Yulia Serpeninova

Public companies as strategically important and economically powerful Ukrainian companies should be classified as public interest entities in the context of European integration. Based on the research methodology of the Index of public companies’ transparency of the Center for CSR Development and research of largest public and private companies’ transparency in Ukraine, conducted by TI, the authors concluded about critically low level of transparency of public companies in the disclosure of audited financial reporting, as well as non-financial reporting.

This research may contribute to the existing literature in regard to identifying key areas of improving transparency of public companies in Ukraine on the basis of amendments to the existing order of reporting and additional disclosure of non-financial information and carrying out the statutory audit, taking into account European experience.

Among the issues that require further study, the authors should name the relationship between the level of transparency of public companies, their financial efficiency and investment attractiveness. Among the promising areas of research, the extension of the study on transparency of public interest entities after the publication by the European companies of the first statements prepared in accordance with Directive 2014/95/EU is worth noting.

Limitations of the research carried out concerned the size of the sample Ukrainian public companies analyzed.

Tracking progress in Sustainable Development Goals (especially Goal 2, Goal 17) substantiates the classification of stakeholders information requests in different sectors of the economy, as well as development of algorithms for selecting the most priority and relevant requests in the context of stakeholder cross-sector partnership. Capital concept and multi-stakeholder approach were recognized as the most appropriate for solving these tasks. This research of existing categories and groups of stakeholders in the real (food production) sector describes the proposed methodology for classifying their information requests and algorithm for their prioritization in relation to a certain type of capital, sustainability dimensions and material topics for stakeholders, SDG, targets, Global Reporting Initiative indicators. The developed methodology is universal both from the point of view of the investigated sectors, the number of alternative stakeholders requests, and the number of experts, as well as from the considerable world experience in prioritizing these requests.

The variability of companies stakeholders’ engagement forms, communication channels, approaches to disclosure of companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and strategies for CSR achievement cause the formation of benchmarks – patterns of responsible behavior of these companies. Determination of companies’ CSR patterns plays is a ground of (plays a role or is a ground of) improving their strategies for responsible activities. These patterns were highlighted on the basis of comprehensive three-component indicator that illustrates the combination of parameters: models of companies’ communication with stakeholders, approaches to the disclosure of information on CSR and strategies for incorporating CSR and Sustainable Development Goals. Positioning of 22 Ukrainian companies for the period 2005–2017 was made. Results of positioning allowed to determine such clusters of the companies in accordance with the pattern of responsible behavior as А – innovators, B – leaders, C – pursuer, D – followers, E – starters, F – outsiders; to develop the measures on the improvement of their CSR activity.

This paper examines the relationship between traditional and ESG stock market indices and the net international investment position for the case of Austria and Ukraine. For these purposes, the following methods are used: variance analysis, ANOVA analysis, correlation analysis, VAR analysis, R/S analysis, and Granger causality test. According to the results, ESG indices are less volatile than conventional ones. Based on the correlation analysis, it is concluded that there is a significant direct connection between ESG indices and their traditional counterparts (0.98 for Austria and 0.68 for Ukraine). A substantial level of persistence in Austria’s investment position indicates the possibility of using autoregression models for forecasting. The results of the net investment position modelling for the case of Austria showed a statistically significant impact of stock market indices on the net investment position. But for the case of Ukraine, this impact is insignificant. This is indirect evidence in favor of poor performance of the Ukrainian stock market. Further development of Ukrainian stock market is required, because Austrian experience showed that stock market can be used as a transmission mechanism in boosting investment position both within conventional approach and ESG.

Acknowledgment
Alex Plastun, Mario Situm, Inna Makarenko, and Yulia Serpeninova gratefully acknowledge support from Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (0122U002659).

An important factor in restoring the confidence of financial consumers in banks is to provide auditors with credible and detailed financial statements and their solvency. This study is a pilot step in clarifying the auditor’s role in ensuring the banks’ reliability as public interest entities in Ukraine. It is aimed at investigating the segmentation of the banking audit services market in Ukraine and its comprehensive characteristics. Structural and dynamic analysis were applied to investigate market, regional and branch concentration, as well as main trends in bank audit market development within the data and registers of the Audit Chamber of Ukraine (ACU) and 75 annual reports of Ukrainian banks. Key aspects of the bank audit market in Ukraine are highlighted: the potential of the bank audit market, the ability of auditors to provide audit services and current characteristics of market conjuncture. Bank audit market is highly segmented: this study differentiates strong segments of international audit networks, associations and alliances, including Big 4 companies and the segment of weak Ukrainian audit companies. Kyiv and Kyiv region are the dominant economic active regions in terms of the regional bank market concentration and the presence of international audit networks. The study results are the basis for improving the regulation of the banking audit services market by the National Bank of Ukraine and ACU.

Development of an effective logistics infrastructure for companies contributes to ensuring their effective work, directly affects financial performance and requires the establishment of a management and accounting system for logistics costs. Classifying and registering logistics costs becomes more important in this regard. At this stage of Ukrainian accounting practice, there are challenges for logistics costs accounting such as their identification and registration. Methodological basis of study among different logistics concepts (concept of general logistics costs, concept of reengineering business processes in logistics, concept of an integrated logistics strategy, concept of supply chain management) was total logistics costs concept or the concept of full value as well as process-oriented approach. In the work, the generalization and formalization of existing approaches to the logistics costs accounting was made. Feasibility of using a process-oriented approach among other approaches (absorption costing, direct costing target costing, kaizen costing, etc.) were substantiated. The algorithm of identification and registration of logistics costs for Ukrainian enterprises was proposed. It is based on such inclusion in the relevant economic process (supply, production, sales and administration of logistics processes) and the use of a new consolidated account 29 “Logistics costs”. This authors’ approach to solving the problem of identification and registration of logistics costs for accounting purposes allows to optimize and increase the informativeness of accounting logistics costs reflection in Ukrainian accounting practice.