How important to stakeholders is environmental performance (e.g., management of greenhouse gas emissions) of publicly listed companies?

Question:

How important to stakeholders is environmental performance (e.g., management of greenhouse gas emissions) of publicly listed companies? This issue is addressed in the following short piece: D. C. Esty, “What stakeholders Demand,” Harvard Business Review (October 2007), pp. 30, 34, which can be accessed as background reading for the following set of questions.

Required

1. What are the primary stakeholders that would be interested in corporate disclosures regarding environmental performance?

2. Go to the following Web site (www.climatecounts.org/scorecard_overview.php) and obtain information regarding the “scorecard” that this organization has developed to rate environmental performance. What are the 22 criteria used by Climate Counts to rate corporate environmental performance?

3. In the electronics industry group, what distinguishes the environmental performance of IBM versus Apple Computer according to the scorecard used by Climate Counts?

4. Provide arguments as to likely consequences of companies that fail to meet stakeholder expectations regarding environmental performance.

5. What strategic role can the management accountant assume as regards corporate environmental performance?

Stakeholders
A person, group or organization that has interest or concern in an organization. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives and policies. Some examples of key stakeholders are creditors, directors, employees,...