The Relation between Controllership and Managerial Accounting

The article highlights differences in evolution of the terms “management accounting” and “controllership” in English- and German-speaking countries. The comparison shows that despite the common origin of both terms in controllers' functions in the US companies from the second half of the 19th century, later advancement in English-speaking world tended to prefer the term “management accounting” as a provider of information for the financial management. As opposed to the “management accounting”, the term “controllership” was adopted in Germanic countries. It was the result of discussions whether or not there is an independent branch of German business administration (Betriebswirtschaftslehre). The presented search concludes that both analyzed terms are basically interchangeable and both should be communicated to the students based on their historical and territorial specifics.