The analysis undertaken in the study provides insights into the rhetorical strategies used by corporate executives when giving oral presentations of financial performance in periods of economic crisis. The main tactic was to make very few explicit references to the crisis and to constantly counter negative results with positive trends, while expressing resolute optimism for the future. The analysis is based on a corpus consisting to the transcripts of ten earnings conference calls of multinational companies that took place at the end of 2009 when the economic crisis was in full swing. The speech of the executives was also found to be highly interdiscursive, drawing on informative, promotional and conversational discourse to carefully steer the message during these virtual interactions with financial analysts via teleconferencing.
Downplaying the downturn: A critical analysis of interdiscursivity in earnings calls
CRAWFORD, BELINDA BLANCHE
2012-01-01
Abstract
The analysis undertaken in the study provides insights into the rhetorical strategies used by corporate executives when giving oral presentations of financial performance in periods of economic crisis. The main tactic was to make very few explicit references to the crisis and to constantly counter negative results with positive trends, while expressing resolute optimism for the future. The analysis is based on a corpus consisting to the transcripts of ten earnings conference calls of multinational companies that took place at the end of 2009 when the economic crisis was in full swing. The speech of the executives was also found to be highly interdiscursive, drawing on informative, promotional and conversational discourse to carefully steer the message during these virtual interactions with financial analysts via teleconferencing.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
