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Accounting Narratives and Impression Management

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  • Niamh Brennan
  • Doris M. Merkl-Davies

Abstract

This chapter focuses on impression management in accounting communication. Impression management entails the construction of an impression by organisations with the intention to appeal to their audiences, including shareholders, stakeholders, the general public, and the media. If successful, it undermines the quality of financial reporting and capital misallocations may result. What is more, wider social and political consequences include unwarranted support by non-financial stakeholders or by society at large. Impression management is examined by reference to four perspectives: the economic, psychological, sociological, and critical. These variously conceptualise impression management as reporting bias, self-serving bias, symbolic management, and ideological bias.

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  • Niamh Brennan & Doris M. Merkl-Davies, 2013. "Accounting Narratives and Impression Management," Open Access publications 10197/4949, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:rru:oapubs:10197/4949
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/4949
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    18. Matthew Wegener & Réal Labelle, 2017. "Value Relevance of Environmental Provisions Pre‐ and Post‐IFRS," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 139-168, September.
    19. Karen Moris, 2014. "The Media Influency On The Corporate Governance Practices [L'Influence Des Medias Sur Les Pratiques De Gouvernance D'Entreprise]," Post-Print hal-01899412, HAL.
    20. Hartini Jaafar & Hazianti Abdul Halim & Sharul Effendy Janudin, 2017. "Corporate Accounting Narratives and SelfPresentational Dissimulation Technique: An Analysis of Fraudulent Financial Reporting Firms," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 7(10), pages 82-92, October.
    21. Jari Martikainen & Roberto Adriani, 2023. "Cover Images of Inflight Magazines as Airlines’ Methods of Impression Management: Alitalia’s Ulisse Magazine and Finnair’s Blue Wings Magazine," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(1), pages 64-80, February.
    22. Paula Gomes dos Santos & Fábio Albuquerque & Maria Albertina Barreiro Rodrigues & Ana Isabel Morais, 2022. "The Views of Stakeholders on Mandatory or Voluntary Use of a Simplified Standard on Non-Financial Information for SMEs in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-22, February.
    23. Cleary, Peter & Quinn, Martin & Moreno, Alonso, 2019. "Socioemotional wealth in family firms: A longitudinal content analysis of corporate disclosures," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 119-132.

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