and Rob Gray were very helpful and are gratefully acknowledged.Twenty-five years of research 483 favour of evolution rather than revolution, which some readers may construe as placing limitations on the review:…it must be stated that this book is based upon existing socio-economic conditions of a managed mixed economy and is evolutionary rather than revolutionary in orientation. The position argued is that a more socially responsible accounting may be justified and should be implemented, not to radically change society but to modify and improve our present system, by including measurement and reporting relationships which are currently excluded (Mathews, 1993, p. 6).However, a deliberate effort has been made to balance any predisposition towards evolution by a deliberate inclusion of some radical sources of literature.
Definitions of social and environmental accountingSocial and environmental accounting has been defined by Gray et al. (1987, p. ix) as:…the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of organizations' economic actions to particular interest groups within society and to society at large. As such it involves extending the accountability of organizations (particularly companies), beyond the traditional role of providing a financial account to the owners of capital, in particular, shareholders. Such an extension is predicated upon the assumption that companies do have wider responsibilities than simply to make money for their shareholders.And by Mathews (1993, p. 64) as:Voluntary disclosures of information, both qualitative and quantitative made by organizations to inform or influence a range of audiences. The quantitative disclosures may be in financial or non-financial terms.And also by Gray et al. (1993, p .6) who defined environmental accounting in the following terms:…it can be taken as covering all areas of accounting that may be affected by the business response to environmental issues, including new areas of eco-accounting.Definitions applicable to SEAL do not appear to be problematic, despite some differences, especially where authors cannot decide whether disclosures are expected to be voluntary, or in compliance with legal or quasi-legal requirements, or whether disclosure must be quantitative or financial, to be regarded as a part of the accounting process. The definition which implicitly governs this survey of the literature is broad, as provided by Mathews and Perera (1995, p. 364):At the very least, social accounting means an extension of disclosure into non-traditional areas such as providing information about employees, products, community service and the prevention or reduction of pollution. However, the term "social accounting" is also used to describe a comprehensive form of accounting which takes into account externalities...Public sector organisations may also be evaluated in this way, although most writers on the subject of social accounting appear to be concerned with private sector organisations.
