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The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting

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A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 July 2025 | Viewed by 24781

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru

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Department of Economics, Accounting and International Business, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Interests: management accounting; accounting information systems; E-accounting; corporate social responsibility; business ethics; digital technologies; artificial intelligence; E-commerce; sustainable development; human resources management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Claudiu George Bocean

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Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Interests: management; human resources management; E-commerce; digital technologies; corporate social responsibility; business ethics; business administration; sustainable development; organization theory; labor economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Madalina Giorgiana Mangra

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Department of Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Interests: insurance and reinsurance; insurance and social protection; financial management; finance and credit; firms’ evaluation; international finance; financial systems and reporting; investments

Dr. Dalia Simion

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Department of Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania
Interests: financial management; firms’ investments; firms’ evaluation; financial and economic analysis; financial systems and reporting; corporate finance; financial markets

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With companies' rapidly increasing commitment to sustainable activities worldwide, sustainability accounting now fulfills essential roles in corporate disclosures. However, these disclosures' voluntary and non-financial nature creates unique specific performance measurement concerns and related reporting issues, making sustainability accounting distinct from traditional financial reporting. The increasing expansion of digital technologies (such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, the internet of things, big data, and cloud computing) has significantly changed most economic activities and professions. As a result of the technological revolution 4.0, organizational structures and business models have changed. Consequently, sustainability accounting has also faced threats, challenges, and opportunities. As a result of the evolution of data collection and processing technologies, sustainability accounting activities have become increasingly complex, encompassing increasing volumes of data. Starting from the two significant trends in the modern global society (digital transformation and sustainability), we noted the need for scientific papers that clarify issues in this rapidly growing field of accounting, which can help to improve the understanding of the relevance and reliability of information from the field of sustainability, based on digital technologies innovations. While the scope for papers is broad, contributors might consider addressing one or more of the following issues:

The use of digital technologies in enhancing sustainability accounting;
Sustainable business through digital transformation;
Relationships between sustainability accounting and organizational reporting;
Integrating digital technologies in sustainability reporting;
Increasing the transparency and security of sustainability accounting information through digital transformation;
Measuring non-financial performance by using digital technologies.

Dr. Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru
Prof. Dr. Claudiu George Bocean
Dr. Madalina Giorgiana Mangra
Dr. Dalia Simion
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainability accounting
sustainability reporting
non-financial performance
digital transformation
digital technologies
artificial intelligence
blockchain
internet of things
big data
cloud computing
digital accounting

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Power of Electronic Media: Nexus of Digital Crowdfunding Platforms, Innovation Strategy, Technology Orientation and Crowdfunding Performance

by Rima H. Binsaeed, Zahid Yousaf, Adriana Grigorescu, Razvan Ion Chitescu, Alina Samoila and Abdelmohsen A. Nassani

Electronics 2023, 12(11), 2414; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12112414 - 26 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1025

Abstract

The transformation of technological orientation and crowdfunding as innovative concepts combined with cutting-edge digital tools provides the foundation for outstanding fundraising success. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between technology orientation (TO) and crowdfunding performance. Additionally, this research also investigates how crowdfunding digital platform mediates and innovation strategy moderates in the linkage between crowdfunding performance and technology orientation. Data were collected through a questionnaire on the basis of cross-sectional research design. Structural econometric models for direct and indirect analyses were conducted to test hypotheses. The results confirmed the direct positive impact of technology orientation on crowdfunding performance. Moreover, the findings prove the mediating role of a crowdfunding digital platform and moderating role of innovation strategy between technology orientation and crowdfunding performance. Fundraisers are required to give attention to technology orientation for the acceptance and adoption of the latest advancements in technology. They must consider digital platforms for fundraising and pay proper attention to innovation strategy for achieving the needed crowdfunding performance. This research discusses how return base crowdfunding performance occurs; in future, other researchers may provide evidence on donations/charity campaign base crowdfunding. This is the first study in the context of digital transformation that explored the nexus of technology orientation, crowdfunding digital platform and innovation strategy for attaining crowdfunding performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

29 pages, 1353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Approach to the Impact of Digital Technologies on Sustainability Reporting through Structural Equation Modeling and Artificial Neural Networks

by Anca Mehedintu and Georgeta Soava

Electronics 2023, 12(9), 2048; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12092048 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1931

Abstract

The motivation for study derives from the requirements imposed by the European Union Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which increases the sustainability reporting scope and the need for companies to use emerging digital technologies. The research aim is to evaluate the digital transformation impact of the European Union companies on sustainability reporting expressed through three sustainable performance indicators (economic, social, and ecological) based on a conceptual model. The data were collected from Eurostat for 2011–2021. The study proposes a framework for sustainable performance analysis through linear regression models and structural equations. Additionally, a hierarchy of digitization indicators is created by modeling structural equations, depending on their impact on sustainability performance indicators, which is validated using neural networks. The results indicate that the company’s digital transformation indicators positively influence economic and social performance and lead to an improved environmental protection (a decrease in pollution), proving the established hypotheses’ validity. The proposed model can be the basis for companies to create their dashboards for analyzing and monitoring sustainable performance. This research can be the basis of other studies, having a significant role in establishing economic and environmental strategies to stimulate an increase of companies that carry out sustainability reporting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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15 pages, 449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accounting Information Systems as Mediator for Digital Technology and Strategic Performance Interplay

by Abdelmohsen A. Nassani, Zahid Yousaf, Adriana Grigorescu, Oana Oprisan and Mohamed Haffar

Electronics 2023, 12(8), 1866; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12081866 - 14 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2180

Abstract

Digital technology (DT) has been broadly studied in industry and in scholarly research. This study aimed to examine the use of digital technology in the attainment of strategic performance and considered the mediating role of the accounting information systems (AISs) between them. Furthermore, this study explored the moderation of digital innovation in the linkage between DT and strategic performance. For data collection, 326 questionnaires were collected, and quantitative methods and random sampling techniques were used. The results showed that digital technology is directly associated with strategic performance. The findings also confirm that AISs play a mediating role, and digital innovation plays a moderating role in the association between digital technology and strategic performance. The results of this research encourage businesses to utilize opportunities for growing advanced technologies and developments in the industry to take up novel digital technologies, to advance their digital abilities to grow to be innovation leaders, and to boost the strategic performance of their firms. This study is one of the first pieces of research to provide information on how the latest technologies could have an influence in making innovative products/services and, afterward, boost firms’ strategic performance. This study also fills a gap in the literature regarding the driving factors of strategic performance by defining the mediating role of AISs and the moderating role of digital innovation in the association between dynamic factors and performance. The outcomes of this research demonstrate that AISs are extremely helpful and have an influence on the strategic performance of electronics firms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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19 pages, 2296 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Integration of Farm Financial Accounting and Farm Management Information Systems for Better Sustainability Reporting

by Krijn Poppe, Hans Vrolijk and Ivor Bosloper

Electronics 2023, 12(6), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12061485 - 21 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4222

Abstract

Farmers face an increasing administrative burden as agricultural policies and certification systems of trade partners ask for more sustainability reporting. Several indicator frameworks have been developed to measure sustainability, but they often lack empirical operationalization and are not always measured at the farm level. The research gap we address in this paper is the empirical link between the data needs for sustainability reporting and the developments in data management at the farm level. Family farms do not collect much data for internal management, but external demand for sustainability data can partly be fulfilled by reorganizing data management in the farm office. The Farm Financial Accounts (FFAs) and Farm Management Information Systems (FMISs) are the main data sources in the farm office. They originate from the same source of note-taking by farmers but became separated when formalized and computerized. Nearly all European farms have a bank account and must keep financial accounts (e.g., for Value-Added Tax or income tax) that can be audited. Financial accounts are not designed for environmental accounting or calculating sustainability metrics but provide a wealth of information to make assessments on these subjects. FMISs are much less frequently used but collect more technical and fine-grained data at crop or enterprise level for different fields. FMISs are also strong in integrating sensor and satellite data. Integrating data availability and workflows of FFAs and FMISs makes sustainability reporting less cumbersome regarding data entry and adds valuable data to environmental accounts. This paper applies a design science approach to design an artifact, a dashboard for sustainability reporting based on the integration of information flows from farm financial accounting systems and farm management information systems. The design developed in this paper illustrates that if invoices were digitized, most data-gathering needed for external sustainability reporting would automatically be done when the invoices is paid by a bank transfer. Data on the use of inputs and production could be added with procedures as in current FMISs, but with less data entry, fewer risks of differences in outcomes, and possibilities of cross-checking the results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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21 pages, 3297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability Reporting Based on GRI Standards within Organizations in Romania

by Florin Mihai and Ofelia Ema Aleca

Electronics 2023, 12(3), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12030690 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3818

