With greater frequency, organizations are issuing corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports that describe how they are engaging in socially responsible activities. Many believe that users will increasingly want assurances from PAs about the reliability of the information presented by management in these reports. Access the Loblaw Companies Limited 2013 corporate social responsibility report at www.loblaw.ca/files/6.%20 Responsibility/Loblaw_eng_2013_CSR_May_20.pdf . Read the letter contained in the report from the executive chairman and president of Loblaw, Galen Weston, and then answer the following questions.
REQUIRED
a. What kinds of assertions are being made by management about its progress toward socially responsible goals?
b. In the section entitled "CSR at Loblaw," read the description of materiality. How does this differ from materiality in financial statements?
c. To what extent might users of the report demand more assurance about the information contained in the report?
d. What challenges would PAs face in providing assurance about information contained in this report?