Integrated Reporting in Business Communication： On the Example of Polish Listed Companies

This work focuses on integrated reporting as an element of companies＇ communication with the external environment. It shows the place and role of integrated reporting in system of communication with various stakeholders and with investors in particular. It also proposes that integrated reporting is a concise communication tool depicting how an organization＇s strategy, governance, performance, and prospects lead to the creation of value over the short, medium, and long term. This means an integrated representation of a company＇s performance in terms of financial and other value relevant information. Thus, integrated reporting goes beyond the traditionally understood business financial reporting. The main aim of this paper is to explain the concept of integrated reporting and to identify the role and place of this reporting type in the system of corporate communication. An additional aim is to show the development of integrated reporting in Poland which is a relatively new EU member as well as emerging market. In conclusion, the considerations stated that the report integrated--as a report integrating financial and non-financial content, covering both past and future （which facilitates decision making）--can effectively satisfy the information needs of investors. In Poland, unfortunately, integrated reporting is not widely used. A company which produces integrated reports is based on different standards. This hampers the comparability of these reports and thus reduces their use by stakeholders. In consequence, the information needs of stakeholders are not satisfactorily addressed.

The Relationship Between Integrated Reporting and Financial Reporting

With globalized world, expectations about business＇ role in the society and the world have increased; rather than just calculating profit and recording it, business has taken a step further. Accordingly, the social responsibility reporting, sustainability reporting, and environmental reporting concepts have emerged. Financial reporting just focuses on a portion of the company＇s status and is unable to show the effects of environmental factors, climate changes on the companies. In addition, sustainability reporting was unable to show financial data which aims to see the risks and opportunities better, improves corporate reputation, and evaluates the performance of the company in accordance with the laws and norms. Investors need to establish a relationship between the financial and non-financial information in order to carry out risk analysis, as a result, the idea of integrated reporting has arised. Many companies have willingly started to prepare integrated reports in various formats and every report has been formed in accordance with the needs of readers and business properties. In addition, integrated reporting principles and guidelines have been published by the International Integrated Reporting Council, in order to provide guidance to report preparers. With the increasing importance and spread of integrated reporting, debates about the benefits and problems encountered in the preparation increased. In this study, the followings are explained： the terms of financial reporting, sustainability reporting, and financial reporting; emergence of these terms; benefits of integrated reporting and problems that may be encountered while preparation; and the relationship between financial reporting and integrated reporting.

Integrated Reporting and Intellectual Capital:A Structured Literature Review and Future Research Agenda

This research aims to provide a Structured Literature Review(SLR)concerning the role of Intellectual Capital(IC)in Integrated Reporting(IR).It analyses papers published in journals from business,management,and accounting area,from 2013 to 2021 with the purpose of pointing out relevant insights about the relationship between IC and IR.Despite that existing literature offers valuable contributions about IC,and the International Integrated Reporting Council included IC related issues among the aims and the fundamentals concepts of IR,this is a topic of growing interest that offers many avenues for further discussion.Analysing past and present literature,this study found that most of the papers use content analysis or a conceptual and critical approach.Moreover,three main paths emerged:about IC disclosure,about IC and IR as a field of research,about a practical concern of IR and IC.Moreover,it tries to frame a future research agenda;particularly,this paper emphasizes the need for further research about the importance of new technologies as they are considered to be the IC of modern organization.

Critical Dialogic Accounting and Accountability Through Integrated Popular Reporting and Digital Technologies: The City of Bari

Over the past two decades,dialogic accounting research has evolved into a distinct field,expanding into what is now recognized as critical dialogic accounting and accountability(CDAA).The integration of critical dialogic accounting and accountability acknowledges the growing need to recognize diverse pathways within accounting practices,emphasizing the representation of marginalized perspectives,engagement with power dynamics,and the analysis of conflicts,particularly in the context of societal and environmental impacts.Based on these assumptions,the Integrated Popular Reporting(IPR)is intended as a useful practical dialogic tool designed to impartially represent the viewpoints of different stakeholders.The focus extends beyond traditional dialogic accounting,integrating a newer critical lens that explores the implications of digital technology in the reporting process.To explore these advancements,the study investigates the implementation of the City of Bari’s 2020 Integrated Popular Reporting.Leveraging tools such as Talkwalker and employing a longitudinal,interventionist approach along with semi-structured interviews,the study assesses the effects of digital technologies on the dialogic accounting process.The analysis shows that the use of digital technologies has facilitated a more participatory reporting structure,evident in increased citizen engagement and reduced bureaucratic hurdles.Notably,it has enhanced the accuracy of defining citizens’informational needs and addressed pertinent themes ranging from mobility,economy,digitization,regeneration,and employment.Moreover,it underscores the need to address the digital divide and ensure inclusivity across diverse demographics.Ultimately,it contributes to the ongoing discourse on the role of technology in shaping the future of dialogic accounting and its broader implications for societal accountability.

