Abstract:

Integrated reporting is a new concept which advocates for the preparation of separate reports that communicate the impact, value-creation process, and linkage of performances with strategies of organisations. In recognition of the growing need for integrated reporting, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA-UK) recently included integrated reporting in the revised syllabus for 2015. This is not unconnected to the backdrop that different issues of strategic importance in accounting have found their way to the management accounting curriculum, to ensure the subject remains externally-oriented, forward-looking, and societally-relevant. With the knowledge that management accounting is a course undertaken in academic and professional accounting programmes, the study examines whether integrated reporting should be incorporated in the management accounting curriculum. Using questionnaire as the research instrument, we surveyed the views of accountants across seven sectors in Nigeria— the Academics, Audit/Consulting, Financial service, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, and Public sector. It was hypothesized that the competence required for preparing integrated reports significantly justifies the need to incorporate integrated reporting in accounting curriculum. Data analyses triangulation, with the combination of statistics such as mean, standard deviation, percentage analysis, cross-tabulation, partial correlation and Kruskal Wallis test at 5% significance level, establish the existence of a consensus, among respondents, on the need to inculcate integrated reporting in the management accounting curriculum. We recommend that management accounting curriculum should be updated with integrated reporting, as this move is expected to, not only raise awareness level for the concept, but also equip accountants with the competence required for preparing integrated reports, thereby preparing them early for the emerging task of integrated reporting.

Keywords:

Balanced score card, curriculum, integrated reporting, management accounting, strategy.