Corporate social performance and non‐financial reporting in the cruise industry: Paving the way towards UN Agenda 2030

Abstract

This article investigates the role of accounting disciplines in assessing and fostering corporate social performance (CSP) of business organisations to meet the UN Agenda 2030. Drawing from legitimacy theory, this qualitative study analyses if and how non-financial reporting positively affects and fosters CSP practices and outcomes within the cruise industry. Specifically, using a case study methodology, a major cruise company has been analysed outlining its sustainable behaviour, through the manual content analysis of sustainability reports (2016-2017-2018), in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) introduced by the UN Agenda 2030. The findings outline that the cruise company presents a clear sustainability and community orientation and adopts several initiatives, mostly focused on environmental and social issues, addressed to meet the 17 SDGs, where reputation and positive image have been recognised as the major antecedents in the perspective of CSP. This study contributes to the literature giving a broader and different reading of sustainability reporting as a "booster" of the CSP in meeting the SDGs and a further interesting application of the legitimacy theory, and offers managerial implications to systematise the content of non-financial reporting by improving the quality of disclosure to achieve the SDGs, with focus on CSP processes, outcomes and ways.

Measuring Environmental Performance in the Cruise Sector Using GRI Standards

“…Briefly, sustainability disclosures represent how companies report and make public their environmental, social and economic impacts and performances. According to the definition of the Global Reporting Initiative, indeed, "sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for performance organizational objectives towards the goal of sustainable development" as highlighted by Di Vaio et al (2022).…”

“…Furthermore, the analysis of the contents in GRI 302-1 Energy consumption, GRI 305-1 Total direct GHG emissions, GRI 302-3 Energy intensity and GRI 305-4 GHG Emissions Intensity, mainly contains quantitative information that highlights the achievement of the goals 6,7 and 8 of Agenda 2020. However, the complete analysis of the Sustainability Report allows a more accurate analysis of the quantitative information as it also presents, in its format, a summary comparison of the environmental performance of the last three years (Di Vaio et al, 2022).…”

“…There is a growing opinion that the sustainability of tourism activities, especially mass tourism, is a problem that needs to be addressed with methodologies that go well beyond the local and regional spheres, considering that supply and demand have an increasingly international dimension mainly in the cruise sector, which today represents an important share of the tourism market. Only recently Di Vaio et al (2022) examined the role of accounting disciplines in evaluating and promoting corporate social performance (CSP). In fact, they analyzed how non-financial reporting positively affects promoting practices and results within the cruise sector.…”

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Commercial Law Perspective

“…Before CSR can be considered fully developed in Pakistan, there is a need to happen. As time goes on and the country's economic indicators continue to be steady, CSR will become more widespread (Di Vaio et al, 2022)…”

“…It only governs clear commercial ties; it does not regulate other noncommercial relations. When Commercial laws are founded on a general attitude they must protect the broad overall interests and focus on the overall situation to accomplish society's sustainable growth by finding a golden spot between the broad general interests and personal ambitions (Di Vaio et al, 2022).…”