Teaching, research and service: Experience and opinions of accounting Spanish academics

Research, teaching and service are the main activities carried out in almost all European universities. Previous research, which has been mainly centred in North-American universities, has found solid results indicating that research and teaching are not equally valued when deciding on faculty promotion. This conclusion creates a potential conflict for accounting academics on how to distribute working time in order to accomplish personal career objectives. This paper presents the results of a survey realised in two European countries: Spain and the United Kingdom, which intended to explore the opinions and personal experience of accounting academics working in these countries. Specifically, we focus on the following issues: (i) The impact of teaching and service on time available for research; (ii) The integration of teaching and research; (iii) The perceived value of teaching and research for career success and (iv) The interaction between professional accounting and accounting research. The results show that both in Spain and in the United Kingdom there is a conflict between teaching and research, which has its origin in the importance attached to research activities on promotion decisions. It also seems evident that so far, the conflict is being solved in favour of research in prejudice of teaching.Teaching, research, accounting

Measuring intangibles' productivity. Empirical evidence from Spanish firms

As companies and shareholders begin to note the potential repercussions of intangible assets upon business results, the inability of the traditional financial statement model to reflect these new ways of creating business value has become evident. Companies have widely adopted new management tools, covering in this way the inability of the traditional financial statement model to reflect these new ways of creating business value. However, there are few prior studies measuring on a quantifiable manner the level of productivity unexplained in the financial statements. In this study, we measure the effect of intangible assets on productivity using data from Spanish firms selected randomly by size and sector over a ten-year period, from 1995 to 2004. Through a sample of more than 10,000 Spanish firms we analyse to what extent labour productivity can be explained by physical capital deepening, by quantified intangible capital deepening and by firm’s economic efficiency (or total factor productivity –PTF). Our results confirm the hypothesis that PTF weigh has increased during the period studied, especially on those firms that have experienced a significant raise in quantified intangible capital, evidencing that there are some important complementary effects between capital investment and intangible resources in the explanation of productivity growth. These results have significant differences considering economic sector and firm’s dimension.Intangibles, Accounting, Spain

Reporting intellectual capital in Spain

This study reports on the analysis of annual reports from 14- listed companies in Spain over a five-year period, from 1998 to 2002. Companies in the sample are selected on the basis of their knowledge-based assets and incentives to report on Intellectual Capital. The empirical analysis is twofold: 1) Firstly, we analyse the value of intellectual capital using a value-based approach, through the difference between market and book value over the period considered. Results show that there is a general decrease in the 'hidden value' of these companies, probably due to the general trend in stock markets. 2) Secondly, we carry out a content-based analysis of the complete annual reports of the companies over the five year period. Preliminary findings seem to suggest that although the level of disclosure has increased over time, this is mainly in the form of narrative. Overall, the level of disclosure of intellectual capital remains low.Intellectual capital, disclosure, Spain

One hundred issues of Revista Española de Financiación y Contabilidad (REFC)-insights into trends in the Spanish academic community

From the year of its foundation, until the foundation of Revista de Contabilidad in 1997, REFC has been the only referred accounting journal in Spain. Published by the Spanish Association for Accounting and Business Administration (AECA), this journal is at the heart of the emergence of a distinctly Spanish academic accounting community. Our study is based on: 1. An analysis of 100 issues of REFC covering the period from 1985 to 1999. 2. A questionnaire to Spanish accounting academics on their perceptions and experience of the journal. Key points emerging from this study include: a) A move away from interest in accounting concepts and rules, as well as accounting history, and towards positive accounting theory, the impact of accounting information on capital markets, and financial analysis. b) The emergence of a small number of universities as the driving force in Spanish accounting research. c) Spanish academics rate REFC highly compared to other Spanish journals for publication status, as a support for research, and as a support for teaching. A number of English language journals are rated more highly for both publication status and as a support for teaching.Revista española de contabilidad y financiación, academic community, accounting

Ethics and creative accounting: Some empirical evidence on accounting for intangibles in Spain

Recent research shows that financial reports are losing relevance. Mainly this is due to the growing strategic importance of intangible assets in the performance of a company. A possible solution is to modify accounting standards so that statements include more self-generated intangible assets, taking into account with their inherent risk and difficulty of valuation. We surveyed loan officers who were asked to assess the credit-worthiness of a hypothetical company. The only information given was a simplified version of financial statements. Half the group got statements where research and development costs had been capitalized. The other half got statements in which these costs had been treated as an expense. The findings show that capitalization was significantly more likely to attract a positive response to a loan request. The paper raises the question of whether accounting for intangibles might provide managers with one more creative accounting technique and, in consequence, its ethical implications.Intellectual capital, ethics, creative accounting

