Management accounting

Management accounting provides financial and non-financial information to help people plan, make decisions, control activities and evaluate performance within an organisation. Reports are designed for their users and purpose rather than a single mandatory external format. They can combine historical results with forecasts, operational measures and analysis of alternatives. Their value depends on relevance, reliability, timeliness and the decisions they support, with appropriate attention to cost, ethics and confidentiality. Management accounts are the internal reports produced, rather than a separate body of external reporting rules.