Achieving True Sustainability: Non-Financial Reporting's Impact

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Word count requirements

?The word count for this assignment is 1500.

?You must state on the front of your assignment the number of words used and this will be checked.

?The main text for this assignment must be word-processed in Times New Roman, Font 12, double spacing, minimum 2cm margins all around.

?You must observe the word count specified in this assignment brief. The School has a policy of accepting variations to the recommended word count of plus or minus 10%.

What does this mean for you?

Markers will mark your work up to the word count maximum plus 10% and then will stop marking; therefore all words which are in excess of the word count plus 10% will not be marked.

Exceptional Circumstances Policy

Where your word count is more than 10% below that specified, it is likely that this will result in a lack of analytical depth or relevant content which will be reflected in the mark assigned.

What is in the word count?

The word count includes:

-the main text, including in-text reference citations and quotations.

The word count does not include:

- Appendices. These may be used to include supporting data which may be too detailed or complex to include as a Table. They are not a device to incorporate material which would otherwise cause you to exceed the word limit. 

Question Part A

There is a developing view, in academic circles and among leading practitioners, that many corporate social responsibility approaches do not achieve a position in business that is sufficiently dominant to be transformative of corporate behaviour and performance. This being concerned with the objective of meeting the legitimate sustainability expectations of stakeholders.

In this context, critically discuss how non-financial reporting initiatives such as triple bottom line-based frameworks (e.g. TBL, GRI), integrated reporting or alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals contribute to businesses achieving true sustainability.

End of Assessment question

Guidance:

• You must define the meaning of true sustainability in your essay.
• This essay should focus more on systemic issues, such as planetary and ecological boundaries, and their relationship to these reporting initiatives, not a detailed examination of one or more of these reporting initiatives.
• A consideration of relevant practitioner views is also indicated (refer to Indicative References and Module Resources). These should be compared to the theory.
• Your answer should include a reflection on the Stakeholder Systems Model which is advocated by Mason and Simmons (2014).

Question Part A

There is a developing view, in academic circles and among leading practitioners, that many corporate social responsibility approaches do not achieve a position in business that is sufficiently dominant to be transformative of corporate behaviour and performance. This being concerned with the objective of meeting the legitimate sustainability expectations of stakeholders.

In this context, critically discuss how non-financial reporting initiatives such as triple bottom line-based frameworks (e.g. TBL, GRI), integrated reporting or alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals contribute to businesses achieving true sustainability.

End of Assessment question

• Provide a short introduction and short conclusion
• After your introduction you must define your understanding of true sustainability. For that you should consult and reference the following papers (full references are at the end of this document):

Searcy, C. Defining True Sustainability.

One important point is to distinguish true sustainability from issues such as eco-efficiency which tend to be promoted by reporting frameworks such as the GRI. Milne & Gray provide a good critique of this issue.

• Then you can answer the question which is: “critically discuss how non-financial reporting initiatives such as triple bottom line-based frameworks (e.g. TBL, GRI), integrated reporting or alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals contribute to businesses achieving true sustainability”

So the question is asking you to provide arguments as to whether firms reporting to one of the frameworks can achieve true sustainability or not?

Therefore, you need to have discussed what is meant by true sustainability – because you are assessing whether firms are achieving this benchmark (or goal) of true sustainability.

Choose just one of the listed reporting frameworks – but do not provide a detailed explanation or examination of the reporting framework you have chosen – the question does not require this

Focus on systemic sustainability issues and how they relate to non-financial reporting. The question is about the ‘big picture’, and not about a detailed explanation of a reporting framework.