Intellectual capital accounting in the age of integrated reporting: a commentary

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the practice of integrated reporting (IR) in organisations can be a vehicle for furthering and sustaining the practice of accounting for intellectual capital (IC). It introduces the eight papers forming this Journal’s special issue on “Extending Intellectual Capital through Integrated Reporting” that demonstrate how organisations are developing practices at the nexus of IC and IR. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes the form of a review of the eight papers, and it connects the outcomes from these papers into some future research directions based on an interpretive approach and the authors’ expertise on IC and IR. Findings The papers published in this special issue provide a useful foundation for extending the research project on IR-led IC accounting. However, there is a lack of research in this special issue that goes much beyond third-stage IC research, which is directed at strengthening IC practices inside organisational boundaries. Research limitations/implications This commentary highlights that IR provides many opportunities to reinvigorate the field of IC accounting. Insights provided in this commentary may be relevant to understand and evaluate future iterations of IC accounting. Practical implications While it is essential to understand how IR works in practice moving beyond organisational boundaries it is even more critical if companies are to survive and thrive in an increasingly turbulent business operating environment. Thus, this commentary offers arguments as to how IC and IR research can extend into fourth and fifth stage research paradigms. Originality/value This commentary places the eight papers published in the Journal’s special issue on “Extending Intellectual Capital through Integrated Reporting” within the context of IC accounting to explain the trajectory of research that connects IC and IR and reveals gaps in this field of research.