Managerial accounting plays a critical role in an organization’s control and risk management function. This is similar to the role it plays in an organization’s planning function. The value of a managerial accountant’s analysis depends upon the control environment within the organization. An ethical environment is critical to maintain a strong control environment. Without proper controls, managerial accounting methods can result in biased and noisy information, and management can manipulate accounting data, which also results in bias. Such conditions can lead to managerial accounting information being an imperfect component of the decision-making function.
Over the next 2 weeks, you will focus on the basic concepts of internal and management controls and the theoretical bases of managerial accounting methods used in control, such as product costing methods, throughput accounting, responsibility accounting, and performance variance analysis. You will discover how managerial accounting information must be developed in a strong internal control environment. Finally, you will explore the limitations of accounting information and potential ways of mitigating such limitations.
Learning Objectives
Independent scholars will:
Analyze prior research in the field of managerial accounting in order to identify opportunities for new research
Evaluate applicability of managerial accounting research literature to business practices and social change initiatives
Assess the potential impact of a peer group’s research findings on the field of managerial accounting
Construct an annotated bibliography of resources related to the proposed research topic for preparation of the final paper
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Bedford, D. S. (2015). Management control systems across different modes of innovation:
Implications for firm performance. Management Accounting Research, 28, 12–30. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2015.04.003
Heinicke, A., Guenther, T. W., & Widener, S. K. (2016). An examination of the relationship between the extent of a flexible culture and the levers of control system: The key role of beliefs control. Management Accounting Research, 33, 25–41. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2016.03.005
Ionescu, L. (2016). The role of accounting and internal control in reducing bureaucracy in the public sector. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 5(4), 46–51. Retrieved from http://jedep.spiruharet.ro/
Senftlechner, D., & Hiebl, M. R. W. (2015). Management accounting and management control in family businesses: Past accomplishments and future opportunities. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 11(4), 573–606. doi:10.1108/JAOC-08-2013-0068 Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Otley, D. (2016). The contingency theory of management accounting and control: 1980–2014.
Management Accounting Research, 31, 45–62. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2016.02.001
The basic idea underlying the use of managerial accounting information and methods can be stated very simply: accounting measurements of actual economic results are used to assist in management’s planning decisions. The value of the resulting planning recommendations depends upon a strong organizational control culture. It is critically important to understand terms such as economic results, ethics, risk management, and internal control framework.
After reading this week’s literature, consider how each article relates to the others. What research questions or apparent gaps come to mind? Keeping in mind what you learned about research design and threats to validity in your courses to this point, complete the following:
By Day 7 of Week 4
This week, assigned Presenters should post a PowerPoint presentation with a detailed notes section that contains the following:
Incorporation and analysis of the Learning Resources from this 2-week unit, including identification of any apparent gaps in the literature
An original research topic related to the week’s literature (the proposed research topic can be related to the general topic for the week or to gaps in the literature for the week, or it can be related to a specific reading for the week)
Background information on the research topic, including identification of principal schools of thought, tendencies in the academic literature, or commonalities that define the academic scholarship regarding your topic
Evaluation of the main concepts with a focus on their application to business/management practice and their impact on positive social change
A minimum of 10 peer-reviewed, scholarly new references
Use the five resources listed above and the additional resources are attached as a separate document. Use
additional sources as needed. Please note that resources used must be peer-reviewed and be 2015 and later.
Note: The presentation must be in APA format and must incorporate direct evidence of addressing the Learning Objectives from this 2-week unit. Each of the content slides must include detailed notes/paragraphs with appropriate citation of peer-reviewed, scholarly references.
Refer to the Presentation Format document for more information about the expected contents of your Presentation see attached.
Refer to the Presentation Rubric for specific grading elements and criteria. See attached.
In addition, all Participants should post an annotated bibliography of at least five additional resources related to the topic.
