scholarly journals Selective coupling as institutional response to sustainability development in electric utilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 05008
Author(s):  
Johannes Slacik ◽  
Dorothea Greiling
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Electric Utilities ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Climate Targets ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Management Approaches

Electric utilities are in an environmental sensitive industry, exploiting natural resources and contributing to climate change issues. The focus of critical stakeholders on sustainability agendas and management approaches and the increasing tight sector-regulations pressure electric utilities to act and distribute sustainability reports declaring their sustainability performances and goals towards achieving climate targets. However, literature criticizes the utility’s reporting practices as form of impression management being decoupled from actual sustainability compliance. This paper analyzes in light of institutional theory the compliance with or decoupling from sustainability agendas in the under-researched electricity sector by identifying the coverage of materiality in sustainability reports and the implemented sustainability management control systems for sustainability development. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used including correlation- and variance analysis of material indicators and expert interviews. This study contributes by having identified a sector-wide continuous form of selective coupling from the sustainability agendas in electric utilities. Furthermore, this paper found that sustainability agendas and the implementation of sustainability control mechanisms are governed by institutional hybrid logics which are still at an early stage.

scholarly journals Compliance with materiality in G4-sustainability reports by electric utilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Slacik ◽  
Dorothea Greiling
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Reporting Practice ◽  
Sustainability Reports

Purpose Materiality as an emerging trend aims to make sustainability reports (SR) more relevant for stakeholders. This paper aims to investigate whether the reporting practice of electric utility companies (EUC) is in compliance with the materiality principle of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) when disclosing SR. Design/methodology/approach A twofold content analysis focusing on material aspects (MAs) is conducted, followed by correlation analysis. Logic and conversation theory (LCT) serves to evaluate the communication quality of documented materiality in SR by EUC. Findings The coverage and quality of documented MAs in SR by EUC do not meet the requirements for relevant and transparent communication. Materiality does not guide the reporting practice and is not taken seriously. Research limitations/implications Mediocre quality of coverage and communication in SR shows that stakeholders’ information needs are not considered adequately. The content analysis is limited in focusing on merely documented aspects rather than on actual performance. Originality/value This study considers the quality of communication of documented materiality through the lens of LCT. It contributes to the academic debate by introducing LCT as a viable theoretical perspective for analyzing SR. The paper evaluates GRI-G4 reporting practices in the electricity sector, which, while under-researched is crucial for sustainability. It also contributes to the emerging body of empirical research on the relevance of materiality as a guiding principle for sustainability reporting.

Outsourcing relationship management: accounting in the decision mix

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Mirghani Nimir Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Management Accounting ◽  
Accounting Information ◽  
Relationship Management ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Monitoring Cost ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The paper aims to examine the role of management accounting and accounting information in decisions to outsource and manage outsourcing relationships. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a case study method. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews and informal discussions with executives of the participating companies. Official documents and secondary materials were analysed. Findings The findings of these cases present evidence of some roles given to accounting information and varying tasks assumed by accountants and finance staff in the outsourcing projects undertaken. These roles and tasks range from financial evaluation of new outsourcing proposals and alternatives, consultation and price negotiations in the planning and feasibility stages to the management of outsourcing relationships including monitoring, cost analysis, performance measurement, internal audit, design and implementation of risk-reward payment schemes. Managing the outsourced functions in one case involved in the use of informal control mechanisms such as trust, knowledge sharing, mutual understanding and cooperation between partners. Practical implications The paper highlights the role of management accounting and information in outsourcing relationship management and evaluation. The case findings provide the opportunity for management practitioners to understand the strategic role of management accountants in the management of inter-firm relationships. Originality/value The case study presents new empirical evidence of the role of management accounting and accounting information in the management control of outsourcing relationships.

scholarly journals Management Control in Inter-organizational Relationships: The Case of Franchises

Innovar ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (58) ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Cordobés Madueño ◽  
Pilar Solde
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Personal Relationship ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Organizational Relationships ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Organizational Relations ◽  
The Relationship

There is great interest in the role of management control on theoretical and practical developments within the field of Inter-organizational Relations. This research aims to contribute at verifying how relationships between firms affect the management control tools used, as illustrated in a specific case: the relationship between the franchisor and its franchisees, which has not received much attention to date. As indicated by previous research, case studies can be helpful to determine the factors affecting the type of management control tools that should be established to manage inter-firm relationships.Results have found that the franchisor uses quantitative control mechanisms in order to avoid common types of opportunistic franchise behavior related to royalty payments and other financial requirements, as well as qualitative tools to assure the fulfilment of agreement-related conditions regarding knowhow, to resolve unexpected non-economic problems and to encourage personal relationship and trust. This study also provides an outline on franchisor-franchisee relationships in the model proposed by Van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman (2000). To test this model, the franchisor's perspective (outsourcer) has been taken into account as performed when building the model. Findings indicate that this relationship shows many similarities to the pattern based on bureaucracy and a few similarities to patterns based on trust.

