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SAMPJ
4,3 Sustainability reporting and
performance management
in universities
384
Challenges and benefits
Carol A. Adams
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Abstract
Purpose This article aims to provide a perspective on sustainability reporting and performance
management in the university sector making a case for increased accountability, improved
(management of) performance and greater innovation in approach.
Design/methodology/approach The author provides a personal perspective drawing on
experience in sustainability standard setting and as a sustainability researcher, advisor and
practitioner in the university sector and others.
Findings The paper finds that university practice in sustainability reporting and performance
management significantly lags other sectors and falls far short of optimising the potential of the sector
to influence transformational change through knowledge transfer.
Research limitations/implications The paper suggests some areas for further research.
Practical implications This article makes a case for increased sustainability performance
management and reporting in universities arguing that it would lead to increased accountability and
improved performance. It calls for social, environmental and economic sustainability to integrated into
university processes. The paper has implications for university policy makers and regulators.
Originality/value Little attention has been paid to the university sector in the sustainability
reporting and social responsibility literature or indeed in recognised standards for sustainability
reporting and management.
Keywords Universities, Materiality, Sustainability reporting, Sustainability governance,
Sustainability management, United Nations Global Compact
Paper type Case study
which was ranked fifth best overall report in the global corporateregister.com awards.
It is clear from the short-, medium- and long-term targets set in these reports and the
actions agreed and publicly disclosed to achieve them, that the process of preparing
them has been a catalyst for change. This indicates that the significant transformative
role of the sector is not yet being realised and the senior leadership necessary to
achieve this whole-of-institution approach is not yet in place. And if ever there was a
sector that has both a significant transformative role and a level of sustainability
performance that needs to be transformed, it is the university sector. Sustaining the
change process requires continuing senior university leadership and a
whole-of-institution approach.
Examples of real innovation and transformation in the practice of embedding
sustainability in education and research in these reports are few and far between. One
of the best, with a focus on multi-disciplinarity and application is the Leuphana
Universitat in Luneberg as reflected in its 2011 German language sustainability report
(Leuphana Universitat Luneburg, 2012).
performance indicators in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3.1 guidelines, in that
it is possible for a university to achieve an A application level certificate without
reporting on sustainability in education and research[8]. This was addressed at La
Trobe University (La Trobe University, 2011, 2012) by following the AA1000APS
Standard (AccountAbility, 2008) though the challenges of measuring the extent of
embeddedness of sustainability in education and research and the impact of those
intended to benefit remain. The GRI guidelines are, however, an excellent framework
for evaluating sustainability in university operations and their global prominence and
wide acceptance smooths the way in making a case, in the face of opposition, for
inclusion of particular measures in a sustainability report.
Further research
Reporting challenges for universities which further research could address include
measures of the formal and informal learning by students for sustainability
(leadership) relevant to their future careers. In addition to knowledge, this would need
to include consideration of the development of skills required by sustainability leaders
in the workforce (Adams et al., 2011; Scott et al., 2012). In relation to knowledge
development and transfer, assessment of performance would need to consider the
extent to which multi-disciplinary research was facilitated and encouraged (Adams,
2010; Gray, 2010) and applied research, capable of making a difference and
transforming current practices and thinking measured and rewarded. These are
significant challenges in a context where many universities are organised in discipline
Sustainability
Elements of managing sustainability
in universities Features of the reporting process reporting
Essential elements Identification of key stakeholders to involve in the
Visible support of the president/vice-chancellor various stages of this processc
and the governing body Development of a shared vision, goals and
Pro-active senior leadership to facilitate/drivea principles which incorporate sustainability 389
change, make connectionsb, develop know-how, Use of one or more globally recognised reporting
inspire and empower others and keep frameworksd
sustainability on the agenda through a Identification of material social and
collaborative approach environmental sustainability and community
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Notes
1. See, for example, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
www.aashe.org; the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges www.eauc.
org.uk and their Green Gown Awards; People and Planets Green League Table http://peop
leandplanet.org/green-league-2012/tables; the College Sustainability Report Card www.
greenreportcard.com
2. All web sites referenced in this paper were accessed most recently on 22 February 2013
unless otherwise stated.
3. The author is on the Global Reporting Initiatives Stakeholder Council, the AA1000
Standards Board and was a member of the working group that developed the UN Global
Compacts (2012) A Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher
Education Institutions.
4. http://peopleandplanet.org/greenleague
5. www.greenreportcard.org
6. The author is former Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) at La Trobe University.
7. www.greenmetric.ui.ac.id
8. At the time of writing this is an issue under consideration in the currently ongoing
development of the GRIs G4 guidelines.
References
AccountAbility (2005), The Stakeholder Engagement Manual, Vol. 1, available at:
www.accountability.org
AccountAbility (2006), The Stakeholder Engagement Manual, Vol. 2, available at: www.
accountability.org
AccountAbility (2008), AA1000 AccountAbility Principles Standard, available at: www.
accountability.org
AccountAbility (2011), AA1000 Stakeholder Engagement Standard, available at: www. Sustainability
accountability.org
Adams, C.A. (2002), Internal organisational factors influencing corporate social and ethical
reporting
reporting: beyond current theorizing, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal,
Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 223-250.
Adams, C.A. (2010), Sustainability research in need of a multi-disciplinary approach and a
practice and policy focus?, Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, 391
Vol. 1 No. 1 (Editorial).
Adams, C.A. and Frost, G. (2007), Managing social and environmental performance: do companies
have adequate information?, Australian Accounting Review, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 2-11.
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1. Judy Oliver, Gillian Vesty, Albie Brooks. 2016. Conceptualising integrated thinking in practice.
Managerial Auditing Journal 31:2, 228-248. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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