A content analysis of financial advertisements

The main objective of this thesis is to expose the present format assumed by financial advertisements. This objective was met by content analysing all financial advertisements which appeared in two years copies of the Investors Chronicle. The specific issues addressed in meeting the research objective were those of: The relative importance placed on financial advertisements in each year studied; the relative stress placed on a financial entry; page size assumed by each advertisement and; advertisement constitution. The above objective was furnished by studying: i] Conceptual Framework projects connected with financial reporting; ii] Behavioral\psychological factors in the presentation decision of management\preparers. iii] The nature of the advertising process. The study shows that there is much room for improvement in the presentation of financial advertisements, as when viewed from a critical angle less than neutral representations can be detected. It argues that such a problem can be addressed through regulation - a conceptual framework covering this area was recommended.