Factors affecting the environmental management accounting implementation and the quality of environmental information for making decisions of fishery processing enterprises in Vietnam

were statistically significant (p < 0.05 value, Table 6). This implies that the factors in the model can be distinguished 
Table 6 
Computable Reliability Coefficients and Variance of Factors in the Model 
Factors Estimate S.E. C.R. P 
EMA10 ← EMAI 1 
EMA3 ← EMAI 0.935 0.064 14.658 *** 
EMA6 ← EMAI 0.933 0.061 15.183 *** 
EMA5 ← EMAI 0.864 0.054 16.004 *** 
EMA4 ← EMAI 0.81 0.058 13.942 *** 
EMA1 ← EMAI 0.886 0.063 14 *** 
EMA8 ← EMAI 0.827 0.063 13.23 *** 
EMA7 ← EMAI 0.859 0.06 14.412 *** 
EMA9 ← EMAI 0.873 0.065 13.344 *** 
EMA2 ← EMAI 0.944 0.072 13.169 *** 
PRESS3 ← PRESS 1 
PRESS7 ← PRESS 0.998 0.052 19.055 *** 
PRESS5 ← PRESS 0.947 0.051 18.488 *** 
PRESS2 ← PRESS 0.954 0.055 17.347 *** 
PRESS4 ← PRESS 0.964 0.052 18.549 *** 
PRESS6 ← PRESS 0.955 0.055 17.414 *** 
PRESS1 ← PRESS 0.896 0.054 16.664 *** 
COM3 ← COM 1 
COM2 ← COM 0.756 0.067 11.318 *** 
COM7 ← COM 0.795 0.077 10.281 *** 
COM4 ← COM 0.812 0.07 11.67 *** 
COM5 ← COM 0.894 0.08 11.122 *** 
COM1 ← COM 0.759 0.078 9.758 *** 
RES2 ← RES 1 
RES3 ← RES 0.96 0.064 14.94 *** 
RES4 ← RES 0.738 0.06 12.278 *** 
RES1 ← RES 0.968 0.07 13.806 *** 
Data4 ← DATA 1 
Data2 ← DATA 0.695 0.08 8.659 *** 
Data5 ← DATA 1.033 0.114 9.085 *** 
Data3 ← DATA 0.726 0.084 8.687 *** 
Data1 ← DATA 0.526 0.068 7.697 *** 
(Source: The author's data analysis) 
T.M.H. Le et al. /Accounting 6 (2020) 409
4.5. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) 
The study uses the SEM to assess the relevance of the research model and test the relationships in the initial model. The results 
of the SEM analysis of the model with df = 457, Chi-square = 907.007 with p-value = 0.000 <0.05, Chi-square/df = 1.985 <3, 
CFI = 0.919, TLI=0,912; RMSEA = 0.57<0.8 should confirm that the pattern consistent with market data (Fig. 3.). 
The SEM result shows that the relationship between Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) and 
Environmental Data quality for decision making is acceptable (p < 0.05). 
Hypothesis H1 is accepted (value of p < 0.05), in which the Government and Stakeholders’ Pressure (PRESS) strongly affects 
the Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) of the FPEs in Vietnam. This result is also consistent 
with the actual conditions of the companies. 
Hypothesis H2 is accepted (value of p < 0.05), in which the Company’s nature and perspectives (COM) strongly affects the 
Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) of the FPEs in Vietnam. This result is also consistent with 
the actual conditions of the companies. 
Hypothesis H3 is accepted (value of p < 0.05), in which the Methods, tools and regulations for EMA (RES) strongly affects the 
Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) of the FPEs in Vietnam. This result is also consistent with 
the actual conditions of the companies. 
Hypothesis H4 is accepted (value of p < 0.05), in which the Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) 
strongly affects Environmental Data quality (DATA) for decision making of the FPEs in Vietnam. This result is also consistent 
with the actual conditions of the companies. 
Table 7 
Coefficients of regression model SEM and test results of the model’s hypotheses 
Factors Standard Estimate S.E. C.R. P Note 
EMAI ← PRESS 0.210 0.057 3.676 *** Accepted 
EMAI ← COM 0.182 0.073 2.500 .012 Accepted 
EMAI ← RES 0.347 0.065 5.361 *** Accepted 
DATA ← EMAI 0.333 0.076 4.371 *** Accepted 
Results of the causal relationship between the components in the research model in Table 5 with p < 0.05 confirmed that the 
factors including Government and Related Party Pressure (PRESS), Company Characteristics (COM), Methods, tools and 
regulations for EMA (RES) have causal relationships with Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI). 
