Abstract:

Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) has moved beyond its early emphasis on cost and competitor information towards a broader role in strategy, sustainability and digitally enabled decision-making. This study reviews the evolution of SMA and its contribution to sustainable organisational performance. A systematic literature review was conducted using a review period of 1980–2024, reflecting the emergence of SMA in the early 1980s and the subsequent development of sustainability and digital accounting research. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 reporting principles and synthesised 90 peer-reviewed studies identified through searches of major academic databases. The synthesis indicates three broad phases: an early cost and competitive-positioning phase; a strategic integration and performance-measurement phase; and a contemporary sustainability and digitalisation phase. Across these phases, SMA is associated with better strategic information, resource allocation, performance measurement and organisational adaptability. However, the evidence does not support a universal performance effect. Outcomes depend on organisational capabilities, leadership, information quality, technological readiness and the external institutional environment. The review integrates Contingency Theory, the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory to explain these conditions. It contributes an integrated framework that treats SMA as a context-dependent strategic information capability rather than a fixed set of accounting techniques.