Abstract

This article aims to establish an overview of sustainable development practices within organizations in Romania, to analyze how these practices are connected to GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) indexes, and to identify the connection between the efforts made to ensure sustainable processes and the economic performance of the enterprise. Given the ever more prevalent digitalization of the company processes, implementing a sustainability management system and a sustainability monitoring system becomes more accessible, and there is increasing transparency of the information on the activities supporting sustainability. Using the methodology, the authors carried out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the content of the sustainability reports published by Romanian companies in the top 500 by the number of employees. The economic and financial data on these companies were taken from the topfirme.ro platform. Based on the sustainability reports published by the companies, the sustainability score was calculated using the reported data, according to the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standard and analyzed considering the industry in which the organizations operate, specific industries being more sensitive to environmental issues due to certain specificities of their economic activity that is based on processes prone to hurt the environment. During the research, hypotheses were formulated and tested regarding the factors that could influence the reporting of activities in support of sustainability (the sustainability report score and the page count of the sustainability report) and the economic performance of organizations (profit, income). One of the study’s conclusions was related to the financial performance of companies expressed by the net profit. It is positively influenced, although to a small degree, but promising in terms of the future of company policies on freedom of association and collective bargaining, expressed in the sustainability report through the GRI index. Regarding the company belonging to a particular industry sector, the research proved that the companies’ sustainability policies are not influenced by it, which could point to the idea that sustainability issues are equally crucial for all industries. Furthermore, an essential conclusion of the research is that the performance and the reliability of sustainability policies must be monitored and implemented within an integrated sustainability management system, which would ensure a high level of coherence and transparency of the guidelines, the provided data, but also of the monitoring within companies or by the stakeholders. Finally, the research offers results regarding the interest of Romanian organizations in the measures and actions taken to ensure the sustainable development of the economic environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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17 pages, 2425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

E-Government Development—A Key Factor in Government Administration Effectiveness in the European Union

by Nicoleta Mihaela Doran, Silvia Puiu, Roxana Maria Bădîrcea, Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, Marius Dalian Doran, George Ciobanu and Lavinia Daniela Mihit

Electronics 2023, 12(3), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12030641 - 27 Jan 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3195

Abstract

The phenomenon of digitisation of the public sector is an irreversible process that affects both the way public institutions are organised and the communication relationships between people and institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a challenge and a strong impetus in accelerating the digitisation process of public administration at the global level such that it is currently difficult to make a clear distinction between governance and e-governance. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the intensification of the digitisation process of public services in increasing the efficiency of governments at the level of the member states of the European Union, based on a cluster analysis. A robust least squares regression method was used to estimate the effects of the three dimensions of the e-government development index (EGDI) on government effectiveness. The results of the analysis highlighted the fact that the skills of the population in using online services determine the increase in a double percentage of government efficiency in intensively digitised states compared to states where the digitisation of public services is less developed. The development of the telecommunications infrastructure also has a significant positive impact on the efficiency of the government. However, online services offered by public authorities have proven to negatively influence government efficiency in both clusters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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23 pages, 1107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Empirical Evidence on the Development and Digitalization of the Accounting and Finance Profession in Europe

by Liliana Ionescu-Feleagă, Voicu D. Dragomir, Ștefan Bunea, Oana Cristina Stoica and Laura-Eugenia-Lavinia Barna

Electronics 2022, 11(23), 3970; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11233970 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2944

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the development and digitalization of professional services in the field of accounting and finance, as well as to calculate and compare several indicators of the development of the profession in each European country. We also sought to identify the factors that drive the development of the accounting and finance profession at the international level. We collected rich information on 337 professional associations in 40 countries in Europe. Using this dataset, 20 accounting and finance services and 14 membership services and benefits provided by professional associations were identified. Digitalization of the profession is a prominent membership service, but also a characteristic of country competitiveness. The results of the intergroup analysis showed that high-income countries have a significantly larger number of professional associations and services compared to middle-income countries. Furthermore, the accounting and finance profession in high-income countries covers a larger number of accounting and membership services. The size of the population and the competitiveness of the national economy are the main predictors of the development and digitalization of the accounting and finance profession in a country. This research has implications for professional associations and national regulators in reducing disparities between European countries on the matter of accounting education and service quality. The scale of this research can provide institutional actors with a holistic perspective on the accounting and finance profession at the national and international level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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15 pages, 1355 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Empirical Framework for Assessment of the Effects of Digital Technologies on Sustainability Accounting and Reporting in the European Union

by Anca Antoaneta Vărzaru

Electronics 2022, 11(22), 3812; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11223812 - 20 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2907

Abstract

Sustainability accounting and reporting is an emerging area of accounting that is receiving increasing attention as a result of sustainability requirements. In this paper, we examine the effects of implementing digital technology on sustainability accounting and reporting. This research consists of an empirical study at the level of 21 European Union countries using data provided by Eurostat. Transversal research emphasizes the impact of digital technologies (cloud computing, Big Data, the Internet of things, and artificial intelligence) on sustainability accounting and reporting. In this paper, we highlight the relationships between variables using artificial neural network analysis and cluster analysis. The study findings indicate that digital technologies significantly influence the sustainability accounting and reporting and sustainability-oriented culture of the countries included in the empirical study. A cluster analysis reveals a group of countries at the top of the sustainability reporting rankings as a result of advances in digital technologies. This study demonstrates that the digital transformation produced by Industry 4.0 contributes to the potential improvement of sustainability accounting and reporting, with significant links between sustainability and digitization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Digital Technologies in Sustainability Accounting and Reporting)

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