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This study is aimed at analyzing the characteristics of forensic accounting services performed by accounting firms in Brazil, using an exploratory approach. At the end of the study, there is a discourse analysis of a speech made by the CEO of one of the key players in forensic accounting services (Kroll) in Brazil. In order to guide this reflection, we pose the following question: what is the characteristic of forensic accounting that substantiates professional accountants' innovation to curb corporate accounting malpractices? In this intent, we accept the premise that the bone of contention in some unhealthy business environments is the inability of an auditor to track frauds. We used the icons (categories and/or nodes) that dynamically represent formalism in the theory of self re-production to explain the patterns found in the speech. Our findings make us conclude that the idea that frauds have been least detected by auditors begins to gain shape as auditors are more adequately trained to detect frauds instead of emphasizing the traditional segregation of duties and safeguard of assets.

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Prior studies concentrated on the misuse of accounting information systems and did not explore the effectiveness of internal control systems with a view to curb corporate frauds. This study abridged the aforementioned gap. The study rallied around the question of which procedures are deemed appropriate or not in the internal control procedures to mitigate the risks of fraud in organisations. We carried out an interpretative and critical analysis on the issue. Based on the aforementioned, we conclude that corruption and misappropriation of assets are frauds combated more efficiently and effectively with the complainants channel, mechanisms of internal control and rules of compliance; while frauds in financial statements usually linked to higher echelon are more appropriately mapped and traced by external auditors.

This study sought to identify incentives that influence the accounting choices for classifying interest and dividends received or paid in Cash Flow Statements (CFSs), in the period from 2008 to 2014, in non-financial companies of the Brazilian capital market. The hypotheses refer to the effect of the choice of classification for interest and dividends over cash flow from operations (CFO), according to indebtedness, profitability, size, negative CFO, sector, and auditor. This article seeks to contribute by providing evidence on the accounting choices for classification in CFSs, considering the lack of consensus in the results of studies in the Brazilian capital market and helping to better understand these accounting choices and the incentives behind them. A correct understanding of the information in CFSs is fundamental for them to be useful to their users. The existence of accounting choices for classification in CFSs may directly affect this understanding and, consequently, their usefulness. The results help in better understanding the discretion contained in CFSs, enabling the correct use of their information. They can also generate evidence for regulatory bodies to rethink their accounting rules and for academia to direct future research. Two panel data models were developed, using a sample of 352 companies, 2,290 analyzed reports, and 3,764 data items. The results indicate that companies with a greater level of debt, profitability, and size make their accounting choices in order to report higher CFO in the CFS. The evidence obtained reinforces the international findings and adds new analyses in the Brazilian context, contributing to the development of accounting choice theory.

This study examines the relationships between sustainability technologies, auditor transition, and circular economy models. Circular economy (CE) has been visited in recent studies as a matter of necessity to procure answers to pressing issues that befalls our society, aimed at the survival of the human species. While doing so, there has been little emphasis placed on sustainable technologies that will usher auditors into the new era. Data were constructed from a symposium organized by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), where scholars and practitioners addressed the future of auditing technology, regarding, in particular, the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labeling (ISEAL) database official website and also interviews with experts dealing day to day with sustainability and circular economy. Discourse analysis assisted in working with these groups of data. Our findings identified 12 different relational types in our analysis, thus signaling upward trends in the preparedness of auditors in boosting sustainable technologies towards a circular economy environment. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the significant uptake of innovative tools implemented for new-generation technologies in order to enhance auditing. The findings of this study have implications for academia and practice which are aimed at technological preparedness for the transition of auditing towards CE. Finally, this paper contributes by summarizing the debate and speculations around the technologies that are driving auditing to CE.

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