The association between accountant’s competences, organisational culture and integrated reporting practices

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the association between accountant’s competences, organisational culture and integrated reporting practices. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire survey of 43 manufacturing firms in Mbarara district (South Western Uganda) was undertaken. The unit of inquiry was senior staff in the accounts office while the unit of analysis was the manufacturing firm. The study hypotheses were tested using regression analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21. Findings - The findings revealed that while there is a positive and significant association between accountant’s competences and integrated reporting practices, the association between organisational culture and integrated reporting practices is insignificant. In the additional analysis, this study finds that accountant’s competences are significantly associated with all the content elements of an integrated report as enshrined in the International Integrated Reporting Framework of 2013. Surprisingly, organisational culture is not significantly associated with any of the content elements of an integrated report as enshrined in the International Integrated Reporting Framework of 2013. Practical implications - To the academia, this study expands on the understanding of what matters for improvement in integrated reporting practices in an emerging economy such as Uganda whose history is characterised by civil wars and political unrest. Those in practice may use this study results to promote better reporting practices through the attraction of professional accountants with the necessary proficiencies in corporate reporting practices. The policymakers may also opt to mandate integrated reporting among manufacturing firms. Originality/value - This study provides a first-time and in-depth understanding of the association between the accountant’s competences, organisational culture and integrated reporting practices using evidence from a developing African Country – Uganda.