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NEW CHALLENGES FOR MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING: ISSUES IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Author(s) -
Glennerster Howard
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
financial accountability and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.661
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1468-0408
pISSN - 0267-4424
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0408.1994.tb00384.x
Subject(s) - accounting , business , management accounting
Social legislation from 1988 to 1990 significantly changed the old managerial framework in the field of social policy. It comprehensively split the previously fused functions of finance and provision. State agencies became purchasers of health, education and social care. Agencies providing these services were given devolved budgets or a completely independent and competing existence. These changes are a real challenge to management accounting as well as to managers. For these changes to produce an efficient outcome, much turns on the quality of the information on prices and costs, on the nature of the contracts and the quality of the contract compliance procedures and measures of performance. All are completely new to those working in the services. There are also inherent dangers that competition will take place on the basis of excluding the costly or needy groups. These are major technical and moral issues for the profession.