Does the global reporting initiative influence sustainability disclosures in Asia-Pacific banks?

This article examines sustainability disclosures by the major banks in the Asia-Pacific region (the six largest banks from each of four countries: Australia, Japan, China and India) during the period 2005–2012. The findings show sustainability disclosures by banks that participate in the global reporting initiative (GRI) are significantly higher than disclosures by those banks that have not participated in the GRI. Amongst those banks that have participated in the GRI there is a higher rate of disclosure by externally assured banks than by non-externally assured banks. Among the GRI participating banks, there was significant variation of disclosures between countries. Disclosures by Australian banks appeared to be significantly higher than disclosures by banks in any other countries under observation. The findings are discussed from a moral legitimacy perspective. Consistent with this view, the banks under study were responsive to the GRI, which is seen as an influential actor that shapes and reflects the expectations of the broader community. However, the role of the GRI in minimising country differences in disclosure by banks is not significant.

Environmental reporting in annual reports: an examination of Australian state government departments

The nature and extent of environmental reporting within the annual reports of four Australian state government departments over a six year period from 2000-2006 is examined in this study. The Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), the New South Wales Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (DEUS), the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) and the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE) have been selected. These departments are responsible for environmentally sensitive areas such as conservation, water management and public land management. The nature of these areas is a factor which might potentially affect disclosure practices so it might be expected that these departments disclose more environmental information than departments in less environmentally and politically sensitive areas. These departments also have a number of politically active stakeholder groups, including Aboriginal communities and organisations, environmental groups and forest and timber industries. This study found a reduction in environmental reporting after a five year period of increases.

Measuring regional sustainability: lessons to be learned

Developing tools for measuring progress toward sustainability has proven a challenging task. Indicators offer an excellent means to explore the success or otherwise of management strategies. They also allow reporting social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. To ensure that the tools developed are effective in measuring the progress toward sustainable futures, an evaluation of the methods and the indicators used must be undertaken so that with progress there is learning and with the new knowledge methods can be redesigned to better advance sustainability. This paper discusses a study carried out in the south west region of Victoria, Australia, using indicators as the basis for developing a tool to measure progress toward sustainability. By evaluating the methods and indicators used in the study this paper provides an insight into the challenges encountered and the lessons learned. Issues explored include selecting indicators, collating data, integrating social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability and using an adaptive approach.

Is the valuer the barrier to identifying the value of sustainability?

Purpose - Broad-scale investment in sustainability is limited due to the lack of evidence of the relationship between sustainability and the property’s market value. Although evidence is amassing and being analyzed through advanced modeling, this evidence is not being reflected in the valuation process. Valuers have a pivotal role in financial markets, in the reporting of asset values. Consequently, they are the current barrier in large-scale investment in sustainability, due to their lack of reporting or consideration of sustainability in the valuation process.

Design/methodology/approach - This research investigates, in the Australian context, whether valuers’ are incorporating sustainability as a consideration in the valuation process and their depth of reporting on it. Further, the research investigates whether valuers’ have the knowledge and skills to accurately report on sustainability in the valuation process. This research used an online survey to gather responses from valuers around Australia, using a combination of structured and semi-structured questions.

Findings - This paper has identified that valuers are identifying a value relationship between sustainability and market value, and clearly emphasizing that they are not the barrier to this relationship from a lack of inclusion in valuation practice. However, what this research has identified is that although valuers are acknowledging sustainability in their practice, they maybe inhibiting further investment in sustainability due to inaccurate or misjudged assessments of sustainability in valuations.

Practical implications - The research highlights the implications for the broader market and the valuation profession, as a result of the valuers’ current lack of knowledge, skills and ability to incorporate or consider sustainability in the valuation process. The potential for inaccurate knowledge regarding sustainability being incorporated in the valuation process is very high, and could potentially have litigious issues in the future.

Originality/value - The research has highlighted that although valuers are beginning to consider sustainability at some level in the valuation process, their current knowledge of sustainability and its implications to long term viability is limited and in some cases grossly inaccurate. Consequently, this research has identified there is an imperative requirement for investigation into appropriate, accurate knowledge development in the field of sustainability for the valuation profession.

Implementation of an audit with feedback knowledge translation intervention to promote medication error reporting in health care: a protocol.

BACKGROUND: Health professionals strive to deliver high-quality care in an inherently complex and error-prone environment. Underreporting of medical errors challenges attempts to understand causative factors and impedes efforts to implement preventive strategies. Audit with feedback is a knowledge translation strategy that has potential to modify health professionals' medical error reporting behaviour. However, evidence regarding which aspects of this complex, multi-dimensional intervention work best is lacking. The aims of the Safe Medication Audit Reporting Translation (SMART) study are to: 1. Implement and refine a reporting mechanism to feed audit data on medication errors back to nurses 2. Test the feedback reporting mechanism to determine its utility and effect 3. Identify characteristics of organisational context associated with error reporting in response to feedback METHODS/DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design, incorporating two pairs of matched wards at an acute care hospital, is used. Randomisation occurs at the ward level; one ward from each pair is randomised to receive the intervention. A key stakeholder reference group informs the design and delivery of the feedback intervention. Nurses on the intervention wards receive the feedback intervention (feedback of analysed audit data) on a quarterly basis for 12 months. Data for the feedback intervention come from medication documentation point-prevalence audits and weekly reports on routinely collected medication error data. Weekly reports on these data are obtained for the control wards. A controlled interrupted time series analysis is used to evaluate the effect of the feedback intervention. Self-report data are also collected from nurses on all four wards at baseline and at completion of the intervention to elicit their perceptions of the work context. Additionally, following each feedback cycle, nurses on the intervention wards are invited to complete a survey to evaluate the feedback and to establish their intentions to change their reporting behaviour. To assess sustainability of the intervention, at 6 months following completion of the intervention a point-prevalence chart audit is undertaken and a report of routinely collected medication errors for the previous 6 months is obtained. This intervention will have wider application for delivery of feedback to promote behaviour change for other areas of preventable error and adverse events.

A global sense of place: geography and sustainability education in a primary context

In this paper, I draw on Massey's conceptualisation of space and place and literature on children's geographies to argue for the importance of "a global sense of place" (Massey, 1991, p. 29) in geography (and sustainability) education. Reporting on interviews with six Victorian primary teaSustainability educationhers' and their conceptions and perceptions of geography, I contend that place in their imagining is commonly represented as bounded, contained and static. This is in contrast to Massey's understanding of place as immersed in global networks/processes, a product of interrelations and continuously changing. I conclude this paper by presenting an example of a primary unit that provides opportunities for students to develop an outward sense of place; one which foregrounds the interconnections and interdependence of places and processes.