{"title":"E-governance and blockchain technology in local government","authors":"Magdalena Kowalczyk, Remigiusz Napiecek","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.7703","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.7703","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: One of the doctrines of New Public Management is increased efficiency and consumer satisfaction in local government. Implementing new technologies like digital administration and blockchain could be very helpful in achieving this objective. The article focuses on the usability of e-government as a management tool and the possibility of implementing blockchain technology in local government accounting. This re-search attempts to answer the following research question: What are local government employees’ perceptions of e-governance and blockchain technology? Methodology/approach: A survey was used as a research tool to determine the role of digital administration and blockchain technology in local government units at the community level. A questionnaire was emailed to all municipalities in Poland: rural, urban and urban-rural. Findings: The results of the research show that, in the respondents’ opinion, the use of e-governance in local government is very helpful in management. However, the use of blockchain technology in local government accounting is debatable. Research limitation/implications: This paper will be useful to academics and practitioners to enable an understanding of the problems associated with introducing and using new technologies in local government. The limitation of the research is that blockchain technology is new and, unfortunately, there are very few examples of its implementation by local governments in Poland. Therefore, it is difficult to assess the positive and effective implementation of blockchain technology by local governments. The article shows the point of view of local government officials, which is also a limitation of our research. Originality/value: The article makes an important contribution to the research on the use of new technologies in local government units. The research has made it possible to assess e-government as a tool for managing local government units and to present officials’ attitudes to the possibility of using blockchain technology in local government accounting.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135453956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Planned changes to the classification and disclosure of items in the profit and loss statement. Discussion on the exposure draft of a new international standard","authors":"Ewa Maruszewska, Maciej Andrzej Tuszkiewicz","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.7698","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.7698","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The objective is to present selected changes slated for introduction through exposure draft ED/2019/7. The perspective adopted concerns the current classification and disclosure in the profit and loss statement. In addition, the authors indicate the differences between the new standard and the local accounting regulations.Methodology/approach: We used an analysis of legal regulations and a case study in the form of data transformation of entity X for three consecutive reporting periods.Findings: Mandatory separation of investments and financial activities, whose definition differs from those in national law and IAS/IFRS, represents the greatest challenge. Many items (including exchange rate differences, investment incomes and expenses) will be disclosed differently in the profit and loss statement, including being split between two or more categories.Practical implications: The identified differences between the local regulations and the new standard indicate the need to change how the accounting ledger is organized, including amendments in the information systems. It also calls for several educational events to be held by professional accounting organizations.Originality/value: The detailed identification of differences in the disclosure of profit and loss statements stem from the authors’ engagement in the European Financial Advisory Board’s (EFRAG) field test. The results indicate that the regulator must act to bring national law into line with the planned changes. The proposed changes will in-crease the quality of financial statements, including the relevance and comparability of financial information.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"59 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135453959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Revenue from unapproved claims in the financial statements of Polish construction companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange","authors":"Paweł Szalacha","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6060","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: A contractors claims for increased remuneration frequently occur in construction projects. Despite their uncertainty and risk of estimating future cash inflows, accounting standards allow them to be recognized as revenues. The purpose of the arti-cle is to present the conditions for recognizing them as revenues and to propose a checklist of required disclosures. Against this background, the article evaluates the sufficiency of disclosures of Polish construction companies.Methodology/approach: The analysis of the professional literature and accounting regulations, especially IFRS 15 Revenues from Contracts with Customers. The empirical research concentrated on yearly financial statements of 27 Polish construction companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.Findings: The research showed that recognition of revenues from not yet approved claims requires significant disclosure. Polish construction companies do not present enough necessary information about such revenues or their impact on their financial statements. The vast majority of companies do not disclose any information. Those companies that do disclose such information do not always present the full scope of required disclosures, and the data presented are difficult to compare as their scope and where they are placed in the notes are not uniform.Originality/value: The paper complements the scientific achievements in the financial reporting of companies that conduct longterm construction contracts. It proposes a checklist of required disclosures about revenues from not yet approved claims. It identi-fies a lack of required disclosure of Polish construction companies.