Self-presentation Research Articles

The Interplay of Earnings Manipulation and Impression Management in the Top 40 Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Companies

Corporate reporting complexity has surged in response to heightened demand for transparency, raising concerns about potential manipulation in company communications. This study explores the relationship between earnings management (EM) and impression management (IM) in the integrated reports of the top 40 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The study employes micro panel data with a balances structure, as each firm has observations across all time periods. A fixed effects regression model was applied to panel data covering a 10-year period (2014-2023), with the Hausman test used to determine the appropriate model between fixed and random effects. The results indicate a positive association between IM and EM, revealing that complex language in reports often conceals earnings manipulation. While the study acknowledges the use of both IM and EM among JSE-listed firms, it underscores the need for greater scrutiny to ensure transparency and safeguard stakeholder interest, without suggesting deliberate misconduct by all firms. This research adds to the body of knowledge on corporate disclosure practices in South Africa, highlighting potential risks in corporate narrative reports that could obscure a company’s true financial condition.

Military Organization’s Use of Social Media and Its Relationship with Politics: Evidence from Pakistan

The literature on social media (SM) use in government organizations primarily focuses on service delivery, publicity, and public relations. But, how a public sector security organization’s use of social media is related to electoral politics in a country is least understood. This paper conceptualizes the Pakistani military’s use of digital media, drawing on the theory of organizational impression management (IM). It further explores the impact of military-related social media activists (SMAs) on electoral politics in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the conceptual model, demonstrating that the citizens’ connectedness with military-related SMAs is significant and positively associated with their voting realignments during the 2018 elections in Pakistan. The results revealed that the citizens’ greater online political participation increases their likelihood of connecting with military-related SMAs. On the contrary, their engagement with the offline political process reduces the chances of consuming the military’s impression management content over social media.

Social Masks and Identity Construction in Lualhati Bautista’s Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa?

This research employs a descriptive qualitative method, combining textual analysis with cultural and socio-cultural perspectives, to investigate the portrayal of social masks, identity construction, and resilience in Lualhati Bautista's novels, focusing on "Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa?" The study explores how selected characters navigate social roles, adopt personas, and engage in impression management within Filipino society. Through close reading and theoretical interpretation using Goffman's and Mead's frameworks, the research uncovers insights into the intricate dynamics of identity construction, social interaction, and resilience depicted in Bautista's narratives. Significant findings include resilience among characters and its intersection with identity construction and social interaction. Additionally, the study reveals the influence of cultural norms, historical events, and socio-economic factors on characters' identity construction and resilience strategies. It also highlights moments of authenticity, vulnerability, and resistance, analyzing how they challenge or reinforce social masks and identity performances. Overall, the research contributes to understanding the complexities of Filipino identity and resilience in contemporary society as portrayed in literature.

The Mediation Role of Impression Management in The Effect of Job Security Perception on Task Performance: A Study on Airport Employees

This study aims to reveal the relationship between the job security perceptions and task performances of airport employees and whether impression management has a mediating role in this relationship. The sample of the study consists of employees working at airports in Turkey. The data of the research were collected by online survey method using convenience sampling method between 5-17 October 2022. The IBM SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 statistical programs were used to analyze the data from 278 employees using structural equation modeling methods. According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that the perception of job security had a positive effect on job performance and a negative effect on impression management tactics. According to another important result of the research, there was a negative relationship between impression management and task performance. Finally, impression management did not mediate the relationship between job security perception and task performance.

A double‐edged sword: Interim CEO and corporate social (ir)responsibility activities

AbstractEmploying an interim CEO is one of the key strategies organizations use to address urgent changes in leadership, yet there is a notable lack of attention in existing corporate governance literature regarding their impact on non‐market strategic behaviors. In an effort to bridge this gap, our study integrates institutional theory with impression management literature. Based on unbalanced panel data from Chinese non‐state‐owned listed companies from 2010 to 2019, the study finds that the succession of an interim CEO is associated with a simultaneous reduction in both corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) activities. The negative relationship between interim CEO and CSI activities is weaken in the context of high institutional voids. Mechanism analysis reveals that interim CEOs tend to focus more on the present and allocate more attention toward external stakeholder management strategies and low‐cost and efficiency strategies. Additional analysis indicates that in the face of negative financial performance aspirations, interim CEOs are more likely to reduce CSR activities. Similarly, when confronted with negative social performance aspirations, interim CEOs tend to decrease CSI activities to a greater extent.

