Fundamental and enhancing design principles in Standard Business Reporting

Abstract

Standard Business Reporting (SBR) initiatives have developed in a number of countries in order to reduce the burden of financial reporting. SBR allows joint tax and financial reporting through a common government gateway, thus reducing the administrative burden of statutory financial reporting. In Europe, SBR projects are a response to the European Accounting and Transparency Directives, and the European Digital Agenda. An SBR initiative is an example of a complex and innovative project that requires the co-ordination of public and private constituencies. Drawing on the qualitative findings of a longitudinal empirical study in Finland, we contribute to the literature by identifying a set of fundamental and enhancing design principles in SBR projects: (1) leadership, (2) win-win-win vision, (3) multi-channel communication, (4) intelligent scope, (5) expertise commitment, (6) track record, and (7) co-creation. Our findings offer a guide that will be useful to other jurisdictions embarking on SBR projects using XBRL.