簡介:3150英文單詞,英文單詞,17萬英文字符,中文萬英文字符,中文5400字文獻(xiàn)出處文獻(xiàn)出處CHOCH,PATTENDMGREENACCOUNTINGREFLECTIONSFROMACSRANDENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSUREPERSPECTIVEJCRITICALPERSPECTIVESONACCOUNTING,2013,246443447GREENACCOUNTINGREFLECTIONSFROMACSRANDENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSUREPERSPECTIVECHARLESHCHO,DENNISMPATTENABSTRACTINTHISCOMMENTARY,WEREFLECTONTHORNTON’S2013EXTENSIONTOHISORIGINALCAMAGAZINEARTICLEONENVIRONMENTALACCOUNTINGTHORNTON,1993ASWELLASTHEORIGINALCONTRIBUTIONGIVENOURBACKGROUNDINSOCIALANDENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSURERESEARCH,WEQUESTIONTHORNTON’SNARROWFOCUSONENVIRONMENTALACCOUNTINGASITRELATESTOTHEDEBITSANDCREDITSOFFINANCIALREPORTING,ANDWEATTEMPTTOILLUSTRATETHEPROBLEMSTHATVOLUNTARYENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSURECREATESWITHRESPECTTOREDUCEDINCENTIVESFORCOMPANIESTOIMPROVEENVIRONMENTALPERFORMANCEWECONCLUDEBYIDENTIFYINGOURCONCERNSWITHTHEFUTUREOFENVIRONMENTALACCOUNTINGGIVENTHERECENT‘REDISCOVERY’OFTHETOPICBYMAINSTREAMACCOUNTINGRESEARCHERSKEYWORDSENVIRONMENTALSOCIALSUSTAINABILITY1INTRODUCTIONWEAPPRECIATETHEOPPORTUNITYTOREFLECTON,SPECIFICALLY,THORNTON’S1993,2013CONTRIBUTIONSTOTHEDEBATEONENVIRONMENTALACCOUNTING,ANDMOREGENERALLY,ONWHATWESEEASTHECONCERNSTHATENVIRONMENTALANDSOCIALACCOUNTINGNEEDSTODEALWITH1WEHAVECAREFULLYREADHISNEWEXPOSITIONAND,GIVENITSRELIANCEONTHEORIGINALCAMAGAZINEARTICLE,WECAREFULLYREVIEWEDITASWELLLETUSSTATEFROMTHEBEGINNING,THATWEAGREEWHOLEHEARTEDLYWITHTHREEMAJORPOINTSFROMTHESEWORKSFIRST,LIKETHORNTON1993,P39,WEBELIEVETHAT‘‘WECAN’TREALLYDECIDEHOWTODOGREENACCOUNTINGUNTILWESETTLESOMEFUNDAMENTAL,EPISTEMOLOGICALISSUESOFWHATWEARESUPPOSEDTOACCOUNTFOR’’ANDWEDONOTBELIEVEWEHAVEMUCHCHANCEOFEVERSETTLINGTHOSEISSUESSECOND,WECONCURTHATTHEASSETRETIREMENTOBLIGATIONAROACCOUNTINGREQUIREMENTSNOWINPLACEAREANIMPROVEMENTOVERTHESITUATIONTHATEXISTEDWHENTHORNTONFIRSTDISCUSSEDENVIRONMENTALACCOUNTINGFINALLY,ANDPERHAPSMOSTIMPORTANTLYFOROURARGUMENT,WEAGREEWITHTHORNTON1993,P37THAT‘‘INFORMATIONISNEVERPERFECT’’WHEREWEDIFFER,ANDTHISPERHAPSRELATESBACKTOAGREEMENTNUMBERONE,ISONWHATWESEEASWITHINTHEPURVIEWOFTHEACCOUNTINGDOMAINASTHORNTON1993,P34NOTEDINHISORIGINALPIECE,HEWASGOINGTODOSOMETHINGHESAWASUNIQUETOARTICLESDEALINGWITHGREENACCOUNTING,HEWAS‘‘GOINGTOTALKABOUTACCOUNTING’’ASHEEXPLAINSINHISUPDATE,WHATHEMEANTWASTHATHEACTUALLYGOTINTOTHEDEBITSANDCREDITSTHATWOULDBENEEDEDTOBRINGCOMPANIES’ENVIRONMENTALRESPONSIBILITIESINTOTHEACCOUNTINGSYSTEM,ANDFORTHEMOSTPART,THATISWHATHEAGAINFOCUSESONINTHENEWARTICLETOHIM,ACCOUNTINGAPPEARSTOBELIMITEDTOWHATGETSCAPTUREDINTHEFINANCIALSTATEMENTSBUTWEARERESEARCHERSINCORPORATEENