ETHICAL LENS CIMA ROUNDUP OF RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS ISSUES - JUNE 2015
IN THIS ISSUE
Human capital reporting – investing for sustainable growth Responsible supply chains in fashion Transparency in corporate reporting Business and human rights: access to remedies SME challenges: tax equality and supplier bullying
ETHICS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE... ‘Integrity is fundamental to management accounting - and is a precondition of future business success. Joining the dots so that all the drivers of value are understood requires and drives cultures and behaviours which mean that value and values are inseparable. That's why ethics lie at the heart of our Global Management Accounting Principles.’
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Tony Manwaring, Executive Director of External Affairs
NEWS CIMA professionalism case studies In early 2015 CIMA released a number of case studies. CIMA members in different roles and industries share their experiences, and discuss how professionalism and being part of a chartered organisation has impacted on their careers. CIMA members’ commitment to lifelong learning means they remain relevant to business. Through continuing professional development they ensure knowledge and skills remain up-to-date. Backed by a code of ethics members make trusted decisions based upon independence and objectivity, and inform sustainable business strategies, mitigate risk and protect stakeholder needs. 'Saying you are Chartered immediately gives you that status to sit in a room with people and for it to be understood that your point is valid.' Steve Johnson, Commercial Affairs, Channel 4 UK » Access the professionalism case studies
REPORTS & EVENTS Human capital reporting – investing for sustainable growth The value of intangible assets within organisations, such as human and intellectual capital, has increased significantly in recent years as the global economy has become more knowledge intensive. This research report, written by CIPD in conjunction with PIRC, explores investor views on the value and availability of human capital management (HCM) information, the main barriers to better HCM practice, and whether consistent reporting on agreed core HCM information would be useful as a means of improving the quality of narrative reporting in this area. » Access the report
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CIMA Hong Kong ‘International Symposium on Corporate Social Responsibility for Innovation and Sustainability’ CIMA Hong Kong was a co-organiser of the ‘International Symposium on Corporate Social Responsibility for Innovation and Sustainability’ in early 2015, together with Hong Kong PolyU SPEED. Dr Aidan Goddard, Chairman of CIMA North Asia Regional Board and Hong Kong Branch Committee, was one of the panel speakers. Aidan’s presentation and sharing were focused on his company L’Occitane in his capacity of AP CFO & COO of the company.
How management accountants drive sustainable corporate strategies Based on a global survey of CGMAs, this report explores their views and involvement in corporate sustainability, in particular integrating relevant environmental and social factors into the information and analysis they give decision makers.
Transformation and transparency: managing government performance
The report includes a useful guide on the four key ways that CGMAs can influence sustainable decisions. This guide will help both management accountants and business leaders understand their unique contribution to sustainable success.
This 2014 report explores the role of the finance function in local government. It provides guidance for local government leaders and finance professionals on how to enable effective performance management, identifying four critical areas to be addressed: the transformation of public services, the need to enable a supporting technology structure, the demand for greater government transparency and the challenge of recruiting, developing and retaining talent.
» Access the report
» Access the report
Partnership, teamwork, fairness and trust in the value chain Watch a presentation from a 2014 Tomorrow’s Company event by Paula Nickolds, Buying and Brand Director, John Lewis Partnership. Learn why working fairly with suppliers is vital to the multichannel retailer when managing its complex global value chain. » Watch the presentation
IFAC Latest from the IFAC Global Knowledge Gateway The IFAC Global Knowledge Gateway provides insights, ideas and information from around the globe, related to ethics, governance, sustainability and a range of other areas. You can find out more about the Gateway in this short YouTube animation. Latest on the Global Knowledge Gateway: read about the OECD’s ‘Trust and Business’ project, fighting corruption in Mexico, and corporate governance disclosure in Hong Kong. » Visit the IFAC Global Knowledge Gateway
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REPORTING Future of sustainability reporting GreenBiz recently published an interview with Deloitte & Touche LPP partner Kristen Sullivan, who leads the Sustainability Reporting, Assurance and Compliance services for Deloitte US. Discussing the future of sustainability and integrated reporting, Sullivan explained that they’ve seen a shift from the mindset that ‘I have to do this’, to the expectation that sustainability reporting can add value to the company. Driven by marketplace factors including investors and B2B expectations, Sullivan believes sustainability reporting will accelerate rapidly in coming years, with more organisations reporting, as well as producing better quality reports. » Read the interview in full on GreenBiz
Transparency in corporate reporting This 2014 Transparency International report, which looks at the transparency of corporate reporting by the world’s 124 largest publicly listed companies, assesses the disclosure practices of companies with respect to their anti-corruption programmes, company holdings and the disclosure of key financial information on a country-by-country basis. It found that seven of the top ten best performing companies are from Europe, and eight of the bottom ten companies are from Asia. Further, 90 out of the 124 companies evaluated fail to reveal any information about tax payments in foreign countries. » Access the Transparency International report