Corporate Reporting： An Integrated Approach to Legitimacy Claims

With the increasing pressure on companies to engage in corporate social responsibility （CSR）, it is paramount for businesses and organizations to gain social legitimacy through building trust and credibility towards their stakeholders. Corporate reporting is a major tool whereby they can demonstrate their transparency and their will to contribute to society. However, reporting is often addressed as a narrow and restricted discipline based on specific areas of communication like financial and CSR communication, which potentially can lead to ＂disconnected reporting＂. The aim of this paper is to address reporting within a framework of corporate communication, introducing the concept of corporate reporting as ＂an issue of integration＂ and to discuss the opportunities and challenges of corporate reporting as a driver for gaining social legitimacy. Recent research in corporate reporting and the development of standards by distinguished reporting agencies （e.g., Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler （KPMG）, A4S, PricewaterhouseCoopers （PwC）） seem to support this position, arguing that integrated reporting is ＂the way forward＂. Accordingly, the authors conclude that there is a need to include a broader range of aspects in the corporate reporting literature applying a strategic integrated approach by which corporate reporting may more explicitly help businesses and organizations gain social legitimacy towards their internal and external stakeholders.

From EBIT to SEBIT(Sustainable EBIT):Sustainable Performance Accounting(SPA)Using the Example of CO_(2) Accounting

Corporate sustainability reporting has become increasingly important in recent years.However,conventional approaches reach their limits when it comes to quantifying and measuring the actual sustainability performance of a company.This article presents a new approach:Sustainable Performance Accounting(SPA),which is based on an extension of bookkeeping by including ESG bookkeeping.SPA enables companies to systematically measure and manage their sustainability performance.The article provides an overview of the basics of SPA methodology and uses a comprehensive example showing how SPA can be implemented in practice.The article is aimed at interested readers from science and practice as well as decision-makers who are interested in future-oriented sustainability reporting.

Is the Time Right for a Change in Company Reporting？ Development of Company Reporting from Financial to Non-financial Information

Published financial statements and information on company performance include in the past only financial information and neglected non-financials. Investments decisions nowadays rely not only on pure financial information. The last developments of accounting rules and regulations and the current practice in company reporting put non-financial information and other decision useful non-GAAP measures in focus. A higher number of non-financial information could be found in actual company reports compared to prior years and document a shift in the reporting culture from disclosing only financial performance to an integrated reporting that also reports about performance of the total organisation and the contribution to society. Today, an integrated reporting that combines financials with non-financials and as the standard report of companies is not achieved. One step to an integrated reporting is the EU Accounts Modernisation Directive 2003/51/EC which integrated non-financial key performance indicators （KPIs） in the obligatory reporting for companies. Another step that fosters the development of companies reporting is rooted on the EU Directive 2014/95/EU （CSR directive）. The directive includes rules to make non-financial information obligatory and more harmonized in published company reports. The disclosing of non-financial information, like sustainability and social responsibility, is now obligatory, harmonized and regulated in the EU.

Cybersecurity and Blockchain Impacts on Value Creation Process:Empirical Evidences From Non-financial Disclosure

As per the current trend,the digital transformation and the elements and technologies associated with it are growing for the better defense of the company itself.As the IR reports are getting common among many in the recent years,this research would be useful to identify the fairness of the company disclosures.For this purpose,this research has adopted a methodology of content analysis focusing on the telecommunication industries that are situated in the different parts of the globe to extract the depth of disclosures made by the sampled industries in the years 2020 and 2021 focusing only on the DT dimensions namely cybersecurity and blockchain.