Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance
The paper explores how companies from Central and Eastern Europe adopt assurance practices to provide accountability for sustainability. Drawing on modified coding rules from prior research, a conventional content analysis of 36 assurance statements companies from nine countries was conducted. The r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lodz University Press
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Comparative Economic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/10751 |
| _version_ | 1819239783788969984 |
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| author | Oleh Pasko Inna Balla Inna Levytska Nataliia Semenyshena |
| author_facet | Oleh Pasko Inna Balla Inna Levytska Nataliia Semenyshena |
| author_sort | Oleh Pasko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The paper explores how companies from Central and Eastern Europe adopt assurance practices to provide accountability for sustainability. Drawing on modified coding rules from prior research, a conventional content analysis of 36 assurance statements companies from nine countries was conducted. The results imply differences in the content of reports, processes, and implementation of the standards.
Exclusively large and multinational enterprises from the energy sectors domiciled in Poland and Hungary are a typical portrait of a company from the study’s sample, striving to issue and assure sustainability reporting. Of the nine countries represented in the study, sustainability assurance statements of companies from Poland, Hungary, and Romania tend to excel in terms of quality. The vast majority of assurance providers belong to the Big Four, who use ISAE3000 as opposed to AA1100AS. Yet, irrespective of the assurance provider type, stakeholders are neglected. It is argued that just transferring the experience of financial auditing to the field of sustainability, which, by and large, has taken place, is not an option. Authors state that following this route, we are heading in the wrong direction, and in technical terms, the wider proliferation of AA1100AS and its principles, with greater emphasis on reasonable assurance as opposed to the limited and enhanced role of stakeholders, are vital to get back on track.
The paper contributes to the emerging literature on accountability standards and stresses the need to enhance sustainability-related assurance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:57:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-181e581adabc43939b4d8c1a5ff66c35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1508-2008 2082-6737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:57:37Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Lodz University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comparative Economic Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-181e581adabc43939b4d8c1a5ff66c352022-12-21T17:44:25ZengLodz University PressComparative Economic Research1508-20082082-67372021-09-01243275210.18778/1508-2008.24.2010650Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related AssuranceOleh Pasko0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6275-5885Inna Balla1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5041-9801Inna Levytska2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3739-6662Nataliia Semenyshena3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0718-0230Ph.D., Assoc. Prof., Sumy National Agrarian University, Faculty of Economics and Management, Department of Accounting and Taxation, Sumy, UkrainePh.D., Assistant professor, State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podilya, Faculty of Economics, Department of Accounting, Taxation and E-business, Kamianets-Podilskyi, UkraineDoctor of Economic Sciences, Full Professor, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Educational and Scientific Institute of Continuing Education and Tourism, Department of Agricultural Consulting and Tourism, Kyiv, UkrainePh.D., Assoc. Prof., State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podilya, Faculty of Economics, Department of Accounting, Taxation and E‑business, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine; Doctoral candidate; Ternopil National Economic University, Department of Accounting and Taxation, Ternopil, UkraineThe paper explores how companies from Central and Eastern Europe adopt assurance practices to provide accountability for sustainability. Drawing on modified coding rules from prior research, a conventional content analysis of 36 assurance statements companies from nine countries was conducted. The results imply differences in the content of reports, processes, and implementation of the standards. Exclusively large and multinational enterprises from the energy sectors domiciled in Poland and Hungary are a typical portrait of a company from the study’s sample, striving to issue and assure sustainability reporting. Of the nine countries represented in the study, sustainability assurance statements of companies from Poland, Hungary, and Romania tend to excel in terms of quality. The vast majority of assurance providers belong to the Big Four, who use ISAE3000 as opposed to AA1100AS. Yet, irrespective of the assurance provider type, stakeholders are neglected. It is argued that just transferring the experience of financial auditing to the field of sustainability, which, by and large, has taken place, is not an option. Authors state that following this route, we are heading in the wrong direction, and in technical terms, the wider proliferation of AA1100AS and its principles, with greater emphasis on reasonable assurance as opposed to the limited and enhanced role of stakeholders, are vital to get back on track. The paper contributes to the emerging literature on accountability standards and stresses the need to enhance sustainability-related assurance.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/10751sustainability reportingassurance statementgricorporate social responsibilityreportingauditing |
| spellingShingle | Oleh Pasko Inna Balla Inna Levytska Nataliia Semenyshena Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance Comparative Economic Research sustainability reporting assurance statement gri corporate social responsibility reporting auditing |
| title | Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance |
| title_full | Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance |
| title_fullStr | Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance |
| title_short | Accountability on Sustainability in Central and Eastern Europe: An Empirical Assessment of Sustainability-Related Assurance |
| title_sort | accountability on sustainability in central and eastern europe an empirical assessment of sustainability related assurance |
| topic | sustainability reporting assurance statement gri corporate social responsibility reporting auditing |
| url | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/CER/article/view/10751 |
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