ACCA publishes first Integrated Report, strategises for the future

FOLLOWING the initial approach set out by International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), has produced for the first time as an integrated report, its yearly report for 2011/12.Specifically, ACCA is a member of IIRC's Pilot Programme for organisations seeking to move to integrated reporting.ACCA's Chief Executive, Helen Brand, said: 'Our first integrated report aims to present a clear and coherent picture of our strategic performance, and our future prospects as a global organisation.'It is important for us as a professional body to explain how we create value for our stakeholders ' especially our members ' and the place we occupy in society. This report is our first attempt at doing this using the emerging discipline of IR.'Through IIRC, integrated reporting (IR) aims to collate the material information about an organisation's strategy, governance, performance and prospects that reflects the commercial, social and environmental context within which the organisation operates.ACCA's report lists key achievements for ACCA throughout the strategic year 2011 / 12 and discloses more performance measures than ever before.Furthermore, the report gave a fuller explanation around ACCA's strategic performance in the interests of greater transparency and accountability. Its content is based on materiality analysis, which identifies the issues of importance to readers of our report, and an evaluation of how we create value for our stakeholders, especially our members. These are both key elements of the integrated reporting concept.ACCA's President, Dean Westcott, added: 'This is a step forward in how we report our annual performance. ACCA has been involved in the work of the IIRC since its inception, and we welcomed their proposals to strengthen the relevance of corporate reporting to investors and other stakeholders.'That is the point of this report, which alongside ACCA's Corporate and Social Responsibility statement and our financial accounts mean we are sharing with our stakeholders fuller and more relevant information on the progress ACCA is making towards its strategic goals.'ACCA's involvement as an IR Pilot Programme organisation ensures that we can use our experience to contribute to the development of the global IR framework and learn from other major companies who are also moving down this path.
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