From 2018, the IIRC plans for <IR> to enter its ‘Global Adoption Phase,’ aiming to become firmly positioned at the centre of corporate governance and corporate reporting.

ACCA worked with IIRC to review 41 corporate reports produced by participants of the IIRC’s flagship <IR> Business Network.

Good news about <IR> adoption

The reports reviewed did particularly well at explaining each organisation’s strategy and the environment in which it operates.

88% went beyond reporting purely financial considerations, to reflect the way the organisation uses and affects different resources.

Priority areas

The review found the following priority areas for improvement:

· Value creation – widespread challenges in identifying and articulating what the organisation’s stakeholders perceive as ‘value’

· Connectivity – companies identified this as one of the biggest challenges with implementing <IR>: it required breaking down silos within the organisation and changing existing data collection processes

· Materiality – more needs to be done to demonstrate how materiality is determined and how it is applied, especially in using the lenses of value creation

· Conciseness – nearly half of the integrated reports reviewed ran over 150 pages. Companies found it difficult to reconcile conciseness and meaningful communication with stakeholders

· Reliability and completeness – many companies have yet to achieve a balance in reporting good and bad news. Preparers need to know what ‘good’ looks like in order to implement appropriate internal control processes and engage external assurance.

· Consistency and comparability – thinking and practice is still immature in articulating the value organisations derive from non-financial capitals, and how to identify consistently meaningful performance measures.

Eight quick wins

Integrated reporting is a long journey, but seasoned preparers give the following advice for new adopters looking for quick wins:

    1, Identify <IR> champions who can bring the project to life in the company. The CEO and CFO need to be committed as well.

    2, Take a multidisciplinary approach: Committed individuals from across the business can help to break down silos and encourage integrated thinking.

    3, Clarify the audience: whether the focus is on shareholders, potential investors or wider stakeholders explain who is being addressed and why.

    4, Determine materiality which means deciding which topics are most relevant to the audience. Explaining materiality decision gives credibility and accountability.

    5, Activate the data by bringing numbers to the fore. Companies should provide targets and carry on disclosing them even if they are missed.

    6, Use appropriate language avoiding technical and organisational jargon.

    7, Demonstrate board commitment perhaps by the CEO discussing what he or she hopes to achieve with <IR>.

    8, Set expectations by being clear that the integrated report will evolve over time.

本文基于ACCA报告《综合报告的“综合评价”：挑战和最佳实践》。

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