There is a major interest in analyzing the role of intangible assets on sustainable development, which is a topic under the auspices of the so-called 5th stage of research. Cooperatives are enterprises directly committed to sustainable development due to their dual nature–economic and social. This paper is based on a literature review and proposes a theoretical model based on intangible assets for understanding the role of cooperatives as drivers of sustainable development. The findings show that these assets are involved in regional competitiveness and especially evident when considering cooperatives. It can be concluded that, when focusing the attention on cooperatives, it is useful to use a multilevel approach (micro and macro levels) to understand the whole process of interaction between intangible assets and sustainable development. The model aims to contribute to a line of research of great potential, but is also a practical tool for reflecting on cooperativism and for government agencies.

Purpose: – We must acknowledge the importance of intangibles in today’s economies and the controversy over the accounting and reporting of these assets. For this reason, the purpose of this paper is to synthesize the lessons learned from research to date and identify gaps in that research that would be useful to academics and practitioners.Design/methodology/approach: – The literature review was conducted after an analysis of the most important academic databases in the period of 1990-2013: ABI Inform Complete, CSIS, EconLit, ISOC, Journal Citation Reports, Scopus, Emerald, Springer, and Google Scholar.Findings: – The authors offer a summary of the main gaps in the literature on intellectual capital disclosures, among which the authors perceive a need for increased qualitative or explanatory research, which would allow further analysis of such decisions.Research limitations/implications: – Specifically, the main problem encountered in the research on voluntary disclosure of intangibles appears to relate to the type of methodology used, which is usually quantitative or descriptive.Practical implications: – Given that the principal limitations in the field of the disclosure of intangibles have been discussed, the authors conclude by indicating the principal directions for future research.Social implications: – Qualitative analysis is absent in the literature the authors reviewed, and considered it fundamental to understanding this type of disclosure. In fact, the development of future lines of research could provide better-quality intangible asset reporting.Originality/value: – Although there are previous studies on this topic, the authors believe that the main contribution of this study is to offer an integrated framework of existing findings concerning decisions by companies to disclose information on intangibles, a topic on which previous literature is sparse.

Purpose: In this paper, the authors analyze the use of content analysis in disclosing voluntarily information on intangible assets, the intangible assets disclosures (IAD). The purpose of this paper is to conduct a structured literature review (SLR) that assesses the possibilities and limitations of content analysis.Design/methodology/approach: To that end, the authors analyze the existing literature on the topic in the main international databases. In all, 74 empirical articles utilizing content analysis as a research methodology for IAD were reviewed. Regarding the selection of sources, the authors should indicate that the SLR performed includes academic studies published in journals or presented at conferences and that are always subject to a double process of anonymous review.Findings: The obtained results indicate that despite the frequent use of content analysis in studies on IAD, its use does not meet all expectations.Research limitations/implications: The study synthesizes the research on content analysis for the case of information on intangible assets, offering an updated and global framework for future researchers through the SLR.Practical implications: Among other problems, the authors found its excessive emphasis on the amount disclosed in the annual report, ignoring other reports in which more information regarding intangible assets is available, such as in the case of the sustainability reports. Furthermore, the use of very different coding systems and its exclusive use without being combined with other methodologies are detected. These aspects affect the quality problems of the sources used, which directly results in the utility of the evidenced findings.Social implications: These conclusions allow the authors to conclude on the need to open different lines of study that review the use of content analysis in this topic.Originality/value: The work focuses on the quality of disclosures more so than on the quantity, offering a critical view that summarizes the utility of the employment of content analysis for this type of disclosure and its implications for future research on this topic. Despite previous studies, the authors highlight the new insights revealed from IAD research, especially since the seminal paper of Dumay and Cai (2014).

This study aims to add to the knowledge on the motivations driving SMEs in Spain to engage in voluntary social and environmental reporting (SER). We apply inductive content analysis to information sourced from interviews with SME owner‐managers, complemented with CEO letters. While the paper confirms that there are several co‐existing motivations for SER in SMEs, inconsistencies are identified between the information disclosed in the two aforementioned sources. Overall, stakeholder engagement seems to be the most important motivation for reporting. Contrary to what the literature to date has shown about the relevance of SME owner‐managers' personal values when it comes to disclosing social and environmental information, our findings suggest that individual beliefs and values are not the main factor driving SER. Results also show industry and firm size are determinants of motivations for SER. The study thus contributes to the literature on this underexplored topic by providing insights into the motivations for SER in SMEs. An understanding of these motivations is pivotal to help policymakers focus their efforts on implementing appropriate institutional reforms in this emerging field.

The main aim of this paper is to provide insights into how the business case for sustainability reporting (SR) in SMEs is perceived by two groups of experts (consultants and academics). In particular, we examine how these two groups prioritize a set of costs and benefits associated with this type of reporting. The study draws on the best–worst method, a multicriteria decision‐making technique. Interviews were conducted with consultants and academics to gather detailed information about their perceptions regarding the costs and benefits that may be derived from the implementation of SR in SMEs. Consultants identified “competitive advantage” and “reputation and legitimacy” as the most relevant potential benefits of implementing SR in SMEs, while academics identified the “economic cost” as the most important criterion to be considered in the decision‐making process. Experts' perceptions of the business case for sustainability may encourage nonreporting SMEs to engage in sustainability. The identified gap between consultants and academics in the prioritization of costs and benefits is especially relevant to the emerging field of SR in SMEs. The study addresses an important topic from across the social and environmental accounting literature, the business case for SR in SMEs.