Enhancing Sustainability Through Non-Financial Reporting


Book Description

The lack of transparency and accountability in organizations has made it difficult to identify, measure, and disclose their sustainable practices and impacts, creating a challenge for global sustainability efforts. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus on the determinants and impacts of non-financial information reporting. In response to these challenges, Enhancing Sustainability Through Non-Financial Reporting, a book edited by Albertina Monteiro, Ana Pinto Borges, and Elvira Vieira, offers a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between sustainability practices and reporting, and the accounting, finance, and management fields. This book provides a platform for both academics and practitioners to share their empirical and theoretical research on the contributions of organizations to sustainable development, the determinants and impacts of non-financial information reporting, the role of sustainability reporting standards, and the challenges faced by accounting, finance, management, and auditing. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to enhance sustainability through non-financial reporting and is relevant to a wide range of audiences, including academics, practitioners, and other interested individuals and groups.




Enhancing Sustainability Through Non-financial Reporting


Book Description

The lack of transparency and accountability in organizations has made it difficult to identify, measure, and disclose their sustainable practices and impacts, creating a challenge for global sustainability efforts. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus on the determinants and impacts of non-financial information reporting. In response to these challenges, Enhancing Sustainability Through Non-Financial Reporting , a book edited by Albertina Monteiro, Ana Pinto Borges, and Elvira Vieira, offers a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between sustainability practices and reporting, and the accounting, finance, and management fields. This book provides a platform for both academics and practitioners to share their empirical and theoretical research on the contributions of organizations to sustainable development, the determinants and impacts of non-financial information reporting, the role of sustainability reporting standards, and the challenges faced by accounting, finance, management, and auditing. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to enhance sustainability through non-financial reporting and is relevant to a wide range of audiences, including academics, practitioners, and other interested individuals and groups.




Non-Financial Disclosure and Integrated Reporting


Book Description

For researchers and managers interested in performance measurement, this volume includes innovative research that sheds light on topics such as the determinants of disclosure quality, the identification of appropriate metrics, the relationship among the different disclosure mechanisms and between voluntary and mandatory disclosure, and many more.




Business Sustainability


Book Description

Business sustainability has advanced from greenwashing and branding to being a business imperative. Stakeholders, including shareholders, demand, regulators require, and companies now need to report their sustainability performance. No longer is this a choice for businesses. A decade ago, fewer than 50 companies released sustainability reports, and now more 8,000 global public companies disclose sustainability performance information on some or all five economic, governance, social, ethical, and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance, and this trend is expected to continue. Indeed, more than 6,000 European public companies would be required to disclose their environmental, social, governance and diversity information for their 2017 reporting year. However, the proper determination of sustainability performance, accurate and reliable reporting and independent assurance of sustainability information remain major challenges for organizations of all types and sizes. Through reading this book, you will: Identify sustainability strategies to create innovation in new products, services, energy-efficiency, environmental facilities and green initiatives. Understand the role and responsibilities of all participants in the corporate reporting process, including directors, officers, internal auditors, external auditors, legal counsel, and investors. See ways to improve public trust, investor confidence, business reputation, employee satisfaction, corporate culture, social responsibility and environmental performance. Learn all five economic, governance, social, ethical and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance separately and their integrated and interactive effects on achieving the goal of creating sustainable value for all stakeholders, including shareholders. Learn how to adopt best practices in sustainability development and performance, and deliver effective integrated sustainability reporting and assurance.




Corporate Sustainability Management


Book Description

Businesses around the world are increasingly turning to an exciting new branch of management known as corporate sustainability management (CSM) to help them better understand and manage their non-financial performance. Indeed, what we are witnessing is nothing less than the birth of a new management function. The main pillar of CSM is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), which has been successful as an organizing principle but a disappointment in practice. This is largely due to the absence of 'sustainability context' in related measurement, management and reporting efforts, when for example the monitoring of a company's use of freshwater resources fails to take into account the size of related supplies. This book is the first to introduce a systematic means of including context in sustainability management and doing effective CSM. After making the case for why context matters, the book explains how to do context-based CSM by providing a stepwise, cyclical blueprint for how to practice it in any organization. This includes a template for context-based metrics compatible with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), as well as specific examples of metrics for each of the triple bottom lines. Practical examples of best practices are presented throughout, while simultaneously addressing key issues, such as how organizations can measure performance against context-based standards when consensus for such standards does not yet exist. Appendices include tools for developing and applying context-based metrics, as well as case studies taken from the practice of context-based CSM at two companies in the United States. This guide is the essential tool for business and organizational leaders in all sectors committed to improving their sustainability performance, with a particular emphasis on measurement, management and reporting.




