Rethinking the accounting stance on sustainable development

Abstract

The economic accounting of natural resources assets, especially for water resources assets, is still in the exploratory stage in China. The contents and scope of water assets accounting need to be further improved. In order to explore the coordination between social and economic development and population, resources and environment, combined with the definition and attributes of assets in economics, accounting, statistics and management, this paper is based on the research about accounting of natural resources assets in recent years. The classification of water assets and its main accounting scope were put forward, and the intrinsic relationship between the concept of sustainable development and water accounting was systematically analyzed. The clear content of water assets is conducive to consolidating the construction of water assets accounting system, which can provide the theoretical basis for the decision makers to implement the sustainable development strategy, and to realize the rational allocation of water resources. It plays a catalytic role for the sustainable development of water resources and the protection of water ecological environment.

B2B branding in emerging markets: A sustainability perspective

“…There is a growing need for standards, regulations and uniform accounting schemes (Ngwakwe, 2010), such as the concept of 'One Report' introduced to combine erstwhile separate reports for financial and nonfinancial (e.g., sustainability) information into a single integrated report (Eccles, Krzus, & Tapscott, 2010). For B2B companies this revolution in corporate reporting by integrating financial performance and sustainability achievements will be critical for transitioning to stakeholder orientation and adopting sustainability marketing.…”

Towards an understanding of the influence of sustainability culture on the accounting profession

“…Since the early 1990s, there has been unprecedented momentum towards an environmental orientation within the accounting profession (Gray 1992;Gray et al 1996;Ngwakwe 2010). Before (and within) this period, there was an array of critical accounting literature that censured accounting for seeming apathy and insensitivity to society and the environment (Sherry 1987;Bryer 1993a;Gallhofer and Haslam 1995;Chwastiak 2001;Catchpowle et al 2004;Perelman 2007).…”

“…Overview of some criticisms of accounting According to Ngwakwe (2010), accounting has variously been critiqued for what authors perceive as accounting insensitivity to society and the environment (Gallhofer and Haslam 1995;Catchpowle et al 2004), and for being an instrument for measuring economic profit (Bryer 1993b). Perhaps it was Adam Smith who first mooted the absence of moral sentiment in accounting and business (Smith 1790).…”

The Development of Integrated Reporting and the Role of the Accounting and Auditing Profession

“…Recent studies have pointed to the increasing uptake of wider corporate reporting around environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, finding that over 80 % of Fortune Global 500 companies in 2010 (Mori Junior, Best, & Cotter, 2014) and 93 % of Fortune Global 250 companies in 2012-2103(KPMG, 2013 issued ESG reports. In recognition of the benefits of reporting ESG information and the limitations of a voluntary approach to reporting, regulators internationally have increasingly turned to mandating the disclosure of ESG information, with 72 % of ESG reporting policies in 2013 mandatory compared to 58 % of policies in 2006 (KPMG et al, 2013).…”