IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v13y2020i18p4897-d415714.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhancing a Decision-Making Framework to Address Environmental Impacts of the South African Coalmining Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Mashudu David Mbedzi

    (Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL), University of South Africa, Midrand PO Box 392, South Africa)

  • Huibrecht Margaretha van der Poll

    (Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL), University of South Africa, Midrand PO Box 392, South Africa)

  • John Andrew van der Poll

    (Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL), University of South Africa, Midrand PO Box 392, South Africa)

Abstract

The South African coalmining industry has a rich and long history and contributes significantly to the economic wellbeing of the country. Despite its importance in developing the economy, the industry is causing severe environmental challenges. For example, Emalahleni, a city situated in the Mpumalanga Province in South Africa, has been exposed for over a century to the continuous mining of coal. Challenges experienced include the sterilisation of land due to underground fires, water pollution, surface collapse, and acidification of topsoil. Previous work by the researchers formulated a conceptual framework aimed at addressing some of these challenges. In an extension of this work, the authors comprehensively enhance the preliminary framework on the strength of a set of qualitative propositions coupled with a parallel, exploratory survey. Interviews among various stakeholders were conducted, aimed at enhancing the components of the framework, followed by a focus group to validate the associations among the components of the framework. Aspects reinforced by the survey findings include the role of environmental management accounting, tools like material-flow cost accounting and life-cycle costing, and regulatory and accountability aspects. New aspects elicited from the interviews and the focus group include stakeholder education and training with respect to the value of environmental management accounting for the coalmining industry; adherence to risk management linked to environmental challenges; advanced technologies, for example, financial modelling; and an improved understanding of waste management aspects around acid mine drainage, volatile organic components, CO 2 emissions, and post-mine closure. The novelty of the work lies in the approach taken to address coalmining challenges. Previous authors concentrated mostly on scientific and engineering aspects, while this research looks at it from an accounting perspective using environmental management accounting tools to address these challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Mashudu David Mbedzi & Huibrecht Margaretha van der Poll & John Andrew van der Poll, 2020. "Enhancing a Decision-Making Framework to Address Environmental Impacts of the South African Coalmining Industry," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:18:p:4897-:d:415714
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/18/4897/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/18/4897/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roger L Burritt, 2004. "Environmental management accounting: roadblocks on the way to the green and pleasant land," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 13-32, January.
    2. Mashudu D. Mbedzi & Huibrecht M. Van der Poll & John A. Van der Poll, 2018. "An Information Framework for Facilitating Cost Saving of Environmental Impacts in the Coal Mining Industry in South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Wei Qian & Roger Burritt & Gary Monroe, 2011. "Environmental management accounting in local government," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(1), pages 93-128, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thi Tam Le & Thi Mai Anh Nguyen & Thi Thu Hien Phan, 2019. "Environmental Management Accounting and Performance Efficiency in the Vietnamese Construction Material Industry—A Managerial Implication for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-32, September.
    2. Silas Mukwarami & Chekani Nkwaira & Huibrecht Margaretha van der Poll, 2023. "Environmental Management Accounting Implementation Challenges and Supply Chain Management in Emerging Economies’ Manufacturing Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Salina P. Siddique & Nick Sciulli, 2018. "Sustainable development of small companies: Investors' perspectives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1258-1271, December.
    4. Yuxin Huang & Jingdao Fan & Zhenguo Yan & Shugang Li & Yanping Wang, 2021. "Research on Early Warning for Gas Risks at a Working Face Based on Association Rule Mining," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Matthew Egan, 2015. "Driving Water Management Change Where Economic Incentive is Limited," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 73-90, November.
    6. Binh Bui & Carolyn Fowler, 2022. "Carbon controls in a New Zealand electricity utility: An application of theoretical triangulation," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4423-4451, December.
    7. Pierre Baret & Vincent Helfrich, 2019. "The “trilemma” of non-financial reporting and its pitfalls," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(2), pages 485-511, June.
    8. Moazzem Hossain & Angela Hecimovic & Aklema Choudhury Lema, 2015. "Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility Reporting Practices from an Emerging Mobile Telecommunications Market," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 25(4), pages 389-404, December.
    9. Doorasamy Mishelle, 2015. "Staircase To Sustainable Development," Foundations of Management, Sciendo, vol. 7(1), pages 53-70, June.
    10. Nirman Noor Afiqi Mat Yusoh & Tuan Zainun Tuan Mat, 2020. "Environmental Management Accounting Adoption Barriers Among Malaysian Hotel Companies," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(3), pages 31-42, June.
    11. Esther Albelda Pérez & Carmen Correa Ruiz & Francisco Carrasco Fenech, 2007. "Environmental management systems as an embedding mechanism: a research note," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(3), pages 403-422, June.
    12. Burritt, Roger & Schaltegger, Stefan, 2014. "Accounting towards sustainability in production and supply chains," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 327-343.
    13. Sabina Scarpellini & Jesus Valero‐Gil & José M. Moneva & Michele Andreaus, 2020. "Environmental management capabilities for a “circular eco‐innovation”," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(5), pages 1850-1864, July.
    14. Lino Cinquini & Emilio Passetti & Andrea Tenucci, 2016. "La sostenibilit? ambientale in azienda: quale relazione tra disclosure volontaria e gestione interna?," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(2), pages 15-32.
    15. Barone, Elisabetta & Ranamagar, Nathan & Solomon, Jill F., 2013. "A Habermasian model of stakeholder (non)engagement and corporate (ir)responsibility reporting," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 163-181.
    16. Ralph Adler & Mansi Mansi & Rakesh Pandey, 2022. "Accounting for waste management: a study of the reporting practices of the top listed Indian companies," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2401-2437, June.
    17. Michael Bamidele Fakoya & Emmanuel O. Imuezerua, 2021. "Improving water pricing decisions through material flow cost accounting model: a case study of the Politsi Water Treatment Scheme in South Africa," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 2243-2260, February.
    18. Shahid, Ahmad Usman & Patel, Chris & Pan, Peipei, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility, intrinsic religiosity, and investment decisions," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C).
    19. Karen Benson & Peter M Clarkson & Tom Smith & Irene Tutticci, 2015. "A review of accounting research in the Asia Pacific region," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(1), pages 36-88, February.
    20. A. D. Nuwan Gunarathne & Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2020. "Eco‐control for corporate sustainable management: A sustainability development stage perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2515-2529, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:18:p:4897-:d:415714. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.