IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jecomi/v9y2021i2p70-d547875.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between the Company’s Value and the Tone of the Risk-Related Narratives: The Case of Portugal

Author

Listed:
  • Michele Gendelsky de Oliveira

    (Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (Degeit), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

  • Graça Azevedo

    (Institute of Higher Learning in Accounting and Administration, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
    Researh Centre on Accounting and Taxation, IPCA, 4750-810 Barcelos, Portugal)

  • Jonas Oliveira

    (Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

The present study aims to identify the impact of the tone of risk reporting narratives on company market value. The paper uses a sample of 34 Portuguese non-finance companies with shares traded at the Euronext Lisbon stock exchange market. The paper conducts an automated content analysis of the risk reporting narratives included in the risk and risk management sections of the annual reports for 2018 by using the software DICTION 7 (Digitext, Inc., Austin, TX, USA) to retrieve the speech tone. Main findings indicate that the tone category “activity” is associated negatively with the company’s market value. This result shows that investors misprice risk information that incorporates traces of overconfidence, narcissistic self-confidence and heroic leadership. The present study extends prior literature by analyzing the economic incentives of the tone of risk reporting narratives, not yet studied. Findings are both relevant to investors to support their decision-making processes and managers to strategically manage their risk communication tactics and benefit from the advantages emanated from them. Limitations related to the research setting do not undermine the generalization of findings because the automated algorithm provided by DICTION assures the content analysis’s reliability. The sample used corresponds to the population of the Portuguese non-finance listed companies.

