Social Accounting

Abstract

Social accounting has been defined as ‘the measurement and reporting, internal or external, of information concerning the impact of an entity and its activities on society’. It is, therefore, concerned with the reporting in accounting statements of a business’s activities which affect society. Fundamental to its being is the idea that management’s objectives should not solely be the maximisation of profits. They have additional responsibilities, such as:

• (i) to produce safe and reliable products of a high quality;

• (ii) to ensure that they do not cause pollution;

• (iii) to ensure that they do not discriminate against groups of workers such as women and ethnic minorities;

• (iv) to ensure that their employees are not exposed to undue risk;

• (v) to devote some effort towards social programmes.