This paper delves into the impact of the automation-driven evolution of enterprise resource planning systems (ERPSs) on sustainability accounting and reporting and the associated challenges. By employing a holistic approach focusing on the current characteristics of both ERPSs and automation platforms and an inductive approach to perform a content analysis, this study highlights how the new generation of ERPSs can support the improvement of accounting in general and sustainability accounting and reporting quality in particular. The analysis was based on information provided by the developers of leading ERPSs and automation platforms with a significant worldwide market share. In this paper, we deepen the understanding of the role that ERPSs play in improving sustainability accounting and reporting, focusing on both the benefits and challenges derived from the impact generated by increasing the integration of robotic process automation and intelligent process automation solutions. The results obtained have academic and managerial implications, addressing a research gap concerning the understanding of the consequences of ERPSs evolution from the perspective of professionals and the competitive edge companies can take advantage of to improve sustainability reporting and accounting processes.

There is a general tendency in reporting nowadays, represented by the institutionalization of the environmental reporting in an increasing number of companies. The novelty of our work resides in the fact that this is the first study which analyses the consistency and comparability of the information included in integrated reports. The objective of this research is to determine to what extent the reporting of the environmental performance indicators, including energy, prescribed by the Global Reporting Initiative’s guidelines is in line with the consistency and comparability principle. We analysed the reports published by the European organisations included in the Pilot Programme of the International Integrated Reporting Council. We used the following methodology. First, we compared the environmental reporting of 2016 from one company to another, splitting the sample in accordance with the industries. Second, we analysed the reporting practices of the environmentally-sensitive companies, including energy, in 2010, 2013 and 2016, in order to analyse the consistency of the information published. The results of the research show that the environmentally-sensitive companies, including energy, publish more information. Also, the score of information consistency is above average. The best consistency level is registered in the Basic Materials industry, followed by Oil & Gas and Industrials. Emissions and energy indicators are the most disclosed. This research is useful to understand how companies apply the consistency and comparability principle in practice. The importance of this article is given by the fact that consistency and comparability improve the quality of the sustainability reporting. Without consistency and comparability the information’s relevance is very low.

The research presents the interrelationships between banking performance, competitiveness and sustainability of the three banking systems and the impact of each sustainability variable selected on the other macroeconomic indicators in short, medium and long-time horizon. The empirical study involved the use of a panel Auto Regressive Vector methodology and was based on macroeconomic indicators relevant to the performance of the banking system (return on assets, return on equity, an annual growth rate of Gross Domestic Product), as well as indicators that can be assimilated to sustainability (renewable fuels used, CO2 emissions). The dependent variables were return on assets and the annual growth rate of Gross Domestic Product. The global sample analyzed comprises 29 countries, spread over three continents (Europe, North America, Asia), with data collected over a 10-years period (2011-2020). These countries together account for approximately 62% of global GDP (data from 2020). The research results show that as banks invest in green energy and sustainable products, competitiveness will also increase, which will have a negative impact on profitability in the short term. In the medium and long term, this impact will become positive also in terms of profitability increase. This strategic move to develop sustainable business models and to finance a higher percentage of green investments also adds extra competitive advantages, such as reputation and smart differentiation, from other less sustainability-oriented banking systems. The process impacts the systemic level, the macro perspective, the banking organizational level, the micro perspective, together with the perception of the customers.

The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCa) Regulation of the European Union is the first comprehensive piece of legislation that seeks to protect the interests of investors in the crypto-assets sector. Although the market value of crypto-assets is significant at world level, there is a lack of clear regulatory guidelines regarding the recognition, measurement, and presentation of crypto-assets in the financial statements of investors. Considering that not all digital assets are the same, retail holders need to take into account the characteristics, rights, and obligations associated with the crypto-assets they purchase to determine the appropriate accounting method. Therefore, the research question of the present article is: Which are the main types of crypto-assets and how should they be recognized and measured in the financial statements of investors and holders? We perform a review of the accounting policies and options, relying on relevant regulations, standards, regulatory drafts, legal and academic papers, recommendations of market regulators, crypto-asset white papers, industry opinions, and media articles. There are different accounting treatments that can be applied, depending on the legal and technological aspects of each class of crypto-assets. Based on a critical discussion of accounting policies and options, our research has implications for accounting professionals, but also for standard setters, who are urged to provide clear guidelines. Identifying the key economic characteristics of each asset and determining the most appropriate way to recognize these characteristics in the financial statements are crucial for the development of a functional and trustworthy market in crypto-assets.

Even though the sustainability reporting is voluntary, companies are increasingly adopting it. There is a multitude of reporting standards used by companies in this regard. Along with the voluntary guidelines, in 2014 was adopted a European Directive which became mandatory for a set of companies. Our research question is which are the changes brought in the reporting of the European companies by the Directive? In doing this, we focus on the energy companies. We selected them because they are environmentally-sensitive. We selected the European energy companies which included a report for last year in the GRI’s database. We downloaded the reports published by the sample companies in the period 2014 – 2017. We selected 2014 as a starting point because it is the year in which the Directive was approved. We selected 2017 because it was the first year in which the ED 2014/95/EU became mandatory. First of all, we extracted the words used in the Directive for writing the names of the indicators. Using NVivo Pro, we searched for the indicators in the selected reports. By analyzing the core indicators for the energy domain, we pursued to identify the sample companies’ commitment to sustainability. The contribution of our study is that it provides an insight into the Directive as a driver which influences the sustainability reporting.