Towards Comprehensive Reporting: A Quadruple Bottom Line Approach
This paper reports the development of a comprehensive corporate reporting model adopting a Quadruple Bottom Line approach. In this, it represents a development of both the Triple Bottom Line reporting model advocated in the UK by John Elkington, a prominent environmentalist; and the Global Reporting Initiative, which has been promoted far more internationally. Whilst both formulations encourage corporate reporting along social and environmental dimensions in addition to the more traditional economic one, there is no doubt that the social aspects are left relatively under developed in both cases. By incorporating aspects of other reporting models, national legislation, surveys of best practice, the reporting profile adopted by an individual ground-breaking company, as well as academic contributions, the proposed model aims not only to enhance the social, environmental and economic dimensions of corporate social reporting, but also to incorporate a significant fourth dimension — that of governance.
Keywords: Corporate Social Reporting/Responsibility, Global Reporting Initiative, Triple Bottom Line, Quadruple Bottom Line, Key Performance Indicator Framework
Mr David Graham Woodward
Reader in Accounting, School of Management, University of Southampton
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Dr Thérèse Woodward
Faculty Director of Doctoral Programmes, Faculty of Business, Kingston University
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Maria Rosa Rovera Val
Lecturer, Research Institute for Environmental Sciences and Technology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
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Ref: S05P0150