IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v8y2024i11p796-808.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the Roles of Accountants and Challenges Towards Sustainability Accounting and Reporting

Author

Listed:
  • Che Fatimah Che Kasim

    (Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Malaysia)

  • Haslinda Yusoff

    (Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Fadzlina Mohd Fahmi

    (Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia Contact details: Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia)

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Sustainability accounting and reporting (SAR) has undergone significant changes in businesses and organisations activities. These changes include the traditional role of accountants as they strive to adapt to this evolving process. Current responsibilities of accountants who process and report financial data now encompass providing data for reporting non-financial information on environmental, social, and economic activities. Sustainability accounting and reporting collectively describe an organisation’s sustainability performance (economic, environmental, and social performance). Although sustainability accounting and sustainability reporting are two distinct terms, both are accountability tools for sustainable production and business activities. Organisations now furnish comprehensive reports including social, environmental, and economic activities and how these activities affect business financial objectives simultaneously and integrated to their stakeholders. It is clear that the accounting profession and accountants have a key role in the core of active business for achieving sustainability accounting and reporting in organisations. Therefore, this paper aims to review the roles of accountants towards SAR using a systematic literature review (SLR) method. This paper also reviews the challenges faced by implementing the SAR among accountants. A systematic review of Scopus and Non Scopus databases identified 35 related studies. Methodology: This paper employs a literature review paper through a systematic review that specifically adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The focus is on practical insights derived from empirical research to provide a comprehensive summary of these empirical findings’ cumulative effects or outcomes. The methodology encompasses clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for the meticulous selection of articles to be included in the final review. Findings: In this paper, 35 articles published in well-known Scopus and Non-Scopus journals for the year 2014 to 2023 were included. Most of the literature provides various roles of accountants that can be played in the implementation of SAR. The role of accountants advisors is the highest among accountants. Additionally, there are various categories of challenges directed at accountants regarding their involvement in SAR. Contributions: This study can serve as a guide for researchers in applying the PRISMA approach. Furthermore, it contributes to the challenges of accountants towards SAR by offering a comprehensive review of recent related publications. It will help organisations to improve a better understanding of accountants’ involvement in SAR practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Che Fatimah Che Kasim & Haslinda Yusoff & Fadzlina Mohd Fahmi, 2024. "Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the Roles of Accountants and Challenges Towards Sustainability Accounting and Reporting," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(11), pages 796-808, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:8:y:2024:i:11:p:796-808
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-8-issue-11/796-808.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/articles/systematic-literature-review-slr-on-the-roles-of-accountants-and-challenges-towards-sustainability-accounting-and-reporting/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ilenia Ascani & Roberta Ciccola & Maria Serena Chiucchi, 2021. "A Structured Literature Review about the Role of Management Accountants in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-25, February.
    2. Isabelle Martinez & Claire Gillet-Monjarret & Géraldine Rivière-Giordano, 2021. "The Role and Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility Assurance in a Mandatory Setting: Professional Accountants' Perceptions," Post-Print hal-03109663, HAL.
    3. McLaughlin, Craig & Elamer, Ahmed A. & Glen, Thomas & AlHares, Aws & Gaber, Hazem Rasheed, 2019. "Accounting society's acceptability of carbon taxes: Expectations and reality," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 302-311.
    4. Stefan Schaltegger & Dimitar Zvezdov, 2015. "Gatekeepers of sustainability information: exploring the roles of accountants," Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 11(3), pages 333-361, September.
    5. Belinda Williams, 2015. "The local government accountants’ perspective on sustainability," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 6(2), pages 267-287, May.
    6. Adams, Carol A., 2015. "The International Integrated Reporting Council: A call to action," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 23-28.
    7. Egbert Willekes & Koos Wagensveld & Jan Jonker, 2022. "The Role of the Accounting and Control Professional in Monitoring and Controlling Sustainable Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-23, November.
    8. Anwar Halari & Marijana Baric, 2023. "Exploring accountant’s involvement in circular economy: experiences and perspectives of practitioners," Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(4), pages 421-446, May.
    9. Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru & Claudiu George Bocean & Maria Magdalena Criveanu & Adrian-Florin Budică-Iacob & Daniela Victoria Popescu, 2023. "Assessing the Contribution of Managerial Accounting in Sustainable Organizational Development in the Healthcare Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    10. PHANTHIPA SRINAMMUANG & Neungruthai Petcharat, 2018. "Management accountants? role in moving towards a corporate sustainability in Thailand," International Journal of Business and Management, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences, vol. 6(2), pages 78-89, November.
