Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine formal participation in the early phase of the International Integrated Reporting Council’s (IIRC’s) standard-setting. The objective of the paper is to shed light on the characteristics of lobbying parties and the determinants of their lobbying behavior toward the IIRC. Additionally, the most important points of contestation regarding the IIRC’s initial proposal for integrated reporting are identified and discussed. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyze comment letters issued toward the IIRC’s 2011 discussion paper on the basis of a content analysis. The analysis is guided mainly by Sutton’s (1984) rational-choice model of lobbying and by findings from extant financial accounting lobbying research. The analysis of the data is both quantitative and qualitative. Findings – The paper improves the understanding of the political nature of standard-setting in the context of integrated reporting. Among other things, the authors find that comment letters toward the IIRC’s discussion paper are mainly written by large multinational firms (as opposed to small- and medium-sized ones) and by preparers (as opposed to users). The authors also observe active lobbying by sustainability service firms and professional bodies which tend to take a critical position vis-à-vis the discussion paper’s emphasis on investor needs and shareholder value creation. Moreover, the qualitative analysis reveals that respondents voice different concerns regarding, for instance, the scope of audience of integrated reporting, issues of materiality and the relationship between integrated reporting and other existing reporting frameworks. Research limitations/implications – The analysis is limited to a consideration of the 2011 discussion paper of the IIRC. The IIRC’s more recent and forthcoming proposals will likely provide a basis to extend the paper’s findings and allow investigation of the role of lobbying for the further development of the framework. Originality/value – The paper is, to the best of the knowledge, the first one to explore lobbying behavior by means of comment letters in the context of integrated reporting.

Marek Reuter

Martin Messner

Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal

Dedicated to the advancement of accounting knowledge, the Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal publishes high quality manuscripts concerning the interaction between accounting/auditing and their socio-economic and political environments, encouraging critical analysis of policy and practice in these areas. The journal also seeks to encourage debate about the philosophies and traditions which underpin the accounting profession, the implications of new policy alternatives and the impact of accountancy on the socio-economic and political environment.

The Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal is dedicated to advancing accounting knowledge by publishing high-quality manuscripts that explore the interaction between accounting/auditing and their socio-economic and political environments. The journal encourages critical analysis of policies and practices in these areas and seeks to foster debate about the philosophies and traditions that underpin the accounting profession, the implications of new policy alternatives, and the impact of accountancy on the socio-economic and political landscape.

《Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal》致力于推动会计知识的发展，发表高质量的手稿，关注会计/审计与其社会经济及政治环境之间的互动，鼓励对这些领域政策和实践的批判性分析。该期刊还旨在促进关于支撑会计职业的哲学和传统的辩论，探讨新政策选择的影响，以及会计对社会经济和政治环境的影响。

Category	Quartile
管理学	3
管理学, 商业财政与金融	3

Lobbying on the integrated reporting framework

ivySCI AI Smartly Parses PDF, Answers Researchers' Questions, and Helps You Understand Papers in Seconds

Journal Info

Category	Quartile
BUSINESS, FINANCE	1