Reference no: EM132800967

The assignment requires you to critically evaluate the issues. To reiterate, critical evaluation is not just setting out the points but explaining their significance and showing how and why they help you to answer the question that has been set.

It is one matter to identify relevant materials and set out key points, it is another to assemble them in a way which makes sense. It is not uncommon for individual paragraphs to read well on a standalone basis but to lack an ongoing thread - a flow - which promotes a well-constructed assignment which makes it easier for the marker to award higher marks. In this assignment you should consider the following:

i. Set out an introduction clearly outlining what it is you are looking at, why you are looking at it, and how you intend to set about looking at it.

This coursework should be word-processed:
- in a clear font (Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman)
- in 12 point size font
- using double spacing
- using 2.54cm (1 inch) margins

ii. You should also address the potential benefits of harmonization of IFRS and CSR.

iii. Should CSR follow a set of "rules" for the way companies conduct business? Present arguments for and against this idea.

iv. What improvements would you make to CSR reporting to ensure that accurate information is being produced?

v. Draw a conclusion based on the evidence you have produced.

vi. Ensure that all of the points above that you include, together with any others, are set within a piece of writing which is integrated and coherent and ‘flows'. Do not put forward a set of standalone paragraphs work must flow, and build up to a clear set of recommendations at the end of the work. Work that does not "flow" is likely to lead to a lower mark.

vii. Key points to remember: a) adhere to the word count and instructions regarding use of charts, diagrams, tables, etc., and b) incorporate ‘proper' referencing - whether we like it or not ‘proper' referencing is considered an essential ingredient of Masters-level work.

QUESTION: Over recent years regulators have sought to strengthen the financial reporting framework and create internationally accepted standards. As a consequence of this move by regulators, users of financial information now have more confidence in the way financial data is produced now that a common reporting system is being used.

Alongside the development in financial reporting regulation there has been a move to develop and increase the amount of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that is reported. Increasingly the ways companies engage in CSR is being used by investors to determine their investment strategies. However, many firms such as retailers worry that too much focus on CSR is not good because they may not able to control all firms along their supply chain and get them all to agree to at least minimum standards.

Identify and critically review:-

firstly, the arguments for harmonising international accounting standards and, secondly, the case for and against harmonising CSR reporting.

Attachment:- Harmonization.rar