AN APPRAISAL OF THE NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Management accounting is the development of information for insiders such as company managers. Managers use this information to measure the progress toward their goals and highlight any potential problems in advance. For example, managers want to know which products have the best sales And which are selling poorly. Which products tend to sell together? How is inventory being managed? What about cash? Will the firm have enough cash to pay its upcoming debt payments? Accountants answers these questions with budgets , variance reports, sensitivity analysis, revenue reports, cost projections,and even analysis of competitors.When firms consider how to expand products and services, managerial accountants help formulate profit projections from revenue and cost projections. In short, managerial accounting has historically played a large part in the control and evaluation of the business and its performance.Financial accounting provides information for outsiders. Whereas managerial accounting reports may break down performance for Managers by individual products or regions of the country, financial reports summarize the business as a whole, although they can be broken into Business segments and regions.

In the case of Publicly held companies, these reports are the quarterly and annual financial statements that they must file with the securities and exchange commission (SEC). During the last two decades ,the role of accounting departments within companies has changed. Instead of simply providing information to insiders and outsiders , accounting departments have begun the transition into being profit centers, instead of simply reporting the quarterly profits of the firm, accounting departments are asked to increase profits through application of accounting methods. Different methods often lead to different Levels of re-portable profits.The reporting of profits, therefore can be both an art and a science. This process is known as managing earnings. For example, accountants may feel pressure to meet internal targets .Managers may want to show their employees and the board of directors that they were able to increase revenue and decrease cost. The research seek to provide an appraisal and of the nature and significance of management Accounting with a case study of Dunlope Plc.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The inability of many organization to afford the service of a MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT is depriving many organization the needed Datas and information for quality management decision making.such organization lack the needed accounting report s such as budgets, variance reports, sensitivity analysis, revenue reports,cost projections etc. The effect is poor management decision leading to waste and improper use of resources, high cost expenditure, low revenue and loss of profit.Management accounting is the development of information for insiders such as company managers. Managers use this information to measure the progress toward their goals and highlight any potential problems in advance, for example, managers want to know which products have the best sales and which are selling poorly. Which products tend to sell together?, How is inventory being managed? What about cash? Will the firm have enough cash to pay its upcoming debt payments?Accountants answers these questions with budgets , variance reports, sensitivity analysis, revenue reports, cost projections,and break even analysis of competitors.When firms consider how to expand products and services, managerial accountants help formulate profit projections from revenue and cost projections. In short, managerial accounting has historically played a large part in the control and evaluation of the business and its performance