IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ttu/rebcee/9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Disclosure Discourse: A Shift in Estonian Public Companies’ Interim Report Commentaries during the Turn towards Recession

Author

Listed:
  • Raili Roo

    (Tallinn University of Technology)

Abstract

The paper aims to map a discursive shift in Estonian public companies’ interim report commentaries in 2007-2008, which are defined by four qualitative variables. While earlier studies focusing on the role of information use quantitative methods (index studies, thematic content analysis, etc.), the current paper is based on a qualitative approach, using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis. The paper identifies a three-stage shift in the discourse of these commentaries, as the complexity of sentences, keywords, references, and the perceived nature of the environment change. In contrast to earlier studies that find a correlation between complexity of sentences and weaker economic performance, the paper suggests that complexity accompanies perceived uncertainty under changing macroeconomic conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Raili Roo, 2011. "Disclosure Discourse: A Shift in Estonian Public Companies’ Interim Report Commentaries during the Turn towards Recession," Research in Economics and Business: Central and Eastern Europe, Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration, Tallinn University of Technology, vol. 3(1).
    • Handle: RePEc:ttu:rebcee:9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.rebcee.eu/index.php/REB/article/download/9/8
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.rebcee.eu/index.php/REB/article/view/9
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Skinner, Dj, 1994. "Why Firms Voluntarily Disclose Bad-News," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 38-60.
    2. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    3. Matias Laine, 2009. "Ensuring legitimacy through rhetorical changes?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(7), pages 1029-1054, September.
    4. MaryAnn Reynolds & Kristi Yuthas, 2008. "Moral Discourse and Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 78(1), pages 47-64, March.
    5. Stephen A. Ross, 1977. "The Determination of Financial Structure: The Incentive-Signalling Approach," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 8(1), pages 23-40, Spring.
    6. John Ferguson, 2007. "Analysing accounting discourse: avoiding the “fallacy of internalism”," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(6), pages 912-934, October.
    7. Beretta, Sergio & Bozzolan, Saverio, 2004. "Reply to: Discussions of "A framework for the analysis of firm risk communication"," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 303-305.
    8. Paul C. Tetlock & Maytal Saar‐Tsechansky & Sofus Macskassy, 2008. "More Than Words: Quantifying Language to Measure Firms' Fundamentals," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(3), pages 1437-1467, June.
    9. Baiman, S & Verrecchia, RE, 1996. "The relation among capital markets, financial disclosure, production efficiency, and insider trading," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(1), pages 1-22.
    10. Vivien Beattie & Bill McInnes & Stella Fearnley, 2004. "A methodology for analysing and evaluating narratives in annual reports: a comprehensive descriptive profile and metrics for disclosure quality attributes," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 205-236, September.
    11. Markus J. Milne & Helen Tregidga & Sara Walton, 2009. "Words not actions! The ideological role of sustainable development reporting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(8), pages 1211-1257, October.
    12. Bebczuk,Ricardo N., 2003. "Asymmetric Information in Financial Markets," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521793421.
    13. Tomi Kallio, 2007. "Taboos in Corporate Social Responsibility Discourse," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 165-175, August.
    14. Christine Mallin, 2002. "The Relationship between Corporate Governance, Transparency and Financial Disclosure," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(4), pages 253-255, October.
    15. John Holland, 1998. "Private Voluntary Disclosure, Financial Intermediation and Market Efficiency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1&2), pages 29-68.
    16. John Holland, 1998. "Private Voluntary Disclosure, Financial Intermediation and Market Efficiency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1‐2), pages 29-68, January.
    17. repec:bla:jfinan:v:53:y:1998:i:3:p:845-878 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Fama, Eugene F, 1970. "Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 383-417, May.
    19. Brian Rutherford, 2003. "Obfuscation, Textual Complexity and the Role of Regulated Narrative Accounting Disclosure in Corporate Governance," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 7(2), pages 187-210, June.
    20. Haslinda Yusoff & Glen Lehman & Noraini Mohd Nasir, 2006. "Environmental engagements through the lens of disclosure practices: A Malaysian story," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 14(1), pages 122-148, July.
