The focus of accounting as a practice is changing. It is no longer primarily about financial performance: social and environmental performance is also crucial in attaining organisational success. This assignment is designed for you to examine the trend in accounting reports in the practical world, which allows you to apply the knowledge learnt in the course in practice. REQUIRED: You are required to select one public listed company from the United States of America (USA) and one public listed company from Australia. Both companies shall be from the same industry. Examine the sustainability reports and any other sustainability reporting channels of these companies. Do some research on the sustainability reporting, rules and regulations governing the reporting in these countries, industries in which they operate and other relevant areas so as to form the basis for comparisoncontrasting and of evaluating these reports. The scope of comparison and contrasting are in respect of: What are they reporting? Why are they reporting it? and; How are they reporting it? Please take note that 10 marks will deducted from the total score if you choose companies other than instructed. In addition, you should integrate a reflection into your report based on the guest lecture from our industry partners to address the following questions: What are the key social and environmental activities being carried out by Schneider Electric Vietnam (SEV)? How do you link the industry lecture with the knowledge you obtained from AOS lesson this semester? What similarities do you find between SEVs sustainability activities with your chosen companies in the assignment?
ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING PRACTICE GROUP REPORT CALLON PETROLEUM CORP & WOODSIDE PERTROLEUM CORP Subject Code: ACCT2105 Subject Name: Accounting in Organization & Society Lecturer Name: Vinh Tran Phuc Group Number: 12 _ Team Number: 05 Group Members: Word Count: 1430 Page Number: 10 ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice Table of Contents I Introduction .3 II How are they reporting it? III What’s being reported? .3 Environmental performance .3 Social performance IV Why are they reporting it? V Schneider Electric Vietnam VI Conclusion VII References VIII Appendices ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice I Introduction Recently, people are more aware of businesses’ sustainability about how companies deal with social, economic, and environmental problems Consequently, most organizations have released sustainability reports voluntarily to show transparent information to stakeholders and take responsibility for those concerns (Ehnert, et al 2015) Like many other companies, Callon Petroleum and Woodside Petroleum Corporations have also published their sustainability reports extensively Callon is one of the largest Oil and Natural Gas organization concentrating on the investigation, and improvement of superior resources in West and South Texas, US (Callon 2021) While Woodside is the leading company of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil development in Western Australia (Woodside 2020) This report will analyze similarities and differences in the sustainability development of both companies Finally, there will have a brief analysis of the Schneider Electric Vietnam operation as well as make several comparisons between SEV and the above organizations II How are they reporting it? Both sustainability reports are available on their companies’ official websites that their stakeholders can approach the information straightforwardly Additionally, Woodside and Callon are guided by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards to understand how society and the environment affect their business, enhance consistency when disclosing corporate information (Courtnell 2019) Generally, both companies use the statistical data, graphs, tables, and images for each subcategory in the reports to make them more compelling and convincing Separately, Callon declares an adoption of ESG initiatives for delivering its CSR performance (Callon Petroleum Ltd, 2021) Callon uses the CSR framework because it can demonstrate transparency and capacity to catch the changing demand of stakeholders (Callon 2019) Compared to Callon, Woodside prepared its report under International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) (Woodside 2018) IPIECA framework is beneficial because it assists Woodside’s administrators with good practices for the planning process and gives critical information for solutions with scientific analysis (IPIECA 2020) ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice III What’s being reported? Environmental performance a Similarities Firstly, two corporations focus on reducing carbon footprint and harmful influences of toxic gases on the environment Callon advocates replacing most internal combustion engines, then applies advanced operational machines to mitigate GHG greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs (Callon 2019) Similarly, Woodside substitutes electrical machinery for traditional fuel-operation mechanical systems that drive