MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING IN AUSTRALIA.

The purpose of the article is to compare the use of management accounting techniques in Australia with their use in the U.S. and Canada. It has been suggested that Australian industry uses management accounting techniques to a lesser extent than American industry. Two research projects conducted recently throw light on these opinions. The first examined the management planning and control practices of a selected group of 424 American and Canadian companies. The second project, commenced in 1957, examined financial organization and control practices in a selected group of 157 Australian companies. The two surveys seem to support the belief, however, that through the joint efforts of professional management and accounting associations over the last ten years, the knowledge and use of management accounting techniques have been increased. But there is still a need for a wider and more effective application of management accounting techniques. If management accounting in Australia is to make its full contribution to increasing the nation's productivity, it may be concluded that educational and professional exchanges with the U.S. and Canada should continue in the future as they have in the past.