Análisis del uso de terminología contable actual en El Quijote

Nowadays, it is now widely recognized that the history of accounting is an essential part of economic history and history in general, since the historical-accounting approach represents a very useful tool for the study of economic events throughout history. Although some works have confirmed a certain experience of Miguel de Cervantes as an accountant, it is interesting and opportune to advance in the knowledge of the accounting thought of this character and of his presence in the writing of the text of his universal novel "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha", in order to deepen the analysis of the reciprocal repercussion between accounting and its socioeconomic and cultural environment. The present paper studies the presence of accounting terminology in the language of this literary work, in order to find out whether it may represent an antecedent of the current economic and accounting lexicon, especially of some of the words used in the accounting standards in force today. The methodology used consisted of a comparative analysis of the paragraphs, phrases and expressions of an economic and accounting nature included in the text of this novel with the criteria and models of current accounting standards. For this purpose, our work is based on the economic and accounting terms used in the current General Accounting Plan, as explained in the first section. Our conclusions show the use of accounting terminology by Miguel de Cervantes, in his form and lexicon for telling stories, in his vision of commercial and social phenomena, and in his interpretation of their economic background. The expressions analyzed allow us to visualize the use at the time this work was published (1604 and 1615) of approximations to some criteria, principles and definitions that today occupy an essential place in current accounting standards, verifying the social roots of accounting through the use of its lexicon in popular language.Actualmente, es ampliamente reconocido que la historia de la contabilidad es una parte esencial de la historia económica y de la historia en general, puesto que el enfoque histórico-contable representa un instrumento muy útil para el estudio de los hechos económicos a lo largo de la historia. Aunque algunos trabajos han constatado cierta experiencia de Miguel de Cervantes como contador, resulta interesante y oportuno avanzar en el conocimiento del pensamiento contable de este personaje y del uso del lenguaje contable en la redacción del texto de su universal novela “El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha”, al objeto de profundizar en el análisis de la repercusión recíproca entre la contabilidad y su entorno socioeconómico y cultural. El presente trabajo estudia la presencia de terminología contable en el lenguaje de esta obra literaria, para conocer si su uso puede representar un antecedente del actual léxico económico y contable, especialmente de algunos vocablos empleados en las normas de Contabilidad vigentes hoy día. La metodología empleada ha consistido en el análisis comparativo de los párrafos, frases y expresiones de naturaleza económica y contable incluidos en el texto de esta novela con los criterios y modelos de las actuales normas de contabilidad. Para ello, nuestro trabajo se apoya en los términos económicos y contables utilizados en el vigente Plan General de Contabilidad, como explicamos en el primer epígrafe. Nuestras conclusiones muestran el uso de términos contables por Miguel de Cervantes, en su forma y léxico para contar las historias, en su visión de los fenómenos comerciales y sociales, y en su interpretación del trasfondo económico de los mismos. Las expresiones analizadas permiten visualizar el uso en la época en que esta obra fue publicada (años 1604 y 1615) de aproximaciones a algunos criterios, principios y definiciones que hoy día ocupan un lugar esencial en las vigentes normas contables, constatando el arraigo social de la contabilidad mediante el uso de sus vocablos en el lenguaje popular

La repercusión del valor razonable de los bienes inmuebles en la utilidad de los estados financieros: una nota de investigación

ResumenLa elección en la reciente reforma contable española del criterio de valor razonable en lugar del coste histórico como base de valoración para determinados activos ha generado cierta controversia. Este trabajo estudia la posible incidencia de la adopción del valor razonable para el registro contable de los bienes inmuebles sobre la relevancia y la fiabilidad de la información financiera. El estudio empírico está basado en una encuesta sobre las percepciones de 151 responsables de la contabilidad de empresas españolas del sector de la construcción sobre la utilidad y fiabilidad de la información financiera basada en el valor razonable. El análisis de los resultados nos ha permitido concluir que, respecto al coste histórico, los responsables de contabilidad perciben que el valor razonable de los bienes inmuebles generaría estados financieros más útiles para representar la imagen fiel del patrimonio de la empresa. No obstante, los encuestados conciben la información financiera bajo valor razonable como menos objetiva y verificable. Asimismo, hemos comprobado que el tamaño de la empresa puede influir en la opinión de la repercusión del valor razonable sobre la relevancia y fiabilidad de los estados financieros.AbstractThe option in the recent Spanish regulation for fair value over historical cost, as the preferred measurement basis for some assets, has raised some controversy. This paper studies the effects on accounting information relevance and reliability of fair value accounting for investment properties. The empirical study is based on a questionnairebased survey of the perceptions of 151 Spanish accountants in the building industry about the usefulness and reliability of fair value accounting. The analysis of results allows us concluding that accountants perceive that the usefulness of financial statements increases when investment property is valued on a fair value basis, compared with a historical cost basis. However, respondents conceive fair value accounting as less objective and verifiable. We have also observed that firm size may influence the opinion of the impact of fair value on the relevance and reliability of financial statements

Analyzing political and systemic determinants of financial risk in local governments

Studies have shown that political variables can infl uence the volume of government debt and have recommended investigating the joint effects of diverse factors on the risk of local government default. Considering the relation between economic management and political constraints, this paper examines the joint infl uence of political and systemic factors on the risk of loan default by Spanish local governments. To do so, we analyze 148 city councils for the period 2006-2011, using a logit model with panel data and an artifi cial neural network. The empirical results indicate that the fi nancial risk of local governments is affected both by political factors specifi c to each case and, simultaneously, by systemic variables for the country. Specifi cally, political variables such as the mayor not having economics-related university studies, the under-representation of female councilors in the municipal corporation, municipal government by a party with a progressive ideology, and ideological alignment between the municipal and the regional government are all associated with greater fi nancial risk. Moreover, rising national unemployment, an increased sovereign risk premium, the impact of the electoral cycle, and that of declining economic growth are all factors that may increase the risk of default. The fi ndings presented are of great potential interest for governments, managers, national and international fi scal authorities, fi nancial regulators, and citizens at large, because an understanding of the signifi cance of these variables can help authorities make appropriate decisions to prevent and/or overcome problems related to municipal insolvency

