Enhancing accountability through integrated reporting in public higher education institutions: international evidence

Abstract

This article examines whether the integrated reports of higher education institutions (HEIs) take into account the guiding principles of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) framework. In terms of reliability and integrity, the empirical results show the lowest disclosure score, suggesting that there is still considerable room for improvement. Commitment to stakeholder guiding principles had the second lowest disclosure score due to the limited communication channels for public HEIs and the identification of key priorities in response to stakeholder demands. Public HEIs need to promote stakeholder engagement and create more holistic value for stakeholders to improve accountability. In addition, the authors found that the concept of materiality is still unclear, and its definition may therefore vary depending on the guidance and disclosure in the reports. The results serve as a roadmap for extending integrated reporting to policy-makers and as a guide for organizations planning to implement integrated reporting. This article examines whether and how higher education institutions' (HEIs') integrated reports are aligned with the IIRC framework and how this alignment fosters value and improves public accountability. Using content analysis methodology, this study is the first to consider Australian, South African, Japanese, British and Turkish HEIs. The results show that HEIs are successful in complying with almost all guiding principles but with various alignment levels. The highest level of agreement is with the items of consistency and comparability and the lowest level of agreement is with the guiding principles of reliability and integrity. This study contributes to the current literature on public accountability, particularly in relation to public universities. The results of this study contribute to the current academic debate on the ability of HEIs to communicate their value creation to stakeholders through integrated reporting.