improved performance in diminishing carbon footprint (Woodside 2019) Secondly, both companies actively carry out partnerships with global environmental and regulatory organizations to encourage transparency, as well as innovation on their commitment to sustainable development For example, Callon and Woodside affiliates to Permian Basin Petroleum Association and Greening Australia Association, respectively to exchange technique information, in-depth knowledge, and emissions reduction strategies b Differences Besides, each company conducts different comprehensive plans to solve environmental problems Callon enthusiastically attempts to ensure local water suppliers, reduce freshwater consumption and enforce land stewardship (Callon 2019) They endeavor to preserve local freshwater supplies by utilizing alternative sources as recycled produced water and non-fresh water for their operation Callon diminishes water usage through hydraulic fracture modeling and dynamic designing oversight during admirably fulfillment operations (Callon 2019) Finally, Callon makes environmental site appraisals before building new construction, spill prevention measures during operation, disposal of waste after to prevent land pollution (Callon 2019) On the other hand, Woodside invests in tackling environmental challenges by decreasing fuel utilization and discovering environmentally friendly energy sources (Woodside 2020) Woodside uses advanced technology such as high-efficiency turbines and lithium-ion batteries to reduce fuel consumption (Woodside 2019) Furthermore, Woodside runs the “Karratha Gas Plant” project to optimize power generation for operational activities (Appendix 1) They progress a market for LNG to transfer the higher ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice discharges fuels and promote hydrogen production since hydrogen is a clean-burning power source that can minimize gas emissions (Woodside 2019) Social performance a Similarities Callon and Woodside perform their resemblances in guaranteeing workplace safety, staffs’ well-being, especially in the COVID-19 epidemic Initially, those companies established some rules and policies to encourage Health and Safety (H&S) in the workplace Callon formalized the Safety and Environmental Policy to provide some guidance that employees can take to protect themselves in working (Callon 2019) In the same pathway, Woodside promulgated Golden Safety Rules to resolve high-risk injuries for their workers (Woodside 2020) Secondly, employees entering two of these companies will be providing fully with insurance services related to their health and shared about the company’s safety policy Especially, in the COVID-19 period, both companies executed COVID-19 screening, social distancing, and other wellbeing and safety conventions b Differences However, each corporation has its concerns Callon Petroleum concentrates on developing team and individual capability by training and providing them professional knowledge because they recognize that their employees are key for their success (Appendix 2) Callon consistently offers in-house training programs for the workforce and invests in new potential managers by sponsoring them for additional courses in renowned universities and another conspicuous administration advancement (Callon 2019) In contrast, Woodside puts more effort into supporting community development (Woodside 2020) Woodside focuses on addressing the local needs, these activities occur annually They organize charity trips to help the community and education system For example, they also collaborate with the locality to support at-risk children going to school with the activity “Back to school” as well as giving gifts for special occasions such as Christmas and Halloween (Woodside 2019) IV Why are they reporting it? ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice The sustainability report is a useful method because it allows keeping motivating and focusing on achieving companies’ goals which guarantee their committee of green energy improvement, healthy and safe performance (Nitti 2020) By releasing sustainability information, both Callon and Woodside can upgrade reputation, enhance credibility, reinforce brand names, acquire the stakeholders' beliefs, and consolidate their position in the marketplace (Chandan 2021) In the industry of Callon and Woodside, individuals and organizations around the world need to comprehend the oil and gas area's developing business and converse with organizations about the effect of their activities on the society and environment, as well as trade-offs (IPIECA 2020) To satisfy these requests, sustainability reports are good choices In this case, Callon’s business related to the Oil and Gas industry that their business processes might cause environmental pollution and the high labor risk Because of Environmental Protection Agency regulation (EPA) in the U.S, they must provide exploration information, effects to the environment and society, report any risks or shows identified with their activities, and efficient strategies to solve problems through sustainability reports (Allison & Mandler 