Non-financial reporting in the EU A recent roundtable arranged by Parliament Magazine and the European Confederation of Institute of Internal Auditing (ECIIA) discussed integrated reporting and building trust with internal audit. In the EU public entities with more than 500 employees will shortly be required to disclose material information concerning environmental and social issues, as well as employee matters, human rights, corruption and board diversity. Silvio de Girolamo, chief audit and sustainability executive for Autogrill group and an ECIIA board member, explained the benefits of taking into account wider measures than pure financial ones when reporting on performance: ‘There is no benefit for the company in just identifying what is wrong… the benefit for the company is to prevent the fire before it happens, and we are in the best position to do so because we are inside the company - we don't just manage the figures, we also manage the process and the risk in order to see what the best solution is.’ » Read more from the roundtable discussion
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Sustainability reporting beyond the tick-box A recent INSEAD feature by Jan van der Kaaij, managing partner and co-founder of Between-us, explores sustainability reporting and highlights the importance of moving beyond the tick-box when it comes to sustainability reporting. Van der Kaaij underlines that ‘failing to transpose materialities into a well-executed sustainability strategy will lead to missed opportunities for innovation and engagement of stakeholders’. GreenBiz addresses the issue of disclosure of sustainability risks in another recent article, and highlights that with voluntary reporting frameworks such as the GRI or SASB it is easier for companies to put themselves in a good light, and allows them to exclude potential sustainability risks without a risk of consequences – which would not be as easy had reporting been mandatory. » Read the INSEAD feature, or access the GreenBiz article about disclosure of sustainability risk
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS UK: Whistleblowing and the public interest
Responsible supply chains in fashion
Law-Now reports on a recent case that provides guidance on what may reasonably be viewed as ‘in the public interest’ in relation to whistleblowing. In Chestertons v Nurmohamed it was ruled that ‘the public interest’ does not have to mean the public at large, in this case ‘the public’ was ruled to be a group of employees.
Supply chain challenges and risks were brought to public attention with the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh two years back. Fashion Revolution Day, on the 24 April, marks the day of the garment factory collapse, and serves as an annual reminder of the importance of sustainable fashion.
In brief, Law-Now explains: ‘In Chestertons, a director of the Mayfair branch of the estate agency complained, in essence, that the costs of the business were being overstated and, as a result, the commission levels for himself and 100 senior managers, all of whom participated in the same commission scheme, were being lowered.’
Although Rana Plaza is mainly talked about in relation to ‘fast fashion’, supply chain challenges are faced by every industry. Supply Management magazine recently reported that companies can increase revenue by up to 20% by improving their supply chain, based on a report by World Economic Forum (WEF). WEF’s ‘Beyond supply chains’ identifies 31 practices to promote socioenvironmental and commercial advantages.
Chestertons unsuccessfully appealed, claiming that this failed to meet public interest requirements. This decision should alert employers that contractual breaches may be sufficient to attract whistleblowing protection.
» Read the Supply Management magazine article, or access the WEF report ‘Beyond supply chains’
» Read more about whistleblowing and the public interest at Law-Now
Environmental protection law in China raises demands on local businesses A revised Environmental Protection Law that came into force in January 2015 has the potential to fight China’s ‘war on pollution’. China Economic Review reported in April that ‘the number of penalties imposed on domestic firms has short through the roof’. The introduction of the new legislation brings to light the many challenges with enforcing legislation. Guo Peiyuan, co-founder and general manager of CSR consulting firm SynTao, was quoted in the article, explaining that most fines so far are found in inland provinces, but that it is in coastal, more developed provinces ‘where they should keep an eye trained, [where] local governments care less about fees, and the companies can afford to pay them anyway’. » Read more about environmental challenges in China
Australia: Corporate tax avoidance It is not only in the UK that public frustration over corporate tax has surfaced. Corporate regulators faced the Senate Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance to explain how Facebook were exempt from being classified as a ‘large company’. As a ‘small company’, Facebook don’t have to disclose as much information. Other large businesses, like Apple, Google and Microsoft were also recently questioned about their tax structures, as were representatives from one of the big four accounting firms, in relation to tax advice. At the heart of the problem is lack of transparency, and outdated tax laws. A Google company representative mentioned that they are not against paying tax, but that it’s up to the government to set the rules. » Read more in the Sydney Morning Herald, or the Guardian
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Indian companies spend on social development
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015: supply chain transparency
The Hindu reports that as a result of the Companies Act 2013, organisations in India spend more on social development. The act requires businesses of a certain size to spend 2% of average net profit on CSR activities. Encouraged to spend in the local area where the business operates, chartered accountant G Karthikeyan confirmed to the Hindu that organisations have contributed to improving education infrastructure as well as healthcare in his community.