The changing relationship between tax and financial reporting in Spain

The degree of connection between tax and financial reporting is regarded as a key factor in the study of international accounting differences. The position for Spain is briefly outlined in previous research but without examination of any specific accounting issues except, in outline only, depreciation and the tax-free revaluation of assets from 1977 to 1983. The absence of a detailed study of the major tax/accounting linkages for Spain is of particular importance because the relationship is regarded as having changed dramatically in the early 1990s, from a position of tax dominance. In order to measure the links between tax and financial reporting, we adopt the methodology of Lamb et al. (1998) by assessing major accounting topics using a five-case classification shown as Table 1. We refute the proposition that suggests that the link between tax/accounting has been reduced substantially.Tax, accounting, Spain

Spanish auditors and the 'true and fair view'

In 1990 a new Spanish 'Plan General de Contabilidad' (PGC) implemented the requirements of the EU 4th and 7th Directives in Spain. Included in the PGC is the requirement, derived from the 4th Directive, that accounts should present a 'true and fair view', in Spanish 'imagen fiel'. Where the term has been used in English speaking jurisdictions it has proved to have a variety of shades of meaning, and to have had strikingly different impact in different countries. Within the European Union the term has been seen as a 'Trojan horse', inserted into the 4th Directive to inject an Anglo-Saxon approach of flexibility and judgement dependent accounting into a Continental European accounting tradition of detailed prescription and uniformity. In this paper we report on a survey of the views and experience of Spanish auditors relating to 'imagen fiel'. Specifically, we: 1) Review the English language literature on 'true and fair view' to identify the key areas of controversy. 2) Consider the significance of the 'true and fair view' within the EU 4th Directive. 3) Report on the experience of Spanish auditors in working with this concept, their views on the value of the term, and their experience in use of the true and fair view 'override'.Auditing, true and fair view, 4th European Directive

The ethics of creative accounting: Some Spanish evidence

'Creative accounting' involves accountants in making accounting policy choices or manipulating transactions in such a way as to give the impression in the accounts that they prefer. While regarded as unethical by most observers, a defence of creative accounting can be based on the ability of the users of accounts to identify bias in accounting policy choices and make appropriate adjustments. In this paper we take the example of the Barcelona Football Club where the club management made three key accounting policy choices that presented a favourable position, and a supporters' club presented an alternative report choosing three alternative accounting policies that presented an unfavourable position. We presented each of these financial reports to one of two groups of Spanish bank loan offices, with supporting notes making the impact of the accounting policy choices clear. We found that the more favourable set of accounts was significantly more likely to attract a positive response to a loan request. This result undermines the defence for creative accounting, based on the ability of users to identify manipulation.Creative accounting, ethics, Spain

The struggle against creative accounting: Is "true and fair view" part of the problem or part of the solution?

Creative accounting is a growing issue of interest in Spain. In this article we argue that the concept true and fair view can limit or promote the use of creative accounting depending upon its interpretation. We review the range of meanings that true and fair view can take at an international level and compare the experience of the United Kingdom with the Australian one by analysing the use of true and fair view to limit creative accounting. Finally, we suggest lines of action to be considered by the Spanish accounting standards-setting institutions.Creative accounting, imagen fiel, true and fair view, accounting regulation

Earnings management in Spain. Some evidence from companies quoted in the Spanish stock exchange

After the accounting scandals that have taken place mainly in the United States during the last years, some Spanish leading authorities have defended the idea that this kind of accounting problems cannot happen in Spain. They argue that accounting regulation in Europe, and specifically in Spain, make more difficult the use of creative accounting practices. The objective of this paper is to identify some evidence about the situacion in Spain. The study tries to demonstrate that some accounting practices of several of the companies quoted in the Spanish Stock Exchange could be qualified as earnings management. To carry out this study, the authors have analysed the accounts of the 35 companies included in the stock market index IBEX 35. This index is calculated with the share prices variations of the most important companies quoted in the Spanish Stock Exchange.accounting regulation, creative accounting, earnings management, financial accounting, IAS, Spain, IBEX 35