Authors : Rotifa Kolade Stephen; Emmanuel Eneche Onoja

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/cayd2xwv

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr2170

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Abstract : This study examines the effect of corporate integrated reporting and the audit committee effectiveness as a catalyst for the financial sustainability of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria from 2015 to 2024. Integrated reporting was decomposed into five dimensions: environmental, social, governance, stakeholder, and strategic disclosures, while audit committee measured by audit committee independence as the moderating variable. Financial sustainability was proxied by return on equity and equity-to-assets ratio. The study adopted pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and robust regression techniques, supported by diagnostic tests for normality, multicollinearity, and heteroscedasticity. The empirical results revealed that environmental, [coef=10.363(0.000)], social[coef=14.997(0.000)], and strategic disclosures [coef=4.232(0.000)], positively and significantly enhanced return on equity, while governance disclosure [coef=47.840(0.000)] had a significant effect on equity-to-assets ratio, suggesting its relevance in shaping long-term financial structure. Stakeholder reporting showed no significant effect on either measure of financial sustainability of ROET and EQTA [coef=-26.769(0.221)] and [coef=-27.988(0.476)] respectively. Additionally, audit committee’s effectiveness [coef=0.091(0.000)] significantly moderated the relationship between several integrated reporting components and financial sustainability, particularly in the context of profitability. These findings highlighted the differentiated effect of integrated reporting dimensions and the critical role of governance oversight in amplifying financial outcomes. The study contributed to literature by isolating integrated reporting into distinct constructs, validating their relevance in the Nigerian non-financial sector, and employing robust estimation techniques to ensure the credibility of findings. The study also reinforced stakeholder theory and resource dependency theory within an emerging market context. The study recommends that corporate managers, regulators, and policymakers should enhance integrated reporting and strengthen audit committee oversight effectiveness as mechanisms for achieving financial sustainability.

Keywords : Corporate Integrated Reporting, Audit Committee Effectiveness, Financial Sustainability. Return on Equity, Governance Disclosure, Policy Makers.Corporate Integrated Reporting, Audit Committee Effectiveness, Financial Sustainability. Return on Equity, Governance Disclosure, Policy Makers.

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