SOCIAL DISCLOSURE OF BRAZILIAN PUBLICLY-TRADED COMPANIES: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ACTIONS IN EXTERNAL SOCIAL PROGRAMMES FROM 2005 TO 2009

• Autor(a) principal: Gonçalves, Rodrigo de Souza
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Medeiros, Otavio Ribeiro de, Gonçalves, Andrea de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Universo Contábil
• Texto Completo: https://ojsrevista.furb.br/ojs/index.php/universocontabil/article/view/2663
• topic: Social disclosure. Brazilian companies. Index. Quality of information.; Social disclosure. Empresas brasileñas. Índice. Calidad de información.; Social disclosure; Empresas brasileiras; Índice; Qualidade da informação.

This paper presents assessment results of the social disclosure level of Brazilian publicly-traded companies regarding the disclosure of external social projects. Social programs have among other aims the reduction of the negative impact caused by company’s operating activities (JENSEN et al., 1972). This research has a qualitative nature and uses content analysis as a technique for data analysis. Reports of 83 Brazilian companies listed in BM&FBovespa with the highest level of stock liquidity in the period from 2005 to 2009 were analysed. The analysed categories (past information, prospection of future actions, and accessibility) indicate that being listed in foreign stock exchanges and in social responsible funds are the most important characteristics to higher and better levels of social disclosure. It is also found that companies considered as having higher levels of environmental impact are those which present higher levels of social disclosure when compared with the other companies. Besides these factors, it is observed that there is, in general, an evolution of the level of disclosure in the period, since the companies considered as having high levels of social disclosure increased from 21% in 2005 (17 companies) to 27% in 2009 (22 companies). This trend demonstrates the importance of such information, as well as these companies’ concern in providing more transparency of their actions in social programs.