Brazilian Public Firms Research Articles

The moderating role of duality split on the relationship between CEO narcissism and earnings management

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of an exogenous corporate governance shock that curbs Chief Executive Officers’ (CEOs) power on the relationship between CEO narcissism and earnings management practices.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a quasi-experiment using a differences-in-differences approach to examine Brazil’s duality split regulatory change on 101 Brazilian public firms during the period 2010–2022.FindingsThe main findings indicate that the introduction of duality split curtails the positive influence of CEO narcissism on earnings management, suggesting that this corporate governance regulation may act as a complementary corporate governance mechanism in mitigating the negative consequences of powerful narcissistic CEOs. Further robustness checks indicate that the results remain consistent after using entropy balancing and alternative measures of CEO narcissism.Practical implicationsIn emerging markets, where governance systems are frequently perceived as less than optimal, policymakers and regulatory authorities can draw insights from this enforcement to shape governance systems, reducing CEO power and, consequently, improving the quality of financial reporting.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine whether a duality split mitigates the influence of CEO narcissism on earnings management. Thus, this study contributes to the corporate governance literature that calls for research on the effectiveness of external corporate governance mechanisms in emerging markets as well as the CEO narcissism literature that calls for research on moderating factors that could curtail negative consequences of narcissistic CEO behavior.

CAN DIVIDEND PAYMENTS MITIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF COVID-19 CRISIS ON EARNINGS MANAGEMENT?

This paper examines whether dividend payments mitigate the influence of COVID-19 crisis on earnings management practices in Brazil. For this purpose, we use a sample of 264 Brazilian public firms from 2010 to 2021, applying System Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) regressions. Our main results indicate that, although firms are more prone to engage in earnings management practices during the COVID-19 period, the dividend payout ratio mitigates this influence on earnings management level. Therefore, we show that dividend payment can act as a substitute corporate governance mechanism in times of crisis, since it can reduce the occurrence of earnings management. Additional analyses also support this view, showing that big levels of dividends play a role in minimizing agency conflicts by reducing the level of earnings management. Hence, we contribute to the literature on dividend policy and earnings management, which calls for research to better understand the influence of dividends on earnings management practices in financial crises periods. Further, we shed light on how firms can use dividend policies as a substitute corporate governance mechanism to maintain or establish its reputation during periods of financial crises, benefiting investors, boards, creditors, financial analysts, and policymakers due the increase on the financial reporting quality.

Political–economic instability and earnings management in an emerging market: the case of the 2016 Presidential Impeachment in Brazil

PurposeThis study analyzes earnings management among Brazilian public firms during the 2016 Presidential Impeachment.Design/methodology/approachThe sample comprises, as a treatment group, 721 firm-quarter observations relating to Brazilian listed firms. It also considers a control group of listed firms from Mexico, which were not affected by the exogenous shock analyzed (i.e. the 2016 Presidential Impeachment in Brazil). The firms' quarterly financial data cover the period between 2013 and 2018.FindingsConsidering several proxies related to earnings management by accruals, the main findings suggest a negative relationship between the 2016 impeachment event and the level of discretionary accruals, suggesting that Brazilian firms tended to reduce their earnings management levels during the impeachment process. The results are robust whether the control group is considered or not.Originality/valueThis study brings new empirical evidence to the literature on accounting information quality about the role of the economic and political environment in earnings management, especially in weak institution countries characterized by institutional voids and higher levels of corruption.

Stock price crash risk and the adoption of poison pills: evidence from Brazil

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of stock price crash risk on the adoption of poison pills.Design/methodology/approachThe authors estimate logit and probit regressions. Their sample includes 185 Brazilian public firms for the period 2010–2018. Following previous studies, the authors use the negative skewness of firm-specific weekly returns and the down-to-up volatility of firm-specific weekly returns as measures of firm's stock price crash risk. As proxies of poison pills, the authors employ the “conventional” poison pills in their baseline models and the “eternity” poison pills, which prevent the removal of poison pills from bylaws, in additional models.FindingsThe authors find that stock price crash risk measures are not associated with poison pill adoption. However, although stock price crash risk does not lead to poison pill adoption as a complementary corporate governance mechanism that protects firms against hostile takeover attempts, further results show that managers do not draw on stock price crash risk as a pretext to entrench themselves. Additional analyses also highlight that CEO power seems to play a role in moderating the relationship between stock price crash risk and eternity poison pill adoption.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the literature on stock price crash risk, which calls for research in international contexts to better understand the effect of stock price crash risk on country-specific idiosyncratic features. The authors discuss a controversial anti-takeover mechanism that has been debated by Brazilian policymakers.

