The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices
<p>The general theme explored in this thesis is the role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose. To this end, this study presents three papers, each from a different perspective, examining the role of carbon accounting and reporting practices in redefining the role of corporations in ad...
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| Format: | Thesis |
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2018
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| _version_ | 1817931908780130304 |
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| author | Kasim, T |
| author2 | Barker, R |
| author_facet | Barker, R Kasim, T |
| author_sort | Kasim, T |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>The general theme explored in this thesis is the role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose. To this end, this study presents three papers, each from a different perspective, examining the role of carbon accounting and reporting practices in redefining the role of corporations in addressing climate change. </p> <p>The first paper (Chapter 3: Corporate perspective) examines the role of the external carbon reporting requirements in influencing managerial decision-making. Based on a field study informed by semi-structured interviews with 30 sustainability managers in large UK-based companies, this paper demonstrates that the introduction of the carbon reporting requirements enabled the sustainability managers to initiate and implement some degrees of changes to the business practices. However, the paper also shows that they simultaneously inhibited the managers from addressing the unquantifiable and unprofitable aspects of climate change. As such, the paper highlights the positive role of carbon accounting and reporting practices, but also the risk that they may serve to create a ‘false’ sense of comfort. </p> <p>The second paper (Chapter 4: Voluntary regulatory body’s perspective) examines the role of the ‘harmonisation work’ of voluntary regulatory bodies in making climate change reporting ‘comparable’ with financial reporting. Based on a case study of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) informed by semi-structured interviews with its 13 key personnel and 2-month participant observation, this paper demonstrates that the harmonisation work enabled the CDSB to initiate some degrees of changes to the corporate reporting practice. However, the paper also shows that there is a risk that it may inadvertently lead the CDSB into an ‘institutional trap’ through which changing the corporate reporting practice becomes seen as the ultimate objective, instead of changing the underlying business practice. </p> <p>The third paper (Chapter 5: Regulatory perspective) examines the role of the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in shaping the formulation of a policy proposal which sought to mandate climate change reporting practice. Based on archival analysis of the public consultation documents, this paper demonstrates that the FRC played a subtle ‘thought leadership’ role in shaping the way that the actors involved in the regulatory debate perceived the issue. This, in turn, created a ‘regulatory-policy loop’ which supported the policy makers’ formulation of the proposal. As such, the paper highlights the role of the corporate reporting regulator in supporting the formulation of the carbon accounting and reporting regulation by creating a sense of shared interest between the business and the NGOs communities. </p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T18:44:12Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:0df04674-7da6-43f2-be08-00ddb8d48f35 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T03:29:30Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:0df04674-7da6-43f2-be08-00ddb8d48f352024-12-01T12:13:23ZThe role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practicesThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:0df04674-7da6-43f2-be08-00ddb8d48f35AccountingORA Deposit2018Kasim, TBarker, R<p>The general theme explored in this thesis is the role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose. To this end, this study presents three papers, each from a different perspective, examining the role of carbon accounting and reporting practices in redefining the role of corporations in addressing climate change. </p> <p>The first paper (Chapter 3: Corporate perspective) examines the role of the external carbon reporting requirements in influencing managerial decision-making. Based on a field study informed by semi-structured interviews with 30 sustainability managers in large UK-based companies, this paper demonstrates that the introduction of the carbon reporting requirements enabled the sustainability managers to initiate and implement some degrees of changes to the business practices. However, the paper also shows that they simultaneously inhibited the managers from addressing the unquantifiable and unprofitable aspects of climate change. As such, the paper highlights the positive role of carbon accounting and reporting practices, but also the risk that they may serve to create a ‘false’ sense of comfort. </p> <p>The second paper (Chapter 4: Voluntary regulatory body’s perspective) examines the role of the ‘harmonisation work’ of voluntary regulatory bodies in making climate change reporting ‘comparable’ with financial reporting. Based on a case study of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) informed by semi-structured interviews with its 13 key personnel and 2-month participant observation, this paper demonstrates that the harmonisation work enabled the CDSB to initiate some degrees of changes to the corporate reporting practice. However, the paper also shows that there is a risk that it may inadvertently lead the CDSB into an ‘institutional trap’ through which changing the corporate reporting practice becomes seen as the ultimate objective, instead of changing the underlying business practice. </p> <p>The third paper (Chapter 5: Regulatory perspective) examines the role of the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in shaping the formulation of a policy proposal which sought to mandate climate change reporting practice. Based on archival analysis of the public consultation documents, this paper demonstrates that the FRC played a subtle ‘thought leadership’ role in shaping the way that the actors involved in the regulatory debate perceived the issue. This, in turn, created a ‘regulatory-policy loop’ which supported the policy makers’ formulation of the proposal. As such, the paper highlights the role of the corporate reporting regulator in supporting the formulation of the carbon accounting and reporting regulation by creating a sense of shared interest between the business and the NGOs communities. </p> |
| spellingShingle | Accounting Kasim, T The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title | The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title_full | The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title_fullStr | The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title_short | The role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose: Essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| title_sort | role of accounting in realigning corporate purpose essays on carbon accounting and reporting practices |
| topic | Accounting |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kasimt theroleofaccountinginrealigningcorporatepurposeessaysoncarbonaccountingandreportingpractices AT kasimt roleofaccountinginrealigningcorporatepurposeessaysoncarbonaccountingandreportingpractices |