Corporate and Integrated Reporting: A Functional Perspective

Robert G. Eccles; George  Serafeim

Chapter | Corporate Stewardship | 2015

Corporate and Integrated Reporting: A Functional Perspective

by Robert G. Eccles and George Serafeim

Abstract

In this chapter, we present the two primary functions of corporate reporting (information and transformation) and why currently isolated financial and sustainability reporting are not likely to effectively perform these functions. We describe the concept of integrated reporting and why integrated reporting could be a superior mechanism to perform these functions. We will also argue that integrated reporting can contribute to more effective corporate stewardship. Moreover, we discuss, through a series of case studies, what constitutes an effective integrated report (Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company) and the role of regulation in integrated reporting (Anglo-American).

Keywords: Information; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Transformation;

Format: Print

SSRN

Citation:

Eccles, Robert G., and George Serafeim. "Corporate and Integrated Reporting: A Functional Perspective." In Corporate Stewardship: Achieving Sustainable Effectiveness, edited by Susan Albers Mohrman, James O'Toole, and Edward E. Lawler. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing, 2015.

Analyzing data from approximately 1.5 million employees across 1,100 established public and private US companies, we find that the strength of employee beliefs about their firm’s purpose is lower in public companies. This difference is most pronounced within the salaried middle and hourly ranks, rather than senior executives. Among public companies, purpose becomes progressively lower with more concentrated shareholders, especially among firms with high hedge fund ownership. These patterns can be partly explained by differences in CEO backgrounds and compensation: public firms, particularly those with strong shareholders, choose outsider CEOs at higher rates and pay them more relative to their employees. Our analyses suggest that these results are not driven solely by sorting effects, but appear attributable in part to the impact that firm owners have on their employees. In summary, shareholders appear to influence the strength of corporate purpose deep within organizations via the leadership and corporate practices they enable at the top.

Aperture Investors is a startup investment firm that seeks to disrupt the asset management industry through competitive differentiation by charging investors primarily when its portfolio managers outperform the marketplace. Headed by Wall Street veteran Peter Kraus and backed with substantial and patient seed capital, Aperture seeks to attract both star portfolio managers and assets from mutual funds and hedge funds. Kraus believes that his innovative business model addresses the current dysfunctional fee and incentive structures in the industry, which have led to long-term market underperformance, and that Aperture will address the reasons that are motivating investors to shift to cheaper, passively-managed index and exchange-traded funds.

Despite efforts to crack down on illegal activity, crimes like fraud, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering are rampant in corporations. What steps can leaders take to fix this growing problem?

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Corporate and Integrated Reporting: A Functional Perspective

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