Mechanisms of accountability and governance: management accounting and control

In a world ruled by financial disclosure, the traditional overview of accountability and governance has neglected the extremely important role of management accounting and control. Enron, WorldCom and other major financial scandals redirected that focus. Management accounting and control information is not the exclusive property of managers, as it is now required by stakeholders who value financial and non-financial information. Moreover, management accounting and control, governance and accountability mechanisms have been moving beyond traditional contexts, being extended to new fields and organizations, such as hybrid organizations, the public sector and social organizations, and embracing social and environmental concerns. In this chapter we explore these relationships and interconnections between management accounting and control systems, accountability and governance and corporate governance, the implications of which may be that management accounting and control textbooks need to be rewritten or substantially revised. Indeed, the times are exciting and this chapter intends to contribute to motivation in this space.