Reference no: EM13301643

Water is a scarce and critical resource. According to the United Nations (2012) World Water Development Report 4, Vol. 1, p. vi "Fresh water is not being used sustainably according to needs and demands. Accurate information remains disparate, and management is fragmented. In this context the future is increasingly uncertain, and risks are set to deepen. If we fail today to make water an instrument of peace, it might become tomorrow a major source of conflict."

This assignment is concerned with corporate water reporting. Some business organisations are large consumers of water. While there are both external and internal pressures on organisations with high water consumption rates for sustainable practices, and also to account for their consumption and management of water; at the moment corporate water reporting is unregulated and is voluntary.

Students are required to do the following tasks:

Task 1

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides a framework of social and environmental matters that organisations may refer to in their voluntary water reporting disclosures (Global Reporting Initiative 2000).

Find the GRI on the Internet. Outline the key GRI indicator protocols that relate to water. From the perspective of a report user, justify, for each protocol, why these aspects relating to water consumption should be reported.

Task 2

The following is a list of eight organisations in the food, beverage and tobacco industry that have high water consumption rates.

• Australian Food and Grocery Council
• Campbell Soup Company
• British American Tobacco Australia Limited
• Coca-Cola Amatil Limited
• Goodman Fielder Limited
• Inghams Enterprises Pty Limited
• Lion Nathan Limited
• Unilever Australasia Pty Limited
• Choose any 3 organisations from the list above.
• Describe, in brief, the company profile of each chosen organisation.
• For each chosen organisation, examine its most current water reporting practices.
• Compare and contrast a) the practices among your chosen organisations and b) these organisation's practices using the GRI protocols.
• For each of your chosen organisations and from the perspective of a report user, evaluate the adequacy of the company's disclosure and speculate on the motivation(s) for their voluntary reporting practices.

Task 3

This task does not relate to water reporting. It relates to corporate social responsibility more generally.

Good Life Farm is owned by Servelan and was started 5 years ago as a hobby. Servelan is a doctor and she does not work on the farm. She employs a manager, Jenna, to operate the farm-stay business. There are 3 other employees. Basically, the farm-stay is an up-market holiday package where guests take time off from their busy work schedules to enjoy a nature holiday.

Servela's motivation for owning a farm and the business was never to make a profit but one of pursuing the good life. The farm is self-sustaining and guests can virtually live off the land in style. Servelan's idea of sustainability and care of the environment has now gone beyond her farm's operations. She is considering engaging in other socially responsible practices in the community through her business operations. She has asked Jenna to investigate the practices which small businesses can take to become more socially responsible in this particular industry. Servelan would like to know how she can develop her business to suit the requirements of a socially responsible small business and how she and her business can be more involved.

Attachment:- Accg-Assignment.pdf