    11. Amoako, Kwame Oduro & Lord, Beverley R. & Dixon, Keith, 2021. "Narrative accounting for mining in Ghana: An old defence against a new threat?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    12. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    13. Belinda Williams & Sumit Lodhia & Mitali Panchal Arora & Lisa McManus, 2021. "The institutional change in the role of the public sector accountant in facilitating accountability: a longitudinal study of Australian local councils," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 36(2), pages 314-333, February.
    14. Jun Guo & Sungsoo Kim & Yang Yu & Jung Yeun (June) Kim, 2021. "Does CFO accounting expertise matter to corporate social responsibility disclosure in 10-Ks?," Journal of Applied Accounting Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(5), pages 800-822, June.
    15. Hosam Alden Riyadh & Maher A. Al-Shmam & Henry Hongren Huang & Barbara Gunawan & Salsabila Aisyah Alfaiza, 2020. "The Analysis of Green Accounting Cost Impact on Corporations Financial Performance," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 10(6), pages 421-426.
    16. Babajide Michael Oyewo, 2021. "Outcomes of interaction between organizational characteristics and management accounting practice on corporate sustainability: the global management accounting principles (GMAP) approach," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 351-385, October.
    17. Marie-Andrée Caron & Anne Fortin, 2014. "Accountants' construction of CSR competencies and commitment," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(2), pages 172-196, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria-Silvia Fota & Nicoleta-Elena Cristea & Alexandru Ureche & Nadia Albu, 2024. "Accountants' Competencies for Sustainability Reporting: An Exploratory Study," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 23(2), pages 446-460, June.
    2. Valeriu Brabete & Mirela Sichigea & Daniel Cîrciumaru & Daniel Goagără, 2024. "Bibliometric Mapping of the Relationships Between Accounting, Professional Accountants, and Sustainability Issues," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-34, October.
    3. Viktorija Varaniūtė & Ineta Žičkutė & Akvilė Žandaravičiūtė, 2022. "The Changing Role of Management Accounting in Product Development: Directions to Digitalization, Sustainability, and Circularity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    4. Vanini, Ute & Bochert, Saskia, 2024. "Integration of sustainability issues into management accounting textbooks," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    5. Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru & Claudiu George Bocean & Maria Magdalena Criveanu & Adrian-Florin Budică-Iacob & Daniela Victoria Popescu, 2023. "Assessing the Contribution of Managerial Accounting in Sustainable Organizational Development in the Healthcare Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    6. Zhen-Jie Wu & Yuan Lin & Jun Xiao & Liu-Cheng Wu & Jun-Gang Liu, 2014. "Clinical Significance of Colonoscopy in Patients with Upper Gastrointestinal Polyps and Neoplasms: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-8, March.
    7. Guian Zheng & Yuxin Li & Huishan Huang & Jinghan Wang & Atsushi Hirayama & Jinxiu Lin, 2015. "The Effect of Statin Therapy on Coronary Plaque Composition Using Virtual Histology Intravascular Ultrasound: A Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Fabio Alexis Rincón Uribe & Cristian Ariel Neira Espejo & Janari da Silva Pedroso, 2022. "The Role of Optimism in Adolescent Mental Health: A Systematic Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 815-845, February.
    9. Yucheon Kim & Songyi Lee, 2023. "A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Non-Face-to-Face Coaching," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    10. Blessing Charuka & Donatus Bapentire Angnuureng & Samuel K. M. Agblorti, 2023. "Contemporary Global Coastal Management Strategies and Coastal Infrastructure and Their Application in Ghana: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-23, August.
    11. İlkay Unay-Gailhard & Mark A. Brennen, 2022. "How digital communications contribute to shaping the career paths of youth: a review study focused on farming as a career option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1491-1508, December.
    12. Karen Setty & Ryan Cronk & Shannan George & Darcy Anderson & Għanja O’Flaherty & Jamie Bartram, 2019. "Adapting Translational Research Methods to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-31, October.
    13. Mahin Ghafari & Vali Baigi & Zahra Cheraghi & Amin Doosti-Irani, 2016. "The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    14. Elizabeth T Cafiero-Fonseca & Andrew Stawasz & Sydney T Johnson & Reiko Sato & David E Bloom, 2017. "The full benefits of adult pneumococcal vaccination: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    15. Santos Urbina & Sofía Villatoro & Jesús Salinas, 2021. "Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    16. Scott, Daniel & Gössling, Stefan, 2022. "A review of research into tourism and climate change - Launching the annals of tourism research curated collection on tourism and climate change," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    17. Natalia Hernández-Segura & Alba Marcos-Delgado & Arrate Pinto-Carral & Tania Fernández-Villa & Antonio J. Molina, 2022. "Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Instruments and Mobility: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-23, December.
    18. Oded Berger-Tal & Alison L Greggor & Biljana Macura & Carrie Ann Adams & Arden Blumenthal & Amos Bouskila & Ulrika Candolin & Carolina Doran & Esteban Fernández-Juricic & Kiyoko M Gotanda & Catherine , 2019. "Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(1), pages 1-8.
    19. Uthman Albakri & Elizabeth Drotos & Ree Meertens, 2021. "Sleep Health Promotion Interventions and Their Effectiveness: An Umbrella Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-39, May.
    20. Jingyun Yang & Joseph Gyekis, 2012. "COOPER, H.M. (2009). Research Synthesis and Meta-analysis: A Step-by-Step Approach (Applied Social Research Methods)," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 77(4), pages 849-850, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:8:y:2024:i:11:p:796-808. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.