Enhancing Global Competitiveness Through Sustainable Environmental Stewardship


Book Description

It is apparent that environmental issues affect the livelihoods and well being of individuals, communities and businesses the world over. In that vein, this book examines the impact that climate change and other environmental factors have on business. The effect of climate change, while a significant factor, will influence business slowly, but inexorably. Executives should manage environmental risk at three levels: regulatory compliance, potential liability from industrial accidents, and pollutant release mitigation.Companies that are proactive in mitigating their exposure to climate-change risks will not only generate new profitable opportunities, but also gain competitive advantage over their rivals in a carbon-constrained future. Enhancing Global Competitiveness through Sustainable Environmental Stewardship provides frameworks for identifying how climate change might affect a business, and suggests strategy guidelines to manage the risks and seek opportunities.This seminal collection of research will be of particular interest to students and scholars of sustainability studies, business and management, and business professionals concerned with the role they will play in the changing and challenging times that lie ahead for business growth and environmental consciousness.




Sustainability Accounting and Integrated Reporting


Book Description

Sustainability Accounting and Integrated Reporting deals with organizations’ assessment, articulation and disclosure of their social and environmental impact on various groups in society. There is increasingly an understanding that financial information does not sufficiently discharge organizational accountability to members of society who are demanding an account of the social and environmental impacts of companies’ and other organizations’ activities. As a result, organizations report ever more social and environmental information, and there are simultaneous movements towards providing the information in an integrated fashion, showing how social and environmental activities influence each other, members of society and the financial aims of the organization. The book Sustainability Accounting and Integrated Reporting provides a broad and comprehensive review of the field, focusing on the interconnection between different elements of these topics, often dealt with in isolation. The book examines the accounting involved in the collection and analysis of data, control processes over the data, how information is reported to external parties, and the assurance of the information being reported. The book thereby provides an overview useful to practitioners (including sustainability managers, consultants, members of the accounting profession, and other assurance providers), academics, and students.




Corporate Sustainability


Book Description

Invaluable guidance for complete integration of sustainability into reporting and performance management systems Global businesses are under close scrutiny from lawmakers, regulators, and their diverse stakeholders to focus on sustainability and accept responsibility for their multiple bottom line performance. Business Sustainability and Accountability examines business sustainability and accountability reporting and their integration into strategy, governance, risk assessment, performance management and the reporting process. This book also highlights how people, business and resources collaborate in a business sustainability and accountability model. Looks at business sustainability and accountability reporting and assurance and their incorporation into the reporting process Focuses on how the business sustainability and accountability model are impacted by the collaboration of people, business, and resources Presents laws, rules, regulations, standards and best practices relevant to business sustainability performance, reporting and assurance Organizations worldwide recognize the importance of all five EGSEE dimensions of sustainability performance and accountability reporting. However, how to actually assess sustainability risk, implement sustainability reporting, and obtain sustainability assurance remain a major challenge and best practices are evolving. Straightforward and comprehensive Business Sustainability and Accountability hits on all of the hottest topics around sustainability including multiple bottom line (EGSEE) performance and reporting, related financial and non-financial key performance indicators (KPIs), business social responsibility and environmental reporting.




Improving Sustainability Through Information Governance


Book Description

Leveraging Information Governance to Boost Sustainability offers a comprehensive exploration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks through the lenses of people, process, and technology. Delving into the intricacies of strategic alignment, management principles, and risk management, the book emphasizes the vital connection between ESG and organizational sustainability. This book begins by elucidating the significance of ESG, core frameworks, and regulatory mandates. Part two delves into Information Governance (IG) elements such as data management, privacy, and security, alongside relevant ISO standards. The final section outlines strategies for applying IG standards to enhance ESG reporting and outcomes. Advocating for integrating IG best practices to bolster organizational ESG compliance efforts, this book is a must-read for leaders seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of climate risk reporting and sustainability.




Research on Corporate Sustainability


Book Description

This monograph provides an overview of key papers in the corporate sustainability literature and directions for future research. It is structured on three key themes: measuring, managing and communicating corporate sustainability performance.