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A management accounting perspective that underscores a quest for reducing conventionally appraised costs, negative output costs as well as heightened eco-efficiency has been used in pursuit of the study’s two main study objectives. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, the study seeks to further understanding of the relationship between product output volume, carbon costs, and CO₂ emission volume in carbon-intensive firms. Second, it identifies factors affecting climate change abatement strategies pursued by these firms. Heightening appreciation of the climate change challenge, combined with minimal CO₂ emission research undertaken from a cost management perspective, underscores the significance of the study.

A triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data collected from Slovenian firms that operate in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme has been deployed.

CO₂ polluting firms exhibit differing carbon cost structures that result from distinctive drivers of carbon consumption (product output vs capacity level). Climate change abatement strategies also differ across carbon-intensive sectors (energy, manufacturing firms transforming non-fossil carbon-based materials, and other manufacturing firms) but are relatively homogeneous within them.

From a managerial perspective, the study demonstrates that carbon efficiency improvements are generally not effective in triggering corporate CO₂ emission reduction when firms pursue a growth strategy.

Global warming signifies that CO₂ emissions constitute a social problem. The study has the potential to raise societal awareness that the causality of the manufacturing sector’s CO₂ emissions is complex. Further, the study highlights that while more efficient use of environmental resources is a prerequisite of enhanced ecological sustainability, in isolation it fails to signify improved ecological sustainability in manufacturing operations.

The paper has high originality as it reports one of the first management accounting studies to explore the distinction between combustion- and process-related CO₂ emissions. In addition, it provides distinctive support for the view that eco-efficiency is more consistent with the economic than the environmental pillar of sustainability.

Many of the survey design issues raised by Tung (2000) are revisited in the context of Guilding and Kirman's (1998) study. While several practical issues are raised, underlying this rejoinder is the message that when conducting questionnaire survey research, issues can arise that require the researcher to exercise a degree of subjective judgement. While the researcher should always attempt to observe the types of practice noted by Tung, the application of these practices can be compromised when one turns to the reality of operationalisalion in the context of a particular research question(s) and a particular sample.

To benchmark the degree to which companies in Slovenia, a country that has experienced success in its transition to a market economy, apply strategic management accounting (SMA) techniques.

Survey data collected in Slovenia has been benchmarked to survey data collected in similarly sized Australian companies.

For the Slovenian sample, while none of the techniques investigated are applied extensively, it has been found that competitor focused SMA techniques are the most popular. A group of SMA techniques that have a costing orientation are applied more extensively in Slovenian companies than in the Australian benchmark sample. It has also been found that some techniques that have a relatively high popularity ranking in one country, rank relatively lowly in the other country.

In addition to the generally accepted limitations of survey research, it should be noted that there is no definitive listing of SMA techniques and debate concerning this matter can be expected to continue. A further shortcoming is evident in the cross‐country comparison aspect of this study, as a disappointingly small number of Australian financial controllers committed themselves to participating in the study.

It appears likely that systematic differences between the economies and culture of countries contribute to differential use of SMA. This highlights the importance of management considering economic and commercial context when designing management accounting systems.

Despite considerable normative commentary, there is still a paucity of empirical research concerned with SMA. A particularly significant facet of this study concerns its extension of our appreciation of SMA application in a novel international context.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the differential motivations of hotel owners and operators to engage in earnings management through the selective capitalisation or expensing of asset related expenditures.

Research evidence has been collected via a mixed methods approach utilising 20 semi‐structured interviews with key hotel management contract stakeholders in Australia and a questionnaire survey administered to hotel general managers in Australia and New Zealand.

A review of the literature has resulted in an original distillation of 18 distinct earnings management motivations for hotel owners and operators. Qualitative data collected suggest an additional four motivations and that the primary motivation for hotel owners and operators to engage in earnings management stems from the two parties' desire to affect the size of the incentive management fee that is paid to hotel operators. A suggestion that operators have a greater tendency to seek to capitalise asset related expenditures, relative to owners, has been supported by both qualitative and quantitative data collected.

This study appears to be the first to have examined the manner in which an idiosyncratic aspect of hotel governance can result in competing earnings management motivations between hotel owners and operators; the first to pursue a broad level of abstraction with respect to examining earnings management in the context of asset related expenditure capitalisation decision making; the first to assess the relative strength of earnings management motivations concerning the capitalisation or expensing of asset related expenditure; and the first to conduct earnings management research utilising a mixed methods research approach involving the conducting of face‐to‐face interviews as well as administration of a questionnaire survey.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of different configurational archetypes of strategy and strategic management accounting and to appraise how management accounting's horizontal and vertical alignment with strategy can facilitate performance.

The study deploys a holistic configurational approach to examine the relationship between strategy, strategic management accounting, and performance. Configurations are derived empirically, using an inductive approach, from a sample of 109 manufacturing companies.

The observed configurations (i.e. “analytics”, “blue‐chips”, “first movers”, “domestic protectors”, “laggards and socialism relics”) constitute varying levels of performance and varying degrees of fit. Support is provided for the equifinality proposition that different strategic and structural alternatives are associated with similar performance levels. Equivocal support is provided for the configurational proposition that internally consistent configurations are associated with higher performance.

The variables examined do not fully capture the complexity of pertinent configurations. Limitations revolve around application of the cluster analytical technique and its reliance on researcher judgement.

The study's most important message concerns the manner in which it highlights the fallibility of assuming a singular relationship between strategic choices and management accounting system design. While prior research has tended to offer fragmented and unidirectional management accounting prescriptions, the authors raise the notion of how key variables can interact to create an effective organization.

The paper breaks new ground by showing that multiple designs of strategy and strategic management accounting may be equally effective in a particular context. This finding challenges much traditional contingency‐based modelling in management accounting.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of the organisational forms comprising the Australian condominium tourism accommodation sector.

