Making water count: water accountability change within an Australian university
Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal
ISSN: 0951-3574
Article publication date: 7 February 2014
Abstract
Purpose
Drought conditions affected an acute water scarcity crisis across large parts of Australia through the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Public policy responses emphasised demand management strategies. This study aims to examine the response to these challenges within a large Australian university from 1999 to 2010.
Design/methodology/approach
Case study utilising semi-structured interviews.
Findings
Staff empowered to take an emergent approach to issues of social concern, initiated water accountability change focused on water efficiency from 1999, and “water principles” from 2002. A growing network had some success translating and enrolling others over coming years. However into the late 2000s, as drought conditions abated and with a renewed focus on financial control, developments that had not established clear links to core accountability mechanisms eroded. This study demonstrates that measurement is essential to understanding patterns of water usage, but also needs to establish links to core systems of accountability to broadly change behaviour.
Practical implications
Higher education continues to be an environment where creative responses to community challenges can be nurtured. Despite increasing pressures to focus on financial outcomes, the sector should continue to nurture opportunities to shape issues of community concern through leading practice.
Originality/value
This study provides insight into the development, fragility, and contested meaning of emergent systems of water accountability within the context of a university.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author gratefully acknowledges the advice of John Roberts, Geoff Frost, James Guthrie, Jan Bebbington and Chris Nobes. Thanks are also due to the APIRA 2007 Committee for funding that assisted with the transcription of interviews.
Citation
Egan, M. (2014), "Making water count: water accountability change within an Australian university", Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 259-282. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-07-2012-01059
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited