This study assesses the impacts of combined assurance (CA) quality on external reporting qualities (i.e., integrated, sustainability and financial reports). Data from listed firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa are used in this study. JSE is the largest stock exchange in Africa and, currently, the only capital market that mandates integrated reporting (IR) practice. This study uses content analysis to produce IR and CA quality data from IR reports and collects financial and sustainability quality data from the Bloomberg database. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression is used to test the models, together with a set of robustness tests. The findings show strong associations between CA quality and both IR and sustainability reporting qualities, indicating that CA effectively enhances the credibility of sustainability‐exhaustive reporting practices. However, for financial reporting quality, CA impacts differently the two financial measures used in this study (i.e., real and accrual earnings management).

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between integrated reporting (IR) quality and corporate tax avoidance (CTA). IR is an emerging reporting mechanism, while CTA practices are considered a hindrance to inclusive and sustainable growth. The study also assesses the moderating role of firm complexity on the IR-CTA relationship. Additionally, this study also envisages that CTA practices are not static. Hence, it also analyses the IR-CTA relationship across different intensity levels of CTA practices. The study focusses on listed companies in South Africa, the only country that has mandated IR practice so far. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least square and quantile regressions are used to analyse archival and content analysis data for firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange from 2011 to 2017. Findings This study finds that IR quality negatively associates firms CTA practices. It further concludes that although firms’ transparency level increases due to IR quality, firm complexity reduces the significant negative relationship between IR and CTA practices. The findings also indicate that the IR-CTA relationship is not constant but instead differs across the CTA quantiles. At aggressive levels of CTA, no relationship is established between IR quality and firms’ CTA practices. Practical implications The findings provide a useful and more detailed description of the relationship between information quality and CTA practice, focussing on IR, an emerging reporting mechanism that is considered innovative and transparent. Social implications Considering the IR-CTA relationship found in this study, IR quality implementation may indirectly contribute to attaining sustainable development goals by reducing CTA practices. Originality/value This study examines the relationship between reporting quality and firms’ CTA practices from the perspectives of an emerging reporting mechanism, with a focus on South Africa, the only country that has mandated IR practice. Furthermore, the distributional mean effects of IR quality on firms’ CTA practices explored in this study extend beyond the usual IR-CTA relationship.

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PurposeThis study examines the effect of the environmental sensitivity of firms on the relationship between integrated reporting (IR) quality and sustainability performance. Prior research works focus on the nexus between IR quality and sustainability performance with little attention to factors that moderate this relationship.Design/methodology/approachOrdinary least squares (OLS) and other robust estimations are employed to analyse the data of firms on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).FindingsThis study finds a positive association between IR quality and sustainability performance. However, the strength of this relationship is found to be weaker among environmentally sensitive firms, thereby raising concerns that such firms may be reporting less sustainability information with the mandatory implementation of IR on the JSE.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for regulatory bodies to consider additional sustainability disclosure requirements for firms in environmentally sensitive industries.Social implicationsThe findings should make regulatory bodies aware of the possible actions of environmentally sensitive firms in relation to sustainability information within a mandatory setting of IR.Originality/valueThe study extends the existing literature on IR and sustainability performance by considering the effect of firm environmental sensitivity as a moderating factor.