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Accounting policy instruments used in the debt management of local government units in Poland","authors":"Iwona Franczak","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6057","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The main purpose of the study is to determine whether local government units use accounting policy instruments to manage a limited level of debt.Methodology/approach: The article analyzes the literature on the subject and legal acts. In the empirical part, a survey addressed to treasurers and chief accountants of local government units was used. The research methodology was based on non-parametric statistical tests. The relationship between the variables on the ordinal scale was checked by Spearmans rank correlation test, and the statistical significance of differences between the distribution of the perceived intensity of debt management and the selected grouping variable was tested by the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings: Statistical inference made it possible to conclude that, in the respondents opinion, local government units use accounting policy instruments to manage limited levels of debt. Moreover, the statistical tests allowed us to conclude that the perceived intensity of the use of accounting policy instruments in managing an acceptable level of debt is not a derivative of the degree of local government units in the territorial divi-sion of Poland. Research limitations/implications: The research may become the basis for further research to assess the accounting system in terms of reporting the level of indebtedness of public finance sector entities in Poland. Originality/value: The research provides a new look at the problem of the indebted-ness of local government units in the Polish literature.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The use of infographics for impression management in the non-financial reports of listed companies in Poland","authors":"Arleta Szadziewska, M. Shygun","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6059","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The article aims to identify the factors that influence the use of infographics in non-financial reports and determine whether this form of information communication is exploited for impression management purposes. Methodology/approach: The study employed the following research methods: analysis of the subject literature and quantitative and qualitative content analysis. The chi-square test of homogeneity and Spearman rank correlation analysis were used to verify the research hypotheses. Findings: A relationship was noted between the number of infographics in such reports and the form of the report, as well as a given entitys environmental nuisance. The hypothesis verification also confirmed an average positive relationship between the number of info-graphics and the number of GRI indicators. The qualitative content analysis of non-financial reports indicated that the use of infographics is aimed at highlighting positive information about a companys activities. Research limitations/implications: The research makes a valuable contribution by allowing stakeholders to understand how infographics are used to convey information on a companys operations, including its embellishment potential. Since the study was limited to selected industries and one reporting period, there is a need for further work to determine whether other listed companies include infographics in their non-financial reports and whether these techniques are used for impression management. Originality/value: The article is the first to present the use of infographics by Polish listed companies in their non-financial reporting. It expands the knowledge of information visualization aimed at creating a favorable image of business operations in the eyes of stakeholders.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corporate governance in ensuring the quality of financial and sustainability reporting in times of uncertainty","authors":"Beata Zyznarska-Dworczak","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6061","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The paper assesses the impact of uncertainty on financial and sustainability reporting. It also indicates the impact of corporate governance mechanisms in strengthening corporate reporting quality in times of uncertainty.Methodology/approach: The main research method is the analysis of the scientific and professional literature. The method of analysis and synthesis was used for inference.Findings: The article reveals key aspects of uncertainty in financial reporting and corporate sustainability reporting. It shows the impact of inherent uncertainty, as well as economic and business uncertainty. It interprets the empirical results presented in the literature on corporate governance mechanisms in ensuring corporate reporting quality in times of uncertainty. The article identifies the risk of fraudulent reporting as a consequence of uncertain conditions and reveals the features of corporate governance institutions and instruments that help mitigate this risk.Research limitations/implications: The article does not contain a detailed analysis of the legislative premises for the functioning of corporate governance mechanisms. Infer-ence unifies corporate governance systems and is based on empirical results presented in the literature. The limitations may set the path for future scientific research. The article explains the possibilities of using corporate governance mechanisms to ensure the quality of corporate reporting in times of uncertainty, and its implications may support managers, controllers, auditors, accountants and regulators.Originality/value: Due to the lack of exhaustive research in the research area, the article reduces the cognitive gap in the Polish literature.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Going concern assessment made in financial reports by management boards of listed real estate companies in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Ewa Chrostowska","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6055","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The objective of this article is to determine how many real estate entities have tackled going concern problems, to identify the going concern uncertainties disclosures, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess the going concern disclosures that have been made.Methodology/approach: The study involved the financial reports of real estate companies listed on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. 35 (out of 40) reports for the first half of 2020 were examined. The content of full versions of the descriptive parts of financial statements, reports on the auditors review, and management comment letters were analyzed.Findings: The way the disclosures are made can be a challenge. The managements analysis of the entitys situation involving significant judgments is of key importance. Reports on the auditors review may facilitate interpretation, especially because the way narrative, the variety of detail, and the location of the disclosures make inference difficult. The pandemic affected the scope of disclosures without increasing the number of entities disclosing uncertainties.Research limitations/implications: The research was limited to published, complete, half-yearly reports of listed companies of one sector, subject to review by the auditor. The issue of going concern disclosures is worth developing in future research of annual reports of various sectors, especially in the context of successive economic crises, including the war in Ukraine.Originality/value: As a practical study of disclosures, the article is the first empirical assessment of how going concern disclosures are made, revealing the role of significant judgments.