Previous research uses negative word counts to measure the tone of a text. We show that word lists developed for other disciplines misclassify common words in financial text. In a large sample of 10 Ks during 1994 to 2008, almost three-fourths of the words identified as negative by the widely...

We create a database of company codes of ethics from firms listed on the Standard amp; Poor's 500 Index and, separately, a sample of small firms. The SEC believes that ldquo;ethics codes do, and should, vary from company to company.rdquo; Using textual analysis techniques, we measure the extent...

In October 1998, the SEC implemented a rule requiring firms to use plain English in their prospectus filings. In addition to the rule, the SEC encouraged the use of plain English in all filings and communication with shareholders. Did the SEC rule significantly impact managers' disclosure style?...

We examine the occurrence of ethics-related terms in 10-K annual reports over 1994-2006 and offer empirical observations on the conceptual framework of Erhard, Jensen, and Zaffron (2007). We use a pre-Sarbanes-Oxley sample subset to compare the occurrence of ethics-related terms in our 10-K data...