initiatives that bear witness to their social commitment, but it
cannot even relate to individual aspects. Every action must
be related to a context (or to a concept, for example, sustainability). The boundaries within which to report the
judgment of the context must be defined (sometimes in a
very difficult way).
The social responsibility assessment concerns the choice
of market positioning, the behavior and the results of the
production players. The judgment is sometimes formulated
even by those who have specific interests (this is reflected in
the reputation of the company). Stakeholders rarely show
themselves willing to assess their expectations within the
overall framework of expectations to be met, based on
relationships directly held with the production and information player they can access. The importance of communication (or simply information) is, therefore, evident to
support the going concern of the producer (and the transparency and awareness of the distribution of risks). Every
news influences reputation. Reputation has consequences on
the economic function of governance.
It is evident that the quality of the social commitment of
the companies contributes to forming a judgment of
responsibility.
Social engagement is a discretionary act and therefore
rationally justifiable only from the point of view of positive
selfishness. This social commitment can be achieved in
many ways, but in any case, it aims to increase the value of
reputation. This factor reduces the uncertainty of going
concern, also through appropriate forms of communication
(Socialis 2014).
The production agents spread the news—mostly by free
choice—continuously, in many ways (sometimes even with
conflicting messages) and with particular and/or general
contents and often obtained with complex methodologies
that require specialized knowledge to be understood. Particularly important is the spread of information using tools
that are consistent with different analytical approaches of the
company. From the accounting point of view, equipped with
many structured means of information, the main instrument
is the financial statement.
The main objective of the financial statement is the valuation from the perspective of ownership and the prevailing
reference to prices expressed by the market. From the
financial statements, however, it is possible to obtain news
concerning other subjective perspectives or make evaluations or provide nonfinancial information (Direttiva approvata dal Parlamento europeo 2014).
The financial statement technically summarizes the
choices made in terms of uncertainty (going concern), distribution, and hedging of risks in a specific and general
manner (Di Lazzaro 1990). The accounting doctrine agrees
in attributing to them—regardless of how they are
implemented—the function of strengthening the whole
enterprise in order to protect the overall expectations.
The substance of the financial statements consists of the
valuation agreements aimed at balancing the contractual
expectations with the allocation of benefits to the factors of
production (or rather to those who have made them available
for the exercise of the business) placed in a condition
residual (Besta 1932).
It should be noted that the financial statements are an
instrument aimed at measuring the distribution of earnings.
Therefore, the main issue to be addressed (in the hope of
improving information geared to allow assessments on going
concern, distribution of risks, and, therefore, measurement of
social responsibility) is the development of an information
system released from the function of identifying earnings
with “remunerative” functions. It is also necessary to give up
the idea that the automatisms to be entrusted with the task of
illuminating the going concern can be elaborated since it is a
creative (original) activity. Except in cases where this
judgment concerns cases of companies in obvious default. In
short, it is necessary to continue the efforts to identify a more
efficient external information system that can express an
information platform (in this sense, the new information
technologies can make a considerable contribution) from
which to evaluate the ability of the company to survive in
time. This should facilitate the efficient allocation of
resources both at the micro-level and at the macroeconomic
level.
Among the tools designed to improve the structured
external information system (of production players) is the
social balance. This expression indicates a formalized
instrument that, among the many characterizations that we
give for notes, takes as the result the economic result of the
financial statements. This tool is free in form, but dependent
on the associated valuation conventions, in the analyses
concerning the production and distribution of earnings, it is,
therefore, a very important tool for judging the value system
on which the going concern is based and the distribution of
risks between many expectations.
Generally, all players to production (shareholders,
workers, customers, suppliers, institutions) are interested
(albeit in a different way) in going concern, but, of course,
for this purpose, the methods of acting are not indifferent.
These methods are based on the values that guide behavior.
The social report (understood in the fullest sense of the
expression, that is, as an information tool having a content in
which multidimensional and multi-subjective evaluation
perspectives are present) should provide the possibility of
judging the foresight of governance to achieve an integral
development (Sorci 2006).
