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Definition Of Management Control Systems Essay

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Simons (1995) defines management control systems (MCSs) as formal, information-based routines and procedures used by managers to maintain or adjust patterns in organisational activities. The quality of control systems is referred to their effectiveness, regardless the type, either they exist in positive or negative form. The characteristics portrayed by individual companies are not identical, hence each of them may require different type of controls. Variation in firm’s objectives, strategies, cultures, structures and sizes are the factors that oppose the idea to rely extensively on a control system that use financial target as a single scope of performance measures. Contingency theory postulates “there is no universal applicable control system with universal validity to all organisation in all settings. In contrast, the specific surroundings and external factors an organisation is exposed to shape the system” (CIMA, 2013). Besides, firms may experience unpredictable incidents that occur in many ways such as inconsistent demands, mismanagement of employees, crises with suppliers, economy instability, etc. For these reasons, organisations should adapt their structure to the contingencies, assuming the idea that the greater the adaptation, the better the performance (Junqueira & Dutra, 2015).

Each of control system is used for different purposes, depends on the adopted strategy as proposed by contingency theory (Simon, 1987). “MCS plays a key role in strategy implementation

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