Assurance of integrated reporting reports and its impact on enhancing non-financial returns for economic units

Abstract

   The accounting information contained in the lists of economic units is considered the backbone of the accounting work and the summary of the efforts made within the economic unit, as it summarizes the activity, position, events and direction of the economic unit, on the basis of which decisions are taken by stakeholders, especially external ones, and in recent times many economic units have been directed to disclose About non-financial information (sustainability information) along with traditional financial information in unified lists called integrated reporting lists, as these lists show the direction of the economic unit and its risks and value creation in the short, medium and long term, and because of the importance of these lists, documenting the information contained in them is very important And since these lists contain non-financial information, they must be subject to assurance services, and that these services will serve the interest of the economic unit by enhancing its financial and non-financial returns. The enhancement of non-financial returns in this research was measured by distributing (96) questionnaires to a group of investors in the Iraqi Stock Exchange, and the research reached a set of conclusions, the most important of which is the need to confirm the information of the integrated reporting lists (financial and non-financial) to be reliable. This is what leads to the right decisions being taken by stakeholders. Therefore, the research recommended that the Iraqi economic units should adopt the work of the integrated reporting reports and their confirmation by an independent third party, which leads to the enhancement of their non-financial returns.