The Future of Corporate Reporting: History, Perspectives and Problems

The purpose of the article is to analyze proposals for prospects for the development of corporate reporting in the future, as well as to identify areas and obstacles to such development. Historical aspects of forming a new model of corporate reporting have been analyzed. Priority of external factors in the improvement of corporate reporting at the initial stage of analysis of its development has been identified. The reasons for the discrepancy between the current model of corporate reporting and the specifics of the functioning of corporations have been identified. The necessity of continuous improvement of corporate reporting in accordance with the changing information needs of stakeholders has been grounded. The dependence of corporate reporting on changes in the external accounting environment (internal and external stakeholders, new technologies of work with accounting information, peculiarities of corporate activities) has been disclosed. The proposals of research structures and professional accounting organizations for improvement of corporate reporting during 2015-2019 have been analyzed. Priority environmental factors that will influence the development of corporate reporting in the future (requirements of external stakeholders, technological innovations) have been identified. Two main models have been formed that characterize the development of corporate reporting in the future. Priority of development of corporate reporting in the future has been established on the basis of selected ways (inclusion of new objects in its composition, improvement of the current accounting methodology, active introduction of technological innovations into the accounting process, improvement of the institutional structure of national accounting systems, improvement of the accounting organization process).Obstacles to the progressive development of corporate reporting in the future have been determined (necessity of transformation of the theory of double-entry accounting, necessity of economy of expenses for the reporting process, insufficiency of the solution of agency problem in corporations, falling into institutional trap in the process of development of the system of reporting regulation, low level of theorizing of corporate reporting process transformation).