Chapter 5 Integrated Reporting and Sustainability Reporting: A Global Assessment

2018 ◽  
pp. 93-120
Author(s):  
Belverd E. Needles ◽  
Marian Powers ◽  
Mark L. Frigo ◽  
Anton Shigaev
Keyword(s):  
Global Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Integrated Reporting

scholarly journals Why “Less is More” in Non-Financial Reporting Initiatives: Concrete Steps Towards Supporting Sustainability

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Tsagas ◽  
Charlotte Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Less Is More ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Key Aspects

AbstractCalls are repeatedly made on corporations to respond to the challenges facing the planet from a sustainable development perspective and governments take solace in the idea that corporations' transparency on their corporate activity in relation to sustainability through voluntary reporting is adequately addressing the problem. In practice, however, reporting is failing to deliver truly sustainable results. The article considers the following questions: how does the varied reporting landscape in the field of non-financial reporting impede the objectives of fostering corporations' sustainable practices and which initiative, among the options available, may best meet the sustainability objectives after a decluttering of the landscape takes place?The article argues that the varied corporate reporting landscape constitutes a key obstacle to fostering sustainable corporate behaviour, insofar as the flexible and please all approach followed in the context of corporate sustainability reporting offers little to no real incentive to companies to behave more sustainably and ultimately pleases none in the long run. The case made is that “less is more” in non-financial reporting initiatives and hence the article calls for a revision of key aspects of the European Non-Financial Reporting Directive, which, as is argued, is more likely to achieve the furtherance of sustainable corporate behaviour. Although the different reporting requirements offer the benefits of focussing on different corporate goals and activities, targeting different audiences and allowing for a level of flexibility that respects the individual risks to sustainability associated with each industry, the end result is a landscape that lacks overall consistency and comparability of measurements and accountabilities, making accountability more, rather than less, difficult to achieve.The article acknowledges the existence of several variances relating to the notion of sustainability per se, which continues to remain a contested concept and variances between companies and industries in relation to how each is operating sustainably or unsustainably respectively. Such variances have so far inhibited the legislator from easily outlining through tailored legislation the individual risks to global sustainability in an all-encompassing manner. The end product is a chaotic system of financial reporting, CSR reporting, non-financial reporting and integrated reporting and little progress to increase comparability and credibility in order for companies to be held accountable and to behave in ways that do not harm the planet. A “clean up” of the varied initiatives in the terrain of non-financial reporting is recommended.

Board characteristics and the choice between sustainability and integrated reporting: a European analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Girella ◽  
Stefano Zambon ◽  
Paola Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Voluntary Disclosure ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderating Variables ◽  
Board Characteristics ◽  
Sustainability Report

Purpose The role that the board can have in influencing the adoption of non-financial reporting (NFR) by companies is a topic that has raised interest in the recent literature. However, very few have so far been said on the logic that underpins the selection by corporate boards of a particular model (sustainability and/or integrated). This study aims to examine if and to what extent board characteristics may influence the choice of companies to voluntarily publish a sustainability report, an integrated report or both of them, and if moderating variables, relating to incentives towards corporate transparency, may have an influence. Both of these types of reporting tools are in fact aimed at improving company disclosure towards sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach Through a multi-nomial regression analysis, this study tests the assumptions in a sample of companies listed on the Eurostoxx600 that adopt integrated or sustainability reporting or both of them for the period 2015–2018 for a total of 2,103 firm-years observations. Findings The results reveal that sustainability reporting is associated with board independence only, whilst the adoption of integrated reporting is influenced by board size and board independence. The same two variables influence also those companies that jointly adopt both sustainability and an integrated report. This confirms that integrated reporting requires more competencies and monitoring to be adopted. Furthermore, the results provide evidence that information asymmetry and financial constraints influence the decision of companies to publish the integrated report, sustainability report or both, whilst growth opportunities do not. Hence, moderating variables can have a role in explaining this association, and especially those that are related to the firm’s incentives related to the provision of financial capital by investors. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it proposes an incremental analysis of the relationship between board characteristics and voluntary disclosure of integrated reporting, considering the effects of moderating variables on this association. Second, the above relationship is examined in a comparative way vis-à-vis the adoption of sustainability reporting. Third, it demonstrates that the analysis of these reporting tools can benefit from an understanding that relies on both agency and stakeholder theories, that have to be conceived somehow complementary. In terms of limitations, this study is exclusively focussed on larger European listed firms, and therefore, the findings may not be valid for small and medium firms and for companies operating outside Europe. Practical implications This study provides useful insights for managers and policymakers to better understand which are the characteristics of the board composition that can best encourage a company to pursue a reporting strategy based on sustainable development. This results to be particularly relevant and timely in the European context if the authors take into consideration the developments of the European Parliament and Commission towards the launch of a new legislative proposal on sustainable corporate governance in 2021. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature in two ways. First, it offers a unique perspective on the direct and indirect effects of board characteristics on the adoption of integrated and/or sustainability reports by examining it in a comparative perspective. Second, it further demonstrates that the analysis of NFR and especially integrated reporting might benefit from the adoption of multiple conceptual lenses, in this case, agency and stakeholder theories.

