Corporate sustainability reporting has evolved rapidly since the first environmental reports appeared in the late 1980s. Many of the early efforts were health and safety reports modified to account for impacts on the environment.
In the early days there were no accepted standards for corporate reports, so there were wide variations in the content and format of the reports produced.
Nowadays, environmental issues have been joined on the agenda by social considerations, and the reporting process has been broadened into an audit of what is loosely termed 'corporate responsibility'.
Companies committed to corporate reporting are increasingly following guidelines drawn up under the Global Reporting Initiative, launched in 1997 by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
In November 2000 'The Global Reporters' was published, a survey of 50 corporate reports from around the world, by UK-based consultancy SustainAbility. This identifies eight 'hot topics' common to the reports, and proposes ten improvements for future reports.
A recent review was undertaken of corporate reporting practices in Canada, based on a sample of 20 company reports. The 'Sustainability Reporting Program' suggests three basic approaches, or 'templates', for reports to follow, namely (i) creating a positive impression; (ii) the business case for sustainable development; and (iii) standardized reporting.
'Stepping Forward' was published in November 2001, the first in-depth examination of sustainability reporting practices in Canada.
Corporate Reporting Practices - Presentation Transcript
Technical Session-I Corporate Reporting & Accounting Standards in the Global Scenario:
- INTRODUCTION:
- What is corporate reporting?
- Corporate reporting framework:
- Benefits of reporting
- NEW TRENDS IN REPORTING:
- Latest developments :
- Corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective
- Insights drawn :
- Global trends :
- Good practices :
- Reporting Tips :
- INTRODUCTION:
- Reporting is considered a core business intelligence (BI)
- Allows organizations to easily access, format, and deliver information
- To employees, customers, and Stakeholders
3. What is corporate reporting?
Relate to the presentation and disclosure aspects on:
o Financial reporting
o Corporate governance
o Executive remuneration
o Corporate responsibility
o Narrative reporting
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5. Benefits of reporting
1. Company benefits:
o Improved financial performance;
o Lower operating costs;
o Enhanced brand image and reputation;
o Increased sales and customer loyalty;
o Greater productivity and quality;
o More ability to attract and retain employees;
o Reduced regulatory oversight;
o Access to capital;
o Workforce diversity;
o Product safety and decreased liability.
2. Benefits to the community and the general public:
o Charitable contributions;
o Employee volunteer programmes;
o Corporate involvement in community education, employment and homelessness programmes;
o Product safety and quality.
3. Environmental benefits:
o Greater material recyclability;
o Better product durability and
o functionality;
o Greater use of renewable resources;
o Integration of environmental management tools into business plans, including life-cycle assessment and costing, environmental management standards, and eco-labelling.
6. NEW TRENDS IN REPORTING:
o Corporate Reporting Compliance through Web Sites
o Developments in company reporting on workplace gender equality
o ( Sarbanes-Oxley US example )
o Reporting has emerged as Global & International Responsibility (IFRS)
o As Business Action for Sustainable Development
o Corporate reporting is not just form-filling
o Corporate’s social responsibility
7. Latest developments :
o Amendments to IAS 39 and IFRS 7
o Legislation and guidance
o Effective on-line reporting
o Transparency in energy company accounts
o Excutive remuneration
o FRCouncil periodical reviews
o disclosure Key Performance Indicators
o on carbon emissions
8. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective: Some of the drivers pushing business towards CSR include :
o The shrinking role of government
o Demands for greater disclosure
o Increased customer interest
o Growing investor pressure
o Competitive labour markets
o Supplier relations
o Developments in company reporting on workplace gender equality
9. Insights drawn :
o reports are weak on disclosure and market context for investor needs
o Getting to grips with non-GAAP measures - pitch variances
o Take sustainability to heart – make it a mantra
o Emissions reporting as per new report requirements
o Improvement to the Financial Reporting Supply Chain and Areas for Future Actions.
o Draft the New Sustainability reports.
o Annual reports to be featured on You-Tube :
- Report Leadership - executive remuneration
- Report Leadership - online reporting
- Show more than the money
- Comply Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
- Shareholder friendly report
- Best Practice Environmental Social and Governance Reporting
11. Global trends :
o The Australian Reporting Environment –
o Telling it like it is
o Tax Transparency Framework’ 2007
o to report on carbon activity disclosures
o Corporate reporting be not reduced to form-
o filling.
o Learning to learn from the Global
o experiences.
o The Business Review and AIM(Alternative
o Investment Market )
12. Good practices :
o Selecting examples in reporting
o Building Public Trust Awards for excedllence in reporting
o Bringing ideas to life
o Shareholder friendly report
o Best Practice Environmental Social and Governance Reporting
13. Reporting Tips :
o Have a backbone – thru Strategic statements
o Present the big picture- Put your results in the context of market trends
o Whom are you kidding? - Provide an honest and open analysis of both the upsides and the challenges the company faces.
o Flash in the pains pan - provide charts to help investors understand what is driving revenue and profit growth. Is the growth sustainable, or not?
- Cash is king -'Let's clear up the cash flow statement
- Report is not the kitchen sink - The important things are no more prominent than the things that aren't important.' Highlight principal risks, not all risks.
- Bottom up - 'The area where there is greatest potential for increased disclosure that would add value
- Bridging the GAAP - Embrace non-GAAP measures but apply certain ground rules “reconcile non-GAAP back to GAAP”
- You owe it to the Creditors - Debt information
- Metrics that pay Explain clearly how management are incentivised
- Wood for the trees Key information and messages can get lost in the volume of data and the use of jargon
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