CCaSS Research Initiatives

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Ernst & Young’s CCaSS division has a dedicated research team committed to undertaking topical research regarding corporate governance and sustainability leadership in South African companies. Our researchers works closely with our consulting teams to provide an interface between companies and research institutions in order to translate our combined research and practical experience into relevant and accessible reports and thought leadership.

Corporate governance

The development of corporate governance in South Africa

Ernst & Young is the lead sponsor of the Corporate Governance Research programme at the Albert Luthuli Centre for Responsible Leadership at the University of Pretoria that is being undertaken in partnership with Professors Eccles and Seraphim of Harvard Business School.

The key research projects within this programme include a series of interviews with key thought leaders on corporate governance, a survey on the practice and perceptions of King III within South African companies and a review of the extent to which corporate governance has been reflected in the media over the past twenty years. This research programme has the support of leading industry bodies, including the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA), the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

- Interview Summary Report publication and all 16 interviews
- Corporate Governance publication
- The State of Responsible Investment in South Africa

Exciting research initiatives in the pipeline:

- Further investigation into responsible investment
- Corporate governance in state owned enterprises
- Director remuneration

Integrated reporting

Ernst & Young Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards

Ernst & Young has been responsible for the Ernst & Young Excellence in Corporate Reporting Awards since 1998 and the Ernst & Young Excellence in Sustainability Reporting since 2005, both based on rigorous research in partnership with leading South African universities. In 2012, these awards were combined for the first time to publish the Ernst & Young Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards.

The Ernst & Young Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards are based on research undertaken in partnership with the College of Accounting at the University of Cape Town. The research underpinning the awards analyses and assesses the reporting performance of the top 100 listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and ten largest state owned enterprises (SOEs).

- 2012 Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards Report
- Previous years' Excellence in Sustainability Reports

Research Initiatives Currently Underway

- Corporate sustainability leadership