‘Impression management’ in Chinese corporations: a study of chairperson's statements from the most and least profitable Chinese companies

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether ‘impression management’ exists in Chinese corporate annual reports. Despite flourishing in the Western context, the literature regarding impression management has not yet received any significant development pertinent to China and its cultural norms. The following question is raised: do the most profitable Chinese listed companies disclose information in their chairmen's statements in a way that is significantly different from those of least profitable companies? The results indicate impression management motives do underlie chairman's statements in the Chinese context in a number of ways, as we suggest in this contribution.