scholarly journals Integration Level of Social Environmental Disclosure (SED) Between The Global Reporting Initiative(GRI)- Sustainability Reporting and The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Reporting Among European Companies

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzila Mohamed Yusof ◽  
Nazaria Md Aris ◽  
Nurul Syuhada Zaidi
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Social And Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
International Integrated Reporting Council

This critical approach study examines the social and environmental disclosure (SED) between Sustainability Reporting (SR) and Integrated Reporting (IR) among European companies. The research question is to examine the integration level of SED within SR and IR. Applying the critical text analysis method, the GRI G3 guidelines were used to examine a sample of ten European companies. The reports for the selected companies must incorporate fully applied IR without producing any more SR in order to analyse the validity of the data. This study has discovered that there is less integration of SED in IR than SR. It is apparent that the IR approach is more towards the primary groups (investors) rather than other stakeholders, society and the environment as a whole. Hence, IR is only a mirror of sustainability for business strategy. Therefore, IR needs to engage reports with other stakeholders to sustain long-term growth.

It is not always bad news

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1319-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Anne McNally ◽  
Warren Maroun
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Reporting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion that non-financial reporting is mainly about impression management or is only a superficial response to the hegemonic challenges posed by the sustainability movement. It focuses on the most recent development in sustainability reporting (integrated reporting) as an example of how accounting for financial and non-financial information has the potential to expand the scope of accounting systems, promote meaningful changes to reporting processes and provide a broader perspective on value creation. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses on an African eco-tourism company which has its head office in South Africa. A case study method is used to highlight differences in the presentation of an integrated business model according to the case entity’s integrated reports and how individual preparers interpret the requirement to prepare those reports. Data are collected using detailed interviews with all staff members involved in the preparation process. These are complemented by a review of the minutes of the company’s sustainability workshops and integrated reports. Findings A decision by the case organisation to prepare an integrated report gives rise to different forms of resistance which limits the change potential of the integrated reporting initiative. Resistance does not, however, preclude reform. Even when individual preparers are critical of the changes to the corporate reporting environment, accounting for financial and non-financial information expands the scope of the conventional accounting system which facilitates broader management control and promotes a more integrated conception of “value”. Research limitations/implications Integrated reporting should not be dismissed as only an exercise in corporate reporting and disclosure; it has a transformative potential which, given time, can enable new ways of managing business processes and articulating value creation. Originality/value This study answers the calls for primary evidence on how the requirement or recommendation to prepare an integrated report is being interpreted and applied by individual preparers. The findings add to the limited body of interpretive research on the change potential of new reporting frameworks. In doing so, the research provides theoretical support for developing arguments which challenge the conventional position that integrated reporting is little more than an exercise in impression management.

Exploring the rationale for integrated report assurance

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1826-1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Warren Maroun
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Organisational Change ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
The Status ◽  
Perceived Relevance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine why companies assure some of the information found in their integrated reports, possible changes required to existing assurance practices and the motivation for either seeking to expand current technologies of assurance or to maintain the status quo. Design/methodology/approach The research is exploratory/interpretive. Data are collected from detailed interviews with preparers and assurance experts. Framing theory provides the data analysis framework. Findings Three broad views on assurance are identified. An expectation management perspective focusses on the role of assurance as a legitimisation tool and requires no changes to existing assurance standards. A value-adding perspective emphasises the role of assurance in improving the usefulness of information being reported to stakeholders and its function as part of a broader corporate governance system. This can evolve into a change-potential outlook in terms of which assurance is used to promote positive organisational change, something which may require the development of new standards/guidelines for assuring integrated reports. Research limitations/implications Only preparers and assurance experts are engaged to explore the rationale for seeking to have parts of an integrated report assured. The views of the broader stakeholder community are not taken into account. The study is also limited to a single jurisdiction where integrated reporting practices are relatively well established. Practical implications Assurance of non-financial information cannot be understood only in terms of broad drivers such as firm size, environmental impact or listing status. It is inextricably linked with the perceived relevance of integrated (or sustainability) reporting and the value which assurance provides to an organisation and its stakeholders. Originality/value The study complements the mainly quantitative research on determinants of assurance of environmental or social disclosures. It is one of the few to provide primary evidence on the reasons for having these types of disclosures assured and how this informs the need for changes to existing assurance practices. The paper is also one of the first to deal with the assurance of environmental or social information in an integrated reporting context.