Impression Management in Sustainability Reports: An Empirical Investigation of the Use of Graphs

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Cho ◽  
Giovanna Michelon ◽  
Dennis M. Patten
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Impression Management ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Social And Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Social And Environmental Performance

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether firms use graphs in their sustainability reports in order to present a more favorable view of their social and environmental performance. Further, because prior research indicates that companies use social and environmental disclosure as a tool to reduce their exposure to social and political pressures (the legitimacy argument), we also examine whether differences in the extent of impression management are associated with differences in social and environmental performance. Based on an analysis of graphs in sustainability reports for a sample of 77 U.S. companies for 2006, we find considerable evidence of favorable selectivity bias in the choice of items graphed, and moderate evidence that where distortion in graphing occurs, it also has a favorable bias. Our results regarding the relation between impression management and performance are mixed. Whereas we find that graphs of social items in sustainability reports for companies with worse social performance exhibit more impression management, no significant relation between environmental performance and impression management in the use of environmental graphs is found. Overall, our results provide additional evidence that corporate sustainability reporting, as it currently exists, appears to be more about fostering positive public relations than providing a meaningful accounting of the social and environmental impacts of the firm.

It is not always bad news

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1319-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Anne McNally ◽  
Warren Maroun
Keyword(s):  
Impression Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Financial Information ◽  
Accounting System ◽  
Integrated Reporting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Reporting

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to challenge the notion that non-financial reporting is mainly about impression management or is only a superficial response to the hegemonic challenges posed by the sustainability movement. It focuses on the most recent development in sustainability reporting (integrated reporting) as an example of how accounting for financial and non-financial information has the potential to expand the scope of accounting systems, promote meaningful changes to reporting processes and provide a broader perspective on value creation. Design/methodology/approach The research focuses on an African eco-tourism company which has its head office in South Africa. A case study method is used to highlight differences in the presentation of an integrated business model according to the case entity’s integrated reports and how individual preparers interpret the requirement to prepare those reports. Data are collected using detailed interviews with all staff members involved in the preparation process. These are complemented by a review of the minutes of the company’s sustainability workshops and integrated reports. Findings A decision by the case organisation to prepare an integrated report gives rise to different forms of resistance which limits the change potential of the integrated reporting initiative. Resistance does not, however, preclude reform. Even when individual preparers are critical of the changes to the corporate reporting environment, accounting for financial and non-financial information expands the scope of the conventional accounting system which facilitates broader management control and promotes a more integrated conception of “value”. Research limitations/implications Integrated reporting should not be dismissed as only an exercise in corporate reporting and disclosure; it has a transformative potential which, given time, can enable new ways of managing business processes and articulating value creation. Originality/value This study answers the calls for primary evidence on how the requirement or recommendation to prepare an integrated report is being interpreted and applied by individual preparers. The findings add to the limited body of interpretive research on the change potential of new reporting frameworks. In doing so, the research provides theoretical support for developing arguments which challenge the conventional position that integrated reporting is little more than an exercise in impression management.

Cross-Cultural Challenges for Information Resources Management

2011 ◽  
pp. 840-846
Author(s):  
Wai K. Law
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Information Resources Management ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
World Information ◽  
Management Approaches

Western organizations have led the globalization of business operations, especially in the deployment of multi-domestic strategy. The decentralized organizational control and customized operations support the fast penetration of huge global markets. Western management theory considers information the lifeblood of organization. The sharing of information lubricates the interlocking divisions within the organization, promoting the effective achievement of organizational goals with external business partners. However, in many regions of the world, information represents power, and managers often try to accumulate as much of it as they can while denying access to others (Oz, 2002). For others, the disclosure of information is considered a threat to the span of management control (Rocheleau, 1999). In some cases, administrators could be more interested in the scale of the information system and its associated budget, than the capability and functionality of the system (Kalpic & Boyd, 2000). These are examples of conflicting cultural values in a cross-cultural environment. The introduction of Western management approaches conflicts with regional administrative styles, diminishing the effectiveness of information systems (Raman & Watson, 1997; Shea & Lewis, 1996). Sensitivity to cultural differences has been recognized as an important factor in the successful global deployment of information systems. Minor information management issues potentially resolvable through improved communication in the west often manifest as major challenges in a crosscultural environment.

Information Resources Development Challenges in a Cross-Cultural Environment

2005 ◽  
pp. 1476-1481
Author(s):  
Wai K. Law
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Environment ◽  
Organizational Goals ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
World Information ◽  
Management Approaches

Western management theory considers information the lifeblood of organization. The sharing of information lubricates the interlocking divisions within the organization, promoting the effective achievement of organizational goals with external business partners. However, in many regions of the world, information represents power, and managers often try to accumulate as much of it as they can while denying access to others (Oz, 2002). For others, the disclosure of information is considered a threat to the span of management control (Rocheleau, 1999). In some cases, administrators could be more interested in the scale of the information system and its associated budget, than in the capability and functionality of the system (Kalpic & Boyd, 2000). These are examples of conflicting cultural values in a cross-cultural environment. The introduction of Western management approaches conflicts with regional administrative styles, diminishing the effectiveness of information systems (Shea & Lewis, 1996; Raman & Watson, 1997). Sensitivity to cultural differences has been recognized as an important factor in the successful global deployment of information systems. Minor information management issues potentially resolvable through improved communication in the West often manifest as major challenges in a cross-cultural environment.

