Abstract Purpose After assessing papers on efficiency, most of the studies available are focused on the analysis of efficiency measures, without providing a deep discussion of the factors that determine efficiency. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of Brazilian electricity distribution companies based on a structural model that enables the identification of a network of relationships among representative variables that contribute to efficiency. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was applied in a sample of 62 electricity distribution companies operating in Brazil, forming a balanced panel from 2010 to 2014. Then, the authors verified the model compliance according to the empirical evidence of the entities analyzed. This verification included a survey of the variables, which was supported by theoretical references related to the phenomenon studied. The data collected were statistically treated, and benchmarking models and multivariate techniques were used. Once the adjustments were made, the re-specified model was estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Findings The empirical model reached good adjustment rates. The analysis concluded that the constructs information system, structural system, management system and sociocultural system affect efficiency. Originality/value This study adds to several other papers, and this is one of its main contributions. Relationships among the constructs have been systematized according to literature in the form of a structural model, which will enable future researchers to have a reference frame of relevant studies and a research foundation in this area of knowledge. A third contribution is the model tested in a sample of Brazilian electricity distribution companies, whose results can be compared to other utility sectors (e.g. telecommunications) or to other countries' electrical sectors, thus providing an empirical basis for the proposed hypotheses. Finally, this study also offers a contribution to the Brazilian Electrical Energy Agency (Aneel, in Portuguese), a regulatory agency, providing mechanisms to guide tariff adjustments, seeking a balance between costs and the need for investments allied to tariff affordability.

Estudos que avaliam o impacto de informações contábeis nas variáveis do mercado de ações têm adquirido grande relevância na literatura contábil e se constituído em instrumento de avaliação da utilidade da informação contábil. O presente estudo segue a mesma lógica das pesquisas lucro-retorno, substituindo a medida de resultados contábeis pela de alavancagem operacional e tendo por base os dados das companhias listadas na Bovespa, dos setores de petróleo e gás, materiais básicos, bens industriais, construção e transporte, consumo não cíclico e consumo cíclico, referentes ao período entre o segundo trimestre de 2001 e o terceiro trimestre de 2004. A premissa considerada é a de que, como a alavancagem operacional, além de incorporar uma dimensão de resultado (o lucro operacional), é uma das determinantes do risco sistemático das ações, e de que há relação entre risco e retorno das ações, é possível inferir uma associação positiva entre o grau de alavancagem operacional e o retorno das ações. Os testes empíricos realizados com a utilização do método de dados em painel apresentam evidências de que a variável alavancagem operacional é estatisticamente relevante para explicar o comportamento do retorno das ações e que essa relação é positiva, conforme previsto teoricamente. Os resultados, também, demonstram que a relevância estatística aumenta quando são adotados parâmetros mais rigorosos para a consideração dos dados e as conclusões não são determinadas pelo comportamento dos valores extremos (outliers). Os testes de raízes unitárias nas séries e de autocorrelação e heteroscedasticidade nos resíduos reforçam a robustez dos resultados apurados.

Studies evaluating the impact of financial reporting information on capital market variables have gained great importance in the accounting literature and became a tool for assessing the usefulness of accounting information. The present study follows the l path of earnings-return research, measuring operating leverage as a substitute for net income shown in the financial statements. It is based on data between the second quarter of 2001 and the third quarter of 2004 referring to firms listed on Bovespa (São Paulo Stock Exchange) and relating to the following sectors: petroleum and gas, basic materials, industrial goods, construction and transportation, non-cyclical consumption, and cyclical consumption. The hypothesis of the study is that since operating leverage, besides being related to earnings (operating earnings), is one of the factors determining the systematic risk of stocks, and since there is a relationship between risk and stock returns, it is possible to infer a positive relationship between the degree of operating leverage and stock returns. Empirical tests carried out using panel data methods suggest that the operating leverage is statistically relevant in explaining the behavior of stock returns and that this relationship is positive, as predicted by theory. The results also demonstrate that statistical relevance increases when stricter parameters are employed for analyzing the data and that the conclusions are not determined by outlier behavior. Unit root tests on the data series as well as autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity tests on the residuals ensure the robustness of the results obtained.