I dimman av goodwill: Företagsspecifika faktorers samband med läsbarhet

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this study is to examine how readability in goodwill notes is associated with firm specific factors in Large Cap companies listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Previous research on goodwill disclosures has primarily focused on compliance with IFRS requirements and informational content, while limited attention has been directed toward how the information is communicated. The study therefore contributes to the literature by focusing specifically on the readability of goodwill disclosures. The study applies a quantitative research design based on panel data consisting of 237 firm year observations from the financial years 2022 to 2024. Readability is measured using FOG-index as a measure of textual complexity and the natural logarithm of the number of words in the goodwill note as a measure of text volume. The relationships are analysed using pooled OLS regression with clustered standard errors at the firm level. The results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between firm size and FOG-index, indicating that larger firms tend to present more textually complex goodwill disclosures. No statistically significant relationships are identified between the firm specific factors and the logarithm of the number of words. The findings suggest that textual complexity and text volume capture different dimensions of readability and may be affected by different underlying factors. The results further indicate that readability in goodwill related disclosures may differ from broader narrative financial reporting often examined in previous readability research. The study contributes with evidence from a Swedish context and highlights the importance of analysing multiple dimensions of readability.