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UCC Event Shone Light on Co-operative Accounting and Sustainability Reporting
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Insights into Co-operative Accounting and Accountability: Policy and Practice Implications for Credit Unions
The Centre for Co-operative Studies and the Department of Accounting and Finance at Cork University Business School, University College Cork, hosted an insightful seminar examining the accounting and accountability challenges facing co-operatives and credit unions.
The event, held in collaboration with The Lough Credit Union in Cork, brought together leading academics and sector representatives to explore emerging developments in co-operative financial reporting on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Dr. Elisavet Mantzari, Associate Professor in Accounting at the University of Birmingham, presented findings from her research into accounting and reporting challenges within UK co-operatives. Her address outlined progress on the UK Co-operative Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) project, a significant initiative aimed at standardising financial reporting across the sector. Dr. Mantzari also examined the growing landscape of sustainability and non-financial performance measurement, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges these frameworks present for co-operatives. Read the report here.
David Malone, CEO of the Irish League of Credit Unions, then turned attention to developments closer to home, discussing the VSME Sustainability Reporting Working Group, the ILCU's ESG Framework, and the recently published Credit Union Community Impact Report.
The session was welcomed by Professor Olive McCarthy of the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC and chaired by Dr. Bridget Carroll, also of the Centre for Co-operative Studies.
The seminar proved to be a timely and practical forum for those working in or alongside the co-operative and credit union sectors, offering valuable policy and practice insights at a time of growing scrutiny around financial transparency and sustainable reporting.
[L - R: Dr. Bridget Carroll (UCC Centre for Co-operative Studies), David Malone (CEO, Irish League of Credit Unions), Dr. Elisaveth Mantzari (University of Birmingham), and Kaia Purcelll (The Lough Credit Union).