Accounting failures and earnings management: the case of CVC S.A.

Abstract

This teaching case reports the real situation of CVC S.A., a company operating in the tourism industry. The company was founded in 1972, with its first agency located in the Brazilian city of Santo André (SP). The dilemma of the case refers to accounting failures that boosted the company’s results. and led to payment of bonuses to former executives. This teaching case aims to contribute to the discussion about possible incentives that generate conflicts of interest and the identification of internal control tools that minimize exposure to accounting fraud. The construction of the case involved data collection from the Internet through newspaper reports, analysis of explanatory notes, reference forms, report of audited financial statements, and unverified independent audit reports, available on the company’s and B3’s websites. This teaching case is recommended for undergraduate or graduate programs in Administration and Accounting, in courses addressing conflict of interest and earnings management, such as Corporate Governance, Corporate Finance, Auditing, Corporate Fraud, or Analysis of Financial Statements.

Keywords:
Accounting fraud; Conflict of interest; Earnings management; Variable remuneration