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Did the ancient Romans have double-entry bookkeeping?","authors":"Sławomir Sojak","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6062","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The main purpose of the article is to establish whether the ancient Romans used double-entry bookkeeping. The secondary aim is to present a wide range of accounting vocabulary used by the Romans, which was later used by Venetian merchants and Luca Pacioli in the 1494 treatise on double-entry bookkeeping and which is still in use today.Methodology/approach: The paper uses a deductive inference method based on an anal-ysis of the economic, legal, and historiographical literature on the accounting vocabulary used in the state and private finances of the Romans. Findings: Although the terminology presented in the article suggests that the Romans had a highly developed accounting system using the principle of double entry, this was not the case. No material evidence of this has been found in accounting documents, such as single accounting records, repeated counter entries or balance sheets. Historians of ac-counting and banking rely on the analysis of secondary historical sources, such as legal literature that documents the course of trials in which account books were the main evidence. One trial that was fully described in the literature was between the partners Fannius and Roscius, in which Cicero was the defender of Roscius. The article demonstrates that Ciceros defense speech does not prove the existence of double-accounting in Rome. Reflecting on the reasons for the absence of double-entry bookkeeping, the author pre-sents de Ste. Croix's arguments, the most important of which was the Roman numerical notation system (I, V, X, L, C, M) did not force bookkeeping entries into columns. This was only done by the Arabic numeral notation system, which quickly translated into the opposite double notation.Research limitations: The lack of surviving documents and a need to rely on legal litera-ture.Originality/value: The article proves that the double notation the debit/credit convention cannot be ascribed to ancient Rome. However, the article informs the reader about the richness of the accounting and financial terminology of Rome at the turn of the era.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does non-financial reporting regulation increase diversity and equal opportunity disclosures? Evidence from Poland","authors":"M. Papa, Monika Wieczorek-Kosmala, Karolina Syty","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6063","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The main aim of our study is to verify whether the implementation of non-financial reporting regulations, following the adoption of Directive 2014/95/EU, in-creased disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Polish listed firms. We study whether the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures differ significantly if we compare the information presented in companies non-financial reports in the pre-Directive period (2016) and the post-Directive period (2018). Methodology/approach: Guided by Clarkson et al. (2008), as well as by the Global Rerporting Initiative (GRI) standards, we have applied manual content analysis, using the coding scheme that is useful in capturing the types of disclosures. We implement Wilcoxon signed ranks test to verify the statistical significance of the differences be-tween the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures in the pre- and post-Directive periods. Findings: Our evidence suggests that disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Poland significantly increased after the implementation of the Directive, but the patterns of the prevalence of disclosure types have remained stable. Research limitations/implications: This evidence is provided for a relatively small sample of Polish listed firms (N=19) that issued CSR/sustainability reports in 2016 and 2018, which could be considered a limitation of our study. Nevertheless, our study has practical implications within the impacts of the regulatory framework of companies reporting schemes, as far as diversity and equal opportunities (DEO) disclosures are concerned. Originality/value: Our evidence fills an important gap within the studies that review the implementation of the Directive in developing European economies. At the same time, it provides evidence within the emerging field of studies that compare the various types of disclosures before and after the implementation of the EU Directive, which is relevant for revising the impact of regulatory frameworks on non-financial reporting.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71287402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does information asymmetry influence cash holding in the most liquid public companies in Poland?","authors":"Paulina Szymanek, Anna Białek-Jaworska","doi":"10.5604/01.3001.0053.6064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0053.6064","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: This paper analyses the relationship between information asymmetry and the cash hoarded by companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). Methodology/approach: We applied the Ordinary Least Squares approach to cross-sectional data of the 212 most liquid public companies for which data on bid-ask spread was available.Findings: We show that companies with greater information asymmetry hold more cash, confirming the investment opportunities hypothesis. The average bid-ask spread negatively impacts cash reserves, no matter the character of discretionary accruals. Net working capital and cash flow to non-cash asset ratios positively affect cash holdings, in contrast to the debt ratio. The results show that the costs of monitoring managers are lower than information asymmetry costs in Poland and suggest that holding more cash is more beneficial than going into debt. The default risk or the threat of borrowing costs rising in turbulent times is worse than a loss due to keeping cash. Research limitations/implications: Research limitations concern cross-sectional data only for one year 2017.Originality/value: Our paper is the first study of the relationship between information asymmetry and cash holdings for the transition economy. The novelty of our research is also the use of a different approach to measure information asymmetry in the Polish capital market.","PeriodicalId":53342,"journal":{"name":"Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rachunkowosci","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48844472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}