Emerging Issues in Management Accounting: Digital Technologies, Governance, and Sustainability

Abstract

In the context of accounting management perspectives, corporate enterprises in the 21st century are facing issues determining whether their operational practices are genuinely profitable and environmentally sustainable. Accounting practice across organizations is influenced by various interconnected activities, including managerial behavior, technical advancements, competitive dynamics, and critical stakeholder concerns about enterprise accountability. Globalization has raised the demands for accounting management and used relevant and updated technological techniques to become ecologically friendly. This indicates the need for adopting the actions and practices by the companies that translate the operational processes into processes that do not raise the cost of processing or manufacturing rather have a sustainable impact on the environment and enhance profitability or revenue generation. The rising interest in environmental and social performance has made it a statutory requirement, just like accounting in the financial aspect. Management accountants must adhere to the recent changes where several problems must be identified and resolved. The impact of the organizations' business activities can be detected by making efficient environmental management accounting. The present systematic review thus aims to study the emerging issues in management accounting while relating the debate with sustainability, governance, and digital technologies. The systematic review has chosen five research articles to explore the emerging issues and challenges in management accounting via analyzing modern era digital technologies, corporate policies, and governance as exercised by the organizations and sustainability practices. The study identifies ineffective regulatory practices, lack of knowledge and skills, and the ineffective implementation of environmental accounting as primary factors that hinder accounting sustainability.