Impression Management Tactics in Job Interviews among Fresh graduates in Malaysia: A Case Study in a Workplace

The job interview is a viable assessment platform for interviewers to determine the viable prospective graduate for job hiring. During such critical meeting point, the fate of fresh graduates is decided by representatives of an organisation on the suitability of an interviewee for the job. Yet many fresh graduates struggle at such entry level gatekeeping to the professional workplace in view of inability to impress the interviewer. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether impression management tactics are portrayed by the fresh graduates during job interviews. They were 15 interviewees who participated in the present study. The job interview data from an organisation was analysed qualitatively using impression management tactics (IMTs) theories. The findings show that the interviewees were poor impression management tactics; interviewees indicated lack of self-presentation and exemplification as positive indicators in securing a job. Hence, impression management tactics are essential in job interviews.

Stakeholder engagement practices and impression management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the substantiveness of stakeholder engagement by examining voluntary disclosures tied to the engagement process. The objective is to draw a portrait of stakeholder engagement practices and determine whether they genuinely contribute to informing stakeholders or whether they are simply intended to manage stakeholders’ impressions. Design/methodology/approach The authors performed an exploratory content analysis on 113 sustainability reports published in 2018 in the Global Reporting Initiative database. The authors investigated disclosures tied to consulted stakeholders, communication modes and material issues resulting from the engagement process. The authors then assessed the substantiveness of these disclosures to determine the extent of the impression management tactics deployed in the stakeholder engagement disclosures made by Canadian companies. Findings Data analysis showed that more than a third of Canadian firms tend to make generic disclosures on their stakeholders’ engagement. As well, almost half the engagement modes disclosed are unidirectional and fewer than 33% of Canadian companies disclose on relevant sustainability issues. Furthermore, only 26% of the sample seek assurance on the information disclosed. Overall, the authors note an important trend in impression management used in sustainability reporting and underscore a potentially significant sectoral effect in the tactics used. Originality/value These data provide new insight into stakeholder engagement processes and highlight the strategies used by Canadian companies to manage their stakeholders’ impressions rather than their expectations. The study also contributes to a better understanding of the underexplored stakeholder engagement process and provides regulatory organisations with deepened insights to better frame stakeholder engagement disclosures.

사회경제적 지위가 면접에서의 인상관리 책략에 미치는 영향: 통제감의 매개효과

본 연구의 목적은 사회경제적 지위(socio-economic status)가 채용장면에서 정직한 인상관리 책략(honest impression management tactics) 및 기만적 인상관리 책략(deceptive impression management tactics) 사용에 미치는 영향을 확인하고, 이 관계를 통제감(sense of control)이 매개하는지 살펴보는 것이다. 채용면접 경험이 있는 대학생 253명을 대상으로 정직한 인상관리에서는 자기홍보(self-promotion), 정직한 환심사기(honest ingratiation), 정직한 방어(honest defensive impression management)의, 기만적 인상관리에서는 가벼운 이미지 창조(slight image creation), 포괄적 이미지 창조(extensive image creation), 기만적 환심사기(deceptive ingratiation), 이미지 보호(image protection)의 총 7가지 책략에 대해 설문조사를 실시한 결과, 주관적 사회경제적 지위(subjective socio-economic status)는 정직한 인상관리 책략 중 자기홍보 및 정직한 방어를 정적으로 예측하였으며, 이 관계를 통제감이 매개하였다. 하지만 주관적 사회경제적 지위는 정직한 환심사기 및 기만적 인상관리 책략과는 통계적으로 유의한 관계를 보이지 않았다. 객관적 사회경제적 지위(objective socio-economic status)가 높을수록 통제감이 높았으나, 정직한 인상관리 책략 및 기만적 인상관리 책략 중 어떤 것과도 통계적으로 유의한 관련을 가지지 않았다. 본 연구는 사회경제적 지위에 따라 구직자들의 행동에 차이가 나타난다는 것을 보여줌으로써, 채용 장면에서 사회경제적 지위를 고려할 필요성을 보여주었다는 측면에서 의의가 있으며, 그 기제로 통제감의 역할을 밝힘으로써 사회경제적 지위의 효과를 설명할 수 있는 기초 자료를 제공하였다는 점에서 의의가 있다.

Gender-related discourses in corporate annual reports: an exploratory study on the Bangladeshi companies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the gender-related discourses in the annual reports of the listed companies in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach To fulfill this objective, a sociological discourse analysis (SDA) of the gender-related texts in the annual reports of Bangladeshi companies (listed in the Dhaka Stock Exchange) was conducted. Sandberg and Holmlund’s (2015) organizational impression management tactics (description, praise, admission, defense and writing styles) was applied as the analytical framework of SDA. The findings of the study were interpreted from a triangulation of two different theories: legitimacy theory and impression management theory. Findings The study suggests that the companies in Bangladesh are disclosing gender-related information to a limited extent. They provide some information in relation to equal opportunities, business activities targeted to women and corporate contribution to women’s welfare. Most of these gender-related discourses are rhetorical in nature. The companies used various impression management tactics such as description, praise, positive writing style, vague writing style and emotional writing style. Research limitations/implications This study is exploratory in nature and focuses on cross-sectional data. Thus, it does not identify the trend of corporate gender reporting over the years. Practical implications At the policy level, the findings revealed a need for reporting guidelines for gender narratives. Although there is a global gender reporting guideline as proposed under global reporting initiative, there is no local guideline in Bangladesh. Our findings suggest that in the absence of proper directives, companies presented facts and figures rhetorically and qualitatively. Social implications Our findings provide valuable insights for the companies in assisting the Government of Bangladesh to deal with the prevailing gender inequality and achieved gender-related sustainable development goals. It is argued that the government should take more interest in corporate social responsibility activities (such as promoting gender equality) and introduce legislation and guidelines for social accounting. Originality/value This is one of the very few studies that illustrate the corporate gender reporting of a developing economy – Bangladesh. To make a unique contribution to corporate gender disclosure, the study has drawn its analysis from a triangulation of the impression management and the legitimacy perspectives. Also, the use of SDA for annual report analysis has informed the readers about “how” the corporate narratives are presented in the annual reports rather than “what” issues are disclosed as commonly done in content analysis.

Impression Management After Image-Threatening Events

E-cigarette use is a public interest issue and has received increasing attention over the years. JUUL, the biggest brand of e-cigarettes, has been singled out in what the FDA calls a youth e-cigarette epidemic. This study uses impression management theory to examine how JUUL engaged in positive impression management online in response to these image-threatening events. Employing a thematic analysis, this study examines changes in JUUL’s website between April 1, 2018, and October 9, 2019, and Twitter posts between April 28, 2018, and October 18, 2019. Results suggest that JUUL made both textual and visual changes in its messaging over time to engage in positive impression management, while using the impression management tactics of self-promotion, exemplification, and supplication. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.