| Title | A new direction? The mainstreaming" of sustainability reporting" |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 66860 |
| Authors | Abela, M |
| Title | A new direction? The mainstreaming" of sustainability reporting" |
| Year | 2022 |
| Published | Sustainability Accounting Management And Policy Journal, 13, 6 |
| Abstract | Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the current developments to "mainstream" and standardise sustainability reporting and the consequences of those changes. Those changes give rise to the colonisation of sustainability reporting through the adoption of financial reporting concepts. Design/methodology/approach This research draws on critical theory, particularly the work of Foucault, to understand the dynamics of accounting change. This approach provides an alternative to the current narrative that the concepts that underpin reporting are universal and timeless. Findings It is suggested that if the aim of mandatory sustainability reporting is to promote companies adopting sustainable business models, then it must properly reflect the context of the company. Both transactive and relationship information is critical to providing an account that can be used to judge the performance of the corporation beyond its production of short-term net positive cash flows. Practical implications The design of standard setting arrangements for sustainability reporting needs to recognise that it may be unhelpful to simply adopt financial reporting concepts for the purposes of directing corporate behaviour towards sustainable development. Social implications Continuing to adopt a view of the corporation as a nexus of contracts with no clear accountability to stakeholders is likely to stymie efforts to deal with the environmental and social crisis facing people and planet. Originality/value Whilst other works have considered the development of sustainability reporting, to the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study to consider the impacts of "mainstreaming" it within mandatory corporate reporting. |
Similar Articles
| ID | Score | Article |
|---|---|---|
65230
|
Ihlen, O; Roper, J Corporate Reports on Sustainability and Sustainable Development: 'We Have Arrived'(2014)Sustainable Development, 22.0, 1 | |
| 73487
|
Lamberton, G Sustainability accounting-a brief history and conceptual framework(2005)Accounting Forum, 29, 1 | |
| 70942
|
Galeone, G; Onorato, G; Shini, M; Dell'Atti, V Climate-related financial disclosure in integrated reporting: what is the impact on the business model? The case of Poste Italiane(2023)Accounting Research Journal, 36.0, 1 | |
| 68501
|
Sisaye, S Ecological systems approaches to sustainability and organizational development Emerging trends in environmental and social accounting reporting systems(2011)Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32, 3-4 | |
| 68046
|
Vigneau, L; Adams, CA The failure of transparency as self-regulation(2023)Sustainability Accounting Management And Policy Journal, 14, 4 | |
| 74520
|
Atkins, J; Atkins, BC; Thomson, I; Maroun, W Good news from nowhere: imagining utopian sustainable accounting(2015)Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal, 28, 5 | |
| 4230
|
Opferkuch, K; Caeiro, S; Salomone, R; Ramos, TB Circular economy disclosure in corporate sustainability reports: The case of European companies in sustainability rankings(2022) | |
| 68804
|
Jones, MJ Accounting for the environment: Towards a theoretical perspective for environmental accounting and reporting(2010)Accounting Forum, 34, 2 | |
| 70425
|
Schaltegger, S; Etxeberria, IA; Ortas, E Innovating Corporate Accounting and Reporting for Sustainability - Attributes and Challenges(2017)Sustainable Development, 25, 2 | |
| 69755
|
Goel, P Rising standards of sustainability reporting in India A study of impact of reforms in disclosure norms on corporate performance(2021)Journal Of Indian Business Research, 13.0, 1 |