Suggested Citation

  • Michele Gendelsky de Oliveira & Graça Azevedo & Jonas Oliveira, 2021. "The Relationship between the Company’s Value and the Tone of the Risk-Related Narratives: The Case of Portugal," Economies, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-28, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:9:y:2021:i:2:p:70-:d:547875
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/9/2/70/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7099/9/2/70/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bonsall, Samuel B. & Leone, Andrew J. & Miller, Brian P. & Rennekamp, Kristina, 2017. "A plain English measure of financial reporting readability," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 329-357.
    2. Azlan Amran, 2009. "Risk reporting," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 24(1), pages 39-57, January.
    3. Tamer Elshandidy & Lorenzo Neri & Yingxi Guo, 2018. "Determinants and impacts of risk disclosure quality: evidence from China," Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(4), pages 518-536, November.
    4. Niamh Brennan & Encarna Guillamon-Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Impression management : developing and illustrating a scheme of analysis for narrative disclosures – a methodological note," Open Access publications 10197/2905, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    5. Francesco De Luca & Andrea Cardoni & Ho-Tan-Phat Phan & Evgeniia Kiseleva, 2020. "Does Structural Capital Affect SDGs Risk-Related Disclosure Quality? An Empirical Investigation of Italian Large Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Angela K. Davis & Jeremy M. Piger & Lisa M. Sedor, 2012. "Beyond the Numbers: Measuring the Information Content of Earnings Press Release Language," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 845-868, September.
    7. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh M. Brennan, 2011. "A conceptual framework of impression management: new insights from psychology, sociology and critical perspectives," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 415-437, December.
    8. Brian J. Bushee & Ian D. Gow & Daniel J. Taylor, 2018. "Linguistic Complexity in Firm Disclosures: Obfuscation or Information?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(1), pages 85-121, March.
    9. Dominique Diouf & Olivier Boiral, 2017. "The quality of sustainability reports and impression management," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(3), pages 643-667, March.
    10. Christopher Demaline, 2020. "Disclosure readability of firms investigated for books-and-records infractions," Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(1), pages 131-145, January.
    11. Callahan, Carolyn & Soileau, Jared, 2017. "Does Enterprise risk management enhance operating performance?," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 122-139.
    12. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan, 2007. "Discretionary disclosure strategies in corporate narratives : incremental information or impression management?," Open Access publications 10197/2907, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    13. Aureliana-Geta Roman & Mihaela Mocanu & Răzvan Hoinaru, 2019. "Disclosure Style and Its Determinants in Integrated Reports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-16, April.
    14. 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.
    15. Srikant, Chethan D., 2019. "Impression management strategies to gain regulatory approval," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 136-153.
    16. Bidisha Chakrabarty & Ananth Seetharaman & Zane Swanson & Xu (Frank) Wang, 2018. "Management Risk Incentives and the Readability of Corporate Disclosures," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 47(3), pages 583-616, September.
    17. Xin Liu, 2020. "Impression management against early dismissal? CEO succession and corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 999-1016, March.
    18. Peter M. Clarkson & Jordan Ponn & Gordon D. Richardson & Frank Rudzicz & Albert Tsang & Jingjing Wang, 2020. "A Textual Analysis of US Corporate Social Responsibility Reports," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 56(1), pages 3-34, March.
    19. Kris Boudt & James Thewissen, 2019. "Jockeying for Position in CEO Letters: Impression Management and Sentiment Analytics," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 48(1), pages 77-115, March.
    20. Verrecchia, Robert E., 1983. "Discretionary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 179-194, April.
    21. Richard Fisher & Chris J. van Staden & Glenn Richards, 2019. "Watch that tone," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 77-105, September.
    22. 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.
    23. Niamh M. Brennan & Encarna Guillamon‐Saorin & Aileen Pierce, 2009. "Methodological Insights," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(5), pages 789-832, June.
    24. Kang, Helen & Gray, Sidney J., 2019. "Country-specific risks and geographic disclosure aggregation: Voluntary disclosure behaviour by British multinationals," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 259-276.
    25. Rutherford, Brian A., 2013. "A genre-theoretic approach to financial reporting research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 297-310.
    26. Ibrahim, Awad Elsayed Awad & Hussainey, Khaled, 2019. "Developing the narrative risk disclosure measurement," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 126-144.
    27. Vasiliki Athanasakou & Florian Eugster & Thomas Schleicher & Martin Walker, 2020. "Annual Report Narratives and the Cost of Equity Capital: U.K. Evidence of a U-shaped Relation," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 27-54, January.
    28. Florio, Cristina & Leoni, Giulia, 2017. "Enterprise risk management and firm performance: The Italian case," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 56-74.
    29. 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.
    30. Jennifer Francis & Dhananjay Nanda & Per Olsson, 2008. "Voluntary Disclosure, Earnings Quality, and Cost of Capital," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(1), pages 53-99, March.
    31. 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.
    32. Russell Craig & Joel Amernic, 2018. "Are there Language Markers of Hubris in CEO Letters to Shareholders?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(4), pages 973-986, June.
    33. Alonso Moreno & Michael John Jones & Martin Quinn, 2019. "A longitudinal study of the textual characteristics in the chairman’s statements of Guinness," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(6), pages 1714-1741, July.
    34. Frank Schiemann & Alice Sakhel, 2019. "Carbon Disclosure, Contextual Factors, and Information Asymmetry: The Case of Physical Risk Reporting," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 791-818, August.
    35. Francisco Bravo, 2017. "Are risk disclosures an effective tool to increase firm value?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(8), pages 1116-1124, December.
    36. 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.
    37. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh M. Brennan, 2017. "A theoretical framework of external accounting communication," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(2), pages 433-469, February.
    38. Doris M. Merkl‐Davies & Niamh M. Brennan & Stuart J. McLeay, 2011. "Impression management and retrospective sense‐making in corporate narratives," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(3), pages 315-344, March.
