No abstract

Traditional management accounting techniques such as standard costing and variance analysis, traditional budgeting and cost volume profit analysis are said to be less useful in the present manufacturing environment. To succeed in the present dynamic business environment, tools or strategies such as JIT, ABC, TQM, process re-engineering, life cycle assessment and target costing would greatly enhance the ability of corporations to meet global competition. Through a literature review, this study examines the extent to which traditional and contemporary management accounting tools are being used in four Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia, China and India. Overall, the evidence reviewed suggests that the use of contemporary management accounting tools is lacking in the four countries. The use of traditional management accounting techniques remains strong. The paper concludes with various recommendations for future research, the most important of which is the need for future studies to be grounded in theory.

Purpose -The purpose of this research paper is to report the results of a study that explains the relationship between institutional pressure and environmental management accounting (EMA) adoption. Specifically, it looks at the pressure of government and other parties in society concerning EMA adoption among manufacturing companies in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach -Drawing from the new institutional sociology theory, the paper seeks to identify the extent to which institutional pressure influences EMA adoption level. A total of 74 accountants from manufacturing companies in Malaysia participated in the survey. Institutional pressure (coercive isomorphism, normative pressure and mimetic processes) was tested against the level of EMA adoption via multiple regression analysis. Next, semi-structured interviews were employed with four survey participants to gain further insights into the survey results.Findings -The findings of this study reveal some influence of institutional pressure on EMA adoption. Of these, normative pressure in terms of training and accounting body membership was found to be the most forceful.Practical implications -Recognising the important role of accountants in managing environmental issues in organisations, this study highlights the influence of education and training as determinants of EMA adoption.Originality/value -This paper offers a preliminary understanding from the new institutional sociology perspective concerning the type of pressure that influences manufacturing companies in Malaysia to adopt EMA.

The main objective of this article is to conduct an analysis of the climate change and global warming discourses and disclosures in the annual reports of the companies of Malaysia. In order to fulfil this objective, the research has examined 79 companies that have disclosed some issues on global warming. The study concludes that though climate change disclosure is not mandatory for the Malaysian companies, even then they are disclosing some of these issues. But this kind of disclosure is still at its introductory stage.

We examine the extent and quality of environmental disclosures by public‐listed Malaysian construction companies in their 2009 annual reports. Most of the 49 sample companies provide general disclosures which are positive and non‐verifiable in nature. Very few companies disclose quantitative/non‐monetary or monetary environmental information. In addition, companies did not make disclosures in eight of the items contained in the index. This suggests that environmental disclosures do not discharge the companies’ accountability as disclosures are neither complete nor comprehensive enough and are largely confined to general, narrative statements which cannot be verified. To ensure accountability, regulators must introduce environmental reporting guidelines which specify content and format of the disclosures. This study addresses the paucity of Malaysian environmental disclosure literature and is one of the few which also examines quality of disclosure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment