Accounting challenges for sustainability and innovations

The aim of this e-book is to present the most important aspects related to sustainability, corporate social responsibility and innovation from an accounting perspective. The book contains parts that deal with accounting aspects of sustainability and innovations. The book consists of ten chapters devoted to relevant and topical issues of sustainability and innovations. Chapter 1 Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in Accounting is an introduction to further considerations and deals with the essence of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and their recognition in accounting. Chapter 2 Social Responsibility Reporting Standards presents the most important reporting guidance such as GRI, OECD, United Nations Global Compact, International Organization for Standardization. Chapter 3 Narrative reporting focuses on descriptions and explanations in accounting reports. The chapter presents the links between accounting and language, the development of accounting narratives and the factors determining the use of narratives. Chapter 4 Integrated reporting discusses the motivations, objectives and the process of preparing an integrated report. Integrated reporting can prove to be an effective tool for businesses looking to shift their reporting focus from annual financial performance to long-term shareholder value creation. Chapter 5 Non-financial reporting in selected European countries presents the experience of Croatia, the Czech Republic and Poland in the field of preparing non-financial reports. A significant contribution to promoting the importance of sustainability reporting was made by the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014/95/EU). Chapter 6, Socially Responsible Investments discusses the essence of socially responsible investing and socially responsible investment. Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a decision making process concerning the allocation of free financial resources, where the investor aims at maximization of profit and minimization of risk on one part and includes the socio-ethical and environmental-ecological considerations on the other. Chapter 7 External costs – accounting perspective describes costs connected with using goods such as air, soil, water, silence or the aesthetics of the surroundings. One of the biggest problems for accounting in the future will be measuring the volume of using these goods or measuring the size of reduction in the quality of public goods suffered and assigning the decrease to particular companies. Chapter 8 Derivatives in accounting is devoted to financial instruments and presents two different approaches to accounting of derivatives: general model and hedge accounting. Derivatives are used to protect the enterprise against financial risk related to changes in prices on the markets, changes in the exchange rate or changes in interest rates, as well as for commercial purposes. Chapter 9 Costs of Research and Development shows the company's activity in the field of research and development and the related costs. R&D constitute an increasingly important element of the functioning of enterprises. Chapter 10 Cryptoassets – Nature, Valuation and Disclosures in Accounting focuses on cryptocurrencies (e.g. Bitcoin, Ethereum etc.) and digital tokens which are specific rights or values representatives. As a result of the transformation on the financial market, we are currently dealing with cryptoassets, which are a creation of blockchain technologies and the changing habits of the digital society. One of areas that there are a lot of doubts regarding these new technological solutions is accounting.

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Ivan Parubchak ◽  
Nadiia Radukh

The purpose of this research is to investigate the processes of formation of corporate social responsibility in countries of transformation type in Eastern Europe and to study the perspectives of development of socially responsible investing based on studying the world experience in the field of corporate responsibility and the practices of its realization by economic entities in the world. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the dialectical method of cognition of the processes of formation of corporate social responsibility in transformation societies, using the experience of the foreign community in similar processes and the possibility of applying individual practices in domestic business. The following scientific methods were used in the research: abstract-logical, in particular, its methods of generalization, analogy, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction for the formulation of theoretical generalizations of research results, formulation of conclusions and suggestions. Main objects of the study are: theoretical bases of formation and realization of mechanisms of state regulation of corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing in the world and opportunities to apply their experience in the countries of Eastern Europe; determining the current level of corporate social responsibility at enterprises and organizations and assessing the prospects for their development and influence on socio-economic processes. Practical implications. The stakeholder theory is considered, which reveals the essence of corporate social responsibility in the process of satisfying interests and requirements of various counterparties that may affect the ultimate financial results of the enterprise. It is determined that the main causes of state regulation of corporate social responsibility are a moral obligation, sustainability, and reputation. Corporate social responsibility is an effective tool for enterprise development, as well as for the development of the process of state regulation and constructive dialogue with different social categories that enhances the investment attractiveness of the enterprise and strengthens its reputation, promotes effective labour relations and enhances productivity, supports the marketing policy and trust of the target audience by forming a positive opinion about products, works or services of the enterprise. Modern strategies on the basis of which companies perform the formation of their investment portfolios are considered (sustainable investment strategy, norms-based screening and exclusion of holding from investment universe, integration of ESG factors in financial analysis, impact investments, engagement and voting on sustainability matters). The issue of the undeveloped practice of submitting social reports and difficult public access to them by stakeholders is considered. A model for analysing the prospects of corporate social responsibility development at enterprises is proposed; corporate social responsibility strategy provides for the fulfilment of economic, social, and environmental goals for the successful implementation of corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment initiatives.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Demetriades ◽  
C. J. Auret

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be viewed from two different perspectives: that of the business; and that of the individual investor (Socially Responsible Investing, SRI). In this study regression analysis as well as an event study was used to examine the link between CSR and firm performance. The results suggested that in the short-term there were no significant price effects on the SRI shares. In contrast, the returns of SRI portfolios over the sample period seemed to be superior to those of conventional firms. The regression analysis found that generally the SRI coefficients were insignificant; however using one of the models during the fifteen year sample period, SRI constituents attained a ROE that was 11.18% higher (as well as a ROA that was 1.824% lower) than conventional firms. When the period was restricted to 2004-2009 it was found that social performance was positively - and sometimes significantly - correlated with ROE.


2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 761-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongtae Kim ◽  
Myung Seok Park ◽  
Benson Wier

ABSTRACT This study examines whether socially responsible firms behave differently from other firms in their financial reporting. Specifically, we question whether firms that exhibit corporate social responsibility (CSR) also behave in a responsible manner to constrain earnings management, thereby delivering more transparent and reliable financial information to investors as compared to firms that do not meet the same social criteria. We find that socially responsible firms are less likely (1) to manage earnings through discretionary accruals, (2) to manipulate real operating activities, and (3) to be the subject of SEC investigations, as evidenced by Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases against top executives. Our results are robust to (1) controlling for various incentives for CSR and earnings management, (2) considering various CSR dimensions and components, and (3) using alternative proxies for CSR and accruals quality. To the extent that we control for the potential effects of reputation and financial performance, our findings suggest that ethical concerns are likely to drive managers to produce high-quality financial reports. Data Availability: Data used in this study are available from public sources identified in the study.


Author(s):  
Maria Brízida Tomé ◽  
Deolinda Aparício Meira ◽  
Ana Maria Bandeira

This study aims to evaluate whether integrated reporting can be considered the appropriate tool for disclosure of the socially responsible behaviour of social economy entities (SEEs), as they currently face an increased demand for transparency from a number of stakeholders. The initial analysis of the concept and principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), through a triple bottom line concept, and of the social economy and the legal regime governing mutual associations is followed by an empirical study of Portuguese mutual associations in the health and welfare sector. A proposal is also made for an integrated reporting system which is suitable for showing the organization’s socially responsible behaviour and pursuit of the general interest and is concluded to have overcomethe difficulties of disclosing their economic, social, and environmental aspects. Furthermore, it is proposed that SEEs should obligatorily adopt integrated reporting in order to transmit dynamic, up-to-date information of relevance to stakeholders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-145
Author(s):  
Svetlana Bychkova ◽  
Svetlana Karelskaia ◽  
Elena Abdalova ◽  
Elena Zhidkova

Introduction. For over half a century, corporate social responsibility has been in the center of scientific discourse. Its basic concept has become part of strategic management, changing the content of financial reporting and leading to new forms of corporate reporting. Study objects and methods. The article substantiated the importance of studying corporate social responsibility (CSR) concepts and national models. The study covered the CSR basic concept, targets and paradigms. The evolution of CSR was considered in terms of its impact on the formation of non-financial reporting. Results and discussion. The authors identified two stages of non-financial reporting development and two directions for the convergence of financial and non-financial reporting. They proposed an assessment matrix to measure facts, actions, and resources in the past, present, and future. This matrix can help companies to generate information for integrated reporting by showing the impact of each type of capital (financial, production, human, intellectual, social, and environmental) on their value creation. Within a promising direction for developing non-financial reporting in conjunction with financial reporting, the authors set requirements to reflect the impact of climate risks on the company’s activities in accordance with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. The authors discussed both standardized and their own approaches to CSR indicators. Finally, they addressed the problem of reliability of non-financial reporting, discussed various forms of its verification (taking evidence from food industry enterprises), and set specific principles to control non-financial reporting indicators. Conclusion. The authors identified further promising areas of research in the theory and practice of CSR. Their findings can be used in scientific debates on CSR and in the practice of corporate reporting.


Author(s):  
Alexandros Antonaras

Social value is created when resources, inputs, processes, or policies are combined to generate improvements in the lives of individuals or society as a whole. It is crucial for any organization to be able to demonstrate the value it creates by its very existence. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has never been more important. Citizens nowadays demand a responsible business behavior from all kinds of organizations, corporations, and their leaders who have become aware of the crucial role of social responsibility in seeking performance excellence and sustainable growth. This chapter introduces the concept of CSR and explains its importance providing the historical background that made it synonymous to sustainability. The benefits resulting from CSR are briefly presented while the main recent developments in the area of CSR and sustainability are analyzed. Particularly, emphasis is given on the 2030 Agenda, the European Directive (2014/95/EU) on non-financial reporting, and the recent trends for socially responsible investments.


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