Disclosure Style and Its Determinants in Integrated Reports

Aureliana-Geta Roman, Mihaela Mocanu and Răzvan Hoinaru
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Aureliana-Geta Roman: Department of Accounting and Auditing, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Mihaela Mocanu: Department of Accounting and Auditing, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, 010374 Bucharest, Romania
Răzvan Hoinaru: School of Business and Management, Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL), London E1 4NS, UK

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Integrated Reporting promotes a more cohesive and efficient approach to corporate reporting and aims to improve the quality of information available to providers of financial capital. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the determinants of readability and optimism which build the disclosure style of integrated reports. Our research draws on impression management theory and legitimacy theory, while also taking into consideration the cultural system of Hofstede with its further developments by Gray. Our sample consisted of 30 annual reports, extracted randomly from the Integrated Reporting examples database set up by the International Integrated Reporting Council. For the purposes of our investigation, we have carried out a multivariate regression analysis. Firstly, our results show that the higher the revenues of the reporting company, the more balanced their integrated reports, while younger companies use a more optimistic tone when reporting. Additionally, optimism seems to be inversely correlated with the length of the reports. Secondly, entities based in countries with a stronger tendency towards transparency surprisingly provide less readable integrated reports. It was also revealed that companies operating in non-environmentally sensitive industries, as well as International Financial Reporting Standards adopters deliver foggier and thus less readable integrated reports.

Keywords: integrated reporting; readability; optimism; disclosure quality; textual analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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