Contingency-Based Research in Management Control Systems

The assignment discusses a contingency-based research study on management control systems (MCS) over the past 20 years. The research aims to critically evaluate empirical findings and provide a review of theoretical foundations for future studies. The study reveals that MCS is approached with an intent to adapt organizations to changes, aiming at achieving fit and enhanced performance. The literature provides a framework and potential strengths for contingency-based research, leading to generalizable findings and desired outcomes.

Management accounting for control
Part 2- Report
An overview of the journal
It has been a tradition to conduct a contingency based research in the study of management
control systems. There have been examinations of many designs by the researchers who have
tried to find the design that best suits the nature of environment, size, structure, strategy,
technology and the national culture. The contingency based research has been popular and it
has included these variables in it but it has redefined them in the contemporary terms. So, the
reason for the current research is to compile the findings from these contingency based
studies critically over the past 20 years so that a series of propositions can be derived that
relate the MCS to the context of the organization. The objectives of the research are: to
provide a review of empirical, contingency-based research, to critically evaluate this work,
and consider a variety of theoretical foundations that may assist in developing future
research.
The tests and findings of the research
The entire research is based on the secondary sources. The previous 20 years studies are
reviewed and the findings are based on these contingency based studies. The work of other
researchers has been used to come to a conclusion.
The findings show that the study of MCS has been approached by contingency-based
research assuming that managers act with an intent to adapt their organizations to changes in
contingencies in order to attain fit and enhanced performance. The literature has been
successful in providing basis for the positions between elements of MCS and context that is
generalized.

A critical assessment of how well the research met its aim(s) and established its findings
The literature that has been studied here has been successful in providing a basic framework
and the potential strength of the method that provides a basis to persist with the research that
is based on contingency. This has helped in uncovering the generalizable findings that have
enhanced the desired outcomes of the organization. A detailed review of the empirical
contingency-based research has been done. The work of the previous researchers has been
critically evaluated and it shows that more attention needs to be paid to the contemporary
dimensions of the MCS. The findings have been able to meet all the aims of the research and
for the future, it has been recommended that this area should cover the other approaches as
well that are related to economics and psychology.