Modernizing Management Accounting by Digital Means: A Real-World Examination of the Difficulty of GCC Energy Companies' Budgets

With a focus on the adoption of adaptive budgeting techniques and digital technologies, this article tracks the development of budgeting approaches across energy corporations operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In order to investigate the associations between organizational traits and the complexity of budgeting procedures, we analyze data from fourteen major energy companies in six GCC countries spanning the years 2021–2024. The research tested four hypotheses on the feasibility of technology deployment, budget integration, the acceptability of rolling forecasts, and the difficulties of scenario planning using multiple regression analysis with robust standard errors. Our research shows that GCC countries and various types of businesses have quite distinct spending tendencies. Larger companies often use significantly more complex methods when creating their budgets. Managers in the energy industry may benefit from the research's practical examples of how budgeting procedures have changed in emerging nations, and the overall body of knowledge on management accounting is strengthened.