You have been approached by Alex Wilson, the president of your local CPA Australia branch, a report on the current state of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability reporting and assurance. The report is to focus on Australia, the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US) in particular. The final report is to be disseminated to attendees at the upcoming regional conference on 'New Directions in Accounting'. You have also been asked to present a five-minute summation of your findings and answer questions from the attendees.

Required

a report that incorporates the following:

1. A brief history of sustainability reporting and assurance.(6 marks)
2. Current details on which companies undertake such reporting and level reporting that is assured, and who is providing the assurance service.(10 marks)
3. Future developments in the area of sustainability reporting and assurance.(8 marks)
4. The frameworks, guidelines and/or standards used for the preparation of the reports, including the bodies responsible for these.(5 marks)
5. The assurance guidelines and procedures the auditor can use for structuring and completing assurance engagements.(5 marks)