Cine y ética en contabilidad: una experiencia sobre la mejora en sensibilidad ética

[EN] In this paper we present a learning experience in which for the first time we introduce cinema as a teaching methodology in a higher level accounting course to explore the concept of ethical sensitivity. Our study shows that the ethical sensitivity achieved with the viewing of the film positively impacts the student's grade. The students most satisfied with this learning methodology were the ones who got a good answer for the question on ethics in the questionnaire- which would imply a greater ethical motivation and ethical character. However, no conclusions can be drawn about the significance of the impact on the qualification of ethical motivation or the ethical character developed i…

Spain and the Transition to IFRS

CREDIBILIDAD EN LATINOAMÉRICA DEL INFORME DE RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL CORPORATIVA

Para dar mayor credibilidad a la información publicada en los informes de responsabilidad social corporativa se asigna a estos de un proceso de aseguramiento por parte de un experto externo. Esta investigación se basa en 1.021 observaciones de 12 países de Latinoamérica durante los años 2006-2010. A la vista de los resultados, podemos concluir que Latinoamérica es una región donde cada vez hay un mayor compromiso con la sostenibilidad. Además, los resultados señalan que la decisión de otorgar mayor credibilidad a las políticas sostenibles por medio del aseguramiento depende del tamaño de la empresa, del sector al que pertenece y del país donde se encuentre. Para dar mais credibilidade às in…

Sustainability Development and the Quality of Assurance Reports: Empirical Evidence

There is a rising trend among companies to publish their sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. Assurance of these reports is a valuable voluntary tool to provide them with higher credibility. Nonetheless, the quality of assurance reports differs in practice and the objective of this paper is to provide evidence in this new area of research. Indeed, we are pioneers in developing an index to measure the quality of assurance reports. We choose the Spanish setting because it is the worldwide leading country as regards CSR reporting (KPMG, 2011; Sierra et al., 2012). We have found evidence on the determinants for CSR reporting posited by existing literature that have a…

Use of Movies in an accounting class as a teaching technique to promote learning about financial reporting and ethical issues

[EN] This study presents an innovative experience using movies in an accounting class. The learning experience was found interesting and useful for the learning process in three groups in University XXX. The students voluntarily watched three movies and answered a test for each one, containing questions about the ethical and accounting concepts in the film, as well as their satisfaction with the methodology. Non-parametric tests have been computed to assess if those students that watch a movie obtain a higher exam mark as compared to those that do not follow the methodology, as well as for the other accounting and ethical questions. Our results show that there is a particular film that evid…

Comparative International Accounting

Measurement of formal harmonization progress:

Abstract As a result of globalization, the accounting profession has become increasingly aware of the need to establish a single set of accounting standards that would be valid in the international arena. Recent events highlight the timeliness of this study, which provides an empirical measurement of International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) progress throughout its harmonization history. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, a new measure of the advances achieved through formal harmonization and second, to use this methodology to evaluate the IASC achievements all through its standard-setting activity. Our results prove that the IASC has made great progress in regard to t…

Sustainable Development and Assurance of Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Published by Ibex-35 Companies

Spain is the world's leading country as regards corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting (KPMG, 2011). In addition, Spain is taking new initiatives with regard to environmental policy, sustainable development, and stakeholder engagement in accordance with Law 2/2011.This is why we choose Spain as the setting to analyze whether the determinants for external assurance posited by existing literature (industry, size, profitability, leverage) have an impact on the decision of companies to assure their CSR reports. Our study is a pioneer in the sense that it investigates the possible links between the auditor of the annual report and the provider of assurance. The results of this study ind…

Audit Reports on Financial Statements Prepared According to IASB Standards: Empirical Evidence from the European Union

This paper examines the audit report of 147 firms from the European Union that prepare their financial statements in compliance with the standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board. Bearing in mind that the consolidated accounts of listed companies will follow IAS from 2005 onwards, the purpose of this paper is to provide some insight into the current outcome of the statutory audit on this information. Interesting conclusions are drawn from this empirical study with regard to the auditing standards applied, the wording used and the differences observed between reports produced by auditors from the big firms and reports from different European countries. The need to h…

Revisiting the regulation of auditor independence: Spanish evidence on different perceptions

Following the dramatic financial scandals at the turn of the millennium, the financial system reporting framework has changed considerably to restore confidence among investors. In 2002, Spain was one of the pioneer EU member countries to regulate audit quality and protect auditor independence. In the specific setting of Spain, the objective of this research is to obtain evidence that can contribute to the debate on whether there is a need for regulation in this field. In this sense, we find evidence on the existence of an expectations gap between two groups of agents affected by the important changes that the 2002 rules on independence and audit quality imposed on auditors, i.e., the audit…

Financial crisis impact on sustainability reporting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the effect of the current financial crisis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting and CSR assurance strategies that companies disclose online to stakeholders, by dividing the time horizon into two periods, before 2008 and from 2008. Design/methodology/approach – The sample includes Spanish listed companies, differentiating CSR reporters from non CSR-reporters. Also distinguished in the CSR-reporters sample, are those companies that assure the CSR report from those that do not. The authors contrast whether there is a trend as regards CSR reporting and CSR assurance, depending on whether the crisis has already begun or …