Wrapping: an artistic device used in the integration of corporate reporting

PurposeThis study explores the integration of corporate reporting by Mitsubishi, a large Japanese company, using a culturally sensitive narrative that combines and reconciles Japanese and Western corporate values in one story.Design/methodology/approachWe use an analytical framework drawing on insights borrowed from narratology and the notion of wrapping – the traditional art of packaging as communication.FindingsWe find that Mitsubishi is a survivor company that uses different corporate reporting frameworks during its reporting journey to construct a bespoke narrative of its value creation and cultural values. It emplots narratives to convey a story presenting the impression that Mitsubishi is a Japanese corporation but is compatible with Western neo-liberal ideology, making bad news palatable to its stakeholders and instilling confidence in the future.Research limitations/implicationsWrapping is a culturally sensitive form of impression management used in the integration of corporate reporting. Therefore, rather than assuming that companies blatantly manipulate their image in corporate reports, we suggest that future research should focus on how narratives are constructed and made sense of, situating them in the context of local culture and traditions.Practical implicationsThe findings should interest scholars, report preparers, policymakers, and the IFRS, considering the recent release of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards designed to reduce the so-called alphabet soup of corporate reporting. By following Mitsubishi’s journey, we learn how and why the notion of integrated reporting was adopted and integrated with other reporting frameworks to create narratives that together convey a story of a global corporation compliant with Western neoliberal ideology. It highlights how Mitsubishi used integrated reporting to tell its story rather than as a rigid reporting framework, and the same fate may apply to the new IFRS Sustainability Reporting Standards that now include integrated reporting.Originality/valueThe study offers a new perspective on corporate reporting, showing how the local societal discourses of cultural heritage and modernity can shape the journey of the integration of corporate reporting over time.

Constructing Fame: A Phenomenological Study of Online Impression Management among Indonesian TikTok Celebrities

The relevance of social media platforms in our daily lives is intensifying. Social media have become a "showcase" for our life experiences. In addition, they represent a range of dimensions of our status in the virtual and actual social world. These two factors trigger people to construct particular identities to thrive in dual social ecosystems. Subsequently, Tiktok's prominence as a current trending social media platform with a total of 500 million users globally transforms its function from a communication medium to a medium for gaining social capital. This phenomenon notably influences Indonesian society, with people being heavily invested in that platform, and triggered the rise of "influencers" as a popular career choice for the younger generation. Under those circumstances, this phenomenological study explores practical aspects of the identity construction of TikTok influencers on social media. Additionally, the study also analyses the motivations and experiences of the users in constructing their social media identity through impression management to build social capital. Eleven TikTok influencers were involved in this study as the key informants. The findings indicated that TikTok is socially tempting for building the users' social capital because of its high viral opportunity due to randomly generated algorithms. Moreover, the significance of viewer engagement for TikTok influencers compels them to create their most pleasing online impression for the sake of digital popularity. Therefore, popularity is regarded as both a gift and a social pressure.

Calm Advice: How Digitalizing Pen-and-Paper Practices Improves Financial Advice-Giving

AbstractBank clients’ expectations for enhanced service experiences have increased with the digitalization of banking services and the rise of FinTech. However, despite the availability of online banking services, many clients still prefer personal financial advice due to the personal interaction involved. There has been a growing interest in IT-supported advisory services to meet this demand, aiming to improve customer experience and reduce the cognitive burden on advisors. While previous studies have shown the positive effects of advisory-support systems, they also highlighted downsides such as unnatural interactions, technology’s domination of the interaction space, and impaired impression management. This paper investigates the potential of pen-and-paper user interfaces to resolve the relationship/decision-making tension in advisory services. It evaluates the design of an artifact called bankNotes with eight bank advisors and 24 clients in a within-subject study by drawing on a rich data set consisting of interviews, surveys, and video analysis of the encounters. The results indicate that bankNotes was well-received by advisors, who embraced both existing pen-and-paper practices and new practices facilitated by the system. The clients also benefitted from the system: using bankNotes improved customer orientation, shared understanding, and overall service quality. This research provides valuable insights into the design of advisory support systems that prioritize customer satisfaction and support the needs of both advisors and clients in the banking sector.

Frontline employees’ impression management strategies after engaging in constructive deviant behavior: A leader-centric perspective

While previous research has achieved consensus on the benefits of constructive deviant behavior within the hospitality industry and has proposed various solutions to promote this behavior, there remains a gap in understanding what frontline employees do after engaging in constructive deviant behavior. Drawing on impression management theory, we established a model in which constructive deviant behavior impacts feedback-seeking behavior (FSB) and defensive silence (DS). Study 1 used scenario manipulations to examine the mediation effect of Leader–member exchange (LMX) ambivalence linking constructive deviant behavior with FSB and DS. Study 2, a survey of 362 frontline employees from 11 hotels, revealed that constructive deviant behavior was positively related to LMX ambivalence and that LMX ambivalence mediated the relationship between constructive deviant behavior and actor's FSB and DS. We also found that proactive personality positively moderated the impact of LMX ambivalence on FSB. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Disability disclosure as an impression management technique used in the workplace: A grounded theory investigation.