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSURE–ALMOSTALWAYSFOCUSINGONINFORMATIONTHATGETSPROVIDEDNOTTHROUGHTHEFINANCIALSTATEMENTS,BUTINSTEADTHROUGHOTHERMEANSSUCHASNARRATIVESINANNUALREPORTS,DISCLOSURESONCOMPANYWEBSITES,ANDMORERECENTLY,PROVISIONOFINFORMATIONTHROUGHSTANDALONECORPORATESOCIALRESPONSIBILITYCSRREPORTSWECANUNDERSTAND,GIVENTHATVERYLITTLERESEARCHINTOCORPORATEENVIRONMENTALREPORTINGPREDATEDTHORNTON’SFIRSTEXPOSITION,2THATHISVIEWOFACCOUNTINGBACKINTHEEARLY1990SWASSOLIMITEDHOWEVER,INTHATBOTHENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSURERESEARCH,ANDTHEPRACTICEITSELF,HAVEINCREASEDDRAMATICALLYOVERTHEPASTTWODECADES,COURSE,DISAGREEGRAY2010,P49CITESMORGAN1988,P480INNOTINGACCOUNTSAREALWAYSENGAGEDININTERPRETINGACOMPLEXREALITY,PARTIALLY,ANDINAWAYTHATISHEAVILYWEIGHTEDINFAVOUROFWHATTHEACCOUNTANTISABLETOMEASUREANDCHOOSESTOMEASURE,THROUGHTHEPARTICULARSCHEMEOFACCOUNTINGTOBEADOPTEDHEFURTHERCITESABERCROMBIEETAL1984,P13TOMAKETHECASETHAT‘‘THELANGUAGEBYWHICHPEOPLEJUSTIFYTHEIRBEHAVIORWHENCHALLENGEDBYANOTHERSOCIALACTORISAN‘ACCOUNT’’’GRAY,2010,P47ASSUCH,WEARGUETHATINFORMATIONCOMPANIESVOLUNTARILYCHOOSETOPROVIDETHROUGH,ORIGINALLY,DISCLOSURESINTHEIRANNUALREPORTS,ANDMORERECENTLY,THROUGHWEBSITESANDSTANDALONECSRREPORTS,REPRESENTATTEMPTSTO‘ACCOUNT’FORTHEIRENVIRONMENTALANDSOCIALBEHAVIORS,ANDASSUCH,AREVERYMUCHWITHINTHEREALMOF‘ACCOUNTING’UNFORTUNATELY,MANYOFTHEPROBLEMSWEHADWITHTHEVOLUNTARYENVIRONMENTALDISCLOSUREOFTWENTYYEARSAGOREMAINUNCHANGEDTODAY,ANDWEWOULDLIKETOEXPANDTHORNTON’S1993ORIGINALBASECASETOILLUSTRATEOURCONCERNS3ANEXPANSIONOFTHETHORNTON1993EXAMPLELET’SASSUME,INSTEADOFASINGLEOILCOMPANY,AMARKETCONSISTINGOFTWOCOMPETINGFIRMSLET’SCALLTHEMGOODANDEVIL,ANDLET’SASSUMETHATATTHESTARTOFPERIODITHEYAREBOTHVALUEDINTHEMARKETAT1,000,000NOWLET’SASSUMETHEGOVERNMENTIMPOSESNEWREGULATIONSDESIGNEDTOREDUCETHEHARMFULEFFECTSOFOILCOMPANYACTIVITIESONTHEENVIRONMENTTHEMARKETMUSTNOWASSESSITSBELIEFSABOUTTHECOSTOFTHENEWREGULATIONSONEACHFIRM,EGGOOD,EGEVILFORTHESAKEOFSIMPLICITY,WENOTETHIS‘COST’INCLUDESALLOTHERPOTENTIALCHANGESINFUTURECASHFLOWS–THATIS,ITINCLUDESWHATTHORNTONLAIDOUTASXANDY,ASWELLASANYPOTENTIALPRODUCTPRICECHANGESTHATCOULDBEIMPOSEDTOOFFSETTHESECOSTSBECAUSETHEREGULATIONSAREMEANTTOREDUCEHARMFULEFFECTS,WECANASSUMETHATGWILLBEHIGHERFORTHEFIRMWHOSEOPERATIONSAREMOREHARMFUL,ANDASSUCH,INFORMATIONONEACHCOMPANY’SENVIRONMENTALPERFORMANCEWOULDAPPEARPOTENTIALLYTOHAVEVALUERELEVANCEONEPOTENTIALSOURCEOFENVIRONMENTALPERFORMANCEINFORMATIONISTHEDISCLOSURESCOMPANIESVOLUNTARILYCHOOSETOPROVIDEINTHEIRFINANCIALREPORTS6PROPONENTSOFVOLUNTARYDISCLOSURETHEORYVDTARGUETHATCOMPANIESCHOOSETOPROVIDEVOLU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