IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v59y2024ics154461232301139x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Management's tone in MD&A disclosure and investment efficiency: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Zhou, Weihua
  • Li, Yuanjie
  • Wang, Deli
  • Xueqin, Du
  • Ke, Yishun

Abstract

We explore whether the management's tone in the Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) can predict the firm's investment efficiency in emerging markets. Using a dataset of Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2021, we find that the more positive tone in MD&A disclosure is associated with the higher investment efficiency and the results still hold after a battery of robust tests. In addition, we find that the positive association between management’ tone in MD&A disclosure and investment efficiency is more particularly pronounced for non-state-owned firms, firms with more media coverage and firms in higher competition industry. Overall, our evidence highlights the importance of the quality of qualitative disclosures in improving investment efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhou, Weihua & Li, Yuanjie & Wang, Deli & Xueqin, Du & Ke, Yishun, 2024. "Management's tone in MD&A disclosure and investment efficiency: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:59:y:2024:i:c:s154461232301139x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2023.104767
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S154461232301139X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2023.104767?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    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. Durnev, Art & Mangen, Claudine, 2020. "The spillover effects of MD&A disclosures for real investment: The role of industry competition," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    2. Biddle, Gary C. & Hilary, Gilles & Verdi, Rodrigo S., 2009. "How does financial reporting quality relate to investment efficiency?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(2-3), pages 112-131, December.
    3. Beyer, Anne & Cohen, Daniel A. & Lys, Thomas Z. & Walther, Beverly R., 2010. "The financial reporting environment: Review of the recent literature," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 296-343, December.
    4. Sunil Dutta & Alexander Nezlobin, 2017. "Dynamic Effects of Information Disclosure on Investment Efficiency," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 329-369, May.
    5. Yi, Er, 2023. "Corporate governance, information disclosure and investment - Cash flow sensitivity," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PB).
    6. Angela K. Davis & Isho Tama†Sweet, 2012. "Managers’ Use of Language Across Alternative Disclosure Outlets: Earnings Press Releases versus MD&A," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 804-837, September.
    7. John L. Campbell & Hye Seung “Grace” Lee & Hsin‐Min Lu & Logan B. Steele, 2020. "Express Yourself: Why Managers' Disclosure Tone Varies Across Time and What Investors Learn From It," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(2), pages 1140-1171, June.
    8. Feng Li, 2010. "The Information Content of Forward‐Looking Statements in Corporate Filings—A Naïve Bayesian Machine Learning Approach," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(5), pages 1049-1102, December.
    9. Qian Wang & Duowen Wu & Lina Yan, 2021. "Effect of positive tone in MD&A disclosure on capital structure adjustment speed: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5809-5845, December.
    10. Wang, Maochuan & Yan, Youliang, 2023. "The dark side of investor interactive platforms: Evidence from corporate investment efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    11. Blankespoor, Elizabeth & deHaan, Ed & Marinovic, Iván, 2020. "Disclosure processing costs, investors’ information choice, and equity market outcomes: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2).
    12. Xiao Wu, Dong & Yao, Xiao & Luan Guo, Jian, 2021. "Is Textual Tone Informative or Inflated for Firm’s Future Value? Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 513-525.
    13. Gao, Haoyu & Wang, Junbo & Wang, Yanchu & Wu, Chunchi & Dong, Xi, 2020. "Media Coverage and the Cost of Debt," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(2), pages 429-471, March.
    14. Gilles Hilary & Gary C. Biddle, 2006. "Accounting Quality and Firm-Level Capital Investment," Post-Print hal-00481720, HAL.
    15. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2011. "When Is a Liability Not a Liability? Textual Analysis, Dictionaries, and 10‐Ks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(1), pages 35-65, February.
    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. Wang, Xianjue, 2021. "Disclosure by firms under voting pressure," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Yuan, Dongliang & Shang, Duo & Ma, Yufei & Li, Dehui, 2022. "The Spillover Effects of Peer Annual Report Tone for Firm Innovation Investment: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    3. Biehl, Henrike & Bleibtreu, Christopher & Stefani, Ulrike, 2024. "The real effects of financial reporting: Evidence and suggestions for future research," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    4. Durnev, Art & Mangen, Claudine, 2020. "The spillover effects of MD&A disclosures for real investment: The role of industry competition," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    5. Liu, Qigui & Wang, Junyi & Chi, Wenqiang, 2022. "The spillover effects of innovation content disclosure in MD&A," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. John Berns & Patty Bick & Ryan Flugum & Reza Houston, 2022. "Do changes in MD&A section tone predict investment behavior?," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 129-153, February.
    7. Jihun Bae & Gary C. Biddle & Chul W. Park, 2022. "Managerial Learning from Analyst Feedback to Voluntary Capex Guidance, Investment Efficiency, and Firm Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(1), pages 583-607, January.
    8. John L. Campbell & Hye Seung “Grace” Lee & Hsin‐Min Lu & Logan B. Steele, 2020. "Express Yourself: Why Managers' Disclosure Tone Varies Across Time and What Investors Learn From It," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(2), pages 1140-1171, June.
    9. Jason V. Chen & Itay Kama & Reuven Lehavy, 2019. "A contextual analysis of the impact of managerial expectations on asymmetric cost behavior," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 665-693, June.
    10. Bassyouny, Hesham & Abdelfattah, Tarek & Tao, Lei, 2022. "Narrative disclosure tone: A review and areas for future research," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    11. Yingying Xin & Xiao Zeng & Zhengying Luo, 2022. "Customers' tone in MD&A disclosure and suppliers' inventory efficiency: Evidence from China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(8), pages 3833-3853, December.
    12. Volkan Muslu & Sunay Mutlu & Suresh Radhakrishnan & Albert Tsang, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility Report Narratives and Analyst Forecast Accuracy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1119-1142, February.
    13. Wolfgang Breuer & Andreas Knetsch & Astrid Juliane Salzmann, 2020. "What Does It Mean When Managers Talk About Trust?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 473-488, October.
    14. Dutta, Shantanu & Fuksa, Michel & Macaulay, Ken, 2019. "Determinants of MD&A sentiment in Canada," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 130-148.
    15. Kanagaretnam, Kiridaran & Mawani, Amin & Shi, Guifeng & Zhou, Zejiang, 2020. "Impact of social capital on tone ambiguity in banks’ 10-K filings," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    16. Yan Luo & Linying Zhou, 2020. "Textual tone in corporate financial disclosures: a survey of the literature," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 101-110, September.
    17. Qian Wang & Duowen Wu & Lina Yan, 2021. "Effect of positive tone in MD&A disclosure on capital structure adjustment speed: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5809-5845, December.
    18. Samuel B. Bonsall & Brian P. Miller, 2017. "The impact of narrative disclosure readability on bond ratings and the cost of debt," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 608-643, June.
    19. Karthik Balakrishnan & John E. Core & Rodrigo S. Verdi, 2014. "The Relation Between Reporting Quality and Financing and Investment: Evidence from Changes in Financing Capacity," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 1-36, March.
    20. Eugster, Florian & Wagner, Alexander F., 2020. "Value reporting and firm performance," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).

    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:finlet:v:59:y:2024:i:c:s154461232301139x. 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/frl .

    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.