Promoting Sustainability Transparency in European Local Governments: An Empirical Analysis Based on Administrative Cultures

Nowadays, the transparency of governments with respect to the sustainability of public services is a very interesting issue for stakeholders and academics. It has led to previous research and international organisations (EU, IMF, OECD, United Nations, IFAC, G-20, World Bank) to recommend promotion of the online dissemination of economic, social and environmental information. Based on previous studies about e-government and the influence of administrative cultures on governmental accountability, this paper seeks to identify political actions useful to improve the practices of transparency on economic, social and environmental sustainability in European local governments. We perform a comparative analysis of sustainability information published on the websites of 72 local governments in 10 European countries grouped into main three cultural contexts (Anglo-Saxon, Southern European and Nordic). Using international sustainability reporting guidelines, our results reveal significant differences in local government transparency in each context. The most transparent local governments are the Anglo-Saxon ones, followed by Southern European and Nordic governments. Based on individualized empirical results for each administrative style, our conclusions propose useful policy interventions to enhance sustainability transparency within each cultural tradition, such as development of legal rules on transparency and sustainability, tools to motivate local managers for online diffusion of sustainability information and analysis of information needs of stakeholders

Identifying Motivation of the Local Governments to Improve the Sustainability Transparency

This paper examines the sustainability transparency of governments, i.e., the disclosure of information on the sustainability of their actions. To do so, we identify contributory factors to the online disclosure of environmental, social, economic and general information by local governments in Nordic countries. Linear regression analysis was used to identify factors infl uencing the online dissemination of government information on sustainability; a factor analysis, as a precursor to linear regression, led us to reduce 14 explanatory variables to four factors: fi nancial risk, demography, professional qualifi cations and local government resources. The results obtained show that local fi - nancial priorities have a greater impact on the sustainability-related content of governmental websites than does concern for the needs of the population. Furthermore, an organization’s disclosure of its fi nancial risks, together with greater awareness of stakeholders’ demands, could promote transparency in the fi eld of environmental, social and economic sustainability, while local demographic characteristics could foster the publication of information on environmental sustainability.This study was carried out with the assistance of a research project funded by the Regional Government of Andalusia (Ref. P11-SEJ-7700) and that of two projects funded by the National Research Plan, Nos. ECO2010-17463-ECON and ECO2010-20522-ECON

The diclosure of corporate social responsibility information in public administrations: an empirical study in local governments

Las prácticas de divulgación de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) son cada vez más utilizadas por las grandes compañías como instrumentos para eliminar las asimetrías de información entre los stakeholders. En el caso de las administraciones públicas, aunque las exigencias de los ciudadanos son cada vez mayores en materia de transparencia y de rendición de cuentas, la difusión de información RSC es un tema todavía poco estudiado. Este trabajo pretende realizar una primera aproximación a la difusión de información RSC en las administraciones locales españolas y su finalidad principal es conocer las debilidades y fortalezas que, en materia de RSC, tienen los sistemas de información de estas entidades, identificando oportunidades de mejora que orienten futuras investigaciones. Para ello, hemos analizado los sitios web de 55 grandes gobiernos locales, obteniendo conclusiones sobre la difusión de información general acerca de RSC así como sobre la publicación de información económica, social y medioambiental. Los resultados revelan que las mayores carencias de publicación de información RSC corresponden a la información medioambiental, mientras que la información social es la más divulgada. Asimismo, el tamaño de la entidad, la competencia política y el signo del partido gobernante, no explican el desarrollo de las prácticas de difusión de información RSC.The disclosure practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are increasingly used by large companies in order to eliminate information asymmetries between stakeholders. Instead, the disclosure of CSR information for governments is a topic little studied yet, though the demands of citizens are increasing in transparency and accountability. This paper attempts a first approach to information CSR dissemination in Spanish local governments. Its main purpose is to know the strengths and weaknesses about CSR of information systems of these entities, identifying opportunities for improvement to guide future research. To do this, we analyzed the websites of 55 large local governments, drawing conclusions about the disclosure of CSR general information and about the publication of on economic, social and environmental information. The results reveal that the major shortcomings in CSR disclosure are related to environmental information, while social information is the most published. Also, the size of the entity, political competition and the political sign of the government, do not explain the development of disclosure of RSC information.Esta investigación fue realizada con la financiación de la Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía, Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa (Proyecto de Investigación nº ECO2010-17463 y Proyecto de Investigación nº ECO2010- 20522) así como del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Proyecto de Innovación ECO 2010-17463, ECON-FEDER)

Enhancing Sustainability Transparency in Local Governments—An Empirical Research in Europe

In the current socioeconomic context, the question of local government sustainability transparency is of great interest to policymakers, managers, citizens and other stakeholders, and yet one to which previous research has devoted little specific attention. At the same time, the Internet has become an instrument of good governance worldwide and government entities in Europe have strived to promote e-government to improve transparency towards citizens. The aim of this study was to identify factors that can help politicians and managers improve practices of sustainability information disclosed by European local governments. To do so, an empirical study was conducted of 91 municipalities in nine countries, comparing three main administrative cultures. Our analysis of the study results highlights various demographic, socioeconomic, financial and legal factors that may be useful to policymakers and managers in promoting the online provision of sustainability information in Anglo-Saxon, Nordic and Southern European countries