Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2020

Is Bad News Difficult to Read? A Readability Analysis of Differently Connoted Passages in the Annual Reports of the 30 DAX Companies

Claudia Thoms University of Hohenheim ; Anke Degenhart University of Hohenheim ; Katharina Wohlgemuth University of Hohenheim

Abstract

This study examines the strategic use of readability to obfuscate negative news in a German financial communication context. Combining a manual and an automated content analysis, the authors assess the tone and readability of three parts (chairman’s address, share-price development, and development in the fiscal year) of the 2014 annual reports of the 30 companies listed in the German stock index DAX. The results indicate that positively connoted passages in annual reports are not necessarily easier to read than negatively connoted passages. Furthermore, the readability of the annual report varies depending on the part and its function within the report.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2020-04-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651919892312
Open Access
Closed

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

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