Brown, J & Fraser, M $(2006)$ A pproaches and perspectives in social and environmental accounting: an overview of the Conceptual Landscape

R$.$ D$.(1988).$Financial accounting: in communicating reality, we construct reality$.$ Accounting, Organizations and Society, $13(3),251-261.`$

What does the quotes below says about the critical theory approach? Can you explains what thew quotes mean in an easier langauge from the Pros and Cons please.

$6.$ What is the critical theory approach?

$$The critical theory or $$radical$$ approach is essentially a critique of the stakeholder$-$accountability approach to CSR and SEA. Advocates of this position are skeptical about the potential for $$real accountability$$ in the absence of radical change in capitalist society. They warn of the dangers of acting $$as if$$ we live in a pluralist society. While concepts like $$stakeholders$,$democratic dialogue$$ and $$triple bottom lines$$ sound nice in theory, imbalances of power and resources mean that most efforts in this area will $$do nothing but prop up inequitable and alienating societal structures$($Burritt and Welch, $1997,$ p$.3).$

Global capitalism has led to a narrowing of democratic debate and the rolling back of the State, promoting a $$democracy of elites$($Lehman$,2002,$ p$.223).$ While communitarian approaches to accountability may be an advance over narrow liberal models, there is still the difficulty that communities may simply $$reflect and reproduce the power imbalances that are a part of current systems$($Walker$,2002,$ p$.71).$ Therefore, for critical theorists, the dominance of capital oriented values and perspectives is such that CSR and SEA are likely to fall victim to business capture and lead to mystification rather than liberation." $($p$\mathrm{.}110)$ They believe that the system needs to be changed otherwise CSR and SEA will keep falling victim to business capture.

$7.$ What are the problems with this critical approach?

It is hard, if not impossible, to make radical change happen in current society and institutions. If CSR$/$SEA should follow a critical approach, how do we get business to engage with this? How do we enact this radical approach? Also, the current economic system would require radical change? How can that happen? All of these are big challenge!