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The use of impression management practices in the chairman’s statements in South African annual reports: An agency theory perspective

An agency theory perspective

Yaeesh Yasseen
University of the Witwatersrand
Waheeda Mohamed
University of Witwatersrand
Mahdiyyah Moola-Yasseen
University of the Witwatersrand
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The use of impression management practices in the chairman’s statements in South African annual reports: An agency theory perspective. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 38(1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v38i1.1542
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  • Submited: October 7, 2022
  • Published: October 11, 2022

Abstract

Impression management is the study of how individuals present themselves to be perceived
favourably. Using agency theory, this article investigates impression management practices,
influenced by the company’s underlying performance, that may be present in the chairman’s
statements in annual or integrated reports of Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed companies in
South Africa. This research uses content analysis and specifically focuses on the identification
and measurement of three pre-determined textual characteristics referenced in these chairman’s
statements. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that management employs impression
management strategies that are dependent on the level of a company’s performance. In addition,
while variability in readability was not found to be a strategy used to manage impressions, the
overall readability of the chairman’s report was found to be relatively difficult and this, in turn,
may affect the ability of stakeholders to benefit from the information it contains. This study is
limited to the analysis of a single section of narrative reporting (the chairman’s statement) and, as
such, does not consider any impression management practices that may be present in the rest
of the annual or integrated report as well as in other communications between stakeholders and
the company in question. It is anticipated that the results will be of importance to professional
accountancy bodies, users and preparers considering the negative perception of the accounting
profession owing to recent scandals. This is also one of the first studies to explore the use of
impression management practices in South Africa and the linguistic variation employed in
management commentary within a South African context, thereby contributing to the readability
of the chairman’s statements.

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How to Cite
The use of impression management practices in the chairman’s statements in South African annual reports: An agency theory perspective. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 38(1), 37-56. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v38i1.1542

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