    21. Beretta, Sergio & Bozzolan, Saverio, 2004. "A framework for the analysis of firm risk communication," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 265-288.
    22. Ferguson, John & Collison, David & Power, David & Stevenson, Lorna, 2009. "Constructing meaning in the service of power: An analysis of the typical modes of ideology in accounting textbooks," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(8), pages 896-909.
    23. Robyn McLaughlin & Assem Safieddine & Gopala K. Vasudevan, 2000. "Investment Banker Reputation and the Performance of Seasoned Equity Issues," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 29(1), Spring.
    24. George A. Akerlof, 1970. "The Market for "Lemons": Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 84(3), pages 488-500.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Enzo Scannella & Salvatore Polizzi, 2021. "How to measure bank credit risk disclosure? Testing a new methodological approach based on the content analysis framework," Journal of Banking Regulation, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 73-95, March.
    2. An, Suwei, 2023. "Essays on incentive contracts, M&As, and firm risk," Other publications TiSEM dd97d2f5-1c9d-47c5-ba62-f, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Miihkinen, Antti, 2013. "The usefulness of firm risk disclosures under different firm riskiness, investor-interest, and market conditions: New evidence from Finland," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 312-331.
    4. Ntim, Collins G., 2016. "Corporate governance, corporate health accounting, and firm value: The case of HIV/AIDS disclosures in Sub-Saharan Africa," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 155-216.
    5. Maria Cleofe Giorgino & Enrico Supino & Federico Barnabè, 2017. "Corporate Disclosure, Materiality, and Integrated Report: An Event Study Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Elshandidy, Tamer & Fraser, Ian & Hussainey, Khaled, 2013. "Aggregated, voluntary, and mandatory risk disclosure incentives: Evidence from UK FTSE all-share companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 320-333.
    7. Chauhan, Yogesh & Kumar, Surya B., 2018. "Do investors value the nonfinancial disclosure in emerging markets?," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 32-46.
    8. Rodríguez Domínguez, Luis & Noguera Gámez, Ligia Carolina, 2014. "Corporate reporting on risks: Evidence from Spanish companies," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 116-129.
    9. Ott, Christian, 2020. "The risks of mergers and acquisitions—Analyzing the incentives for risk reporting in Item 1A of 10-K filings," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 158-181.
    10. Miihkinen, Antti, 2012. "What Drives Quality of Firm Risk Disclosure?," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 437-468.
    11. Abraham, Santhosh & Shrives, Philip J., 2014. "Improving the relevance of risk factor disclosure in corporate annual reports," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 91-107.
    12. M. V. Shivaani, 2018. "Does Regulatory Flexibility Affect Risk Disclosures in Annual Report?," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 19(4), pages 321-336, December.
    13. Linsley, Philip M. & Shrives, Philip J., 2006. "Risk reporting: A study of risk disclosures in the annual reports of UK companies," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 387-404.
    14. Shrives, Philip J. & Brennan, Niamh M., 2015. "A typology for exploring the quality of explanations for non-compliance with UK corporate governance regulations," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 85-99.
    15. Angus W. H. Yip & William Y. P. Yu, 2023. "The Quality of Environmental KPI Disclosure in ESG Reporting for SMEs in Hong Kong," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
    16. Mechelli, Alessandro & Cimini, Riccardo & Mazzocchetti, Francesca, 2017. "The usefulness of the business model disclosure for investors’ judgements in financial entities. A European study," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 1-12.
    17. Alejandro Vargas Sanchez, 2014. "Estructura de capital Óptima en presencia de costos de dificultades financieras," Investigación & Desarrollo, Universidad Privada Boliviana, vol. 1(1), pages 44-66.
    18. Abraham, Santhosh & Cox, Paul, 2007. "Analysing the determinants of narrative risk information in UK FTSE 100 annual reports," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 227-248.
    19. Elshandidy, Tamer & Shrives, Philip J., 2016. "Environmental Incentives for and Usefulness of Textual Risk Reporting: Evidence from Germany," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 51(4), pages 464-486.
    20. Tariq H. Ismail & Yousra R. Obiedallah, 2022. "Firm performance and cost of equity capital: the moderating role of narrative risk disclosure quality in Egypt," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ttu:rebcee:9. 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: Anneli Kalm (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/fettuee.html .

    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.