Corporate transparency and performance: what is the role of women in this relationship?

Purpose: In this study, we investigated the influence of female board membership on the relationship between corporate transparency and performance in Brazilian public firms.
 Methodology: The sample of this empirical-analytical study included 297 non-financial firms traded on B3 in the period 2015-2019. The data were analyzed with Student’s t test, the Mann-Whitney test and regressions on panel data.
 Results: Female board representation was small (6.9%). Student’s t test and the Mann-Whitney test showed that firms with female board members and transparency awards did not differ from other firms with regard to economic performance, but market performance was better. In the regression analysis, corporate transparency had no significant impact on performance and, despite the growing acknowledgment in society of the role of women in key corporate positions, the presence of women on the board did not change this association. Thus, our results indicate that the sampled firms did not derive measurable economic benefits from the presence of women on the board of directors.
 Contribution of the study: The study enriches the debate on female representation in key corporate positions in Brazilian public firms and helps understand the influence of female board membership on the relationship between corporate transparency and economic/market performance.

Gestão Financeira na Prática: Análise de Dados do Levantamento Brasileiro

ABSTRACT Objective: this article replicates in Brazil a survey - previously applied in North America and Europe - to inquire CFOs about the cost of capital, capital budgeting, and capital structure. Method: we rigorously translated and validated the questionnaire before administering it over the internet. We delivered the questionnaire to 1,699 Brazilian private and public firms and received 160 responses, with a return rate of 9.4%. We analyzed the responses conditioned to firm characteristics. Results: the results of the financial policy survey in Brazil indicate that firms employ NPV and IRR as preferred investment techniques and the CAPM and its variations as the method for computing the cost of equity capital. They are also concerned with the cost of debt and transaction costs of market instruments, and they use internal funds as their main investment funding source. The conditional analysis indicates that large, listed, and regulated firms behave differently regarding financial decisions than their counterparts. Conclusion: the main takeaway from this study is that the institutional environment (markets, institutions, instruments, and the economy) is an important determinant of the practice of corporate finance.

Stock Price Crash Risk and the adoption of Poison Pills: Evidence from Brazil

We examine the effect of stock price crash risk on the adoption of poison pills by Brazilian public firms. By using firm-level data of 191 Brazilian firms from 2010-2018, we find that stock price crash risk is not a driver that lead the adoption of poison pills. However, further results show that managers are not drawing on stock price crash risk as a pretext to entrench themselves, considering that more crash-prone companies do not face a higher likelihood of adopting a particular Brazilian type of poison pills that signals aggressive managerial entrenchment intentions, namely eternity poison pills.

CEO narcissism and corporate tax avoidance,

ABSTRACT Narcissism (NARC) in senior executives has a perceptible impact on corporate decision-making and strategies and is often associated with unethical and opportunistic behaviors, including tax avoidance (TA). In this study, we therefore evaluated the association between chief executive officer (CEO) NARC and TA in Brazilian public firms. By focusing on Brazil, an emerging economy regulated by code law, our investigation makes an important contribution to the accounting literature on TA. Most studies examining the relation between corporate TA and CEO personality profile have been conducted in common law countries. According to the literature, TA behaviors are influenced by tax system specifics. In addition, the home country’s level of economic development should be taken into account when quantifying corporate TA. These observations, and the lack of previous investigation focusing on Brazil, ratify the relevance of the study. Our study also provides tax authorities, auditors, and investors with tools to identify narcissistic behaviors predictive of corporate TA, which may demand precautionary measures on part of business partners. The sample consisted of 68 Brazilian public firms (382 observations), covering the period 2010-2017, and a robust regression model with panel data was used. TA and NARC were measured with secondary data according to the literature. Our findings show a positive correlation between CEO NARC and TA. Executives with this personality trait come across as bold or aggressive, thus more prone to adopt TA strategies, as confirmed in the present study. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how a personality disorder like NARC affects corporate tax policies, with potential damage to corporate reputation.

