One of the biggest challenges facing organisations in meeting the Integrated Reporting (IR) requirements is identifying the boundary of the organisation. The Integrated Reporting Framework (IRF) on page 20 shows how the IRF reporting boundary is greater than traditional financial reporting based on accounting processes.
However the May 2014 Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) discussion paper on boundary setting states (p18-19) that where non-financial reporting requirements are added to existing mainstream reporting requirements, the boundary used for existing mainstream reporting should apply equally to non-financial reporting requirements and that if any information is required about the outcomes or impacts of business activity beyond the boundary used for mainstream reporting, the circumstances in which such information should be provided must be specified and the resulting information separately labelled.
Critically analyse the boundaries proposed by IR and CDSB identify any potential conflicts, potential similarities and identify the role of accounting in providing the required non-financial information for both proposals.