ABSTRACT
Integrated reporting (IR) has gained momentum since being adopted; however there are still questions around the progress and impact of IR for South African companies who prepare integrated reports and how these address the needs of stakeholders for value-relevant information. While it is recognized that companies have invested much time and effort into incrementally improving their IR efforts over the past years, there is also recognition that these same companies need to continue maturing in certain aspects of their reporting. A desktop qualitative survey of eight South African listed companies’ integrated reports, considering 31 factors across the reported areas of governance, business model outcomes and key performance indicators, was performed. The factors used were derived from PwC’s IR model and the IIRC’s International <IR> Framework. The study revealed insights for each of the three focus areas identified and confirmed the need for further enhancement in reporting by companies of governance aspects, business model outcomes and key performance indicators as a way to show strategic progress. Insights from the study are presented together with reflections on findings and practical reporting considerations for companies as they continue on their journey to report in a meaningful, transparent and succinct way.
