A research template to evaluate the degree of accountability of integrated reporting: a case study

Abstract

Purpose The scope of the study is to analyze an Italian family firm operating in the transformation and marketing of durum wheat to investigate the degree of accountability of the integrated reporting (IR) disclosed by the organization. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study approach proposing a specific research template to evaluate the implementation of IR depicting the role of three main dimensions: stakeholder involvement, business model and integration. Findings The paper enriches theoretical conceptualization of the implementation of IR proposing a new conceptual model that adds empirical findings to the literature on IR and at the same time addresses the call for studies of Dumay et al. (2016) to engage more with practice and development on IR. Research limitations/implications The use of a specific research framework constitutes both the main strength of the paper and also its main limit, as the dimensions of the framework have been chosen by the authors, and the observations and conclusions are based on the authors’ analysis under an interpretative approach. Practical implications The implementation of the same research framework to other organizational IR documents could allow comparisons to be expressed on the quality of the IR disclosed by different organizations and on the same organization in different periods of time. Originality/value The main originality of this paper is the creation and the employment of a specific template to analyze the degree of accountability of the case study selected representing a non-listed Italian company operating in the food industry.

Evaluating the integrated reporting journey: insights, gaps and agendas for future research

“…Empirical research investigating specific aspects of IR practice provided insights into how integrated thinking is considered and applied within organizations (Oliver et al, 2016;Venter et al, 2017). Accounting scholars have highlighted how specific principles of IR are implemented by preparers (du Toit, 2017;Lai et al, 2017;Silvestri et al, 2017). Setia et al (2015) analyzed the effect of the introduction of IR regulation while other studies investigated the role and the effectiveness of internal auditing in the context of integrated reports (Haji, 2015;Haji and Anifowose, 2016).…”

Developing a conceptual model of influences around integrated reporting, new insights and directions for future research

“…Du Toit et al 2017suggest managers struggle to improve the quality of integrated reports and further guidelines on reporting requirements may be needed. Silvestri et al (2017) develop a research framework that enables assessment whether IR is used as a strong or weak accountability tool. The framework is based on three dimensions: stakeholder involvement, communication of value creation process though the business model, and integration of financial and non-financial reports.…”

“…Adoption of a strong or weak accountability perspective is judged by the position of the organization on each of the dimensions. Silvestri et al (2017) apply the framework to a case study and assesses the entity as providing a medium degree of accountability.…”

Rationales for integrated reporting adoption and factors impacting on the extent of adoption

“…Others highlight difficulties regarding the disclosure of forward looking information and directors' liability (Adams, 2017b;Lodhia, 2015;Steyn, 2014), determining materiality (Macias and Farfan, 2017;Steyn, 2014), difficulties of refining diverse data sources into a coherent single presentation of performance (Beck et al 2015;Lodhia, 2015;Silvestri et al, 2017) and positioning<IR> within existing corporate reporting legislation (Robertson and Samy, 2015). Themes relating to complexity and incompatibility are detailed below.…”