IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/accoun/v45y2010i3p275-300.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Letters to the shareholders: A content analysis comparison of letters written by CEOs in the United States and Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Hooghiemstra, Reggy

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that letters to the shareholders are widely used in investors' decision-making processes. Letters to the shareholders, however, are unaudited and usually not subject to regulation. Hence, CEOs may use them strategically to manage the impressions shareholders have of the company. This paper focuses on letters to the shareholders from Japanese and U.S. companies. The research examines whether U.S. and Japanese CEOs explain the causes of good and bad news in different ways. The findings point to a number of interesting differences between the U.S. and Japanese letters to the shareholders, including: (1) that U.S. CEOs in particular emphasize good news; (2) that Japanese and U.S. letters are statistically indistinguishable with respect to the extent to which CEOs claim responsibility for good news; and (3) that while CEOs in general ascribe bad news to causes beyond their control, this tendency is particularly strong in Japanese letters. The implications of the study for both investors and regulators are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Hooghiemstra, Reggy, 2010. "Letters to the shareholders: A content analysis comparison of letters written by CEOs in the United States and Japan," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 275-300, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:45:y:2010:i:3:p:275-300
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020-7063(10)00062-2
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joo Yup Kim & Sang Hoon Nam, 1998. "The Concept and Dynamics of Face: Implications for Organizational Behavior in Asia," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(4), pages 522-534, August.
    2. Moerland, Pieter W., 1995. "Alternative disciplinary mechanisms in different corporate systems," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 17-34, January.
    3. Street, Donna L. & Bryant, Stephanie M., 2000. "Disclosure Level and Compliance with IASs: A Comparison of Companies With and Without U.S. Listings and Filings," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 305-329, September.
    4. Singleton, W. R. & Globerman, Steven, 2002. "Reply to "The changing nature of financial disclosure in Japan"," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 121-122.
    5. Singleton, W. R. & Globerman, Steven, 2002. "The changing nature of financial disclosure in Japan," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 95-111.
    6. Barton, Jan & Mercer, Molly, 2005. "To blame or not to blame: Analysts' reactions to external explanations for poor financial performance," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 509-533, September.
    7. Aerts, Walter, 2005. "Picking up the pieces: impression management in the retrospective attributional framing of accounting outcomes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 493-517, August.
    8. Peng, Songlan & Tondkar, Rasoul H. & van der Laan Smith, Joyce & Harless, David W., 2008. "Does Convergence of Accounting Standards Lead to the Convergence of Accounting Practices?: A Study from China," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 448-468, December.
    9. Gaétan Breton & Richard Taffler, 2001. "Accounting information and analyst stock recommendation decisions: a content analysis approach," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 91-101.
    10. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan, 2007. "Discretionary disclosure strategies in corporate narratives : incremental information or impression management?," Open Access publications 10197/2907, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    11. Jayne Godfrey & Paul Mather & Alan Ramsay, 2003. "Earnings and Impression Management in Financial Reports: The Case of CEO Changes," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 39(1), pages 95-123, February.
    12. Aerts, Walter, 1994. "On the use of accounting logic as an explanatory category in narrative accounting disclosures," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 19(4-5), pages 337-353.
    13. Hodgdon, Christopher & Tondkar, Rasoul H. & Adhikari, Ajay & Harless, David W., 2009. "Compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards and auditor choice: New evidence on the importance of the statutory audit," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 33-55, March.
    14. Mark Clatworthy & Michael Jones, 2003. "Financial reporting of good news and bad news: evidence from accounting narratives," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(3), pages 171-185.
    15. Garry D. Bruton & Chung‐Ming Lau, 2008. "Asian Management Research: Status Today and Future Outlook," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 636-659, May.
    16. Brenda van Tendeloo & Ann Vanstraelen, 2005. "Earnings management under German GAAP versus IFRS," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 155-180.
    17. Preston, Alistair M. & Wright, Christopher & Young, Joni J., 1996. "IMag[in]ing annual reports," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 113-137, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Adelaide Martins & Delfina Gomes & Manuel Castelo Branco, 2020. "Managing Corporate Social and Environmental Disclosure: An Accountability vs. Impression Management Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Worek, Maija & De Massis, Alfredo & Wright, Mike & Veider, Viktoria, 2018. "Acquisitions, disclosed goals and firm characteristics: A content analysis of family and nonfamily firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 250-267.
    3. Dorota Chmielewska-Muciek & Jacek Jakubczak & Patrycja Marzec-Braun, 2021. "Crisis Response Strategies and Themes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in EU Aviation, Airlines’ Executives Communication with Shareholders: A Content Analysis," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4B), pages 276-299.
    4. Rutherford, Brian A., 2013. "A genre-theoretic approach to financial reporting research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 297-310.
    5. Osman Yukselturk & Jon Tucker, 2015. "The impact of analyst sentiment on UK stock recommendations and target prices," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(6-7), pages 869-904, December.
