O nível de comparabilidade contábil dos países do BRIC

Abstract

The overall objective of this research was to identify the levels of national and international comparability of BRIC countries companies financial reports. Brazil, Russia, India and China have in common large territories, populations, significant economic growth and important presence in international economics and politics. The global accounting convergence is seen as a process necessary for the proper development of capital markets, can be defined as a procedure applied to increase the comparability of accounting practices adopted by companies. Through a descriptive study about their goals, using the techniques of documentary research and classical content analysis, 298 financial statements prepared between 2006 and 2010 were analyzed, in accordance with IFRS and U.S. GAAP standards locations of the BRIC (CPC, RAS, AS, ASBEs). The study sample consisted of a total of 66 listed companies belonging to the sectors of Oil & Gas, Steel and Mining and Energy. It´s calculated indices of comparability (Index T) national and international developed from Taplin (2004) studies and employed recently by Cairns et al. (2010). The results show a decline in the index of International Index, consolidated the BRIC countries. Compared to the comparability of National Index, China achieved a maximum degree of comparability in all evaluated items, India grew and Brazil and Russia showed a drop in performance indicator. Moreover, the results confirm, for the sample, the size of the companies directly influences the degree of comparability of accounting practices in use. As regards audit firms, the fact that the financial statements were audited by global audit companies, known as the Big Four, was determinant in strengthening the comparability accounting. Finally, concerning the accounting principles used, the companies that use IFRS and U.S. GAAP showed comparable behavior falling within the accounting period.