scholarly journals Coverage of G4-indicators in GRI-sustainability reports by electric utilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Slacik ◽  
Dorothea Greiling
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Reports ◽  
Coverage Rates

PurposeElectric utility companies (EUC) are expected to play a key role toward implementing ambitious climate change aims being under critical scrutiny by regulators and stakeholders. However, EUC provide an under-researched field regarding sustainability reporting with the focus on economic, social and ecological concerns. This paper aims to gain insights of the sustainability reporting practice of EUC and the coverage of indicators based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-Guidelines.Design/methodology/approachA twofold documentary analysis of 186 GRI-G4 sustainability reports by EUC globally is conducted to investigate the coverage rates of G4-indicators. Neo-institutionalism and strategic stakeholder theory serve as theoretical lenses. A regression analysis is used to examine ownership, stock-exchange listing, area of activity and region as potential drivers of sustainability reporting.FindingsResults show that the coverage of indicators based on triple-bottom-line dimensions is moderate in EUC leaving room for improvement. The coverage of sector-specific indicators lacks behind the coverage of standard disclosure indicators. Results show that private and listed EUC show better coverage rates than public and not-listed EUC.Research limitations/implicationsNeo-institutionalism shows limited homogenization in the sector. Strategic stakeholder theory demonstrates insufficient stakeholder compliance of public and not-listed EUC.Originality/valueThis study contributes to sustainability reporting research by focusing on the under-researched electricity sector. It provides practical reporting insights for EUC, the GRI and regulators.

The “betrayal effect” on post-acquisition integration

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-303
Author(s):  
Nazila Razi ◽  
John Garrick
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Change ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acquisition Integration ◽  
Integration Strategies

Purpose This paper aims to draw on Latour’s (1991) conceptual “performative” framework to investigate the role of management control systems (MCSs) in the establishment of post-acquisition integration. The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, where data are collected and analysed from an Australian company which had recently completed a number of acquisitions. Findings demonstrate the performative powers and effects of MCSs, which contribute to shaping customer and sales integration activities, including the forms some resistance may take. In this case, a bitter betrayal was perceived to have occurred in an early stage of the merger, and this paper argues that the use of a performative theoretical framework has enabled subsequent post-acquisition integration strategies to be rendered more visible and thus actionable. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative approach where data are collected and analysed from an Australian case study company which had recently completed a number of acquisitions. Research methods used include semi-structured interviews, a review of archival documents and observations to capture daily integration activities and practices of actors operating in the company. Findings Findings demonstrate the performative powers and effects of MCSs, which structure customer and sales integration activities and make post-acquisition integration relations strategy visible and actionable. Research limitations/implications Findings are only on one case study, and there is a need to undertake further detailed case studies across a range of industries and timeframes, plus, where possible, revisit such studies post hoc to assess the stability of success of the integration. Practical implications Integration strategy and strategic change may be constituted by non-human actants such as MCSs. Practitioners who are engaged in acquisitions and making integration decisions need to recognise that MCSs do not merely play a subordinate role to integration strategies, but rather is an important moderating variable that play an active role in their formulation, configuration and enactment. Originality/value A performative approach is taken to provide a broader analytical framework for analysing the construction and sustaining of post‐acquisition integration relations, where there is no distinction between technical and social dimensions of action but, rather, the two are merged. This makes it possible to overcome the limitations inherent in existing theoretical frameworks. Using this approach, integration relations involve construction of a network of entities that are enrolled to support, create and sustain the integration.

Myelotoxicity and Dose Intensity of Chemotherapy: Reporting Practices From Randomized Clinical Trials

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 440-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Dale ◽  
Gordon C. McCarter ◽  
Jeffrey Crawford ◽  
Gary H. Lyman
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Cancer Chemotherapy ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trials ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Dose Intensity ◽  
Hematologic Toxicity ◽  
Intensity Data ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Standard Procedures ◽  
Treatment Alternatives

Delivery of cancer chemotherapy is often limited by myelotoxicity, primarily neutropenia. As part of an effort to create a model to predict the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, we reviewed the reports of randomized clinical trials with more than 50 patients per arm in early-stage breast cancer (ESBC) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) published between 1990 and 2000. We observed that no hematologic toxicity data were reported in 39% and 34% of the ESBC and NHL trials, respectively. The remaining trials reported on hematologic toxicity in 16 different ways. When reported, rates of neutropenia, leukopenia, and hematotoxicity varied widely with the same and similar chemotherapy regimens. Dose-intensity data were not reported in 39% and 54% of ESBC and NHL trials, respectively. The majority of the remaining studies reported incomplete dose-intensity data such as percentages of patients completing all cycles or receiving a given percentage of planned dose intensity. Only 28% reported the mean or median relative dose intensity received by patients. Based on this review, we conclude that current practices for reporting chemotherapy treatments are inadequate for describing the risk of chemotherapy to patients or for quantitatively assessing the risk of treatment alternatives. We recommend that standard procedures for documenting and reporting hematologic toxicity and dose intensity in cancer chemotherapy trials be required for publication of chemotherapy trials.

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