Photo images in corporate annual reports

Abstract

Society has lost trust in business; and credibility in financial reporting has been questioned. Formal accounting committees and bodies have attempted to synchronise the accounting practices of local and international companies with an internationally recognised standard of accounting. The advancements and particularly the requirement for more comprehensive reporting are perceived to be an opportunity to restore trust. The volume of information to be disseminated by users or readers of corporate annual reports has accelerated. Information on topics such as economic, social and environmental aspects of the business is increasingly included, contributing to the quantity of information being disclosed with photographs being used more frequently. To add credibility to the additional discretionary information being provided, the International Standards on Assurance Engagements were introduced to provide for an assurance rather than an audit of non-financial information. However, no reference was made to the assurance of photographs and the accounting profession has ostensibly ignored the use of photographs in financial reporting. The research questioned why the use of photographs has purportedly been ignored by the accounting profession. Are they valid, or should they be eliminated? Can they influence decision-making? And finally, what role do they fulfil, if any? The study had two focus areas: <ul> <li>The role of photographic images in corporate annual reports, which has not yet been established or defined; and</li> <li>The possibility of photographic images having the power to influence the decision-making of stakeholders.</li> </ul> The two research methods selected for the purposes of the study were: <ul> <li> Critical analysis of literature. The purpose of this was to create a comprehensive review of literature for interpretation by accessing articles, books, journals and other research in the form of dissertations and theses. A review of professional and academic literature was undertaken, followed by research into the photographic medium and its uses relative to accounting and financial reporting;</li> <li> Content analysis, which involved the counting of images to determine frequency and types of images displayed in corporate annual reports.</li> </ul> The use of technology and visual communication such as photographs was found to often be more powerful than pure text, offering a dialogic approach to reporting and enabling critical reflection. The research raised the concern that images could be used to camouflage poor performance and deceive users by intending to create a distraction at the very least or be the basis of fabrication or misrepresentation. The technological advancements in the photographic medium as a tool in itself and the ability for post-photography manipulation added to the concern that the impartiality and perhaps the accuracy or completeness of the information being presented were in doubt. Two potential gaps in the use of photographs to convey information or a message were found. First, there is no appropriate system of control or framework for assurance of photographic images, and secondly, there is no way to prioritise information so that it can be appropriately analysed and interpreted. The research recommended a way of managing and presenting photographs in corporate annual reports in order to improve controls in the various stages of the process of photography, lessen the extent of manipulation and improve the credibility of this medium in financial reporting. A caption or narrative was also found to create a reciprocal link between the information in the photographs and the written information by which meaning could be established, derived from a symbiotic relationship between materiality, content and context. The use of photographic images may become more important if it is found that their presentation is considered relevant, adds meaning, provides context, evidence or additional disclosure to the information already contained in corporate annual reports, filling the gaps that the numbers and words are unable to achieve on their own.