Integrated reporting: developing an injustice assessment framework and a research agenda

Beretta, ValentinaDemartini, Maria Chiarade Villiers, Charl2025-04-032025-04-032024-12-13(2024). Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 38(9), 1-29.0951-3574https://hdl.handle.net/2292/71759PurposeIntegrated reporting (IR) provides a joint overview of an organisation’s financial and sustainability performance and strategies. While the prior literature often critiques IR’s potential to entrench injustice, a systematic approach has not been followed. Therefore, this paper provides a systematic literature review, uncovering IR injustices, informing the development of an IR injustice assessment framework to identify injustices and a research agenda.Design/methodology/approachCombining Flyvbjerg’s phronetic social science and the phases of the IR idea journey to focus on injustice, this paper reviews published IR articles to inform a critique of IR. As a result, we identify specific injustice(s), the actors responsible for them, as well as the victims, as a basis for recommendations for praxis through the development of an IR injustice assessment framework and a research agenda.FindingsWe find that different approaches are needed in each phase of the IR idea journey. In the (re)generation phase, a pluralistic approach to IR is needed from the very beginning of the decision-making process. In the elaboration phase, the motivations and the features of IR are assessed. In the championing phase, IR champions support radical innovation, whereas IR opponents are obstructing its spread. In the production phase, the extent to which IR and integrated thinking are linked to the business model is assessed. Finally, we find that IR’s impact is often limited by the symbolic implementation of its tenets.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest a need for companies to rethink the ways in which IR is implemented and used to analyse the ways in which IR is supported and disseminated within and outside the organisation, to focus on internal processes and to reflect on the expected impact of IR on the company’s stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study represents the first systematic approach to identifying IR-related injustices, involving how IR adoption might create injustices and marginalise certain stakeholder groups, and offering recommendations for praxis. Furthermore, the paper details the role of IR in either mitigating or amplifying these injustices and develops a research agenda.Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational BehaviourGeneric health relevanceSocial SciencesBusiness, FinanceBusiness & EconomicsIntegrated reportingPhronetic social scienceSocial injusticeIdea journeyINTELLECTUAL CAPITAL DISCLOSURESOUTH-AFRICAVALUE CREATIONSUSTAINABILITYINSIGHTSCOMPANIESACCOUNTABILITYMATERIALITYGOVERNANCEMANAGEMENT1501 Accounting, Auditing and Accountability3501 Accounting, auditing and accountabilityIntegrated reporting: developing an injustice assessment framework and a research agendaJournal Article10.1108/aaaj-02-2024-6917Copyright: The authors1758-4205Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/