Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value

Orientation: Diverging views on the relevant content and target audiences of financial and non-financial reporting have caused a proliferation of reporting standards. This has led to calls for integration and convergence in approaches. Research purpose: Wide-ranging findings have been reported on t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cornelis T. van der Lugt, Nadia Mans-Kemp
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2022-05-01
Series:Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/703
_version_ 1818531164785213440
author Cornelis T. van der Lugt
Nadia Mans-Kemp
author_facet Cornelis T. van der Lugt
Nadia Mans-Kemp
author_sort Cornelis T. van der Lugt
collection DOAJ
description Orientation: Diverging views on the relevant content and target audiences of financial and non-financial reporting have caused a proliferation of reporting standards. This has led to calls for integration and convergence in approaches. Research purpose: Wide-ranging findings have been reported on the drive behind and consequences of integrated reporting (IR). Theoretical perspectives used to review financial and non-financial corporate reporting were critically compared to propose a cross-cutting theoretical view on IR, thereby enhancing multidisciplinary dialogue. Motivation for the study: Integrated reporting has pointed to fragmentation in corporate disclosures. The call for integrated thinking also exposes not only divergent reporting approaches but also a gap between two main schools of thought in accounting research and theory. Research approach/design and method: A critical literature review was conducted, examining scholarly research on IR, practitioner reports and relevant textbooks to propose a cross-cutting theoretical lens on why and how companies disclose specific information in certain reporting formats. Main findings: Theoretical viewpoints on IR centre on accountability or efficiency. Yet, contrasting conclusions are drawn on the decision usefulness for various target audiences. As such, an aspirational efficiency view is proposed to reconcile accountability and efficiency considerations in future IR investigations. Practical/managerial implications: The refined understanding of reporting efficiency, disclosure quality and key users sheds light on reporting ideologies that idiomatically ‘talk past one another’. The proposed theoretical view can be applied in future research on how IR strategically integrates diverse information sets. Contribution/value-add: The proposed theoretical view builds on components of theories applied in corporate reporting research to conjunctively account for accountability and efficiency.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T17:28:53Z
format Article
id doaj.art-2cb49f8036274d27bd60d8394e7f4256
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1995-7076
2312-2803
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T17:28:53Z
publishDate 2022-05-01
publisher AOSIS
record_format Article
series Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences
spelling doaj.art-2cb49f8036274d27bd60d8394e7f42562022-12-22T00:56:53ZengAOSISJournal of Economic and Financial Sciences1995-70762312-28032022-05-01151e1e1110.4102/jef.v15i1.703464Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and valueCornelis T. van der Lugt0Nadia Mans-Kemp1University of Stellenbosch Business School, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, StellenboschDepartment of Business Management, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Stellenbosch University, StellenboschOrientation: Diverging views on the relevant content and target audiences of financial and non-financial reporting have caused a proliferation of reporting standards. This has led to calls for integration and convergence in approaches. Research purpose: Wide-ranging findings have been reported on the drive behind and consequences of integrated reporting (IR). Theoretical perspectives used to review financial and non-financial corporate reporting were critically compared to propose a cross-cutting theoretical view on IR, thereby enhancing multidisciplinary dialogue. Motivation for the study: Integrated reporting has pointed to fragmentation in corporate disclosures. The call for integrated thinking also exposes not only divergent reporting approaches but also a gap between two main schools of thought in accounting research and theory. Research approach/design and method: A critical literature review was conducted, examining scholarly research on IR, practitioner reports and relevant textbooks to propose a cross-cutting theoretical lens on why and how companies disclose specific information in certain reporting formats. Main findings: Theoretical viewpoints on IR centre on accountability or efficiency. Yet, contrasting conclusions are drawn on the decision usefulness for various target audiences. As such, an aspirational efficiency view is proposed to reconcile accountability and efficiency considerations in future IR investigations. Practical/managerial implications: The refined understanding of reporting efficiency, disclosure quality and key users sheds light on reporting ideologies that idiomatically ‘talk past one another’. The proposed theoretical view can be applied in future research on how IR strategically integrates diverse information sets. Contribution/value-add: The proposed theoretical view builds on components of theories applied in corporate reporting research to conjunctively account for accountability and efficiency.https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/703integrated reportingaspirational efficiencyaccountabilitylegitimacystakeholdersdisclosure
spellingShingle Cornelis T. van der Lugt
Nadia Mans-Kemp
Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences
integrated reporting
aspirational efficiency
accountability
legitimacy
stakeholders
disclosure
title Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
title_full Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
title_fullStr Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
title_full_unstemmed Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
title_short Integrated reporting: A cross-cutting theoretical view on its use and value
title_sort integrated reporting a cross cutting theoretical view on its use and value
topic integrated reporting
aspirational efficiency
accountability
legitimacy
stakeholders
disclosure
url https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/703
work_keys_str_mv AT cornelistvanderlugt integratedreportingacrosscuttingtheoreticalviewonitsuseandvalue
AT nadiamanskemp integratedreportingacrosscuttingtheoreticalviewonitsuseandvalue