Chad M. Stefaniak

Literature review and research opportunities on credibility of corporate social responsibility reporting

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify and synthesize the current academic literature on emerging trends to increase CSR reporting credibility. Design/methodology/approach - This paper synthesizes literature on emerging trends to increase CSR reporting credibility from the past ten years, focusing mainly on the most recent five years, by searching ABI/Inform and Business Source Premier for academic papers containing the following keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reporting, CSR, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility. Findings - This paper identifies four relatively unexplored trends to improve CSR credibility: CSR assurance, integrated reporting, CSR reporting standards, and CSR regulation. Research limitations/implications - This study will be of use to academic researchers to facilitate research and discussion on the credibility of CSR disclosure. Practical implications - Regulatory agencies, boards of directors, customers, suppliers, and investors are increasingly using CSR information for decision making; therefore the credibility of the information is important. Originality/value - Much of the extant research investigating CSR has focused on financial performance metrics. The study synthesizes the recent CSR literature, including some interdisciplinary research focusing on emerging accountability trends in reporting. The authors identify several research opportunities that will enhance the authors’ understanding of CSR reporting.

Using “The Wave” to Facilitate Participants' Understanding of the Implicit Pressures Associated With the Auditing Profession

SUMMARY: This case presents a collaborative and experiential learning technique that can be used to engage new auditing students in a classroom, or junior auditors in a training session, to facilitate their understanding of the social complexities and pressures associated with auditing. The case utilizes “the wave” (the collaborative activity performed at most stadium-based events) to represent the flow of information through an accounting system, and demonstrate how auditors are often put in a position in which they must decide how to handle the implicit pressures resultant from identifying a problem in an accounting system. The case creates real-world social and psychological pressures, and requires a participant to navigate the social awkwardness of identifying poorly performing participants and to choose between the well-being of a handful of participants compared with the well-being of the entire class. The case, which requires only three participant volunteers, no student pre-work, and about 25 minu...