COPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CORPORATE SOCIAL DISCLOSURE

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility is the reporting and acting with a consideration of societal impacts and environmental impacts of the business activities. Stakeholders, Lenders, owners and shareholders, suppliers, customers, employees, governments, the general public

CSR Assessment of business ethics Regulation of behaviour Code of ethics and behaviour for accountants. Assess each situation, possible effects on stakeholders, possible actions, reassess options, decisions

CSD Corporate Social Responsibility is about how a business goes about it’s business operations while they have an acceptable impact on the community. Corporate Social Disclosure is the reporting on the Corporate Social Responsibility in response to a changed role of the accountant as stewards of “sustainability” as well as financial growth.

CSD Reports on the Triple bottom line- Economic, environmental and social. Economic- Traditional financial reports. Social- Diversity of employees, health and safety, treatment of minorities, community activities, training, support for developing countries and source of materials. Environmental- Deals with the air, water, land, natural resources, how the firm is affecting these aspects of the natural environment and how we are working towards being sustainable.

CSD Current requirements CSD reports on the companies efforts towards addressing CSR. This is in response to an increase in public scrutiny and concern over the whole actions of a business. Mining companies and those involved in the extraction of natural resources have reporting requirements and this is spreading to all firms.

CSD Corporate Social Disclosure refers to the publication of economic, environmental and social information in an integrated report. It is about how a company reports on it’s performance in its relationship between itself and the community and environment.

CSD in Australia Globally CSD Is on the increase. In 1995 an urgent Issues committee of the AASB indicated that extractive companies must report on rehabilitation. The Corporations Act also states that companies must provide a true and fair view of the performance- this is being taken to include environmental performance as well.

CSD in Australia 94% of top 100 companies report. Can take the form of annual report inclusion, website, reports, newsletters or press releases. The Inventory approach-How it has acted in the last year. Target based approach- how far it ahs progressed towards a target – reduction in emissions. Achievement against social indicators- to national health safety records Cost approach- how much each initiative costs. Cost benefit approach- how much each activity or initiative costs and the benefits received.

The Global Reporting Initiative 2002 The U.N. set up a council in 2002 to indicate what should be included in CSD. To enhance the quality, utility and rigor of reporting. It set 10 principles of reporting: Transparency Inclusiveness Auditability Completeness Relevance Sustainability context Accuracy Neutrality Comparability Clarity Timeliness The GRI is the most widely cited benchmark in what should be included in a CSR report. The St James Ethics Center , the Prince Charles Foundation are all initiating guidelines .

Reasons for CSD Pre - emptive strike Nullify lobby groups forestall government action Financial benefit, customers, employees, marketing. Banks finance higher fees for those not acting ethically, government reviews to see who gets licenses