Accounting Ethics Education: An Interactive Approach

An interactive and technological approach was used to discuss ethics with accounting students.  Students responded anonymously to ethics questions using wireless transmitters.  The students’ responses were shown to the group.  A customized DVD of movie scenes from “The Producers” and “Wall Street” and a still picture of Enron’s Code of Ethics were used to engage students in discussion. The procedures, the technology, and the benefits of the approach are presented

Perceptions Of Accountants: What Are They After Enron And WorldCom?

College students evaluated accountants, along with five other occupations, using Osgood’s semantic differential model. This model of semantic meaning captures three semantic dimensions – evaluation, potency, and activity. Students gave accountants high ratings on the evaluation (good - bad) dimension, but they rated accountants much lower on the potency (deep - shallow) dimension and activity (fast - slow) dimension. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for the future of the accounting profession

Sustainability Reporting In The Accounting Curriculum

Seven class sections of undergraduate students in principles of managerial accounting courses participated in a study to examine the impact of sustainability accounting lectures with Internet assignments or lectures alone influence students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward sustainability reporting. The results of this study show that lectures with Internet assignments and lectures alone were equally effective in causing changes in the dependent measures compared to control groups who received no instruction on sustainability

Perceptions Of Environmental Sustainability

This study examines attitudes toward environmental sustainability among college students.  The new area of “sustainability reporting” identifies business practices that are associated with environmental and social costs.  When these costs are known, managers can take steps to reduce them, resulting in improved profit and lessened environmental impact.  Many believe it has great potential to change the way business is practiced.  Responses were analyzed using multidimensional scaling analyses, permitting comparison of the perceived similarity and dissimilarity of “sustainability” to other environmentally significant terms.  Results from these and semantic differential analyses showed that sustainability is perceived positively, although it is not perceived as especially dynamic nor is it associated with sound economics.  Suggestions for educating students and the public about sustainability reporting are offered

Sustainability Reporting Managing for Wealth and Corporate Health

Environmental and sustainability reporting involves non? nancial and ? nancial indicators of an organization’s impact on environmental, economic, and social dimensions of their operations. As stakeholders (e.g., investors, consumers, governments, donors, employees) of organizations demand more transparency from pro? t and not-for-pro? t entities, environmental and sustainability reporting is a means to address this demand. Public interest in the environmental and social impacts of corporations began in the 1960s and 1970s. Protests against the Vietnam War, concern for the environment, and opposition to South African apartheid were some reasons that investors reacted to more than companies’ reported pro? ts. A number of investors actively avoided manufacturers of weapons and “sin” products (tobacco, alcohol, and gambling). The emergence of socially responsible investing (SRI) funds provided investors with opportunities to invest in companies that had positive impacts on society. Although SRI was initially thought to be a short-lived fad, it still thrives today. The globalization of corporations and widely publicized corporate misdeeds (e.g., the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Nike’s child labor problems, Enron’s accounting fraud) increased public scrutiny of corporate behavior. Public pressure for more corporate transparency is greater than ever. In an effort to respond to this pressure, companies are reporting their environmental, economic, and social impacts. Sustainability reporting bene? ts both internal and external users of the information. Internal users are in a position to better manage the company’s resources while external users can assess the company’s sustainable development and long-term prospects. This book is intended for MBA students, executives, and managers who can discover the internal and external bene? ts of environmental and sustainability reporting, the basics of reporting, and the reaction of the investment community. The reader will bene? t from this introduction to environmental and sustainability reporting to better assess its value for his or her own organization. Keywords Corporate social responsibility, CSR, sustainability reportin

Sustainability Reporting Getting Started, Second Edition

Sustainability reporting provides nonfinancial and financial indicators of an organization\u27s environmental, economic, and social dimensions of its operations. The globalization of corporations and widely publicized corporate misdeeds (e.g., Nike\u27s child labor problems) has increased public scrutiny of corporate behavior. As pressure grows from a variety of stakeholders (e.g., investors, creditors, customers, and NGOs) for corporate transparency, sustainability reports provide vital information to meet the demand for disclosures about environmental, economic, and social impacts. In addition to addressing stakeholders\u27 demands, this reporting enhances internal decision-making. Managers are better able to assess risks, monitor company resources, establish competitive advantage, create employee loyalty, and engage stakeholders. This book is intended for MBA students, executives, and managers who want to learn about the value of sustainability reporting. In this book, they will discover the internal and external benefits of sustainability reporting, the basics of existing reporting frameworks, and the reaction of the investment community. Detailed examples of sustainability metrics from numerous organizations are provided to illustrate the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. This book will enable readers to assess how reporting can add value for his or her own organization

Drivers of Sustainable Innovation: Exploratory Views And Corporate Strategies

Various forces drive corporate commitment to sustainable innovation including: (a) external stimuli, (b) business opportunities, and (c) a business orientation toward corporate social responsibility. The depth of corporate response to these drivers is shaped by how the managing team of a corporation views the relationship between economic growth and the environment. This paper examines associations between key drivers of sustainable innovation and three alternative views of the economic growth-environment relationship. We also examine three contrasting modes of corporate response (i.e. compliance, commitment and resistance) to those drivers and suggest directions for further research on the corporate practice of sustainable innovation