2018) Similarly, under Australian legislation, Woodside has to show their responsibility for protecting human rights and the environment when running the business, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts, 2009) By using the sustainability reports, they can transfer a large amount of information to the stakeholders widely V Schneider Electric Vietnam SEV empowers all to capitalize on their energy and resources everywhere, for everyone for ensuring "Life is On" based on commitments (Felicitas 2021) SEV conducts the “Access to Energy program”, which will focus on providing solar-used equipment and vocational training for energy management to the underprivileged Nowadays, sustainability reporting has become a common trend in the business world because these reports assist in increasing great transparency and accounting stakeholders' expectations (Nitti 2020) Furthermore, most lecturers usually rely on the GRI framework to report information Similarly, SEV’s ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice report is based on GRI standards to disclose information to the public and build trust in them Improving the Sustainability report is extremely important since it helps the GRI to advance and acquire traction, or construct superior alternatives Despite being in different industries, SEV, Callon, and Woodside still have some commons in sustainability activities As same as the two companies above, SEV not only concentrated on their internal well-being but also conducted Tomorrow Rising program to help communities affected by the COVID-19 epidemic Additionally, their top leaders and managers dedicated a part of their bonus to charity foundations for COVID-19 protestation VI Conclusion Overall, both companies have produced useful sustainability reports that show how they intend to meet their own sustainability objectives and the effect of their action on society and environment Callon petroleum is mainly focuses on human development and minimizing clean water pollution while Woodside petroleum a better in helping community and education system with charity programs and they are also proceeded to exploring the environmentally friendly energy sources In addition, Schneider Electric Vietnam has also concentrated on enhancing environmental quality and helping rural people who is not be able to access and control electricity Furthermore, due to different rules and regulations, the way they create sustainability report is affected but still based on GRI standards VII References Ehnert, I Parsha, S, Roper, I, Wagner, M & Muller-Camen 2016, ‘Reporting on Sustainability and HRM: a Comparative Study of Sustainability Practices by the World’s Largest Companies’,The International Journal of Human Resource Management,vol 27, no 1, pp 88-108 Callon Petroleum 2019,Sustainability report 2019,company report, Callon Petroleum, viewed 15 April 2021, ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice Callon Petroleum 2021, Sustainability, company report, Callon Petroleum, viewed 13 April 2021, Callon Petroleum Ltd., 2020, Callon Petroleum Company Releases Inaugural 2019 Sustainability Report, Cision PR Newwire, viewed 13 April 2021, Woodside Petroleum 2018, Sustainable Development Report, company report, Woodside Petroleum, viewed 13 April 2021, Woodside Petroleum 2019,Sustainable developmentreport 2019, company report, Woodside Petroleum, viewed15 April 2021, Woodside Petroleum 2020Sustainable development report 2020, company report, Woodside Petroleum, viewed 15 April 2021, IPIECA 2020, Oil spill monitoring and sampling, IPIECA, viewed 13 April 2021, Nitti, C 2020, Why sustainability reporting is important for private and public organizations?, Arcolab.org, blog post, June, viewed 14 April 2021, Chandan, S 2021, Why Sustainability Reporting Is an Important Risk Management Tool for Any Business?, Take Green Steps, blog, viewed 15 April 2021, ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice IPIECA 2020, Sustainability reporting guidance for the oil and gas industry, industry report, IPIECA, viewed 15 April 2021, Allison, E & Mandler, B 2018, U.S Regulation of Oil and Gas Operations _Federal and state regulation of exploration, production, transportation, and more, American Geosciences Institute, viewed 15 April 2021, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts 2009, Local government and Australian environment law, Australian Government, viewed 15 April 2021, Felicitas, H 2021, long-term commitments in Sustainability Impact of Schneider Electric Vietnam, Schneider Electric Vietnam, viewed 15 April 2021, VIII Appendices ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice Figure 1: The screenshot of information about the strategies the Woodside Petroleum Company applies to decrease the fuel utilization (Woodside 2019) Figure 2: The screenshot of information about how Callon Petroleum Company invest in developing their workforce (Callon 2019) 10 ACCT2105_ Group 12_ Team 5_ Understanding Sustainability Reporting Practice Figure 3: The screenshot of long-term commitments in Sustainability Impact of Schneider Electric Vietnam (Felicitas 2021) 11