Measuring corporate sustainability with impact assessment and its implication for sustainability reporting development

Abstract

The growing trends in Corporate Sustainability have heightened attention to the development of sustainability reporting and the measurement of non-financial indicators. With Sustainable Development increasingly applied in business contexts, concepts like Corporate Sustainability (CS), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Creating Shared Value (CSV), and Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) have emerged. To achieve CS and meet stringent sustainability reporting requirements, companies must develop sustainability strategies and report on the non-financial impacts of their business operations. This has underscored the importance of impact measurement, enabling comprehensive reporting on economic, social, and environmental values. In this thesis, Link Asset Management Limited (Link) - a prominent real estate investor and manager in the Asia Pacific - serves as the case study. This report examines the evolution of CS at Link and discusses how the Total Impact Assessment (TIA) methodology, based on the Social Return On Investment (SROI) framework, is utilised to measure socio-environmental impacts in a business setting. The results of this assessment lead to discussions on the necessity of careful metric and proxy selection to avoid overestimation. It also emphasises the importance of integrating TIA into corporate sustainability strategy formulation. Additionally, this thesis addresses the challenges of applying academic theories such as TIA, SROI, and CSR in the commercial sector. It highlights the need for simplifying and customising these complex sustainability methodologies for practical business applications. A pragmatic approach is proposed, focusing on integrating TIA, SROI, and CSR models into business strategies. Leveraging case studies and best practices, this thesis aims to make sustainability concepts more accessible and impactful for businesses, thus contributing to global sustainability goals.

Date of Award	2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Supervisor	Calvin Lee KWAN (Supervisor) & Gerald Roe PATCHELL (Supervisor)