Increasingly, researchers in the field of intellectual capital (IC) need to be able to justify the specific research methods they use to collect the empirical data that they examine to support and test opinions regarding the merit of different approaches to managing and reporting IC. Of the various methods available to researchers seeking to understand intellectual capital reporting (ICR), content analysis is the most popular. The aim of this paper is to review the use of content analysis as a research method in understanding ICR and to offer some observations on the practical utility of the method. Further, the paper examines several research method issues relating to the use of content analysis that have been discussed in the social environmental accounting literature, but not as yet in the IC literature, which we believe are relevant to investigations underway in the field of ICR. This paper reports on several developmental issues we have confronted when using content analysis to examine the voluntary disclosure of IC in annual reports by various organisations. The paper also suggests two theoretical foundations for further investigation into the voluntary disclosure of IC by organisations, and suggests why content analysis is well matched to both these theories as a means to collect empirical data to test research propositions.

Internationally, there is growing awareness of the environmental and social impacts of the business activities of organizations. This awareness was heightened by the 1987 report Our Common Future by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987). In order to address the concerns raised, companies have increasingly reported the social and environmental impacts of their business activities to secure their right to operate from society. This paper argues for the importance of an integrated reporting framework that provides information on economic performance via intellectual capital (IC) information and non-economic performance, including that used in the management of performance across social and environmental impacts. This paper briefly reviews three extended reporting approaches, namely IC, balanced scorecard (BSC) and social and environmental reporting. The paper demonstrates that the emphases of these reporting approaches, while diverse, could be complementary to one another and be integrated into an extended performance reporting framework (EPRF), which would provide a more complete account of the management and performance of an organization. The EPRF could empower stakeholders and facilitate change in the way organizations conduct their activities.

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Purpose -It has long been recognised that social institutions, including business organisations, must obtain social approval for their continued operations. Recently, economic performance and social and environmental (SE) performance have become increasingly important issues of interest to stakeholders, including shareholders. It is expected that companies will increasingly report SE and economic performance as a response to public pressure in securing their right to operate within society. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach -This study uses the extended performance-reporting framework to capture reporting in the Australian mining industry. Based on legitimacy theory, it then examines, ex post, whether the sample companies may have adopted all four of Lindblom's strategies in their voluntary extended performance reporting within their annual reports. It also assesses the extent to which each of these four strategies may have been adopted. In addition to what was reported, this study analyses what was not reported, or the absence of disclosure, which has been ignored in prior research. Findings -The analysis shows that the sample companies may have adopted all four of Lindblom's strategies in their voluntary disclosure within their annual reports. Originality/value -The paper explores the various strategies adopted by companies when reporting SE performance.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive analysis of Balanced Scorecard (BSC) usage among companies on the Thai stock exchange; and to assess the performance effects of this BSC use. Design/methodology/approach -Sample organisations were surveyed through a questionnaire and the results used to examine whether the extent and manner of BSC use are significantly associated with satisfaction with financial performance and whether higher types of BSC usage result in higher satisfaction with financial performance. Findings -Around 33 per cent of companies that had implemented the BSC did not employ cause-and-effect relationships. The study found no significant association between types of BSC usage and company size. There were no significant differences in satisfaction and perceived benefits gained from using different types of BSC. Also, the extent of BSC use is not significantly different between different types of BSC usage. Further, the extent and manner of BSC use are not significantly associated with all performance variables. Research limitations/implications -Owing to the small sample size, the results from the study make generalisation difficult. Future research may replicate the study using a larger sample size, testing financial performance implications with stock returns. Originality/value -The paper examines whether BSC use actually results in the claimed benefits and positive performance effects.