- 15 Marks
CR – May 2016 – L3 – Q6 – Integrated Reporting
Advise Golden Path Plc on how traditional corporate reporting fails to meet the needs of financial capital providers and how Integrated Reporting can address this.
Question
Corporations are realizing that in this 21st century, firms’ intangible assets and human capital are the most important assets for value creation, production, or rendering of services. A recent OECD report in 2006 attests to this and points to an emerging knowledge economy, where human capital and intangible assets lie at the core capabilities and competencies for innovation and business sustainability. There is therefore the general feeling and perception that traditional corporate reporting does not meet the capital allocation needs of providers of financial capital. One development has been the emergence of Integrated Reporting (IR), being promoted by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) and supported by IFAC and most professional accounting bodies globally. The framework issued in 2013, like IASB’s Conceptual Framework, is principles-based and as such does not prescribe KPIs but has some guiding principles and key content elements. Golden Path Plc is desirous of employing IR to overcome the present limitations of its traditional corporate reporting.
Required:
a) Write a report to the board of Golden Path Plc, advising them on why their financial statements may not meet the capital allocation needs of providers of financial capital in 21st-century firms, given the limitations of traditional corporate reporting which integrated reporting aims to address. (5 marks)
b) Briefly state why integrated reporting may still not resolve the main limitations identified above. (1 mark)
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CR – May 2016 – L3 – Q5 – Integrated Reporting
Discuss the purpose of Management Commentary, why it is not mandatory, and the most relevant elements for Umu Amaeshi Plc to focus on in its management commentary.
Umu Amaeshi Plc is a conglomerate that has diverse businesses cutting across some social and environmental sensitive sectors listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. In compliance with financial reporting regulatory directives of Nigeria, it has adopted IFRS in preparing its financial statements. The board is aware that this step will enhance the transparency of its reporting and assist in attracting foreign institutional investors who may be desirous of investing in Nigeria. However, in one of the company’s board meetings, the CFO briefed members that given the social and environmental sensitive nature of its operation, the adoption of IFRS may not be good enough to bring that transparency relating to its policies and practices relating to social and environmental disclosures. He makes reference to Para 14 of IAS 1 – Presentation of Financial Statements, which clearly stated that:
“Many entities also present, outside the financial statements, reports and statements such as environmental reports and value-added statements, particularly in industries in which environmental factors are significant and when employees are regarded as an important user group. Reports and statements presented outside financial statements are outside the scope of IFRS.”
The board does not want to engage in social and environmental reporting disclosures since many who do engage in what the business community see as marketing and reports filled with rhetoric. The CFO has therefore suggested the use of Management Commentary.
Required:
a) Briefly explain the purpose of Management Commentary and why it was not made a mandatory requirement for all companies by the IASB. (6 Marks)
b) Identify the three most relevant elements of Management Commentary that Umu Amaeshi Plc should focus on in its management commentary and explain how they will assist the company to achieve the above objectives, given that it does not want to engage in social and environmental disclosure. (9 Marks)
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