IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/aaajpp/v24y2011i1p93-128.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental management accounting in local government

Author

Listed:
  • Wei Qian
  • Roger Burritt
  • Gary Monroe

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to explore the state of environmental management accounting practice and the motivations for its use with a view to improving waste and recycling management by local government. The focus is on practice in local governments situated in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Prior studies suggest the need for environmental management accounting as a supporting tool for waste management. Design/methodology/approach - An exploratory case study method was applied in 12 NSW local government organisations. In each local government interviews were conducted with managers responsible for waste and recycling issues. Findings - Contrary to prior research this study found that, in the local governments investigated, an increasing amount of environmental management accounting information is being made available. The case studies found two main motivations encouraging the development of environmental management accounting in local government: first, social structural influences, such as regulatory pressures from different environmental regulatory bodies, environmental expectations from local communities, and pressures from peer councils; second, organisational contextual influences reflecting situational needs in the organisational contexts, such as complex waste operations and service designs, changes and uncertainties in waste and recycling management, and the council's strategic position for waste management. Research limitations/implications - The results imply that institutional theory and contingency theory provide different but complementary explanations for the development of environmental management accounting in waste management. Although previous environmental studies are overwhelmingly in favour of social system‐based theories, such as institutional theory, to explain environmental changes in organisations, an organisation's contextual dynamics seem to be equally important. Originality/value - The findings about motivations provide useful information for environmental strategists and government regulators to make policies that improve accountability and the efficiency of waste and recycling management as well as promote future development of environmental management accounting to support sustainable waste management solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei Qian & Roger Burritt & Gary Monroe, 2011. "Environmental management accounting in local government," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(1), pages 93-128, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:aaajpp:v:24:y:2011:i:1:p:93-128
    DOI: 10.1108/09513571111098072
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09513571111098072/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09513571111098072/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/09513571111098072?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roger L. Burritt, 2002. "Environmental reporting in Australia: current practices and issues for the future," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(6), pages 391-406, November.
    2. Roger L Burritt, 2004. "Environmental management accounting: roadblocks on the way to the green and pleasant land," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 13-32, January.
    3. Frank Boons & Lars Strannegård, 2000. "Organizations Coping with Their Natural Environment," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(3), pages 7-17, September.
    4. Chenhall, Robert H., 2003. "Management control systems design within its organizational context: findings from contingency-based research and directions for the future," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 28(2-3), pages 127-168.
    5. Unknown, 2006. "Waste Management," Inquiry Reports 8019, Productivity Commission.
    6. Otley, David T., 1980. "The contingency theory of management accounting: Achievement and prognosis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 413-428, October.
    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. Francesca Francioli & Alberto Quagli, 2021. "Management accounting change and the rise of Vespa (1884-1965)," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(suppl. 2), pages 313-338.
    2. Cäker, Mikael & Siverbo, Sven, 2018. "Effects of performance measurement system inconsistency on managers’ role clarity and well-being," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 256-266.
    3. Widener, Sally K., 2004. "An empirical investigation of the relation between the use of strategic human capital and the design of the management control system," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(3-4), pages 377-399.
    4. Soufiane Kherrazi & Karim Saïd, 2022. "Managerial Practices Within Multilateral And Public-Funded R&D Collaborations," Post-Print hal-04205187, HAL.
    5. Shih-Chu Chou & Ramachandran Natarajan & Kenneth Zheng, 2022. "Conglomerate internal informational advantage and resource allocation efficiency," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 717-748, August.
    6. Jafar Ojra & Abdullah Promise Opute & Mohammad Mobarak Alsolmi, 2021. "Strategic management accounting and performance implications: a literature review and research agenda," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-17, December.
    7. David Bedford & Mikko Sandelin, 2015. "Investigating management control configurations using qualitative comparative analysis: an overview and guidelines for application," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 5-26, April.
    8. Stefanie Einhorn & Bernhard Fietz & Thomas W. Guenther & Edeltraud Guenther, 2024. "The relationship of organizational culture with management control systems and environmental management control systems," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(8), pages 2321-2371, August.
    9. repec:dau:papers:123456789/2860 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Laura Broccardo & Simona Alfiero & Francesca Culasso, 2024. "Enhancing Performance Management Systems in a challenging environment," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2024(1), pages 5-14.
    11. Bhimani, Alnoor & Sivabalan, Prabhu & Soonawalla, Kazbi, 2018. "A study of the linkages between rolling budget forms, uncertainty and strategy," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 306-323.
    12. Speklé, R.F., 2003. "Configurations of Control: A Transaction Cost Approach," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2003-071-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    13. Long, Chris P., 2018. "To control and build trust: How managers use organizational controls and trust-building activities to motivate subordinate cooperation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 69-91.
    14. Jetta Frost & Rick Vogel & Khaled Bagban, 2016. "Managing Interdependence in Multi-business Organizations," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 17(2), pages 225-260, August.
    15. Ewelina ZARZYCKA & Justyna DOBROSZEK & Cristina CIRCA & Alina ALMASAN, 2017. "The perceived suitability of management accounting information: a contingency based investigation," The Audit Financiar journal, Chamber of Financial Auditors of Romania, vol. 15(147), pages 395-395.
    16. Federica Palazzi & Massimo Ciambotti & Lorenzo Gelsomini, 2019. "L?adozione dell?Activity-Based Costing nelle PMI: analisi di un caso," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(1), pages 97-122.
    17. Davila, Tony, 2005. "An exploratory study on the emergence of management control systems: formalizing human resources in small growing firms," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 223-248, April.
    18. Jihene Ghorbel, 2016. "The Relationship between the Profile of Manager and Management Accounting Practices in Tunisian SMIs," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 61-72, January.
    19. Gerdin, Jonas & Greve, Jan, 2004. "Forms of contingency fit in management accounting research--a critical review," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 29(3-4), pages 303-326.
    20. Andrea Cardoni & Filippo Zanin & Giulio Corazza & Alessio Paradisi, 2020. "Knowledge Management and Performance Measurement Systems for SMEs’ Economic Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-27, March.
    21. Macinati, Manuela S. & Anessi-Pessina, E., 2014. "Management accounting use and financial performance in public health-care organisations: Evidence from the Italian National Health Service," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 98-111.

    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:eme:aaajpp:v:24:y:2011:i:1:p:93-128. 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: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.