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: Earnings management practices in Brazilian SOEs

Objective: The accounting information can be manipulated in order to change the perception of the minority shareholders about the real situation of the firm. In case of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), they can have their wealth expropriated by the politicians and bureaucrats’ opportunistic behavior, which is an incentive to the earnings management (EM) practice. This study aims to analyze the state ownership effects on EM in Brazil, and investigate the link between EM, and ownership and control structures. Method: Data from 2006–2015 , for 250 non-financial Brazilian public firms, which covers 26 SOEs. The analyses are based on multiple regression methods with panel data. Originality/Relevance: This study innovates by including in this analysis the interaction of state control with the excess of control rights over the ownership rights of the largest shareholders, and analyze the entrenchment effect. Additionally, addresses the EM both in terms of direction and breadth. Results: SOEs tend to take on income-increasing practices, which persisted even after the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). However, the IFRS adoption led to a reduction in the level of EM, in special the positive trend. Yet, the firms' market value and size are significant for explaining EM. Theoretical/Methodological contributions: this study helps to understand the behavior of Brazilian SOEs, while reveals the SOE's political influence can induce greater information asymmetry and the control is more concentrated in there, which supposedly raises the risks of minority shareholders' expropriation. These results suggest the need for improvements in the transparency of these companies.

Descobrindo um Santo para Cobrir Outro: o gerenciamento de resultados em estatais brasileiras

Objective:The accounting information can be manipulated in order to change the perception of the minority shareholders about the real situation of the firm. In case of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), they can have their wealth expropriated by the politicians and bureaucrats’ opportunistic behavior, which is an incentive to the earnings management (EM) practice. This study aims to analyze the state ownership effects on EM in Brazil, and investigate the link between EM, and ownership and control structures.Method: Data from 2006–2015,for 250 non-financial Brazilian public firms, which covers 26 SOEs. The analyses are based on multiple regression methods with panel data.Originality/Relevance:This study innovates by including in this analysis the interaction of state control with the excess of control rights over the ownership rights of the largest shareholders, and analyze the entrenchment effect. Additionally, addresses the EM both in terms of direction and breadth.Results: SOEs tend to take on income-increasing practices, which persisted even after the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). However, the IFRS adoption led to a reduction in the level of EM, in special the positive trend. Yet, the firms' market value and size are significant for explaining EM.Theoretical/Methodological contributions: this study helps to understand the behavior of Brazilian SOEs, while reveals the SOE's political influence can induce greater information asymmetry and the control is more concentrated in there, which supposedly raises the risks of minority shareholders' expropriation. These results suggest the need for improvements in the transparency of these companies.

Gastos com P&D e a Expectativa de Geração de Balor nas Firmas Brasileiras

The purpose of this study is to verify the existence of a causal relationship between R&D expenses not activated by Accounting, a proxy for innovation, and the book-to-market ratio (BTM), which demonstrates expectation of value generation in firms. We analyzed a sample composed of 30 Brazilian public firms that disclosed information about R&am

Public versus private wage differential in Brazilian public firms

Abstract This work explores that Brazilian public firms were allowed to hire workers either as statutory (civil servants) as well as under private market labor regime (CLT). We use RAIS that matches employer-employee data for all formal firms in Brazil from 2014 to 2016 to control for fixed effects at the individual and firm levels and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition to quantify the size of the wage differential explained by the labor regime versus individual characteristics. We find that CLT civil servants earn in average R$ 310.00 per month less than similar statutory positions, a difference of 13% comparing the average wage of each group. Only for high skilled workers we found a salary R$ 95.98 larger for CLT employees. Last, our decomposition strategy reveals that the largest share of the gap is not explained by endowments differences.

