Management Accounting | 15

Management Accounting and Decision-Making
Management accounting writers tend to present management accounting as a loosely connected set of decision‑making tools. Although the various textbooks on management accounting make no attempt to develop an integrated theory, there is a high degree of consistency and standardization in methodology of presentation. In this chapter, the concepts and assumptions which form the basis of management accounting will be formulated in a comprehensive management accounting decision model. The formulation of theory in terms of conceptual models is a common practice. Virtually all textbooks in business administration use some type of conceptual framework or model to integrate the fundamentals being presented. In economic theory, there are conceptual models of the firm, markets, and the economy. In management courses, there are models of organizational structure and managerial functions. In marketing, there are models of marketing decision‑making and channels of distribution. Even in financial accounting, models of financial statements are used as a framework for teaching the fundamentals of basic financial accounting. The model, A = L + C, is very effective in conveying an understanding of accounting. Management accounting texts are based on a very specific model of the business enterprise. For example, all texts assume that the business which is likely to use management accounting is a manufacturing business. Also, there is unanimity in assuming that the behavior of variable costs within a relevant range tends to be linear. The consequence of assuming that variable costs vary directly with volume is a classification of cost into fixed and variable. A description of the managerial accounting perspective of management and the business enterprise will help put in focus the subject matter to be presented in