Showing papers by "Roger Burritt published in 2014"

Measuring and managing sustainability performance of supply chains: review and sustainability supply chain management framework

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss what a fully sustainable supply chain might look like and the consequences that can be drawn from this view. Also, it develops a practical approach towards sustainability supply chain performance measurement and management. The paper develops an analytical framework for the assessment of approaches for the measurement and management of sustainability performance of supply chains (SPSCs). Little research has been conducted on the issues, existing methods and possible approaches to measure and manage SPSCs. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and conceptual development of framework. Findings – The paper develops an analytical framework for the assessment of approaches for the measurement and management of SPSCs. Existing approaches discussed in the vein of improving supply chains and increasing recycling are examined in the light of our framework, and areas to extend the research on sustainability performance measurement and management are identi...

Accounting towards sustainability in production and supply chains

Abstract: Growing interest in sustainability and corporate supply chains accompanies increased globalisation across developed and developing countries, a stronger focus on the logistics of procurement behind international trade, and information flows between parties about corporate economic, social and environmental performance. Accounting provides information to oil the wheels of supply chain relationships. The purpose of this paper is to consider what an accounting for sustainability of production and supply chains might look like. An overview is provided of the issues associated with a broadening of accounting needed for sustainable supply chains. The paper highlights: ongoing problems of scope and terminology, lack of a broad sustainability focus because of complexity which stunts the impact on decision makers, and the need for transdisciplinary teams to increase connectedness and performance of the supply chain. The need for further research relating to three issues is identified. First, who undertakes the accounting for supply chains; second, why should a business function account for supply chain involvement; and, third, what information is relevant to different functional managers?

Australian accounting academics: challenges and possibilities

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a thought-provoking, attention-directing diegesis about the quality of the experience for those working as academic accounting scholars. Design/methodology/approach – Using storytelling by the authors as narrators and a literature review, this paper examines challenges to, and possibilities for, accounting academics. Findings – The study reveals a number of possibilities for the sustainability of the accounting academy in Australia, all of which rely on the symbiotic relations between the three elements of the profession – practitioners, policymakers and academics – to prepare accounting and business professionals for the future. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to the Australian context of academic accountants and, therefore, the identified possibilities for accounting academics in other contexts may differ. Practical implications – This paper identifies the challenges for contemporary accounting academics in Australia and presents...

Does Sustainability Investment Provide Adaptive Resilience to Ethical Investors? Evidence from Spain

Abstract: Although sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) has quite recently become a hot research topic, scarcely any systematic research has been paid to the performance of this non-conventional approach to investment during the financial crisis that emerged in mid-2008 when the resilience of the financial markets was sorely tested. Such real-world resilience in practice is the subject of the current research which tests whether environmental, social and governance screens provides ethical investors with adaptive resilience in bull and bear market conditions by focussing on the SRI equity index of one of the most active markets in Europe in terms of ethical investment, the FTSE4Good-Ibex in Spain. Multivariate Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (M-GARCH) analysis indicates that ethical investors in the equity market examined with evidence that greater resilience in severe business cycle shocks could be attributable to SRI by companies. Although limited to a single country study, the results have implications for investors seeking resilience in crisis: when individual values and beliefs towards sustainability tie with personal investment strategy, the end result is adaptive financial resilience, social well-being and environmental defence.

The accounting profession’s engagement with Asia

Abstract: Explores a number of challenges for the Australian accounting profession in terms of contemporary engagement with Asia. Introduction Through the geographic accident of being located close to what is the most extraordinary population and economic growth in human history, as we see in the Asian region, Australia is indeed a lucky country. But will we seize or squander this opportunity? So says Dawson (2014) in his article in this volume. Our aim is to explore a number of challenges for the Australian accounting profession in terms of contemporary engagement with Asia. The accounting profession can be envisaged as consisting of three main, interrelated streams: practitioners who are largely employed by professional accounting firms and industry; higher education institutions responsible for the education of potential and actual graduate entrants into practice; and, finally, professional accounting bodies, which provide oversight in the interests of the profession and society (Laughlin, 2011). All of these streams are challenged by the expansion of Asia.

International Corporate Sustainability Barometer – Australia

Abstract: Agribusiness and mining activities for which Australia is well known are not the industries of choice for contemplating a sustainability barometer. Agribusiness uses and exports much water in its products, from the driest inhabited continent on earth. Mining removes and is heavily challenged to replace biodiversity, ecosystems, and geological structures. However, the need for sustainability management using available tools is strengthened by this very focus. Value added from the Corporate Sustainability Barometer is at a premium in these circumstances. Results reveal these differences for Australia, including the stronger focus on water management. It is sad to report that Australia lags international practice in sustainability management and companies are less aware of available tools. The Barometer and its results for corporate Australia provide a foundation for stakeholders, both internal and external, to focus on promotion, training, awareness development and incentive based policy setting towards future improvement of sustainability management.

Sustainability, Dynamic Capabilities, and Innovation

Abstract: Hart and Milsten (2003) argue firms are ill equipped to address sustainability issues from a strategic perspective. Literature developed about sustainability practices so far tends to focus on matters such as knowledge of available tools and their use, pressures from stakeholders, regulations and product development (see for example, Sharma and Henriques, 2005; Schaltegger, Windolph and Herzig, 2012; Gond et al. 2012). At a macro level concern in the literature has been over the need to decouple economic growth from environmental impact (Zhang, 2000), whereas at the corporate level the reverse has become a focal point as firms seek competitive survival through their sustainability orientated investments (Burritt and Schaltegger, 2012). Investments in innovative cleaner process and product technologies and stakeholder engagement can be integrated, in a strategic way, through administrative innovations in order to leverage the full benefit from sustainability thinking. However, to date little research has been conducted on the internal dynamic processes that managers of organizations use to identify and develop long-term sustainability innovation and improved sustainability performance. Hence, the research problem explored is: What are the internal capabilities of a firm which lead to innovations to secure strategic advantages from investments in sustainability.