In order to overcome obstacles to entry and inclusion in the workplace, individuals with disabilities engage in various impression management strategies to present themselves as the socially acceptable 'ideal employee.' This study expands on previous disclosure research by asking individuals with disabilities to share their experiences of identity management and workplace challenges. We leveraged qualitative research techniques to explore the reciprocal impact of workplace treatment and disclosure. Impression management emerged as an especially salient aspect of participants' disclosure decisions, and participants used an array of impression management tactics. Some employees with disabilities described positive experiences; however, we also learned that impression management can present unique challenges that may outweigh potential benefits. Our findings affirm that managing the image we project can be remarkably complicated and effortful when having a disability. This paper concludes with implementation recommendations for vocational rehabilitation counselors and human resource practitioners.

A Study on the Self-presentation of Ethnic Minority Youth on Short Videos

This study conducts an in-depth study on the self-presentation behavior of ethnic minority youth on the short video platform, and aims to reveal the characteristics and values behind it. As an important participant of the short video platform, the self-presentation behavior of ethnic minority youth has an important social value. This study analyzes the self-presentation behavior of ethnic minority youth on the short video platform from the perspectives of impression management and background and also notes the possible negative effects of the short video platform. It is expected to further promote social attention to and respect for ethnic minority cultures to build a harmonious and diversified social environment.

Empowering pandemic pivots: the inclusive power of remote work and school

ABSTRACT We examine the transitions to remote work and education as unplanned large-scale social experiments in critical institutions that were rapidly digitized in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the long tail of the pandemic continues, going remote continues to impact marginalized populations in unexpectedly positive ways and meet needs that are invisible to dominant populations. Therefore, we make the case for remote work and school as new frontiers in digital inclusion with particular benefit to traditionally underrepresented groups. We use Symbolic Interactionist approaches drawing on Hochschild’s emotion work and Goffman’s impression management and stigma to reveal interactional mechanisms through which digital communication modalities offer a way to circumvent some of the deleterious aspects of face-to-face social interaction that occur in these institutional spheres. Digital interaction tools facilitate flexibility and greater control of impression management to avoid stigma among workers and students who are most at risk of being marginalized or harmed in face-to-face institutionally embedded interactions. Thus, both remote work and school can supply new avenues for institutional inclusion of particular value for those who suffer the most from bias, stigma, and/or discrimination in face-to-face institutional settings governed by norms that were built by those with privilege to serve and replicate their privilege. Finally, we call attention to the ways that going remote is being resisted as older forms of social control reemerge, as well as to how remote workers and students are increasingly subjected to digital surveillance tools that extend Foucault’s concept of the panopticon into the digital realm.

Rethinking Travel Companionship: An Alternative Conceptual Model and Future Research Agenda

Travel companionship is commonplace across tourism industries, with existing discourse exclusively emphasizing positive downstream outcomes. However, limited studies have provided a potential counterpoint to the positive outcomes embedded in scholarly work associated with travel companionship. This research, building on interdisciplinary insights, aims to create a comprehensive perspective on travel companionship, elucidating the conditions where travel companionship can trigger negative evaluations of shared tourism experiences. Emergent findings from a systematic narrative review identified three core research streams that focused on the characteristics of decision makers, relationships between companion and decision makers, and experience type. Drawing on self-construal theory, impression management theory, and the experience economy paradigm, three theoretically justifiable caveats were developed to illuminate the underlying psychological mechanisms of negative companionship-induced outcomes. An alternative model of travel companionship underpinned by testable research propositions is proposed. Future research should move towards the articulation of a theory of travel companionship.

‘Forgive me for saying, but rugby is not a game for women:’ an exploration of contemporary attitudes towards women’s rugby union

While sport has traditionally been seen, and represented, as a male domain, some sports, such as rugby, have been particularly ‘gender-typed’ as masculine. However, in recent years, this narrative has been challenged by the rising profile, and popularity, of women’s rugby. In response to these shifts, this paper uses a survey to explore rugby fans’ attitudes towards women’s rugby and employs a framework adapted from the study of football to make sense of the data. The findings suggest that although some rugby fans’ attitudes align with the earlier football model, covert misogyny is a less salient category. Furthermore, female fans of rugby are as likely to hold overtly misogynistic and sexist attitudes towards the women’s game as male fans. Finally, it suggests that the middle-class culture of the sport is more likely to lead to careful impression management when discussing women’s rugby, which is reflected in our use of the category of ‘gender-bland’.

