitigate informative asymmetries between managers and stakeholders. Furthermore, audit and non‐audit fees paid by audited companies promote voluntary non‐financial information disclosure. These findings should be of interest to policymakers given the relevant role that CSR disclosure may play in the decision‐making processes of all stakeholders.

Este articulo tiene como objetivo analizar la influencia de la incertidumbre percibida del entorno y del apoyo de la alta direccion en la adopcion del Cuadro de Mando Integral (CMI) en organizaciones publicas y privadas portuguesas. Definimos un conjunto de hipotesis de investigacion y para comprobar empiricamente las hipotesis formuladas hemos recurrido a los datos obtenidos mediante la aplicacion de un cuestionario postal a 591 organizaciones publicas (ayuntamientos, hospitales, empresas municipales y empresas intermunicipales) y 549 organizaciones privadas (grandes empresas y pequenas y medianas empresas) portuguesas, con una tasa de respuesta del 31,3%. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el compromiso de la alta direccion esta asociado con la implementacion del CMI.

A publicar pela Emerald in "Corporate communications : an international journal", ISSN 1356-3289, Purpose — In most European code-law oriented Latin countries, the publication a CEO’s letter to shareholders in a company’s annual report is a fairly recent phenomenon. We seek to determine the characteristics which explain why companies in one such country, Portugal, published a CEO’s letter. Design/Methodology/approach — Our holistic theoretical framework draws on elements of agency theory, institutional theory and signalling theory. To understand the characteristics of Portuguese holding companies which published CEO letters, we used a logistic regression model to explore 266 observations over the years 2006-2011. Findings — Publication of a CEO letter increases with the fact of being audited by a Big 4 accounting firm; a higher level of profitability; and a high number of foreign subsidiaries. Other findings are that finance companies are slightly more likely to publish a CEO letter than non-finance companies. The number of CEO letters increased to a peak in 2008, and then declined. Practical implications — The increasing number of companies now publishing a CEO letter raises the concern for regulatory authorities of whether the CEO letter content should be audited, since any numbers presented in the management report have to be audited in Portugal. Originality/value — To the best of our knowledge this is the first empirical exploration of the characteristics which explain why companies publish a CEO’s letter. Mimetic and normative isomorphism is revealed to be a potentially important influence, since there is a tendency of companies audited by Big 4 accounting companies, and with foreign subsidiaries, to publish a CEO letter., The research is financed by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology within the project PEst-OE/EGE/UI4021/2011.

Purpose: In this article we aim to identify and analyze a set of contingent and institutional variables that can potentially influence the knowledge and the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in Portuguese public and private organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Hypotheses were tested using data obtained from a questionnaire sent to 591 public organizations and 549 private organizations in Portugal, with an overall response rate of 31.3%. Findings and Originality/value: The results indicate the association between BSC knowledge and the level of training of employees, and between BSC implementation and conducting training courses. On the other hand, we did not obtain empirical evidence regarding the possible relationship between the BSC implementation and the degree of internal communication, the use of external consultants, questions of "management fads" and the search for legitimacy. Originality/value: In the literature review we did not found bibliographic elements about the contingent and institutional factors that determine the BSC adoption in Portugal, a fact that allowed us to give this study an innovative approach. Moreover, the BSC situation in Portugal has been characterized, doing a comparative study with the results of studies conducted in other countries.Objeto: Este artículo tiene como objetivo identificar y analizar un conjunto de variables contingentes e institucionales que pueden potencialmente influir en el conocimiento e implementación del Cuadro de Mando Integral (CMI) en las organizaciones portuguesas pertenecientes al sector público y privado. Diseño/metodología: Para comprobar empíricamente las hipótesis de investigación formuladas hemos recurrido a los datos obtenidos mediante la aplicación de un cuestionario postal a 591 organizaciones públicas y 549 organizaciones privadas portuguesas, con una tasa de respuesta total del 31,3%. Aportaciones y resultados: Los resultados obtenidos indican la asociación entre el conocimiento CMI y el grado de formación de los empleados, así como entre la implementación del CMI y la realización de cursos de formación. Por otro lado, no hemos obtenido evidencia empírica respecto a la posible relación entre la implementación del CMI y el grado de comunicación interna, el recurso a consultores externos, cuestiones de “modas de gestión” y la búsqueda de legitimidad. Valor añadido: En la revisión de la literatura no se encontraron elementos bibliográficos sobre los factores contingentes e instituciones determinantes en la adopción del CMI en Portugal, hecho que nos permitió dar a este estudio un enfoque innovador. Además, se ha caracterizado la situación del CMI en Portugal haciendo un estudio comparativo con los resultados obtenidos en estudios llevados a cabo en otros países.