A total of 34 exploratory interviews were conducted with interviewees representing a cross‐section of interests in condominium tourism accommodation operations.

An original hierarchical typology is developed. The structuring criteria employed for the hierarchy include: whether a condominium complex is in a hotel or apartment complex, whether it is branded and whether the condominiums are serviced.

The findings reported will greatly advance the capacity to provide a meaningful commentary on the nature of condominium tourism accommodation complexes and to understand key issues associated with different forms of condominium tourism accommodation services provided.

The study suffers from the normal limitations associated with the subjective interpretation of qualitative data. In addition, the fast evolving nature of the condominium tourism accommodation sector signifies that the typology advanced should be viewed as somewhat time‐specific.

Despite the huge growth in condominium‐based tourism accommodation worldwide, there has been a scarcity of research directed to the phenomenon. The study can thus be seen to be highly original.

The purpose of this paper is to advance a set of criteria for appraising the merits of alternative options to financing common property capital expenditure in multi‐owned housing (MOH) complexes and to then draw on this conceptual framework to determine which mode of common property capital expenditure funding is preferable.

A priori reasoning has been provided to pursue the study's objective.

Sinking funds represent the preferred approach to financing common property expenditure in MOH schemes and special levies are the least preferred approach.

Due to the a priori based conceptual development undertaken, some subjectivity is bound to be invoked.

The study provides key insights to government policy makers charged with drafting MOH legislation and provides strong support for those jurisdictions that require sinking funds to be raised in MOH complexes. The study also informs the owners executive committees of MOH schemes of the benefits of maintaining sinking funds.

The study highlights the considerable MOH unit owner financial distress that can be averted by pursuing a policy of raising sinking funds.

The study has immense originality, as it is the first academic study to focus on MOH common property capital expenditure issues.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and extent of psychosocial need fulfillment experienced by resident strata title owners and to shed light on factors that detract from residents’ lived experience in the strata title context.

An interview schedule that draws on theories of psychosocial need fulfillment was developed. In total, 16 home owners and three strata title managers were interviewed. Interviewees were sourced from three master planned communities located in South East Queensland, Australia.

The majority of owners reported high levels of need fulfillment and neighbourhood satisfaction. Primary sources of dissatisfaction appeared to be related to body corporate committee governance issues.

The study's findings are subject to the widely acknowledged limitations of small sample based interview research and the study's qualitative orientation signifies that it suffers from the compromised generalisability and potential of selective and subjective reporting of observations.

The findings suggest a need for greater societal appreciation of factors associated with living in a strata titled community. Recommendations are provided for facilitating the transition to strata title living and reducing sources of resident dissatisfaction.

The paper uniquely explores residential satisfaction from a psychosocial needs perspective. There is a paucity of related research reported in the literature.

To explore the nature and potential of competitor‐focused accounting practice (CFA) in a large hotel.

Unstructured tape‐recorded interviews ranging from one to one‐and‐a‐half hours' duration were conducted with 21 senior managers representing finance, marketing, hotel operations, casino, and human resource management in a large hotel.

Levels of CFA formalised application appear limited, especially when compared with a widely held managerial perception that significant benefits could derive from applying CFA. The CFA practices noted were conducted in an unstructured and ad hoc manner. The main generic use of CFA is in connection with sensitising staff with respect to competitors’ strengths and also strategy development. The hotel shared occupancy level information with competing hotels.

The study suffers from all the limitations generally associated with a single company qualitative field study. These limitations include the degree of subjectivity that is invoked when researchers interpret qualitative field study data.

The paper clarifies the notion of “CFA” and provides an outline of CFA management issues arising in the context of a hotel. An outline is provided of those parts of a hotel operation that are most likely to be more active in CFA, together with empirically informed suggestions with respect to CFA uses in a hotel.

The paper is highly original. Despite the generally accepted importance of strategy development being informed by appropriately conducted competitor analysis, there has been a paucity of research concerned with competitor analysis in the hotel industry.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to advance a set of recommendations concerned with enhancing residential strata title (ST) communities’ preparation for property management in a world of climate change (CC) and second, to examine the Australian ST community’s perceptions of the recommendations advanced.

The study comprised three empirical phases: three meetings with an 11 person industry reference group, conduct of 18 exploratory interviews and also an on-line questionnaire survey. The survey was designed to gauge the relative merit of sixteen recommendations developed during the study’s exploratory interview phase. The survey was completed by 450 individuals representing a broad cross-section of ST stakeholders.

The study’s findings are extensive. Amongst them it is notable that the survey respondents ranked procedures taken prior and during a ST building’s construction as more important CC management opportunities than steps and procedures implemented post-building construction.

While considerable care was taken to approach the analysis of interview data in an objective manner, it should be acknowledged that, like any research based on qualitative data, a researcher’s background is bound to introduce some biases in the way that themes in the collected data are determined and interpreted.

The range of practical implications arising from the study are very evident from the range of issues addressed in the 16 recommendations advanced by the study. These implications range widely from internal management suggestions such as identifying a CC champion in ST complexes, to insurance issues such as creating a low insurance or “uninsurable” ST building category.

The survey findings reveal the extent to which expressed opinions concerning how best to adapt ST buildings and communities for CC are affected by the stakeholder group that is expressing the opinion. This highlights the likelihood that any new ST policy making relating to CC is likely to become highly politicised due to conflicting lobbying interests represented by these distinct ST stakeholders.

The study is believed to embody an exceedingly high level of originality. It is the first to: provide an examination of the vulnerability of ST complexes to CC, and advance recommendations concerned with changes that should be made to the building and management of ST complexes in order to address the CC challenge.