The potential of integrated reporting to enhance sustainability reporting in the public sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 365-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Montecalvo ◽  
Federica Farneti ◽  
Charl de Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Assessment of the Influence of Foreign Directors on Integrated Sustainability Reporting of Consumer Goods Firms Listed on Nigerian Stock Exchange

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Chidiebele Innocent Onyali ◽  
Tochukwu Gloria Okafor
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Goods ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
Foreign Directors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Integrated Sustainability ◽  
Governance Disclosure

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of foreign directors on integrated sustainability reporting of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the impact of foreign directors on the economic, social, and governance disclosure of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. The study used the ex post facto research design. Population and sample size comprised of 21 listed consumer goods firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The duration of the study is from 2011 to 2017 financial year. Multiple regressions analysis was adopted in testing the formulated hypotheses. The dependent variable sustainability integrated reporting was measured using an Economic, Social, and Governance (ESG) index. The independent variable was measured as the number of foreign directors on board. The results show a significant influence of foreign directors on the economic, social, and governance disclosure of listed consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Based on this, the study recommends the adoption of a genetic heterogeneous board structure to leverage the diverse set of skills brought by foreign board members to decision–making.

scholarly journals Sustainability Reporting and Its Impact on Financial Performance: A Study of the Sri Lankan Financial Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. O. De. Silva
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Institutional Performance ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Significant Difference

The sustainability reporting which integrates the organization’s economic, environmental and social performance towards achieving better financial performance has become a contemporary issue due to the absence of a precise model or a rigid regulatory framework in this arena. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify whether there is a significant difference in sustainable disclosures among the financial institutes and how sustainability reporting influence on institutional performance. Accordingly, the author derived a disclosure index from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines which consist of 119 parameters to evaluate the content of the reports of listed banks and financial sector companies. Analysis provided a comparison between GRI guidelines and Generation four (G4) framework. Furthermore, the study investigated the causal relationship between the level of disclosures and financial performance. To serve this purpose, data was obtained from annual reports in the Security Exchange Commission (SEC), and companies’ websites then analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 16 data analysis package.The results of the study conclude that there’s no significant difference in sustainability disclosures between listed banks and financial institutes and the number of disclosures has no significant influence on institutes’ financial performance. Furthermore, the study confirmed that there’s no significant difference between G4 framework disclosures (Adopted in 2016/2017 reporting period) and GRI guidelines (Adopted in 2017/2018 reporting period). Thereby, the study witnessed that businesses including financial institutes consume scarce resources, while paying poor attention in reporting their accountability towards the sustenance. Therefore, it needs recognizing sustainable responsibility. KeywordsCorporate Disclosures; Financial Institutions; Financial Performance, Sustainability/Integrated Reporting

scholarly journals Integrated Reporting: Are Indonesian Companies Ready to Do It?

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-70
Author(s):  
Amelia Setiawan
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Preliminary Research

Many companies in Indonesia already have completed sustainability reporting (SR) in their corporate reporting eventhough the regulation has not required public companies to disclose Integrated Reporting (IR) in their report. Are companies with excellent sustainability reporting ready to release integrated reporting? This question is the main concern of this paper. The published guidelines by IIRC are divided into two categories: guidelines which can be assessed objectively and those that cannot be measured objectively. Content analysis is used for data collection and analysis for annual reports of the companies used as sample in this research. The result of this research showed that companies that won Indonesia Sustainability Reporting Award are ready to disclose Integrated Reporting with few modification which adds the value of their report. The implication of the study for public companies is a encouragement to publish integrated reporting and for researchers is being preliminary research for developing research about integrated report in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Integrated Reporting and European State-Owned Enterprises: A Disclosure Analysis Pre and Post 2014/95/EU

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Nicolò ◽  
Gianluca Zanellato ◽  
Adriana Tiron-Tudor
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Social Environmental

The European Directive 2014/95/EU regulating the disclosure of non-financial information for public interest organisations is enjoying its first years since entering into force in 2017. The emerging of social, environmental and sustainability issues in combination with the New Public Management (NPM) reforms, led public sector entities to huge demands of accountability. Long time before the European Union Directive (EUD) on non-financial information, public sector entities were pushed to demonstrate to a broad range of stakeholders how public resources are used. Accordingly, the stakeholders’ increasing demand for social and environmental information has encouraged the adoption of different types of reports by organisations, such as the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, Sustainability Reporting (SR) and the Integrated Report (IR).In the context of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), the disclosure of non-financial information gains a pivotal relevance as these type of organisations face a more comprehensive range of stakeholders than private organisations. In this vein, the present paper aims to investigate whether the mandatory disclosure directive increased the level of information provided by SOEs issuing an IR between the years 2016 and 2017 in order to demonstrate whether a mandatory regulation leads to higher disclosure.

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