ACM008: Accounting for Sustainability

Module code: ACM008

Module provider: Business Informatics, Systems and Accounting; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Maggie Cooper, email: maggie.cooper@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

1. Students will critically evaluate the relationship between economic events and the information in sustainability reports, and how this affects inferences about the economic activities and position of the firm.
2. Students will discuss the wider social and political implications of sustainability reporting practice, viewing sustainability as a social and institutional practice.
3. Students are encouraged to relate economic events to diverse practices in accounting for sustainability, and to think critically of ongoing controversies and debates.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module it is expected that the students will be able to:

1. Critically appraise the content of key frameworks and reporting standards.
2. Discuss accounting for sustainability as a complex social practice.
3. Explain the role of political, cultural and institutional factors in the production and application of sustainability accounting.
4. Critically appraise academic and professional arguments relating to the content of sustainability frameworks, standards and the standard setting process.
5. Analyse, summarise and synthesise selected relevant academic and professional literature.

Additional outcomes:
The module also aims to encourage the development of oral communication skills, and the students’ effectiveness in group situations. Structured activities are designed to develop independent learning skills. Students are encouraged to develop additional IT skills by use of relevant web resources and communication techniques, including Blackboard.

Outline content:

1. A range of theoretical and practical perspectives related to accounting for sustainability:
2. The measurement of economic income and value (including applications to current accounting controversies).
3. The demand for, and supply of accounting information in a market setting and its stock market impact
4. Social and institutional practices including the nature of, and case for and against the regulation of corporate financial reporting.
5. How these theories are used in the production of accounting policies and regulation.

Module content

This is a dynamic module, introducing students to the rapidly changing area of sustainability accounting. The module considers accounting for sustainability as a social and institutional practice and focuses on wider social implications of corporate reporting. Students will gain a broad view of how sustainability reporting has grown, how it is used now and potential future developments. 
The course also explores the regulatory environment and political climate, and how these link with the development of existing standards and the introduction of new standards.
Students will be introduced to a coordinated set of concepts and principles to serve as a framework for analysing a wide variety of sustainability reporting issues. 

The module covers a number of theoretical perspectives to give a broad overview of the complexity and diversity of accounting for sustainability, from internal processes to external reporting.  

Students will study the demand for and supply of sustainability information and its potential stock market impact.  Students will discuss the nature of and cases for and against the regulation of corporate sustainability reporting

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures will be used for the exposition of the major concepts, principles and techniques under consideration. Workshops will be used for to discuss relevant articles, case studies, practical applications and student-led presentations or discussions. A reading list will be provided that covers key academic and professional papers and other writings in the accounting for sustainability literature.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Quizzes in seminars will help students to evaluate their performance. Discussion of academic articles in seminars will enable them to assess their own work on their literature portfolio and their understanding of key issues.

Reassessment

Additional costs