    39. Lorenzo Patelli & Matteo Pedrini, 2015. "Is Tone at the Top Associated with Financial Reporting Aggressiveness?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 3-19, January.
    40. Ahmed A. Elamer & Collins G. Ntim & Hussein A. Abdou & Alaa Mansour Zalata & Mohamed Elmagrhi, 2019. "The impact of multi-layer governance on bank risk disclosure in emerging markets: the case of Middle East and North Africa," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2), pages 246-281, April.
    41. 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.
    42. Cho, Charles H. & Roberts, Robin W. & Patten, Dennis M., 2010. "The language of US corporate environmental disclosure," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 431-443, May.
    43. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2016. "Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1187-1230, September.
    44. Claudia Arena & Saverio Bozzolan & Giovanna Michelon, 2015. "Environmental Reporting: Transparency to Stakeholders or Stakeholder Manipulation? An Analysis of Disclosure Tone and the Role of the Board of Directors," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(6), pages 346-361, November.
    45. Pratima Bansal & Geoffrey Kistruck, 2006. "Seeing Is (Not) Believing: Managing the Impressions of the Firm’s Commitment to the Natural Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 165-180, August.
    46. Doris M. Merkl-Davies & Niamh Brennan & Stuart McLeay, 2011. "Impression management and retrospective sense-making in corporate narratives : a social psychology perspective," Open Access publications 10197/2900, Research Repository, University College Dublin.
    47. Hichem Khlif & Khaled Hussainey, 2016. "The association between risk disclosure and firm characteristics: a meta-analysis," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 181-211, February.
    48. Kin-Wai Lee & Gillian Hian-Heng Yeo, 2016. "The association between integrated reporting and firm valuation," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 1221-1250, November.
    49. Shrives, Philip J. & Brennan, Niamh M., 2017. "Explanations for corporate governance non-compliance: A rhetorical analysis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 31-56.
    50. 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.
    51. Philipp Lechner & Nadine Gatzert, 2018. "Determinants and value of enterprise risk management: empirical evidence from Germany," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(10), pages 867-887, July.
    52. Robert E. Hoyt & Andre P. Liebenberg, 2011. "The Value of Enterprise Risk Management," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 78(4), pages 795-822, December.
    53. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    54. Margaritis, Dimitris & Psillaki, Maria, 2010. "Capital structure, equity ownership and firm performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 621-632, March.
    55. Jonas Oliveira & Lúcia Lima Rodrigues & Russell Craig, 2011. "Risk-related disclosures by non-finance companies: Portuguese practices and disclosure characteristics," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 26(9), pages 817-839, October.
    56. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
    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. Ibrahim, Awad Elsayed Awad & Hussainey, Khaled & Nawaz, Tasawar & Ntim, Collins & Elamer, Ahmed, 2022. "A systematic literature review on risk disclosure research: State-of-the-art and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    2. Cabedo Semper, J. David & Tirado Beltrán, José Miguel, 2016. "Cantidad y calidad de información de riesgos divulgada por las empresas españolas: Un análisis en periodos diferentes del ciclo económico," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 261-270.
    3. Rogério Marques Serrasqueiro & Tânia Sofia Mineiro, 2018. "Corporate risk reporting: Analysis of risk disclosures in the interim reports of public Portuguese non-financial companies," Contaduría y Administración, Accounting and Management, vol. 63(2), pages 25-26, Junio.
    4. Walid Ben‐Amar & Merridee Bujaki & Bruce McConomy & Philip McIlkenny, 2022. "Disclosure transparency and impression management: A textual analysis of board gender diversity disclosures in Canada," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1247-1265, September.
    5. Shivaani, M.V. & Agarwal, Nishant, 2020. "Does competitive position of a firm affect the quality of risk disclosure?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    6. Khandelwal, Chandni & Kumar, Satish & Madhavan, Vinodh & Pandey, Nitesh, 2020. "Do board characteristics impact corporate risk disclosures? The Indian experience," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 103-111.
    7. Francisco Bravo, 2018. "Does board diversity matter in the disclosure process? An analysis of the association between diversity and the disclosure of information on risks," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(2), pages 104-114, May.
    8. 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.
    9. Issal Haj-Salem & Salma Damak Ayadi & Khaled Hussainey, 2020. "The joint effect of corporate risk disclosure and corporate governance on firm value," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 123-140, September.
    10. Leung, Sidney & Parker, Lee & Courtis, John, 2015. "Impression management through minimal narrative disclosure in annual reports," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 275-289.
    11. Beattie, Vivien, 2014. "Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 111-134.
    12. Malik, Muhammad Farhan & Zaman, Mahbub & Buckby, Sherrena, 2020. "Enterprise risk management and firm performance: Role of the risk committee," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(1).
    13. Renato Camodeca & Alex Almici & Umberto Sagliaschi, 2018. "Sustainability Disclosure in Integrated Reporting: Does It Matter to Investors? A Cheap Talk Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-34, November.
    14. Charles H. Cho & Matias Laine & Robin W. Roberts & Michelle Rodrigue, 2018. "The Frontstage and Backstage of Corporate Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Bill," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 865-886, October.
    15. Zhongtian Li & Jing Jia & Larelle J. Chapple, 2022. "Textual characteristics of corporate sustainability disclosure and corporate sustainability performance: evidence from Australia," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(3), pages 786-816, February.
    16. 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.
    17. Abdelrehim, Neveen & Linsley, Philip & Verma, Shraddha, 2017. "Understanding risk disclosures as a function of social organisation: A neo-Durkheimian institutional theory-based study of Burmah Oil Company 1971–1976," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 103-116.
    18. Ridhima Saggar & Balwinder Singh, 2019. "Drivers of Corporate Risk Disclosure in Indian Non-financial Companies: A Longitudinal Approach," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 44(3), pages 303-325, August.
    19. Miihkinen, Antti, 2012. "What Drives Quality of Firm Risk Disclosure?," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 437-468.
    20. 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.

    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:gam:jecomi:v:9:y:2021:i:2:p:70-:d:547875. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.