Integrated reporting requires a new form of disclosure to provide a holistic view of the organisation and aims to support integrated thinking, decision-making and actions that focus on the creation of value. The International Integrated Reporting <IR> Framework (IIRC 2013b) provides guidelines for the content elements required in an integrated report. One of the content elements is ‘risks and opportunities’. This study firstly assessed whether integrated reporting has enhanced integrated thinking between strategy and the risks and opportunities faced by the organisation. For this purpose, a web-based research questionnaire was sent to high-level implementers of integrated reporting at companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa, where integrated reporting is a listing requirement. The results of the study provide new insights for companies preparing integrated reports, as well as other stakeholders, which show that integrated reporting has driven change towards integrated thinking between strategy, risks and opportunities. Secondly, a content analysis was done on a sample derived from the top 100 companies listed on the JSE to determine whether integrated reporting has brought about a change in the disclosure of risks and opportunities. The results provide new research findings and indicate that most companies conform to the disclosure requirements noted in the International <IR> Framework (IIRC 2013b) regarding risks and opportunities except for disclosures relating to the assessment of specific risks. The content analysis further found that integrated reporting has driven limited change in the disclosure of risks and opportunities.

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Many people spend their working lives accumulating financial resources to sustain them once they retire, which is usually in their early to mid-60s. However, the working lives of professional athletes are unique, with finite sports careers and a range of possible challenges during the transitional phase after their sports careers have ended. This study shows an illustrative framework for financial literacy content areas required by professional athletes to achieve long-term financial well-being. Actor–network theory guided the completion of 27 semistructured face-to-face interviews as well as 10 structured follow-up interviews conducted in South Africa among networks of rugby and cricket players to develop and validate the framework. The research findings suggest professional athletes should take responsibility for their financial planning and have the financial literacy skills to seek, interpret, and apply financial advice. The findings also provide some considerations for education initiatives to improve the financial literacy of professional athletes. The results of this study have implications for professional athletes as well as financial planners, educators, and others positioned to potentially influence the professional athletes’ financial decisions.

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