Two fundamental options exist for management accounting system (MAS) design: Either
financial records can be used as a database for management accounting (integrated accounting
system design), or the MAS can be based upon a separate system, i.e., a third set of books
beside financial and tax accounting records. Since the 1990s, many German-speaking firms
have changed from the second to the first option, which has instigated a highly controversial
debate.
Our paper contributes to this debate by empirically analyzing (1) whether the integration
of financial and management accounting has a positive impact on controllership effectiveness,
and (2) what causal inferences relate both variables. We use structural equation
modelling for a sample of 149 dyads surveyed from German top 1500 firms. We identify
no significant effect of the technical aspects of MAS integration, but a fully mediating influence
of a consistent financial language on controllership effectiveness. Our results thus
imply that consistency with financial reporting is an important property of MAS design
from management’s point of view.