The UK Modern Slavery Act gained Royal Assent in late March 2015, and now also includes a clause on supply chain transparency. The UK Modern Slavery Act requires large companies carrying out business in the UK to publish an annual statement setting out what has been done to ensure slavery and human trafficking has not taken place in the business or any of its supply chains.
» Read more about social development in India in the Hindu
» Find out more about the Modern Slavery Act at lexology.com, or access the Act in full at legislation.gov.uk
Valuing natural capital Organisations need to review their way of doing business and get better at accounting for natural resources. A recent UN report found that the planet will face a 40% shortfall in water supplies in 15 years, and CIMA recently reported that if we continue operating ‘business as usual’, by 2030 it is estimated that we will need the natural capital equivalent of two planets to sustain ourselves. Eco-Business.com highlighted the benefits to business of accounting for natural capital in a recent article – from increasing revenue to reducing cost, gaining new customers and attracting investments. Addressing challenges related to natural resources, the UN Global Compact is currently testing a new ‘collaboration lab’ methodology in Brazil and India. The Global Compact reports that five projects are underway in Brazil, in areas ranging from treatment of waste water, reduction of watershed pollution, recycling solid residuals before they reach coastal areas, and municipal water governance. In India, the Global Compact noted that ‘while healthcare, agri-business and clean energy are attracting water-oriented investments, funding for enterprises operating in the livelihood, water consumption and sanitation sectors poses a much larger challenge’. » Read about Global Compact ‘collaboration labs’ in India and Brazil, or access the CIMA report ‘Accounting for natural capital
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Sustainable investment Partner Exchanges of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative have begun publishing a Communication to Stakeholders to engage capital market participants in a dialogue on responsible investment and sustainable business practices. The Communication explains each exchange’s approach to promoting sustainability among investors and companies. WealthManagement.com recently published an article addressing the benefits of sustainable investing. They referenced research from Deutsche Bank’s DB Climate Change Advisors, which reviewed more than 100 academic studies on sustainable investing globally, and found that ‘companies with high ESG and corporate social responsibility ratings tend to exhibit market- and accountingbased outperformance’.
‘Companies with high ESG and corporate social responsibility ratings tend to exhibit market- and accounting-based outperformance.’ WealthManagement.com
» Read more about the Communication to Stakeholders, or access the Wealth Management article about sustainable investing
Business and human rights: access to remedies
SME challenges: tax equality and supplier bullying
The UN guiding principles on business and human rights set out responsibilities of businesses and governments in three principles:
In light of the HSBC Swiss tax avoidance scandal, UK Public Accounts Committee chairperson Margaret Hodge questioned HM Revenues and Customs representatives about unfairly targeting small businesses, and reaching settlements with big businesses and offshore tax evaders. Although disagreeing with Hodge on her criticism of SMEs not being treated equally, the representatives confirmed that there’s still a lot of work to be done in relation to how larger businesses are treated.
the state duty to protect, the corporate responsibility to respect, and access to remedy.
A UN Global Compact UK network event in March 2015 brought together a range of leading speakers in the business and human rights field to explore the challenges, obstacles and opportunities associated with realising the third pillar ‘access to remedy’. The principles indicate how a company is expected to be run to keep its license to operate, which was explored in more detail in the May issue of Insight. » Read the keynote speech from the event by John Morrison, director of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, or find out more about the ‘license to operate’ in Insight
It is not only in relation to tax that small businesses face challenges – if you are a small supplier you also need to consider your working relationship when supplying to a larger business, to ensure that you are content with the terms. Top tips from CIMA for SME suppliers were recently published on Yahoo Finance. » Read more about the PAC hearing, or access top tips from CIMA for supplying to a bigger firm
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MORE FROM CIMA ETHICS Ethics case studies These real life case studies can be used as a basis for group discussions or to practice ethical decision making individually. Use the case studies together with the code of ethics and the ethics checklist to analyse how the fundamental principles are affected, which the threats and safeguards are, and draft a plan of action. » To the case studies
Ethical dilemma e-tool Would you know what to do when a situation arises that conflicts with the CIMA code of ethics? This interactive e-learning tool guides you through a series of scenarios where you have to decide what steps you would take, considering your ethical commitment as a professional qualified management accountant according to the CIMA code. » To the ethical dilemma e-tool
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