Corporate governance, external assurance and integrated reporting practices: empirical evidence from South Africa

Purpose In recent years, stakeholders have increasingly called upon corporate entities, particularly those responsible for governance, to adopt comprehensive disclosure practices for nonfinancial reporting, including integrated reporting. Responding to this imperative, this study aims to examine the influence of corporate governance and external assurance on integrated reporting practices. The analysis focuses on a sample of 301 South African companies across nine sectors. Design/methodology/approach To measure corporate governance, this paper uses variables related to the board and audit committee. This paper developed an integrated reporting scoring model to evaluate integrated reporting practices. This paper conducted bivariate and multivariate analysis using ordered logistic regression and the probit regression model. Findings The results show that the integrated reporting practices of selected South African companies are significantly impacted by the combination of assurance and corporate governance variables. Practical implications This study emphasizes how important it is for both corporate governance and external assurance to improve the quality of integrated reporting practices. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on corporate governance, external assurance and integrated reporting practices, areas that have received limited attention in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa.