The Tone of Business Model Disclosure: An Analysis of Integrated Reports of Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE)-Listed Entities

Phuti Tshepo Moloto, Mahmood Surty (), Zakiyyah Varachia () and Irfaan Omarjee
Additional contact information
Phuti Tshepo Moloto: University of the Witwatersrand
Mahmood Surty: University of the Witwatersrand
Zakiyyah Varachia: University of the Witwatersrand
Irfaan Omarjee: University of the Witwatersrand

A chapter in Impacting Society Positively Through Technology in Accounting and Business Processes, 2025, pp 203-217 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The business model (BM) disclosures in integrated reports portray how resources provided by stakeholders are utilised to create value. Given the voluntary and unaudited nature of the disclosure, this makes it susceptible to manipulation by management. By employing impression management (IM) techniques, management can shape the information to craft a favourable image. This paper aims to determine whether Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE)-listed entities adopt IM strategies by manipulating the tone of the BM disclosure provided in their integrated reports. A quantitative content analysis was utilised, and the BM disclosure section of the Top 100 JSE-listed entities was analysed for the period ending 2018. Each sentence was coded for the tone of the disclosure (positive or non-positive), the type of information (quantitative or qualitative), the period (forward or non-forward) and the content of the information (inputs, business activities and outputs or outcomes). This paper found that a non-positive tone was more dominant in the BM disclosure made by JSE-listed entities, suggesting minimal use of IM techniques. Further, most information was non-forward-looking, indicating that a positive tone and forward-looking information may not be used for IM in BM disclosure. However, most information was qualitative and mainly focused on the resources needed in the value creation process rather than describing the value created for stakeholders (outcomes), allowing management to change narratives to potentially apply IM. The Pearson Chi-square did not indicate a significant association between tone and the time or type of information. However, a significant association was found between tone and the topics’ content, which could indicate the use of IM with respect to BM Topics. This paper extends the body of knowledge within a South African context of the use of IM, specifically in BM disclosures of integrated reports.

Keywords: Business model; Corporate governance; Impression management; Integrated reporting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-84885-8_10

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031848858

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-84885-8_10

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().