Disclose 23

Modern corporate reporting involves much more than stating financial key figures.

A new year, a new issue of Disclose: two reasons to celebrate! The latest edition of our web magazine focuses on corporate reporting – a highly relevant topic that affects you on a daily basis.

In the last few decades the legal and regulatory requirements governing corporate reporting have tightened steadily, often in response to calls for transparency. Investors want more clarity on the security and development of their investments, analysts expect indications of whether corporate data is to be trusted, members of the public seek assurance that a company is taking its corporate responsibilities seriously, and governments are looking for insights into the tax relevance of customer data. It is no surprise that corporate reporting is a constant concern that ranks high on the agenda of anyone like yourself who has to make decisions and take responsibility for an organisation.

The sheer size of the latest edition of Disclose is an indication of the enormous spectrum covered by corporate reporting. These days the scope of reporting extends to providing a wealth of information on the non-financial aspects of value creation, including sustainability, corporate culture and philosophy, the ability to take an integrated approach and engage in dialogue, attitude to risk, and an assessment of future developments. The different reports and reporting processes are often intertwined, making it difficult to draw distinctions. What they all have in common is that implemented properly and intelligently they can help you manage your organisation with more far-sightedness and address your corporate responsibilities effectively for the long term.

The latest edition of Disclose is designed to give you an overview and bring you up to speed on the latest developments. We look at the hard and soft factors involved in corporate reporting, the different forms of reporting that exist, what they are expected to contain, and how you can harness all this to add value. For the first time in years we are delighted to present a guest author. We would like to thank Professor Thomas Berndt at the Institute of Public Finance, Fiscal Law, and Law and Economics at the University of St. Gallen for providing the opening article in this issue of Disclose.

I wish you fascinating reading and plenty of insights for the new year.

Alex Astolfi

Alex Astolfi
Member of the Management Board, Leader Assurance PwC Switzerland