Sustainability
and Management Accounting
In the resent era, many concepts about
doing business, performing business activities as well as starting new business
have changed now. Most of the businesses, enterprises as well as organizations
are focusing on the sustainability because the sustainability can make a better
as well as effective sense of business. Several businesses in the world are
broadening factors they take in the sense at the time of development of
strategies as well as making decision for the company. The sustainability provides
the good business sense for making business decisions as well as it also
strengthen those decisions for better results. In
the modern era it is significant that the organizations working in the economy
are well aware about the need of the factors which are cooperating with social
and organizational issues. In financial system it is considered that the
sustainability is not associated with the management accounting but it could
not be ignored that the skills of management professionals are used to place at
a good position in the market (Burritt, 2010).
Sustainability could be achieved with the best
decision making and communication skills of the expert bodies of the
organization. Sustainability of the organization is achieving long term
financial benefits with producing positive benefits for the society such
corporate social responsibility which gives better value to the customers and stakeholders
while management accounting is used to analyze and communicate with the other
stakeholders in decision making process according to the financial and
non-financial factors which are available to increase the value of the
organization (Bebbington, 1997).
The decision making is very technical
process which is performed by many organizations to handle the sustainability
of the company business as well as to improve its financial condition. There are several businesses which are dealing in such
kind of decision making for the organizations which are reasonable to gain
profitability and get long term licenses to operate its function in the
society. Sustainability is considered important in business operation from
previous few decades to deal with the natural factors such as scarcity, climate
change, flood and other energy issues in the region where business is
operating. There are some environmental and social factors which are used to
gain long term benefits in the society. Management accountants are guiding the
business in such a way so that business could get competitive advantage and
deal with the business issues in the marketing. They could also help to meet
the business challenges to get long term benefits in the operations. They also
apply management techniques which are used in getting intangible and tangible
benefits in the market. The factors discussed in the article are not enough to
gain sustainability in the business with the help of corporate social
responsibility. The sustainability and corporate sustainability to gain the
long term benefits are implemented with different skills in the organization so
that sustainability could be pertain. Management accounting techniques for
decision making and planning to control the policies to recover the
deficiencies in the conventional accounting under the philosophy of management
accounting to deal with the different quantitative measures in the social
activities. There are various approaches which are used in the location of
managerial resources which could be utilized in the resources to gain
profitability. Sustainability is incorporated in environment in the perspective
of sustainable development to meet the requirements of new generation from
business. A business has to come up with promotion of sustainability in which
is obligated to corporate social responsibility. It allowed a business to gain
sustainability to prevail the opportunities to earn profit which is used to
gain the competitive advantage. The main influence
of informal controls like self-controls as well as the social control in the
social instilling the decision-making responsiveness between the leaders of the
organizations (Norris & O’Dwyer, 2004).
Business which earns sustainability in the operations
could overcome the cost of the business and help the business to utilize
alternative resources for better outcomes. The change methods which are used in
the reduction of cost of resources are implemented by the top management of the
companies which involves the management accounting principles in the business
operations. Sustainable businesses are comparatively more beneficial as it provides
social benefits to the societies which increase value of the business of the
company. Stakeholders are the main factors which determine the condition and
positive position in the market. When the stakeholders enjoy social benefits
from the business, they will promote the business to do better activities in
the society. It also helps the business to gain different advantages such as
loans and grants as the sustainable business is more reliable and spend their
funds for competitive as well as social benefits (Durden, 2008).
In case of dealing sustainability by the management
accounting, it is considered that the managers may face the problem that there
will be increase in opportunity cost of the business by developing the operations
such as corporate social responsibility. The management accounting system is
used to set regulations in the functioning of the operation of business as well
as social works. Management accounting are used to make decision which is both
for relevant and irrelevant which is incorporated in the business. Businesses
are becoming more mobilize with the help of globalization as the business is
connecting with different situation and resources which could be beneficial for
the business (Gray, 2010).
References of Sustainability and Management Accounting
Bebbington, J. (1997). Engagement, education and
sustainability: a review essay on environmental accounting. Accounting,
Auditing & Accountability Journal, 10(3), 365-381.
Burritt, R. L. (2010). Sustainability
accounting and reporting: fad or trend? Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal, 23(7), 829-846.
Durden, C. (2008). Towards a socially
responsible management control system. Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal, 21(5), 671-694.
Gray, R. (2010). Is accounting for
sustainability actually accounting for sustainability… and how would we know?
An exploration of narratives of organisations and the planet. Accounting,
organizations and society,, 35(1), 47-62.
Norris, G., & O’Dwyer, B. (2004).
Motivating socially responsive decision making: the operation of management
controls in a socially responsive organisation. The British Accounting
Review, 173–196.