At the same time, Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) has the positive impact on Environmental 
Data quality (DATA) for decision making of the FPEs in Vietnam. In which, methods, tools and regulations for EMA 
Implementation (RES) factor has the biggest impact on Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) of 
the FPEs in Vietnam, following by Government and Related Party Pressure (PRESS) and then Company’s nature and 
perspectives (COM) has less effect; and the Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) strongly affects 
Environmental Data quality for decision making (DATA) of the FPEs in Vietnam. 
5. Discussion 
Based on the results of survey and data processing, the authors propose that, to enhance the environmental data quality for 
decision making, the FPEs need to enhance all variables of their company’s perspective, the stakeholders (including government, 
investors, customers, and suppliers) need to increase their pressure on environmental issues to the companies; the company also 
needs to increase the effectiveness of methods and tools for EMA Implementation and the government should issue more 
regulations on EMA implementation. Some particular solutions for FPEs are following: 
5.1. Increasing the effectiveness of methods and tools for EMA 
The government should issue more regulations on EMA implementation and the FPEs should increase the effectiveness of 
methods and tools for EMA Implementation. Most of the environmental regulations for fishery operations are complied with by 
the FPEs in Vietnam, but the environmental information provided from the accounting perspective is very sketchy, without 
separating costs and turnover from the environment. The reason is that Vietnam does not have any regulations and guidelines 
for implementing the EMA. The fact shows that, at the FPEs, they always have to take remedies, restorations and environmental 
 410
protection due to the impact of the aquaculture and processing fishery, to ensure the legal requirements and meet their own 
development. Therefore, when the accounting law has provisions and efficient regulations, the FPEs will apply it more smoothly 
in all aspects of recording information, presenting reports and providing clear environmental information. 
5.2. Being more responsible for government and stakeholders’ pressure 
The FPEs need to be responsible for disclosing the risks that businesses may cause and the solutions that enterprises take to their 
related parties. Stakeholders outside the enterprise often need information but at different levels. 
- The Government is interested in the environmental protection issue of FPEs as it significantly affects the national 
environmental quality. Accounting information of businesses plays an important role in providing financial information related 
to environmental issues for fishery management. The EMA information has an important meaning in making statistics on 
environmental protection measures that enterprises have announced and the results of implementation, with a basis for making 
environmental policies. 
- Investors, customers and suppliers offer interest and benefit to the FPEs, their benefits depend on the FPEs’ business results. 
If there are environmental risks, it will significantly affect the interests of investors, customers and suppliers. Therefore, the 
parties need to increase their desire on environmental issues to the companies 
5.3. Promoting managers’ perspectives related to environmental issues 
In order to successfully apply the EMA, the first requirement needs to have the support and approval of the top management 
and to give the managers the perspectives of building business strategy towards sustainable development. In addition, the 
administrators should determine disclosure of environmental activities is the responsibility of the business; be willing to accept 
costs for applying environmental management accounting. Moreover, they must believe that implementing accounting 
management environment helps to increase competitive advantage for businesses; the company's waste disposal process meets 
government and local requirements; and the business production lines of the company have a great impact on the environment. 
5.4. Enhancing EMA implementation 
The FPEs should consider the EMA implementation as an important strategy. They need to use both monetary information and 
physical information, trace environmental information by detailed accounts, determine environmental costs by modern method, 
estimate environmental costs, estimate environmental cost report, and develop environmental performance indicators, use 
software to track environmental information, integrate environmental information into short-term decisions, and integrate 
environmental information into long-term decisions. From which, to enhance environmental data for decision making. 
6. Conclusion 
Results of the causal relationship between the components in the research model confirmed that the factors including The 
stakeholders’ Pressure (PRESS); Company’s nature and perspective (COM); Methods, tools and regulations for EMA (RES) 
have maintained a causal relationship with Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI). At the same time, 
Environmental Management Accounting Implementation (EMAI) has a positive impact on Environmental Data Quality 
(DATA) for decision making of the FPEs in Vietnam. Based on the results of survey and data processing, the authors propose 
FPEs in Vietnam to increase the effectiveness of methods and tools for EMA, be more responsible for government and 
stakeholders’ pressure, promoting managers’ perspectives related to environmental issues, and enhance EMA implementation, 
from which to increase quality of environmental data for decision making. The limitation of this study is that it is only 
implemented at FPEs in Vietnam, an industry with many differences compared to other areas. Therefore, the research results 
are somewhat different from other industries in the locality and in the country, so the generalizability is not high. Therefore, 
there should be extensive research on the scope of other fields. The authors hope that further research will address the limitations 
of this research. 
Acknowledgement 
The authors would like to thank the anonymous referees for constructive comments on earlier version of this paper. 
T.M.H. Le et al. /Accounting 6 (2020) 411
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