With an increase in the number of the companies that have adopted the ISO 14001 standard, the interest demonstrated in research studies regarding the assessment of the motives for and benefits from the ISO 14001 standard implementation has also been increasing. Nevertheless, in spite of the importance of the ISO 14001 standards, a discussion on their importance and the role of accounting in this process yet remains an open issue among researchers and practitioners. Starting from the above said, the main purpose of the research conducted in this paper is to identify the motives for and benefits from the implementation of the ISO 14001 standard and to examine the role of accounting in the implementation process. The empirical research in this paper was performed on the example of the 33 companies that have the obligation to submit their data on the sources of environmental pollution to the National Pollution Register. The data were collected through a poll of the management of the companies via a questionnaire, whereas the data analysis was performed by using various quantitative statistical methods and techniques, and primarily through the application of descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. The results of the research indicate that the primary motives for the introduction of the ISO 14001 standards are an environmental responsibility, creating the image of a socially responsible company and the improvement of performances, whereas the benefits can be synthesized through the improvement of environmental performances, efficiency and profitability. Also, the results of the research study indicate that the managers of the companies partly recognize the role of accounting in the implementation of the ISO 14001 standard. The main conclusion of the research is that the management of the companies partly recognize the role of accounting in the ISO 14001 standards implementation. The main conclusion of the research is that the management of the companies in Serbia understand the importance of the implementation of the ISO 14001 standards, but not to a proper extent, as well as the role of accounting in that process.

The issue of improving the efficiency of business operations is of particular importance in the conditions of modern business environment. For managers, the big challenge is how to achieve and to maintain, not to mention how to improve efficiency in a highly heterogeneous, complex, uncertain and unpredictable business environment. Significant sources of enterprise efficiency in a modern business environment are enterprise restructuring, business activities, as well an integrated approach to cost management, which is becoming an increasingly important determinant of business success and a source of competitive advantage. The paper provides an overview of theoretical and empirical research of the effects of certain sources on the performance of the enterprise. The conclusion is that only the complementary exploitation of all sources contributes to improving the efficiency of the enterprise in the long run.

In the present study we examine the application of activity-based costing (ABC) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We want to investigate the circumstances which determine whether ABC will improve performance and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. The main objective of our study is to determine the effects (expectations) and limitations of ABC application in small and mediumsized enterprises. In addition to other factors, the expected benefits and potential limitations are the key factors for future implementation of ABC and potential improvement of performance and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. The analysis is conducted on a sample of 33 small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia. The study shows that the key benefits of ABC implementation are performance improvement and providing more accurate information. Also, one of the most important obstacles to wider application of ABC in small and medium-sized enterprises is the lack of professional knowledge and practical experience.