ABSTRACT

The UN Sustainable Development Goals, an increasing interest in Environmental, Social, and Governance factors, the climate crisis, stakeholder pressure, the lessons of corporate scandals, and the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered a massive change in how companies approach finance and accounting practices. From being a ‘nice-to-have’ to becoming a ‘must-have’, Responsible Finance and Accounting positions itself as a key pillar in tomorrow’s better world for business, society, and planet. 

In this book, leading researchers and practitioners in the field of corporate social responsibility, from the schools and corporate partners of the Council on Business & Society, give you key insights into green finance and social and environmental reporting, national, international and corporate stakes in green taxonomy and carbon tax, and triple capital accounting. It also details how to model effective and low-cost social impact reporting, ethics in finance and accounting, and strategies for microfinance and finance-related social innovation. Each insight is accompanied by key takeaways, food for thought, and micro-case study sections.

This accessible book will be a valuable resource for scholars, instructors, and upper-level students across finance and accounting as well as corporate social responsibility and business ethics. It will also serve as a guide for professionals aiming to deepen their understanding of new finance and accounting practice.

part 1|28 pages

Finance – a key role in the future of business, society, and the planet

chapter |4 pages

With heart and head

How to bring them together for sustainable investment decisions

chapter |6 pages

CSR and sustainability indexes

A virtuous circle

chapter |6 pages

Brazil and the ISE B3 index

A focus on sustainability pioneering, its creation, and challenges

part 2|35 pages

Making finance ethical and inclusive

chapter |5 pages

Financial and non-financial disclosure

As a future shareholder, would you pay? If so, how much more or less?

chapter |5 pages

A global minimum tax

An end to the multinationals ‘racing to the bottom’?

chapter |9 pages

The dilemma of the ‘microfinance graduate’

The missing middle

part 3|45 pages

The role of the accountant, accounting, and new advances in reporting to reach the UN SDGs

chapter |6 pages

Combating crises

How social and environmental accounting can build a future-proof economy

chapter |6 pages

Triple capital accounting

Putting a price on the planet and people

chapter |6 pages

Value-added statements

A powerful reporting tool for corporate sustainability

chapter |5 pages

The EU green taxonomy

A common language for sustainability

part 4|22 pages

The accounting profession

chapter |5 pages

From lobby to the audit office

Big Four accounting firms and political links

chapter |4 pages

Auditing the auditors

How do audit firms manage their own tax affairs?

chapter |6 pages

Walk the talk

How firms gain environmental legitimacy