Centre for Sustainable Business hosts book launch: The Accounting Paradox

The event will open with a welcome address from Professor Jo Meehan, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Business (CSB), introducing an evening focused on the role of accounting in shaping economic and social outcomes.

Jeremy Nicholls, who sits on the CSB Advisory Board, will then present his latest book, The Accounting Paradox: how financial accounting is damaging the world (but can help repair it), exploring how traditional accounting standards, rather than science or public policy, determine how profit is calculated, influencing investment decisions and business behaviour worldwide.

Drawing on his decades of work at the intersection of accounting, sustainability and social justice, the evening will explore how the way profit is calculated has profound consequences for inequality, environmental degradation and climate change and how those conventions can be challenged.

He will examine how these conventions have played a significant role in driving inequality, environmental degradation and climate change, often without being openly questioned.

Following the talk, Jeremy will be joined by Dr Clare Westcott for a reflective in-conversation discussion, exploring how impact accounting works in practice and sharing insights into how organisations can better understand and account for the value they create.

The evening will conclude with an open Q&A, followed by book signings, further networking and refreshments, providing space for informal discussion and exchange.

We welcome any businesses, industry stakeholders and policymakers interested in exploring impact, environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability, as well as researchers, PhD and master's students with an interest in sustainability, accounting and responsible business.

Jeremy Nicholls has spent his career addressing inequality and challenging how economic systems define success.

He began his career as an accountant to support the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, training with PwC, before spending four years as a house parent.

He later founded a regeneration consultancy in Liverpool and went on to co-found and become CEO of Social Value International (SVI), a global community of social accountants with a mission to change the way the world accounts for value.

Jeremy has also served as Assurance Framework Lead for the UNDP’s SDG Impact Standards, supporting organisations seeking to maximise their contribution to sustainable development.

He is an Ashoka Fellow, an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Liverpool Management School, a member of Accounting for Sustainability’s expert panel, ICAEW’s non-financial assurance committee, and an ambassador for the Capitals Coalition.

He has researched and written widely on impact accounting and is a regular contributor to Pioneers Post.

• 17:15 Doors open for light refreshments and networking
• 17:45-19:15 Welcome address by Professor Jo Meehan followed by The Accounting Paradox, Jeremy Nicholls and Q&A
• 19:15 Finish

Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the event. Paperback editions will be priced at £13.79 and hardback editions at £24.99. Kindle versions will also be available. Please note that payment will be accepted by card only.

During the event we will provide light refreshments.

We have also thought about other elements to make catering as sustainable as possible:

• No paper or plastic cups
• Water dispensers
• Vegan and vegetarian options only
• Guests can take any leftover food home
• Feel free to bring your own food container, water bottle or cup!

The building is accessible. Please use the booking form to let us know of any access requirements so we can provide guidance on the appropriate entrance and ensure a member of staff is available to assist you, as the accessible entrance differs from the main entrance.

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Host or Publisher University of Liverpool Management School