Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the growing literature field of intellectual capital (IC) by analysing corporate IC disclosures by leading Spanish firms over a three‐year period from 2000 to 2002.Design/methodology/approach: Content analysis methodology was applied to the annual reports of 12 Spanish companies over a three‐year period.Findings: A statistically significant increase was found in the volume of IC disclosures over a three‐year period. There is a greater volume of communication in the area of external (customer/relational) capital than in either internal or employee capital. This corresponds with the results of other country‐based studies. However, IC reporting remains at a relatively limited level, and disclosures are dominated by customer relational items.Originality/value: This paper makes an original contribution to the growing body of empirical studies on IC reporting and describes the development of IC reporting in Spain.

The operational connection between tax and financial reporting has been reported on in detail for a few countries but not for Spain. However, the literature suggests that there was a great reduction in the influence of tax in Spain in the early 1990s. This paper applies the methodology of earlier researchers in order to measure the tax/reporting linkages for Spain at three different dates. We find that Spain is intermediate between France/Germany and USA/UK in the degree of tax influence on financial reporting. We also find that the common belief in a major reduction in tax influence over time can be refuted.

From 2005 onwards, consolidated financial statements of listed European companies have to comply with IFRS (IAS). Many German companies began adopting those standards in the 1990s, on a voluntary basis, because of their need to access international capital markets. A broader and more dispersed investor community could be achieved only by accepting significant regulatory consequences. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the financial impact of initial IFRS adoption on the statement of changes in equity and the income statement of German companies. Our analysis comprised all non-financial DAX groups applying IFRS plus additional listed companies in two selected industrial sectors. The two sectors are chemical pharmaceutical and fashion where, apart from the DAX companies quoted, we have studied other relevant companies in each sector. The analysis of the reconciliations of the retained earnings and income statement has been developed both from company and type-of-adjustment perspective, classifying items in similar accounting categories. The results are that the impact of initial adoption of IFRS was, both individually and overall, significant. In relation to the specific sectors analysed, impact is also relevant, although not as much as in DAX companies, but differs between the sectors.

Creative accounting involves accountants in making accounting policy choices or manipulating transactions in such a way as to convey a preferred and deliberately chosen impression in the accounts. Although it is regarded as unethical by most observers, a defense of creative accounting can be based on the assumption that users of accounts can identify bias in accounting policy choices and make appropriate adjustments. In this paper we take the example of the Barcelona Football Club where the club management made three key accounting policy choices that resulted in the presentation of a favourable position, and a supporters club presented an alternative report choosing three alternative accounting policies that presented an unfavourable position. We presented each of these financial reports to one of two groups of Spanish bank loan officers: we found that the more favourable set of accounts was significantly more likely to attract a positive response to a loan request. This result undermines the validity of defending creative accounting based on the argument that accounts users can identify manipulation.

There is abundant international and national legislation requiring the inclusion of the gender perspective in higher education. This legislation is motivated by a social demand to avoid perpetuating gender inequality. This study investigates in detail the studies of economics and business in a Spanish university through an analysis of its activities and content from a gender perspective. Specifically, the teaching plans and their academic references are examined complemented with a qualitative analysis gathered through third- and fourth-year students focus groups. The results show how the gender perspective is only anecdotally present in the academic content and that bibliographic references and most of the senior academic figures are male, thus perpetuating the belief that knowledge is embodied in a masculine figure. The discussion groups with students confirm their lack of knowledge of the causes and consequences of gender inequalities, which makes them incapable of forming a critical vision of the economy and society. The results highlight the need to analyze aspects related to the transfer of current regulations to universities.

The consequences of the pandemic have shone a spotlight on the current economic system, often formulated as a dichotomy between life and the economy. This article analyses opinion articles published in the Italian and Spanish economic press during the state of alarm in Spring 2020, applying a gender and a feminist economics approach. The research was organised in two phases. In the first phase, quantitative analysis was applied to a sample of 1,284 opinion articles from leading economic blogs and newspapers in the Italian and Spanish press. In the second phase, qualitative content analysis was performed to explore the incorporation of gender or feminist economics. The results indicate an over-representation of male authors in both countries and a low percentage of gender perspective indicators. Except for inclusive language, both countries follow similar patterns: a relative presence of indicators of gender economics and little incorporation of indicators characteristic of feminist economics.