John Stittle

Environmental reporting in Europe: an analysis of UK and Spanish developments

The interdependence of ecology and the economy has become a highly significant feature in contemporary European business society. This degree of interdependency emphasizes the need for compatibility of the goals of economic growth, environmental protection and the rational management of natural resources. The issues are not predominantly centred on economic growth versus environmental sustainability, but rather on the pragmatic acknowledgement that there needs to be recognition and compromise between competing aims. Seeks to examine European Union regulations relating to business environmental issues and to analyse the legal, political and professional adaptation processes of environmental regulation in Spain and the UK.

‘Carry on up the east coast’— a case study in railway franchising

A significant aspect of the privatization of the British railway industry was that the provision of passenger train services would be awarded on a competitively tendered franchise basis. The turbulence in the ownership of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) franchise is testimony to the inherent and serious structural weaknesses in the business model underlying the franchising of train services and highlights the more general failings of the governments model of railway privatization.

Accounting for UK rail freight track charges: privatisation, politics and the pursuit of private sector vested interests

Abstract In 1996, the UK government privatised the railway industry based on a separation of rail infrastructure from train operations. Track, stations and signalling were transferred to a private sector infrastructure company, Railtrack plc. Separate passenger and freight train operators were required to pay track access charges to Railtrack for use of its rail infrastructure.

‘Not our problem’: UK Government's fiscal obligations towards the privatised railway network

Abstract Increasing attention is being focused on the implicit fiscal obligations of governments, which may be real (in terms of future resource commitments) even if they remain unrecognised in official accounts. Such obligations may exist in relation to important parts of national economic infrastructure, regardless of the legal position.

Regulatory Control of the Track Access Charges of Railtrack plc

Railtrack plc, floated in 1996, was the private sector owner of Britain’s railway track, signals and stations. Its major source of revenue came from track access charges, which individual train operating companies (TOCs) paid for use of the infrastructure. Since many of these TOCs received substantial subsidies to assist in paying their track access charges, Railtrack was in effect being heavily subsidised. In October 2001, the Government decided that these arrangements were no longer viable and placed Railtrack into administration. This article explains how the level of indirect subsidies to Railtrack had become excessive, and raises crucial questions that need to be addressed in settling the future shape of the railway industry.

Taken for a Ride: The Privatization of the UK Railway Rolling Stock Industry

The three UK rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) are a product of the privatization of the railway industry in the 1990s. As the UK approaches the 25th anniversary of the first privatization of a state-owned industry (telecommunications), this article evaluates the background and the structure of the ROSCO privatization sales. The authors show that the privatization of the UKs rolling stock industry was a significant triumph of political expediency over sound governmental financial policy. The ROSCOs have attracted relatively little attention, yet nowhere else have the flaws in the privatization process become more apparent.

Accounting for producer needs: The case of Britain's rail infrastructure

Abstract Academic studies of the industries privatised in Britain since the mid-1980s have focused on regulation and performance. This paper discusses the impact of changes in accounting policies within the British railway industry, which has been almost completely neglected in the literature to date.

Use of modern equivalent asset values in UK rail privatization

The Government has decided to hive‐off substantial parts of the UK railway network into the private sector during the current Parliament. Ownership and control of railway infrastructure is to be separated from train operations, and individual train operating companies will be charged for access to the rail network by a track‐owning authority. This article analyses the accounting methodology which the track authority proposes to adopt for the calculation of track access charges. It argues that using Modern Equivalent Asset Valuation basis will lead to a serious misallocation of resources.

‘Failing to deliver’—the privatized British rail freight industry

Since rail privatization the performance of passenger services has received considerable publicity and comment, but that of the rail freight industry has received scant attention. The freight operators, industry planners and regulators, and governments have proclaimed it a ‘success story’ and advanced ambitious growth targets. This paper evaluates the overall performance of rail freight and argues it has been, at best, disappointing. The projected growth figures for rail freight are wildly optimistic.

The role of accounting in transforming public tertiary institutions in New Zealand

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the role and influence played by the discipline of accounting through its association with the multiple logics of government reforms to transform the public tertiary education sector in New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a case study approach utilising multiple data collection methods. Neo-institutional theory provides an insightful complement to neo-liberalism and enhances the understanding of institutional logics driving government reforms and the transformation of public tertiary institutions. Findings The findings reveal that accounting has become a powerful conduit for the exercise of the neo-liberalism reforms by government and implemented by managerial control over public tertiary education institutions. Research limitations/implications By addressing a gap in the literature, the paper shows how political and economic neo-liberal policies have been implemented in tertiary education with the discipline of accounting being adopted as a prime driver of these reforms. The paper has significant implications for educational management, academics and learners in understanding how and why the inherent nature, objectives and processes of the overall educational experience have undergone a radical reformation. Originality/value New Zealand is one of the first countries to implement these educational reforms and adopted “accounting technologies” to reduce costs and improve performance. But the reality has often been very different. Most of the government’s original objectives have not been fulfilled and the reforms have been costly for the academic profession. This paper provides a valuable source of learning for academics, managers and politicians.