Isomorphisms Between Financial and Sustainability Accounting Some Introductory Notes

Abstract

Sustainability accounting (SA from now on) could be defined in a sense as the ‘armed arm’ of Corporate Social Responsibility. Without an agreed SA, CSR seems not being able to go beyond rhetoric [Owen and Swift (Business Ethics 10:4–8, 2001)] and ideology for legitimacy [Guthrie and Parker (Accounting and Business Research 19:343–352, 2012)], resulting simply on involvement of stakeholders into the concerns, profit or non-profit they are, but not being able to measure the extent and outcomes of this involvement. Our work is shared into four main following sections, out of a conclusive one. The second one will deal with the process of normativisation, with particular concern to sustainability reporting. The third one is a sort of ‘core business’ for the chapter, because it tries to explore fully the isomorphisms between financial reporting and sustainability reporting. The fourth one, moreover, compares the financial and ‘sustainability’ dimensions to be disclosed, evidencing as well similarities as dissimilarities. The fifth one, and last-but-one, section finally treats of the major consequences on future investigations from the awareness of isomorphism between SA and FA.