Contents
What is Management Accounting
Management accounting is a specialized branch of accounting which helps management in decision making by supplying relevant accounting information. This is an accounting branch which records various financial and statistical data and presents this data in the form of reports to the internal management for better decision making.
Objectives of Management Accounting
Better Decision Making
Assisting in better decision making is the primary objective of Management accounting. It supports the decision-making process of the management team by informing them about all affairs of business from time to time. Right decisions taken at the right time can improve the efficiency of the business. Management accounting helps in understanding the business problems in a better way using techniques from different fields like costing, statistics, economics etc. Therefore, proper understanding helps to take better decisions timely.
Proper Planning and Formulation of Policies
Management accounting helps the managers in making better plan and policies for the organisation. It provides management for the financial reports containing all financial and statistical data about the organisation. Information from various financial sources like cash flow statement, fund flow statement, capital budgeting, marginal and standard costing is presented in these financial reports. This all collectively helps managers in proper analysis and formulating of appropriate policies.
Controls Management Performance
Managerial control is one of another important objective of management accounting. Whole organisation is divided into different responsibility centres and each responsibility centre is allotted some goals to be achieved. Management accountant monitors and evaluates the performance of these responsibility centres from time to time. He is responsible to check whether operations are going as per plans and standards. In case of any deviations he will inform management thereby helping in taking corrective measures timely.
Interprets Financial Information
Management accounting interprets the financial information in a way which is well understood by management. Information collection through accounting is somehow technical and cannot be well understood easily until you have proper knowledge of accounting subject. Management accounting derives information from various financial statements and present it in form of reports which contains information in non-technical and intelligible manner. This way it management in clearly understanding the accounting information by managers.
Motivates Employees
Motivation of employees is must for the achievement of organisation goals timely. Management accountant sets goals and policies to be followed for each employees and department in organisation. It keeps a full check on activities of employees and measures their effectiveness from time to time. In addition to measuring their performance, he also guides and supports them in improving their efficiency. These activities are undertaken in a long way continuously and thereby motivates employees to great extent towards established goals.
Communicates Up-to-date Information
Management accounting is served as the communication link between the management team and the organisation. It communicates all financial facts and figures to internal management team regularly on periodic basis. All details are shared in the form of financial reports which are the outcome of management accounting and contain modified data well understood by internal stakeholders. It communicates all meaningful information to all management executives and helps them in taking right action at right time.
Evaluates policies effectiveness
Measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of various management policies is another important role played by management accounting. It assists and lay emphasis on Management audit. Management accounting reviews the performance and effectiveness of management policies in various departments. It finds out the deviations and communicates the same to the management team. Management accounting helps in ensuring that all designed policies are efficiently implemented and followed in the organisation.