Management Accounting and Control

Management Accounting and Control is a comprehensive overview of costing and performance measurement techniques and control practices for (future) managers.

The first part, Management Accounting, focuses on the decision-facilitating role of internal accounting information; that is, costing and performance information intended to support managerial decision-making. After introducing the fundamental concepts of cost and management accounting, the authors explore the allocation of indirect costs in greater depth. Recognising that different costs are required for different purposes, they discuss a wide range of short-term decisions. The first part closes with an explanation of the technique of variance analysis.

The second part, Management Control, focuses on the decision-influencing role of internal accounting information; that is, the control practices that managers can implement to achieve strategic alignment. The authors discuss the design of control practices drawing on theories from both behavioural economics (e.g., agency theory) and psychology (e.g., self-determination theory). Rather than treating control practices in isolation, the authors explain how they combine to form a management control package. Special attention is given to controls for organisations pursuing environmental and social objectives alongside financial ones.