The world is full of passing fads, false expectations that excite but don’t deliver.
Twenty years ago there was a great deal of excitement about TECs. (What? Training and EnterpriseCouncils). I remember twenty-odd years ago sitting through a worthy talk by the CEO of theCoventryand Warwickshire TEC. He assured us that TECs would transform theUK’s abysmal record on skills and training. A revolution was on its way.
It never occurred.
One has a sneaking suspicion the current vogue for hyping integrated reporting is out of the same stable. Anyone who believes assurance should be part of the integrated reporting package looks in for a disappointment. Of the 24 companies who used the annual report and accounts as the main vector for corporate responsibility reporting, only two assure non-financial data.
One or two questions there for anyone tempted to believe that integrated reporting is the answer to a maiden’s prayer.