This tool, therefore, helps to evaluate the going concern,
as it focuses on the factors that determine the economic
210
F. Manni and A. Faccia
cannot even relate to individual aspects. Every action must
be related to a context (or to a concept, for example, sustainability). The boundaries within which to report the
judgment of the context must be defined (sometimes in a
very difficult way).
The social responsibility assessment concerns the choice
of market positioning, the behavior and the results of the
production players. The judgment is sometimes formulated
even by those who have specific interests (this is reflected in
the reputation of the company). Stakeholders rarely show
themselves willing to assess their expectations within the
overall framework of expectations to be met, based on
relationships directly held with the production and information player they can access. The importance of communication (or simply information) is, therefore, evident to
support the going concern of the producer (and the transparency and awareness of the distribution of risks). Every
news influences reputation. Reputation has consequences on
the economic function of governance.
It is evident that the quality of the social commitment of
the companies contributes to forming a judgment of
responsibility.
Social engagement is a discretionary act and therefore
rationally justifiable only from the point of view of positive
selfishness. This social commitment can be achieved in
many ways, but in any case, it aims to increase the value of
reputation. This factor reduces the uncertainty of going
concern, also through appropriate forms of communication
(Socialis 2014).
The production agents spread the news—mostly by free
choice—continuously, in many ways (sometimes even with
conflicting messages) and with particular and/or general
contents and often obtained with complex methodologies
that require specialized knowledge to be understood. Particularly important is the spread of information using tools
that are consistent with different analytical approaches of the
company. From the accounting point of view, equipped with
many structured means of information, the main instrument
is the financial statement.
The main objective of the financial statement is the valuation from the perspective of ownership and the prevailing
reference to prices expressed by the market. From the
financial statements, however, it is possible to obtain news
concerning other subjective perspectives or make evaluations or provide nonfinancial information (Direttiva approvata dal Parlamento europeo 2014).
The financial statement technically summarizes the
choices made in terms of uncertainty (going concern), distribution, and hedging of risks in a specific and general
manner (Di Lazzaro 1990). The accounting doctrine agrees
in attributing to them—regardless of how they are
implemented—the function of strengthening the whole
enterprise in order to protect the overall expectations.
The substance of the financial statements consists of the
valuation agreements aimed at balancing the contractual
expectations with the allocation of benefits to the factors of
production (or rather to those who have made them available
for the exercise of the business) placed in a condition
residual (Besta 1932).
It should be noted that the financial statements are an
instrument aimed at measuring the distribution of earnings.
Therefore, the main issue to be addressed (in the hope of
improving information geared to allow assessments on going
concern, distribution of risks, and, therefore, measurement of
social responsibility) is the development of an information
system released from the function of identifying earnings
with “remunerative” functions. It is also necessary to give up
the idea that the automatisms to be entrusted with the task of
illuminating the going concern can be elaborated since it is a
creative (original) activity. Except in cases where this
judgment concerns cases of companies in obvious default. In
short, it is necessary to continue the efforts to identify a more
efficient external information system that can express an
information platform (in this sense, the new information
technologies can make a considerable contribution) from
which to evaluate the ability of the company to survive in
time. This should facilitate the efficient allocation of
resources both at the micro-level and at the macroeconomic
level.
Among the tools designed to improve the structured
external information system (of production players) is the
social balance. This expression indicates a formalized
instrument that, among the many characterizations that we
give for notes, takes as the result the economic result of the
financial statements. This tool is free in form, but dependent
on the associated valuation conventions, in the analyses
concerning the production and distribution of earnings, it is,
therefore, a very important tool for judging the value system
on which the going concern is based and the distribution of
risks between many expectations.
Generally, all players to production (shareholders,
workers, customers, suppliers, institutions) are interested
(albeit in a different way) in going concern, but, of course,
for this purpose, the methods of acting are not indifferent.
These methods are based on the values that guide behavior.
The social report (understood in the fullest sense of the
expression, that is, as an information tool having a content in
which multidimensional and multi-subjective evaluation
perspectives are present) should provide the possibility of
judging the foresight of governance to achieve an integral
development (Sorci 2006).
This tool, therefore, helps to evaluate the going concern,
as it focuses on the factors that determine the economic
210
F. Manni and A. Faccia