Management Accounting: Meaning, Characteristics, Scope, Functions and Limitations

 

Management Accounting

Meaning

·       Management Accounting assists the managerial functions at all the levels by providing managers with the required information so as to enable them to run the business efficiently, in policy creation, controlling and decision making.

·       It begins from where the role of Financial Accounting ends.

·       Management accounting is concerned with data, which is collected from both internal and external source.

 

Characteristics

·       Future oriented, increase in efficiency, cause and effect relationship, flexible, provides information and not decisions, tools and techniques, uses accounting information.

 

Scope

·       Financial accounting, Cost accounting, Cost control and procedures, statistic tools, reporting to management, tax planning, budgeting and forecasting, internal audit, office services.

 

Functions

·       Planning: Data and information provided by management accounting helps managers to forecast and prepare all kinds of plans and strategies.

·       Controlling: Through techniques like standard costing, budgetary control, etc.

·       Coordinating, Qualitative information, Financial analysis and interpretations, Communication, Decision making, Tax policies.

 

Limitations

·       Based on historical data, depends on the level of knowledge of management accountant, relatively newer concept, costly, complex.

 

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