Dramaturgical Analysis of Tagbilaran's Household Fiesta: Basis for Fiesta Teaching Model

This study conducts a preliminary dramaturgical analysis of Tagbilaran’s Fiesta 2024, focusing on the social interactions and performances within household celebrations. This research applies the dramaturgical framework by Ercan and Hendriks (2022) to analyze the fiesta through four dimensions: scripting, setting, staging, and performance. Participant observation, guided by Goffman’s (1955) concepts of impression management and performance, captured diverse interactions and rituals during the fiesta. The performances in the three observations were identified to be: (1) sage on the table? (2) cosmic festive liturgy, and (3) staying vs leaving early dilemma. Findings reveal how fiesta celebrations are designed, the influence of physical environments on behavior, the organization of interactions, and the contributions to broader social and political discourse. The study also proposes a Fiesta Teaching Model (FTM), translating fiesta dynamics into educational settings to enhance cooperative learning. Future research is suggested to include interviews with organizers and participants, comparative studies across different fiestas, and interdisciplinary projects integrating fiesta traditions into various educational contexts.

Impression management, forward-looking strategy-related disclosure, and excess executive compensation: Evidence from China

We investigate whether overpaid executives in Chinese listed firms engage in impression management by using forward-looking strategy-related disclosure (FLSD) in management discussion and analysis (MD&A) narratives to justify their excess compensation. Using a sample of 8437 firm-year observations of Chinese nonfinancial listed firms from 2007 to 2016, we find a significant and positive relationship between executive overpayment and impression management in FLSD. This positive relationship is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) than non-SOEs. We also find that a higher degree of board independence, higher institutional shareholdings, auditors, analysts, and the introduction of the anti-corruption campaign could lower such a positive relationship. These findings suggest that impression management in FLSD is reduced when corporate governance is strengthened. We also find that CEO duality could enhance this positive relationship. Further examining how the market reacts to such impression management, we find an immediate positive and significant market reaction to such impression management at the time of the annual report filing, which could further mitigate the negative perceptions from stakeholders due to excessive pay. Such a positive market reaction is reversed over a longer time horizon, which supports the opportunistic/symbolic nature of impression management in FLSD.

Life After the Gridiron: Examining Retired National Football League Athletes’ Self-Presentation Strategies and Follower Engagement on Instagram Personal and Business Pages

As athletes enter a new chapter in their lives retiring from their sport, the challenge of upholding and enhancing personal brands arises. There has been extensive research on athlete brand building via social media; however, there have been few studies analyzing how athletes build their own brands and brand extensions postcareer, particularly former National Football League (NFL) players. Sixteen retired NFL athletes were examined using Goffman’s theory of self-presentation to determine strategies used for building personal brand extensions and obtaining follower engagement via Instagram. Through a content analysis, a total of 2,933 Instagram posts were analyzed, and the findings from this study revealed that former NFL players with fewer followers received higher engagement rates, and retired NFL players made more backstage type of posts on personal pages compared with front-stage posts. Implications, recommendations, and future research suggestions also are discussed within the paper.

Advances in Topical Drug Delivery System for the Impressive Management of Fungal Bugs

Advances in Topical Drug Delivery System for the Impressive Management of Fungal Bugs

Parallel mediation analysis of household income and impression management with financial scarcity on materialism

Parallel mediation analysis of household income and impression management with financial scarcity on materialism

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF MAKEUP : SELF PERCEPTION, CONFIDENCE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

This paper thoroughly examines the psychological impact of makeup on self-perception, confidence, and social interactions. It highlights the increasing significance of understanding these implications due to the rapid growth of the cosmetic industry. Through a detailed review of existing literature, the study explores how makeup shapes individuals perceptions of themselves and their interactions with others. It discusses the intricate relationship between makeup and self-perception, emphasizing its role in self-expression, identity formation, and self-esteem enhancement. The research also investigates the makeup effect, wherein individuals experience heightened self-confidence after application, and explores how makeup can bolster confidence levels across diverse social contexts. Additionally, it examines makeups role in addressing insecurities and promoting positive body image. The study further delves into how makeup influences perceptions of attractiveness and social standing, thereby shaping relationships and social behaviors. It elucidates the mechanisms through which makeup facilitates social bonding, conformity, and impression management in various settings. Overall, the research provides a comprehensive analysis of the psychological effects of makeup, enhancing our understanding of its pervasive influence in contemporary society and emphasizing the importance of considering these factors in both academic discourse and practical interventions for promoting psychological well-being and social cohesion.