Inovação e sustentabilidade ambiental e social: um estudo comparativo entre empresas do Brasil e da Europa

In this descriptive and qualitative study, we evaluated innovation and socio-environmental sustainability as strategic organizational profiles in 78 Brazilian and European public firms traded on BMFBovespa or NYSE Euronext between 2010 and 2013 and listed in at least one of the following indices: the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE), the Carbon Efficient Index (ICO2) and the Low Carbon 100 Europe index®. Information was retrieved from financial reports, explanatory notes and sustainability reports. Innovation was proxied by intangible innovation assets, patents and RD. Sustainability was evaluated based on the disclosure of GRI indicators. The two strategies were found to be strongly incorporated in European firms (i.e., in developed economies). A growing demand for innovation and sustainability was observed in both settings, indicating an indirect relationship between the two strategic profiles. Our results suggest that country-level economic and institutional factors play an important role in the definition of innovation and socio-environmental sustainability as strategic organizational profiles.

Business cycles and earnings management strategies: a study in Brazilian public firms,

ABSTRACT This study contributes to the literature dealing with the influence of macroeconomic factors on accounting information quality, since it analyzes the earnings management strategies of firms, specifically identifying different discretionary behaviors among economic cycles: 1) different levels of earnings management through accruals between phases of the business cycle, and 2) the trade-off between earnings management through accruals and real earnings management. The results indicate that the accounting information reported should be analyzed with greater caution by its users, especially in periods of great economic oscillations, when managers can increase or reduce opportunistic behavior. The research population comprised non-financial companies with shares traded on the São Paulo Stock, Commodities, and Futures Exchange (BM&FBovespa) and the sample was composed of 247 firms per year, covering the period from 2000 to 2015 and totaling 2,501 observations. The phases of business cycles were used as a proxy for the economic environment and were based on Schumpeter's (1939) study, which divides an business cycle into four distinct phases: expansion, recession, contraction, and recovery. Discretionary accruals were estimated according to the Pae (2005) and Paulo (2007) models. Real earnings management was estimated as described by Roychowdhury (2006), using only the abnormal behavior of production costs and operational decisions. The results of this research show that earnings management strategies, using either accruals or real manipulation, as well as the choice between these strategies, are impacted by the economic environment. The evidence suggests that managers have different opportunistic behavior in each phase of the business cycle. Specifically, they increase the level of discretionary accruals in contractionary phases and reduce it during recoveries, while they manage earnings downwards via real manipulation in recessions and contractions.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN R&D EXPENSES AND THE ABNORMAL RETURN IN BRAZILIAN FIRMS

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to analyze the relationship between the abnormal return and R&D expenses in Brazilian public firms. Originality/value: The determinants of firms' abnormal return provide information relevant to investors' decision-making. In this context, we verified whether the innovation, measured by R&D expenses, could be a key factor for the abnormal returns in Brazilian firms. Design/methodology/approach: We analyzed Brazilian public firms, from 2009 to 2016, by panel data regressions, in a sample composed by 1,597 firm-year observations. We collected information about R&D expenses in the footnotes. When a firm only mentioned about R&D expenses but did not disclose spent value in the Income Statement, we consider that the firm did not invest in the period and we attribute zero as a value. We highlighted that few firms mentioned R&D expenses in their footnotes and/or declared that they invested in R&D, only 44 firms in all sample, pointing the importance of better disclosure practices of these investments. Findings: The results demonstrate a negative and statistically significant relationship between innovation and the abnormal return. That is, current R&D expenses lead to a lower current abnormal return. It could be linked with the fact that R&D expenses tend to produce returns just in longer periods, demanding more time to recover these investments, due to their complex characteristics related to accounting measurement of R&D expenses. Consequently, an abnormal return could be perceived only in subsequent periods.

Efeitos da Estrutura de Governança Corporativa e das Características Institucionais no Disclosure Socioambiental

Devido à crescente preocupação das organizações em evidenciar informações socioambientais, e levando-se em conta esse fenômeno sob determinados aspectos empresariais, a presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar a influência da estrutura de governança corporativa das companhias abertas brasileiras e de suas características institucionais na qualidade do disclosure socioambiental. Neste estudo, que é descritivo e quantitativo, são analisados os relatórios institucionais referentes a 2014, por meio da atribuição de escores para a qualidade da informação evidenciada a partir da adaptação dos construtos de Chen, Feldmann e Tang (2015) e Skouloudis, Evangelinos e Kourmousis (2010). Aplicou-se também a regressão linear múltipla. Os resultados apontaram que a proporção de membros independentes no conselho de administração, como estrutura de governança, e a participação da empresa no ISE, como característica institucional, são capazes de influenciar o nível do disclosure socioambiental. Dessa forma, há evidências de que os conflitos de agência e as pressões de legitimidade podem agir sobre o comportamento socioambiental da empresa perante os stakeholders.

