Lang and Stice-Lawrence (2015) find that firms which have adopted IFRS exhibit higher
quality textual characteristics in their annual reports. In addition, they find that the textual
characteristics of these annual reports are associated with firm economic outcomes.
In this discussion, we first examine different explanations for each of these findings. We
then examine the association between the length of U.S. 10-K filings and institutional
ownership in U.S. firms. In addition, we use a case study to illustrate the challenges in
establishing a causal relation between textual characteristics and economic outcomes.
Lastly, we provide suggestions for areas of future research.
In their study, Lang and Stice-Lawrence (2015) examine the relation between the textual characteristics of the annual
reports of over 15,000 non-U.S. firms and the economic outcomes for these firms. Specifically, they focus on the relation
between a firm's adoption of IFRS and the length, readability, comparability, and boilerplate language contained within its
annual report. Their results show that firms that have adopted IFRS produce annual reports that are longer, more readable,
more comparable, and more likely to include report-specific language. In addition, they examine the relation between the
quality of the textual characteristics in a firm's annual report and its economic outcomes. Their analysis shows that firms
with annual reports of better textual quality exhibit greater liquidity, a higher percentage of institutional ownership, and
greater analyst following. Their study is among the first to explore the textual characteristics of non-U.S. firms' annual
reports and to provide evidence that these characteristics are associated with economic outcomes. Overall, their paper
studies a new and interesting area in the field of textual analysis, which has previously primarily focused on U.S. firms.
In this discussion, we begin by exploring different explanations for their finding of a relation between a firm's adoption of
IFRS and the textual characteristics of its annual report as well as their finding of a relation between textual quality and
economic outcomes. We then examine related evidence on the association between the length of U.S. firms' 10-K annual
filings and the percentage of institutional ownership for these firms. After providing a case study to illustrate the challenges