Accounting Disclosure: Publication of Social/Environmental and Financial Aspects in Accounting Statements

Abstract

Accounting constantly seeks to transform data and registers into useful, relevant and transparent information to serve the needs of as many people as possible. Since these needs and the level of knowledge among investors and other interested parties differs widely, we seek to address the question of the best way to disclose accounting information, to facilitate comprehension and interpretation of the social/environmental and financial aspects of interest to particular individuals. To do this, we conducted a bibliographical and documentary study using a sample of the financial statements published by industrial corporations in the state of Espírito Santo in 2003, covering the 2002 fiscal year. We found that the way such information is disclosed ranged from simple notes to the financial statements to more elaborate presentations in annual reports of management. We judged the latter to be a more flexible and interesting method of disclosing such information, based on the objectives proposed and theoretical references, considering the proxies used. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Brazilian Business Review (English Edition) is the property of Brazilian Business Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)