PERSISTENCE, VALUE RELEVANCE, AND ACCRUALS QUALITY IN EXTREME EARNINGS AND CASH FLOW SITUATIONS

ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze the impact of extreme earnings and cash flows on the persistence, value relevance, and accruals quality of Brazilian public firms. Originality/gap/relevance/implications: The present study contributes to the literature by analyzing extreme earnings and cash flows. Because they change the results of the period in which they occur in an unusual manner, this study suggests that studying their behaviors and impacts on the quality of the information disclosed by companies tends to contribute to optimal decision making in the capital market. Key methodological aspects: The analyzed sample comprised non-financial public companies traded on the BM&FBovespa stock exchange from 2005 to 2014, with estimates made using quantile regression. Summary of key results: The main results indicate that cash flows are more persistent than earnings because the accruals component of the latter makes them less persistent. Extreme values of both earnings and cash flows affect the persistence of these variables, with a strong and negative effect on cash flows. Finally, extreme values of accruals negatively affect accruals quality because, compared to moderate quantiles, they significantly alter the standard deviation of extreme quantiles. Key considerations/conclusions: The presence of extreme values in this study's focus variables negatively influenced market information quality, reducing its predictive power and, consequently, its relevance. Furthermore, controlling for extreme values, it was possible to observe the incremental information content of these two metrics.

Determinants of asymmetric loss recognition timeliness in public and private firms in Brazil

We investigate the determinants of asymmetric loss recognition timeliness (ALRT) for public and private firms in Brazil. We complement Ball and Shivakumar (2005) by investigating ALRT in Brazil where, unlike in the UK setting, equity markets do not provide the adequate incentives for high quality financial reporting. In Brazil, even listed public companies do not face the same institutional environment of the British firms. Using a unique database of Brazilian public and private firms we document that Brazilian public and private firms present similar ALRT, different from the evidence that Ball and Shivakumar (2005) reported for the UK.

The Effects of Corporate Governance and Product Market Competition on Analysts' Forecasts: Evidence from the Brazilian Capital Market

We investigate how the interaction between product market competition and firm-level corporate governance enhances the accuracy of analysts' forecasts and reduces the forecasts' deviation. Using a sample of Brazilian public firms covered by analysts, we find that competitive industries provide incentives to increase the flow of information, but not necessarily to enhance its quality. However, strong corporate governance enhances the financial reporting process and consequently the quality of analysts' forecasts. Our main evidence shows that the analysts who cover firms in more highly competitive industries with strong corporate governance are the most accurate.

AUDIT OPINION: A STUDY OF QUALIFICATION OPINION AND PARAGRAPHS OF EMPHASIS ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF BRAZILIAN PUBLIC FIRMS

The economic effects of the qualified report or paragraph of emphasis may indicate problems with the operations of firm, it may consequently affect the allocation of the financial resources of the investors. The research aims to verify if the accounting and non-accounting characteristics have influence on the audit opinions’ issuance with qualification opinion and/or paragraph of emphasis, on listed companies in the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Sao Paulo Bovespa). The study is considered a quantitative research and to achieve the objective it was used the logit estimation method. The sample of this work includes 1466 reports of the independent auditors (audit opinion) about the financial reports of the Brazilian public firms within the fiscal of 2006 and 2008. The results evidence that the other audit firms issue more qualification opinions and paragraphs of emphasis than those of the Big Four, even these ones having a bigger market share (60%). The estimated model revealed that some accounting and non-accounting variables, like the market value of firm and financing, have as statistical significance to qualification opinions as to paragraph of emphasis. Finally, it was observed that the higher the market value of the business, the less chance of occurrence of these kinds of changes in the independent auditor’s opinion, however, when analyzing the financing, the relation is reversed, in other words, the higher it is, the greater the chance.