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The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically the evolution of corporate compliance with the eighth Company Law Directive (CLD) over time, the relationship between the degree of compliance with the eighth CLD and corporate governance quality (CGQ), and the relative effect of compliance with the eighth CLD and Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) on CGQ.

The hypotheses are tested on a sample of EU firms that are cross listed in the EU and the USA and, thus, subject to both EU and US legislation, using fixed effects panel regression analysis.

The authors find that compliance levels with the eighth CLD are increasing over time, yet they vary considerably across constituent provisions. The authors also find that higher compliance is positively related to CGQ, although the effect size is higher for compliance with the eighth CLD than for compliance with SOX.

This study is original from many perspectives. Unlike most prior studies, which rely on binary variables to represent the constructs appraised in this study, novel and advanced measures of compliance and CGQ are constructed. Next, this study examines EU firms that have received very little research interest compared to US firms. Third, in an innovative approach, the authors appraise the relationship between the degree of compliance and CGQ longitudinally at both the aggregate and the constituent provision levels.

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.

This study aims to thoroughly investigate the complexity of inflation dynamics in the context of two significant global crises, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing geopolitical tensions in Ukraine. The primary goal is to examine the effects of several factors, such as interest rates, currency indices and unemployment, on inflation during extended periods of noneconomic crises.

This research uses a comprehensive data set spanning 75 months across the USA and the Euro Area, using the Generalized Method of Moments two-step regression methodology for analysis. The study examines the relationships between interest rates, currency indices, unemployment and inflation during extended noneconomic (financial) crises. This rigorous approach offers a nuanced understanding of how these factors interact and influence inflation.

The study highlights the crucial role of interest rates in controlling inflation during crises. Specifically, an interest rate increase of over 1.75% negatively impacts inflation, with more substantial rate hikes having a faster effect. The analysis reveals a minimal correlation between currency devaluation and inflation, emphasizing the predominant influence of interest rates. In addition, a notable negative correlation between unemployment and inflation is observed, indicating that higher unemployment rates tend to coincide with lower inflation levels.

The study’s findings offer valuable insights for central banks and policymakers tasked with managing inflation in times of crisis. By underscoring the effectiveness of interest rate adjustments and the limited influence of currency depreciation, this research provides critical guidance for formulating effective monetary policy during economic challenges.

This study contributes to existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of inflation dynamics during noneconomic crises, using a robust database and using advanced econometric techniques. The findings provide new insights into the role of interest rates, currency indices and unemployment in shaping inflation dynamics in times of noneconomic crises. These findings enhance the understanding of monetary policy strategies in challenging economic environments.

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.

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 chapter is to provide a comprehensive review of empirical research on performance management (PM) in former communist Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, to evaluate the state of knowledge in this area and suggest possible directions for future research.

An examination of the literature was undertaken to review the empirical studies treating on PM in ex-communist countries from CEE. A total of 96 journal articles, PhD thesis, and conference papers were identified, categorized, and analyzed according to research questions, methodology, and theoretical framework. Contributions are classified by countries, according to progress in transition process (post-transition/transition countries) and membership in the Soviet Union (Soviet/non-Soviet countries). The review examines publications in four languages (English, French, Romanian, and Russian).

The literature review identified various stages of development of PM research and practice in the different groups of CEE countries.

In post-transition CEE countries, PM research follows the trends settled up in the developed countries (quantitative studies examining the extent of usage of different PM tools, influence of contingent factors, relationship PM-strategy, and impact on company’s performance). Also, the findings illustrate the modernization of PM practices: increasing importance of nonfinancial indicators and integrated performance management systems (PMS), although financial indicators are prevailing.

On the contrary, in transition countries PM research and practices are at an early stage, the reviewed literature highlights some specific issues related to transition context: the dynamic aspect of PM, change management, importance of informal systems, cultural aspects, and business traditions.

Because of the large number of CEE countries and the diversity of their national languages, many studies conducted in native languages have not been addressed in this literature review, which is essentially based on publications in English and French. Only for three CEE countries (Russia, Romania, and Moldova) publications in national language were considered.

This literature review may be useful for practitioners, providing insights on the extent of diffusion and usage of different PM tools and identifying difficulties and pitfalls to avoid in their implementation.

The chapter represents one of the first contributions to the knowledge about PM research and practice in former communist CEE countries. The adopted framework for reviewing and classifying the literature allows identifying the differences in PM research and practices between post-transition/transition and Soviet/non-Soviet countries.