Managerial Accounting vs Financial Accounting Essay

 Financial Accounting is concerned with the past, while Managerial Accounting is concerned with the future.

Managerial accounting provides essential data about the functions within the business. The reports that are provided by the managerial accountants focus on the performance of the business and the business environment. Managerial accounting is manager oriented and managerial accounting focus on the accounting duties of a manager. Managerial accounting is used on a day to day operation providing an analysis of cost and the cost benefits. Managerial accounting function as a source for the business developments and the capital budgeting. The primary concern with managerial accounting is to provide positive outcomes in the business production and the profit.

Management accounting is for commercial finance, analyzing past performance and projecting future results aiding in the commercial decision-making. This department defines and measures key targets needed to achieve for McDonald’s business strategy to be successful (McDonald’s Corporation, 2008).

“The accounting system generates the information that satisfies two reporting needs that coexist within an organization: financial accounting and managerial accounting” (Schneider, 2012, ch 1.1, para 1). Managerial accounting is the process of preparing reports and accounts required by management to make business decisions for daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly projects. Financial accounting is the branch of accounting that organizes accounting information for presentation to interested parties outside of the organization. Financial accountants produce annual reports for external

 Financial accounting is an information-processing system that generates general-purpose reports of financial operations (income statement and statement of cash flows) and financial position (balance sheet) for an organization. It is used by decision makers inside and outside the firm, such as security investors, analysts, and lenders. Adding to this external orientation are external financial reporting requirements determined by law and generally accepted accounting principles.

The essential difference between managerial accounting and financial accounting is that managerial accounting attends the needs of managers inside the organization, while financial accounting serves the needs of those outside the organization. There are also specific guidelines that are used (GAAP/IFRS) in financial accounting and is mandatory whereas there are no guidelines in managerial accounting and is not mandatory.

The two categories are financial accounting and managerial accounting. Financial accounting are for those outside the business and managerial accounting is inside the business. Financial accounting information relates to the company as a whole, while managerial accounting focuses on the parts or segments of the company. Managerial accounting can use some of the external accounting (Financial) for its statements. With financial accounting,

There are two main fields you can go into. The first is financial accounting. Financial accounting focuses on the external users. This includes stockholders, agencies, suppliers, and creditors. When they prepare their reports such as the income statement and the balance sheet, they focus on the business as a whole. Managerial accounting serves internal users.

The main purpose of financial accounting is to prepare financial reports that provide information about a firm’s performance to external parties such as investors, creditors, and tax authorities. Must be performed according to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) guidelines.

Management accounting is the application of professional knowledge and skill in the preparation of accounting information in such a way as to control the operations of an undertaking.

Financial accounting is a must for any company. It is also required to be published and audited by statutory auditors. Management accounting does not require information to be published or audited and it is a voluntary function of the organization.

The primary difference between financial and managerial accounting is that financial accounting is used for external members of the company; they do not control or run the businesses’ operations. An example of external members would be customers and shareholders of the business. On the other hand, managerial accounting is used for internal members in the company such as managers and officers. The internal members use managerial accounting to increase efficiency and effectiveness within their company. According to accounting4management.com, financial accounting and managerial accounting have several differences, but they both depend on the same data.

According to Will S, Ray H, & Eric E.N. (2009), management accounting is a branch of accounting that is concerned with providing information to managers who direct and control the firm’s operations. Management directing function seeks to effectively use both the human and raw material wealth of a firm to achieve organizational set objectives on routine basis. Controlling function is the art of tele-guarding the activities of the organization to consistently fall in line with set objectives. Management accounting achieves this function through effective budgeting.

Regardless of what industry an organization may be a part of, accounting plays a vital role in everyday decision making. Without the field of accounting, companies and organizations would not be nearly as efficient, productive and successful as they are today. Accounting serves many purposes for an organization, whether it is financial or managerial. But, not all forms of accounting are the same. With that being said, to better understand the differences between financial and managerial accounting, it is important to first know their definitions.

According to the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Management Accounting is "the process of identification, measurement, accumulation, analysis, preparation, interpretation and communication of information used by management to plan, evaluate and control within an entity and to assure appropriate use of and accountability for its resources. Management accounting also comprises the preparation of financial reports for non management groups such as shareholders, cr->ors, regulatory agencies and tax authorities" (CIMA Official Terminology)