Impression management in financial and sustainability reporting: a mixed-methods research synthesis

Abstract

Purpose This study reviews research on impression management (IM) in external corporate reporting to synthesise established findings and identify promising directions for future research. The scope includes IM in narratives and visual elements in financial, integrated, and sustainability reporting. Design/methodology/approach Using a mixed-methods research synthesis, the study reviews 92 articles published between 1981 and 2025, selected through a rigorous research protocol. The synthesis incorporates conceptual and empirical studies employing quantitative and qualitative approaches. Findings This study documents the pervasive use of IM practices across financial and sustainability reporting, including selective narratives, visual distortions, and obfuscation. It highlights a growing focus on sustainability reporting and identifies links between IM and other opportunistic practices such as earnings management. The effects of IM on stakeholders remain relatively underexplored. Research limitations/implications This review outlines the current state of IM studies and identifies promising avenues for future research related to the object of study, research methods, types of reporting, and data. It encourages greater attention to under-researched IM strategies, the effects of IM on stakeholders, cross-country analyses, and the use of methods such as ethnography and field studies. Practical implications Regulators, users, and firms may benefit from a consolidated synthesis of evidence on IM, enhancing understanding of opportunistic disclosures and their implications for transparency and credibility. Originality/value This study extends prior literature reviews by covering a broader scope of techniques, reporting domains, and a wider timeframe (1981–2025).