Managerial Accounting:
A Vital Role for the Financial Success of a Company
The main objective of any company is to earn a profit now and in the future. Profits are
earned when payment for goods or services provided exceed the costs incurred by the
company. These profits can greatly be enhanced by important decisions made by
managers. Managers are responsible for making proper decisions to allow the company to
be profitable. To ensure profitability and success, managers should utilize the functions of
managerial accounting to assist in the decision making process.
Managerial accounting is the process of identifying, measuring, analyzing and
communicating financial information needed by management to plan, evaluate and control
an organization operations (“Statements”“). It the manager responsibility to the owner to
ensure that the company is successful. Through managerial accounting, managers are
provided information for internal planning and control to assist in leading the company.
Good managerial accounting is vital to understanding the profitability of day to day
activities and in predicting profitability in the future. The main objective is to provide the
necessary information for decision making and to motivate the manager to meet company
goals. This important information allows the manager to track costs and expenditures to
assist in making critical decisions. Reports in managerial accounting are very detailed and
pertain to different parts of the company. Such reports are generated daily or weekly so
that managers can identify ways to set prices or cut costs.
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There are no fixed rules governing how a company keeps track of information in
managerial
accounting.
In contrast to managerial accounting, financial accounting provides information for
individuals outside of the organization and is governed by a set of rules. Statements
generated in financial accounting report on the financial position and performance of a
company on a periodic basis. Creditors and investors are a few examples of those who use
these reports. Creditors use financial statements to make decisions regarding lending funds
to a particular company. Investors use the statements to measure the profitability of a
company and to decide whether to invest in the company. Unlike managerial accounting,
financial accounting is performed according to a set of guidelines called the Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The purpose for the guidelines is to ensure that
all financial statements report financial performance fairly and consistently. These reports
include the income statement, statement of owner equity, the balance sheet, and statement
of cash flows. Once completed, these statements report important results about the
performance of a company and usually indicate how well a company utilized managerial
accounting. Managerial accounting is critical for a company to be financially successful
and will be discussed further in detail.
Easton-Bell Sports, Inc., a sporting goods manufacturing company, will be used to assist in
examining the concepts of managerial accounting. Easton-Bell manufactures sports
equipment, protective products, and other related accessories under authentic brand names.
The products are used in a variety of sports including, baseball, ice hockey, football, and
lacrosse. In addition to manufacturing products, Easton-Bell also offers a service by
reconditioning athletic equipment (“United States 3″“). To ensure financial success,
management at Easton-Bell must utilize managerial accounting to evaluate and control the
day to day and future operation of the business. Particular items to evaluate include job
order and cost systems, budgeting, capital
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expenditures, cost behavior, contribution margins, breakeven analysis, pricing, and the
value chain. All of these concepts of managerial accounting are used in the management
process of a company and are vital to ensure the success of a company. These concepts
will be discussed in detail later, but first the management process needs to be examined.
Companies like Easton-Bell must also utilize the basic functions of the management
process to be successful. The process management of a company refers to the tools
necessary to operate an organization to achieve challenging goals. When successful,
process management will ensure greater customer satisfaction, better productivity,
increases in revenue, and favorable financial reporting in financial accounting
(“Process”“). The three basic functions of the management process to be discussed are
planning, budgeting, and controlling.
Planning is simply setting goals for the company and making decisions to help meet those
goals. The mission statement for most companies includes these goals and directions they
want to take. Effective planning helps a company adapt to change by identifying
opportunities and avoiding problems. Management must know what the purpose of the
company is and what must be done to remain competitive in the future. The mission of the
company or organization is clarified and goals are then set. The information collected from
managerial accounting assists managers in the decision making process to carry out certain
plans. This information is also used daily to evaluate plans to ensure they are working
properly. Management at Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. has a goal of increasing their operating
income. To achieve this, Easton-Bell focuses on improving the quality of their products for
performance which enables them to increase prices for premium products (“United States
6″“).
The budget process of management is a key financial tool to manage the operation. The
main purpose of the budget is to ensure that the company will have enough funds to pay
the
expenses. Managers forecast and build budgets to coordinate the organization activities for
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the future. It shows the expected financial impact and helps managers make decisions to
achieve
goals. Companies must decide how much is to be spent on different activities to maintain
certain profit levels. It is management responsibility to ensure these goals are met and
managerial accounting is used to assist them. For example, if cash receipts are less than
