A summary of resources and events we have held on sustainability: strategy and implementation
- Convening the debate
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Sustainability conferences, roundtables, seminars and discussions hosted by us to spark new ideas
Event: Tomorrow's Company Roundtable
In summer 2008 we held a roundtable discussion with Finance Directors in partnership with the ICAEW’s Finance and Management Faculty. It explored some of the issues raised in the report ‘Tomorrow's Global Company: Challenges and Choices’ around how companies can re-define success to incorporate the needs of their stakeholders.
Event: Debate at the Oxford Union
In partnership with the Thames Valley Society of Chartered Accountants, we hosted a debate at the Oxford Union with the motion; 'This house believes that Corporate Responsibility will not survive the downturn'.
Members of the Thames Valley Society of Chartered Accountants have firmly rejected the idea that corporate responsibility will not survive the downturn. In a debate at the Oxford Union, they overwhelmingly voted against arguments that companies would cut back on their corporate responsibility commitments as a means of reducing costs.
In a stimulating and provocative debate, chaired by society vice president, Michael Cooper, guests heard from speakers from organisations as diverse as Accountancy Age, Friends of the Earth, Business in the Community, the Green Economics Institute and F&C Management.
Event: ICAEW South West Regional Conference 2008
The Rt Hon David Cameron MP was the keynote speaker at this conference held at the Eden Project in Cornwall entitled Business Models for a Sustainable Future. We worked in partnership with both the ICAEW’s South West region and the South West Regional Development Agency for this event, who commissioned research from New Economics Foundation on the subject to be presented at the conference.
Event: Business Leaders Forum- Sustainable Business
We held a series of four half-day seminars held between November 2007 and April 2008, facilitated by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry and chaired by Will Day (Special Adviser to the United Nations Development Programme). Twenty of the East of England’s business leaders were brought together to explore which CR issues most affect them and their region and to discuss what they can to address them.
Events:ICAEW South West Regional Conference 2007
Jonathon Porritt CBE, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission was the keynote speaker at this event held at the Eden project in Cornwall. The conference entitled Sowing the Seeds of Change examined corporate responsibility from three perspectives; business, accounting and policy.
- Outside Insights
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A platform for our stakeholders to offer their perspective on sustainability issues - which inform our thinking and deserve to be shared
Guide: Beyond Accounting (2009)
Beyond Accounting (2009) (PDF 119KB/19 pages) by Graham Hubbard of The University of Adelaide, forms part of our Sustainable Business thought leadership programme. It highlights significant questions that need answers before sustainability reporting gains broad-based acceptance. Who are the target audiences for sustainability reports? How do sustainability reports link to strategy? Can they be comparable across organisations and perhaps most importantly, what is the impact of sustainability reporting on business practice?
Guide: Competitiveness and Sustainability (2008): Building the best future for your business
This publication by David Bent of Forum for the Future is the 1st in a series. It looks at how socially responsible corporate behaviour can be used to enhance company competitiveness.
- Asking the Right Questions
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Advancing theory and practice on sustainability through research
Event: When worlds collide: contested paradigms of corporate social responsibility
The ICAEW, in conjunction with the British Academy of Management, won an Economic and Social Research Council grant to run a seminar series which aims to bring academics and the business community together to tackle some of the big challenges in corporate responsibility.
- Turning Questions into Answers
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High quality guidance on sustainability for our members and the wider business community
Guide: The Business Sustainability Programme (BSP)
In conjunction with the institute’s Learning and Professional Development department we have development a sustainability e-learning package for accountants and business professionals.
It consists of five modules which cover:
- Module 1 – What are Business Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility?
- Module 2 – What is the business case for Corporate Responsibility?
- Module 3 – Corporate Responsibility in action – case studies
- Module 4 - How do businesses embed Corporate Responsibility?
- Module 5 – What will you do? (A personal and corporate action plan)
It has been used by Cass Business School as the basis of a teaching session for their Executive MBA programme taught by Richard Spencer (Manager, Corporate Responsibility, ICAEW) and Adam Birt (Innovation & Technical Development Manager LPD).
It takes two hours to complete if users run through the whole programme and modules one and two are free. For more information, download our Business Sustainability Programme brochure (PDF 63KB/2 pages).
Guide: Environmental issues and annual financial reporting (2009)
This report, prepared with the support of the Environment Agency, addresses environmental issues relevant to annual financial statements. For directors and report preparers, it focuses on what is required and how this is changing. It also considers the information needs of users. For auditors, the report provides a guide to tailoring the audit approach to accommodate environmental issues.