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Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports. / Beattie, Vivien; Jones, Mike.
In: Information Design Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1994, p. 211-226.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Beattie, V & Jones, M 1994, 'Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports', Information Design Journal, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 211-226. https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea

APA

Beattie, V., & Jones, M. (1994). Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports. Information Design Journal, 7(3), 211-226. https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea

Vancouver

Beattie V, Jones M. Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports. Information Design Journal. 1994;7(3):211-226. doi: 10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea

Author

Beattie, Vivien ; Jones, Mike. / Information design and manipulation : the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports. In: Information Design Journal. 1994 ; Vol. 7, No. 3. pp. 211-226.

Bibtex

@article{5716273d12514c49b236db850918d3d8,
title = "Information design and manipulation: the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports",
abstract = "We discuss the results of an investigation into the graphic reporting practices used by 240 leading UK companies in their 1989 corporate annual reports. Our main findings are that 79 per cent of companies used graphs and that 64 per cent of all graphs were bar/ column graphs. Many of these were poorly designed and constructed. There was evidence of biasing in graphic choices, with the use of graphic presentation being contingent upon 'good' rather than 'bad' financial performance. Companies were three times more likely to include graphs in their annual report which exaggerated, rather than understated, favourable time series trends in key performance variables. There was also evidence of the use of certain design and construction techniques intended to create a favourable visual impression. There is a need for more studies of graphic practices in other domains, and for guidelines to raise the standards and fidelity of financial graphs.",
author = "Vivien Beattie and Mike Jones",
year = "1994",
doi = "10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea",
language = "English",
volume = "7",
pages = "211--226",
journal = "Information Design Journal",
issn = "0142-5471",
publisher = "John Benjamins Publishing Company",
number = "3",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Information design and manipulation

T2 - the case of financial graphs in corporate annual reports

AU - Beattie, Vivien

AU - Jones, Mike

PY - 1994

Y1 - 1994

N2 - We discuss the results of an investigation into the graphic reporting practices used by 240 leading UK companies in their 1989 corporate annual reports. Our main findings are that 79 per cent of companies used graphs and that 64 per cent of all graphs were bar/ column graphs. Many of these were poorly designed and constructed. There was evidence of biasing in graphic choices, with the use of graphic presentation being contingent upon 'good' rather than 'bad' financial performance. Companies were three times more likely to include graphs in their annual report which exaggerated, rather than understated, favourable time series trends in key performance variables. There was also evidence of the use of certain design and construction techniques intended to create a favourable visual impression. There is a need for more studies of graphic practices in other domains, and for guidelines to raise the standards and fidelity of financial graphs.

AB - We discuss the results of an investigation into the graphic reporting practices used by 240 leading UK companies in their 1989 corporate annual reports. Our main findings are that 79 per cent of companies used graphs and that 64 per cent of all graphs were bar/ column graphs. Many of these were poorly designed and constructed. There was evidence of biasing in graphic choices, with the use of graphic presentation being contingent upon 'good' rather than 'bad' financial performance. Companies were three times more likely to include graphs in their annual report which exaggerated, rather than understated, favourable time series trends in key performance variables. There was also evidence of the use of certain design and construction techniques intended to create a favourable visual impression. There is a need for more studies of graphic practices in other domains, and for guidelines to raise the standards and fidelity of financial graphs.

U2 - 10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea

DO - 10.1075/idj.7.3.03bea

M3 - Journal article

VL - 7

SP - 211

EP - 226

JO - Information Design Journal

JF - Information Design Journal

SN - 0142-5471

IS - 3

ER -