An analysis of indicators disclosed in the integrated annual reports of selected South African retailers
- Authors: Blignaut, Anna Cornelia
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Financial statements -- South Africa -- Case studies , Retail trade -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140859 , vital:37924
- Description: This study aimed to analyse the indicators disclosed in the Integrated Annual Reports (IARs) of selected South African retailers. This was firstly done by identifying the six capital and governance indicators retailers report on in order to analyse the commonalities and differences between them, secondly by identifying and assessing evidence of integrated thinking and lastly by making recommendations for optimal retail sector reporting. IARs from Pick n Pay Stores Ltd, Shoprite Holdings Ltd, Spar Group Ltd and Woolworths Holdings Ltd were analysed using content analysis. The results found noteworthy differences in IAR composition in terms of report length and the sections retailers devoted more or less of their report to. Governance and Remuneration indicator disclosure did not allow for broad comparison among all four retailers. In terms of indicator disclosure few indicators were disclosed by all retailers, whilst many were only disclosed by one retailer. Disclosures related to all six capitals were found, yet some indicators were disclosed excessively. Paradoxically, insufficient disclosure of indicators that are easily measurable and low levels of negative or unfavourable indicator disclosure was also apparent in this study. The comparability of indicators was influenced by the aggregation and disaggregation of indicators as well as the lack of consistency in the terminology used in IARs. Indicator disclosure also revealed several trends in the South African retail industry. This research identified the following six themes related to integrated thinking in the sample IARs. Retailers understand the connection between capitals, express consideration for multiple stakeholders and appreciate the context in which they operate, to some extent. Retailers were also found to have different interpretations of sustainability as part of their strategy and risk management whilst the completeness and consistency of information disclosed and retailers’ conceptualisation of value-added in IAR has not yet developed to the same extent across the retail industry. This study finally makes recommendations that may be used for optimal retail sector reporting with regards to the integrated reporting process as well as the integrated report itself. Addressing the former it is recommended that: integrated reporting be viewed as a means to build an internal understanding of their sustainability practices; integrated thinking be included as part of their strategic planning process; all capitals be considered in decision making; communication be established with others in the retail industry and that retailers engage with the IIRC on integrated reporting issues. In terms of the IAR itself, it is recommended that retailers ensure consistency in the terminology used and that the disaggregation of indicators is done in a consistent way. Retailers should include a balance of positive and negative disclosures as well as context-based indicators and seek assurance of the social, environmental and ethical information in their IARs. Finally, retailers need to set measurable sustainability performance targets and link them to specific performance indicators. The results of this study are not without limitations. The identification and categorisation of an indicator was largely based on the researcher’s own judgement in the content analysis process and can be highlighted as the main limitation of this research.
- Full Text:
An analysis of the public reporting of organisational resilience found within the integrated reports of a large state-owned enterprise
- Authors: Fleming, Linda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Eskom (Firm) , Organizational resilience , Eskom (Firm) -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141276 , vital:37958
- Description: This research explored whether there is any evidence of reporting of organisational resilience within the integrated reports of a large state-owned enterprise. The organisation chosen for the research was Eskom. The integrated annual reports of Eskom for 2016, 2017 and 2018 were examined. Direct and indirect evidence of organisational resilience was sought within the organisations integrated reports. The direct reporting of organisational resilience was located by using a PDF word search. A thematic content analysis was used to perform the search for indirect reporting of organisational resilience. Three main themes to represent organisational resilience that were identified beforehand were used to identify the indirect reporting of organisational resilience. Namely, transformability, adaptability and persistence. Sub themes of general and specified resilience were also identified during the research process. The literature review discusses the themes in detail, and also introduces communication and integrated reporting. Evidence of both direct and indirect organisational resilience was identified in all three years studied. Evidence of all the main themes and sub themes was found within the indirect reporting of organisational resilience. The main limitation of the study is that although evidence of reporting of organisational resilience was found, this evidence does not provide any indications of the level of organisational resilience within Eskom. A number of recommendations to Eskom management are made at the end of the research. What is interesting is that integrated reports are not designed to report on organisational resilience. However, the research showed clear evidence of reporting of organisational resilience within all three years researched. Potentially indicating that the integrated annual reports are a useful method of sharing information regarding organisational resilience with stakeholders. An additional benefit is that communication with stakeholders is simultaneously contributing to the enhancement of the organisations resilience.
- Full Text: