Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting: A Case Study of ASX: QUB

Running head: CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING THEORY 1
ACCT20074 Contemporary Accounting Theory
QUB Research Report
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
Date

CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING THEORY 2
Executive Summary
The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an organizational model that
enables companies to regulate its activities, in terms of being socially accountable to the
community and relevant stakeholders. The practice of CSR, which is also referred as corporate
citizenship, makes it possible for firms to impact the community socially, economically and
environmentally. The QUB, an ASX-listed company manages its business in manner that assures
social responsibility, which is focused to engage the holding’s term to enable the production of
quality services to the community within which the company operates. Thus, CSR plays a
significant role in not only enabling a company to become socially responsible, but also to
operate within a strategized financial planning that enables the achievement of the strategized
goals and objectives. A sustainability reporting, with the inclusion of the relevant reporting
concepts, allows the QUB to embrace CSR to the community. The institutional and legitimacy
theories provide the essence of sustainability reporting, which apply to the ASX: QUB in
enabling the logistic firm to evaluate its strategic approach that assure long-term availability of
services to customers.

CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING THEORY 3
Introduction
The ASX: QUB is committed to managing its business in a responsible and safe manner.
This corporate social responsibility enables the company to ensure that its team is engaged,
diverse and empowered to provide quality services to its potential customers and community
within which the holding operates. This research report is divided into two sections (parts A and
B). In the first part, a critical literature review of the importance of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) in enabling a firm to operate within its financial objectives is provided.
Part A also elaborates if sustainability reporting, in consideration to the relevant reporting
concepts represent a holistic view of corporate social responsibility. Moreover, part A identifies
and explains two relevant theories that explain the essence of sustainability reporting. In part B,
the ASX: QUB is analyzed, in reference to its history, ownership, governance and financial
performance. In this section, a sustainability reporting scoring index, in reference to the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) rules is presented. The reporting also examines the quality and extent
of the ASX: QUB according to the scoring index.
Part A: Theoretical Knowledge
Literature Review of the Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility
The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in reference to the vitality of
enabling firms to achieve their financial objectives, has been postulated for decades now.
According to research done by Bellantuono, Pontrandolfo & Scozzi (2016), CSR is fundamental
in enabling a company to enhance its Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) and to be
competitive in any market. In that case, there are a lot of competing theories that purpose to
develop a significant explanation of the varied connections between the CSR and CFP. When a

CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTING THEORY 4
specific company can be evaluated based on these varied connections, theories linking the CSR
and CFP can be used to explain the varied connections between the two concepts.
The ideology of CSR enables a firm to become morally accountable to the community
within which it operates. Moreover, the concepts forces companies to go beyond attaining their
own goals or making profits with the involvement of their key partners and relevant stakeholders
(Biondi, L., & Bracci, 2018). As presented by Carnevale & Mazzuca (2012), companies should
embrace the idea of becoming socially accountable for practical and moral reasons, which are
acted upon using a socially accountable posture that allows firms to boost their financial
performance in a competitive market. In that case, all the activities that purpose to bring out the
concept of CSR can the availed by competent workers, recognized companies reputation,
enhanced financial markets and satisfied clients. All these assure a company of boosting its
financial performance, which also guarantees sustainability.
Nonetheless, social obligations significantly involve some financial burdens that can
potentially affect the company’s profits and its comparative corporate performances. In that case,
various have presented the trade-off hypothesis that provides an explanation of the negative
connection between financial performances of a company and CSR (Ceulemans, Lozano &
Alonso-Almeida, 2015). With this linkage assumption, firms are able to display effective social
credentials experience that decline the stock prices in reference to what the market recommends
as an average. According to Stacchezzini, Melloni & Lai (2016), the concept of CSR is
applicable as an organizational strategy that contributes to the frameworks that boost the
competitive advantage of a given firm. An analysis by Loh, Thomas & Wang (2017), concerns
the implications of CSR of the company’s competiveness and shows that CSR should not be
considered as an ‘adventure’ for a firm’s management board. However, the concept can be