Theories in integrated reporting and non-financial information research

Recently, the Integrated Reporting (IR) is one of the most interesting views in the field of business reporting. After nearly ten years of research on IR, we have conducted a review of the scientific literature to identify the theories most frequently adopted in the field of IR research and to highlight the circumstances in which these theories have been applied. We drew a framework, the RA/RP Matrix, considering the research approach and the research perspective, to classify theories and understand how they can be conveniently adopted to frame the analyses of integrated reporting processes and disclosures. Findings show that researchers adopted more than one theory to provide a comprehensive and integrated interpretation of the IR phenomenon. Furthermore, many new theories are emerging, even if Legitimacy Theory and Agency Theory are considered very frequently as the theoretical foundation of the IR research.