Abstract
Environmental management accounting (EMA) has positive support for providing information for green competitive advantage. Based on upper echelons theory (UET), this study examines the impact of upper managers' attitudes towards the environment regarding the choice of green production strategy, EMA implementation, and green competitive advantage (GCA). The moderating role of regulatory pressure (RP) in some relationships is also investigated. This study, conducted in Vietnam, features a data set of 234 medium and large manufacturers. The sample is restricted to medium and large firms only, as these possess sufficient financial resources to operate independent marketing and management accounting functions. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to test hypotheses. We found that it has a significant positive and direct effect of attitude towards the environment on choosing a green production strategy and the implementation of EMA, thereby achieving a green competitive advantage. We also find that regulatory pressures have a moderator role and are positive in some relationships. This study applied UET in the management accounting field and presented the significance of the compatibility between upper managers' attitudes towards the environment, strategies, and EMA implementation that would improve the long-term competitive advantage of the organizations.