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

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  • 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.

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  • 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
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    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
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