    6. Elodie Behnam, 2013. "La Lisibilite De La Communication Financiere En France : Le Cas De La Lettre Aux Actionnaires," Post-Print hal-01002368, HAL.
    7. Samira Demaria & Dufour Dominique & Moïse Louisy-Louis & Philippe Luu, 2012. "An exploratory study of the exposure draft of IAS 19 due process," Post-Print halshs-00721326, HAL.
    8. Moreno, Alonso, 2024. "Impression management in bilingual corporate reporting: An analysis of textual characteristics in Spanish and English," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    9. PAula Andreea TERINTE, 2016. "Content Analysis Of Ceo Statement And Auditor`S Recommendation: A Case Study Of Banca Transilvania," Journal of Public Administration, Finance and Law, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 9(9), pages 93-107, June.
    10. Samira Demaria & Dominique Dufour & Moïse Louisy-Louis & Philippe Luu, 2012. "An exploratory study of the exposure draft of IAS 19 due process," Post-Print hal-00690943, HAL.
    11. Ingrid E. Fisher & Margaret R. Garnsey & Mark E. Hughes, 2016. "Natural Language Processing in Accounting, Auditing and Finance: A Synthesis of the Literature with a Roadmap for Future Research," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 157-214, July.
    12. Niamh Brennan & Doris M. Merkl-Davies, 2013. "Accounting Narratives and Impression Management," Open Access publications 10197/4949, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    13. Saverio Bozzolan & Giovanna Michelon & Marco Mattei & Andrea Giornetti, 2019. "Signing the letter to shareholders: Does the Signatory?s role relate to impression management?," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(1), pages 37-82.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Niamh Brennan & Encarna Guillamon-Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Impression management : developing and illustrating a scheme of analysis for narrative disclosures – a methodological note," Open Access publications 10197/2905, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    2. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh M. Brennan, 2011. "A conceptual framework of impression management: new insights from psychology, sociology and critical perspectives," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 415-437, December.
    3. Beattie, Vivien, 2014. "Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 111-134.
    4. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan & Stuart McLeay, 2011. "Impression management and retrospective sense-making in corporate narratives : a social psychology perspective," Open Access publications 10197/2900, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    5. Niamh M. Brennan & Encarna Guillamon‐Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Methodological Insights," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(5), pages 789-832, June.
    6. Saverio Bozzolan & Giovanna Michelon & Marco Mattei & Andrea Giornetti, 2019. "Signing the letter to shareholders: Does the Signatory?s role relate to impression management?," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(1), pages 37-82.
    7. Niamh Brennan & Doris M. Merkl-Davies, 2013. "Accounting Narratives and Impression Management," Open Access publications 10197/4949, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    8. YAN, Beibei & AERTS, Walter, 2014. "Rhetorical impression management in corporate narratives and institutional environment," Working Papers 2014014, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    9. Leung, Sidney & Parker, Lee & Courtis, John, 2015. "Impression management through minimal narrative disclosure in annual reports," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 275-289.
    10. Berkin, Anil & Aerts, Walter & Van Caneghem, Tom, 2023. "Feasibility analysis of machine learning for performance-related attributional statements," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    11. Beck, A. Cornelia & Campbell, David & Shrives, Philip J., 2010. "Content analysis in environmental reporting research: Enrichment and rehearsal of the method in a British–German context," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 207-222.
    12. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan & Stuart McLeay, 2005. "A new methodology to measure impression management - A linguistic approach to reading difficulty," Open Access publications 10197/5786, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    13. Kshitij Khanna & Helen Irvine, 2018. "Communicating the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis in Annual Reports: A Study of Australian NGOs," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 28(1), pages 109-126, March.
    14. René Fahr & Anica Rose, 2017. "Causal Reasoning in Corporate Annual Reports: The Truth and Nothing But the Truth?," Working Papers Dissertations 25, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    15. Cho, Charles H. & Roberts, Robin W. & Patten, Dennis M., 2010. "The language of US corporate environmental disclosure," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 431-443, May.
    16. Mark A. Clatworthy & Michael John Jones, 2006. "Differential patterns of textual characteristics and company performance in the chairman's statement," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 19(4), pages 493-511, July.
    17. Doris M. Merkl‐Davies & Niamh M. Brennan & Stuart J. McLeay, 2011. "Impression management and retrospective sense‐making in corporate narratives," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(3), pages 315-344, March.
    18. Maria-Silvia Sandulescu, 2017. "Impression management – an international perspective," The Audit Financiar journal, Chamber of Financial Auditors of Romania, vol. 15(148), pages 605-605.
    19. AERTS, Walter & TARCA, Ann, 2008. "The effect of institutional setting on attributional content in management commentary reports," Working Papers 2008010, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    20. Niclas Hellman & Jordi Carenys & Soledad Moya Gutierrez, 2018. "Introducing More IFRS Principles of Disclosure – Will the Poor Disclosers Improve?," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 242-321, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:accoun:v:45:y:2010:i:3:p:275-300. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620179 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.