Integrated Reporting: Development and State of Art —The Italian Case in the International Context

Abstract

The attention to integrated reporting has more and more increased, since the birth, in 2010 of IIRC, to the present day. This practice, in recent years, is arousing the interest not only of practitioners, but also of academics. In this perspective, the reconstruction of the development process and a series of in-depth analyses on the topic can represent an important source of information for practitioners and a solid basis for future research by academics. This study aims to meet this dual need through a reconstruction of the development process and an analysis of the benefits and of the current state of integrated reporting in the world. The study also presents an important focus on the situation of integrated reporting in Italy by virtue of the recent implementation of Legislative Decree n. 254 of December 30, 2016. This rule provides for the obligation to prepare a non-financial statement starting from the year 2017 and offers many insights on the progress of integrated reporting. The study shows the central, but not unique role of legislation in the adoption and dissemination of integrated reporting.

Appreciations, criticisms, determinants, and effects of integrated reporting: A systematic literature review

“…In this context, for example, the papers concerning the process of adopting integrated reporting (e.g., Gibassier, Rodrigue, & Arjaliès, 2018;Vitolla, Raimo, & De Nuccio, 2018) This initial process led to the selection of 231 papers. Studies on other aspects of integrated reporting are not taken into account in our systematic literature review.…”

“…Studies on other aspects of integrated reporting are not taken into account in our systematic literature review. In this context, for example, the papers concerning the process of adopting integrated reporting (e.g., Gibassier, Rodrigue, & Arjaliès, 2018;Vitolla, Raimo, & De Nuccio, 2018) or the role of the preparers (e.g., Chaidali & Jones, 2017;Lai, Melloni, & Stacchezzini, 2017McNally, Cerbone, & Maroun, 2017) have been excluded. Papers containing literature reviews and contributions of a professional scope were also excluded, as these papers were not in line with our research objectives.…”

Adoption of Integrated Reporting: Reasons and Benefits—A Case Study Analysis

“…Comodeca & Almici (2017) underline how, despite the growing attention paid to integrated reporting, in Italy only six listed companies adopt this practice. However, Vitolla et al (2018) argue that this situation is destined to change due to the introduction of Legislative Decree n. 254 of 30 December 2016, which represents an important push towards the adoption of integrated reporting by Italian companies. The poor adoption of integrated reporting by Italian companies is also due to the absence of empirical evidence that bears witness to the real benefits deriving from the adoption of this practice.…”

The role of board of directors in intellectual capital disclosure after the advent of integrated reporting

“…However, the recent advent of integrated reporting, developed by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), has offered companies an innovative tool for the dissemination of intellectual capital information (Raimo, Zito, & Caragnano, 2019; Vitolla & Raimo, 2018; Vitolla, Raimo, & De Nuccio, 2018). In effect, following the integrated thinking approach, this tool can reveal the value creation process of a company, highlighting the interconnections between the three types of intellectual capital (structural, human, social and relationship) and the three remaining types of capital (financial, natural, manufactured) (IIRC, 2013).…”