Integrating Rational Choice Theory into TOE Framework to Explain the Intention to Adopt Environmental Management Accounting: An Empirical Analysis in Vietnam

This study investigates the determinants of the intention to adopt Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) in Vietnam’s steel industry by integrating the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework with Rational Choice Theory (RCT). While prior research often assumes that external pressure is directly associated with EMA adoption, this study argues that such effects are contingent upon managerial evaluation of perceived net benefits (PNB). Using survey data from 420 respondents and applying Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the empirical results show that top management support has the strongest associations with adoption intentions and PNB is the strongest predictor of adoption intention and serves as the theorized mediating variable. This suggests that EMA adoption is more associated with PNB, as firms are more likely to adopt EMA when its expected benefits are perceived to outweigh implementation costs, organizational risks, resource commitments, and operating burdens. Given the limitations of cross-sectional data, these findings represent theoretically grounded associations rather than conclusive causal inferences. This study refines TOE-based explanation by incorporating a rational-actor perspective, while providing practical guidance for steel-firm managers to integrate EMA into existing operational routines.