ISSN NO: 0974-4274(PRINT), ISSN NO: 2582-1148(ONLINE)

  • Enlisted in UGC CARE Group - 1

  • Listed in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory

  • Indexed in J-Gate

  • Licensor for EBSCO

  • Listed in Proquest

  • Included in Google Scholar

  • Accessed in DOAJ

Growing Relevance of ‘Materiality’ in Sustainability Reporting

Year 2019
Volume/Issue/Review Month Volume - XII Issue - I Jan. - Jun. 2019
Title Growing Relevance of ‘Materiality’ in Sustainability Reporting
Authors Pardhasaradhi Madasu, Associate Professor (Finance Area) Siva Sivani Institute of Management Kompally, Hyderabad,
Broad area Growing Relevance of ‘Materiality’ in Sustainability Reporting
Abstract
 ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Sustainability Reporting’ (SR) have become buzz words in today’s corporate world. ‘Materiality’ has become an emerging topic in the area of sustainability disclosures. ‘Materiality’ means ‘priority’ (Deloitte, 2018). The concept of materiality has strong roots in financial reporting and plays an important role in disclosures. In order to help managers, auditors, and investors determine what information to disclose, verify, or use, the SEC, the accounting profession, and the courts have provided guidelines on what data should be considered “material.” (Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, 2012). The question that is addressed: ‘What material topics are identified by different stakeholder groups? Is  it a critical one, both for reporters and report users (GRI, 2015)? The present paper is aimed at highlighting the role and importance of materiality in the context of SR. The paper is exploratory and descriptive in nature. SRs of Indian companies which are part of Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) have been reviewed to highlight the materiality assessment process adopted with respect to SRs.
Description
File
Referenceses
 Aryal, N. (2017). Materiality Assessment in Sustainability Reporting: Case Study of the Airline Industry. Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics
CSR Asia. (n.d.). Materiality Assessment: The What, Why and How? Retrieved from info@csr-asia.com
Deegan, C., & Rankin, M. (1999, September ). The Environmental Reporting Expectations Gap: Australian Evidence. The British Accounting Review, 313 - 346. doi:10.1006/bare.1999.0102
Deloitte. (2018). Running Your Materiality Process: A ‘How To; Guide. CEPI
Edgley, C., J.Jones, M., & Atkins, J. (2015, March). The Adoption of the Materiality Concept in Social and Environmental Reporting Assurance: A Field Study Approach. The British Accounting Review, 47(1), 1 - 18
EY. (2015). Materiality and Sustainability Disclosures: Key Insights from the Singapore Exchange Top 50. EYGM Limited. Retrieved from ey.com
Gibbons, C., Barman, T., & Lees, G. (2010). Sustainability in Emerging Markets. London: Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Retrieved from www.cimaglobal.com 
GRI. (2013). GRI G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, Implementation Manual. Global Reporting Initiative
GRI. (2013). Sustainability Topics for Sectors: What do stakeholders want to know? Global Reporting initiative
GRI. (2015). Defining Materiality: What Matters to Reporters and Investors? Do Investors and Reporters Agree on What’s Material in the Technology Hardware & Equipment and Banks & Diverse Financial Sectors? RobecoSAM. Retrieved from www.robecosam.com
GRI. (n.d.). About Sustainable Reporting. Retrieved from Global Reporting Initiative Standards Organization: https://www.globalreporting.org/information/sustainability-reporting/Pages/default.aspx
Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations. (2012). On Materiality and Sustainability: The Value of Disclosures in Capital Markets. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University.
INTOSAI - (WGEA). (2013). Sustainability Reporting: Concepts, Frameworks and the Role of Supreme Audit Institutions. Working Group on Environmental Auditing - WGEA. Retrieved from http://www.environmentalauditing.org
ISCA. (2017). Sustainability Reporting: Implementation Roadmap. Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants
John, S. (2012, December 11). 80 Indian companies are now doing sustainability reporting. The Times of India
KPMG. (2017). Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Materiality Assessment. Retrieved from kpmg.com/nz
Kumar, K., & Prakash, A. (2019, December). Examination of Sustainability Reporting Practices in Indian Banking Sector. Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, 4(2)
Laan, S. V. (2009). The Role of Theory in Explaining Motivation for Corporate Social Disclosures: Voluntary Disclosures vs. ‘Solicited’ Disclosures. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 3(4), 15 - 29. Retrieved from: http://ro.uow.edu.au/aabf
Mahmood, Z., Kouser, R., Ali, W., & Iqbal, Z. (2016, December ). Patterns of Sustainability Reporting in South Asia. Pakistan Journal of Social Science (PJSS), 36(2), 917 - 933
Mousa, G., & Hassan, N. (2015, Jan). Legitimacy Theory and Environmental Practices: Short Notes. International Journal of Business and Statistical Analysis. doi:10.12785/ijbsa/020104
Murninghan, M. (2013). Redefining Materiality II: Why it Matter, Who’s Involved, and What It Means for Corporate Leaders and Boards. Ted Grant
Ngu, S. B., & Amran, A. (2018). Materiality Disclosure in Sustainable Reporting: Fostering Stakeholder Engagement. Strategic Direction, 34(5), 1 - 4. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-01-2018-0002
Ortar, L. (2018, February). Materiality Matrixes in Sustainability Reporting: An Empirical Examination. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3117749
Ribera, J. M. (2017, November ). Materiality in Sustainability Reporting: Multiple Standards and Looking for Common Principles and Measurement, The Case of seven Biggest Groups in Spain. European Accounting and Management Review (EAMR), 4(1), 108 - 147. doi: 10.26595/eamr.2014.4.1.6
ROBECOSAM. (n.d.). DJSI Index Family. Retrieved from Dow Jone Sustainability Indices: https://www.sustainability-indices.com/index-family-overview/djsi-index-family.html
Sarraj, D. (2018). Examining Materiality in Sustainability Reporting: Evidence from GCC Countries. Auckland University of Technology
WBCSD. (n.d.). The Sustainability Reporting Landscape in India. Climate Disclosure Standards Board. Retrieved from www.reportingexchange.com
Zhou, Y. (2011). Materiality Approach in Sustainability Reporting: Application, Dilemmas, and Challenges. 1st World Sustainability Forum. MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Retrieved from www. wsforum.org