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Abstract

Organization control is a subject of fundamental importance to the designer of accounting control systems. Yet discussions of accounting control tend to take place against a back-cloth of incomplete and outmoded theories of organization and simplistic and authoritarian concepts of control. In this paper, the applicability of a cybernetic model of control to the control of human organizations is explored, with particular reference to the role of accounting information systems. The analysis uncovers a number of issues that require resolution before the model can be applied to accounting information system design. Some directions for research on accounting controls are discussed.

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Otley, D.T., Berry, A.J. (1980). Control, organization and accounting. In: Emmanuel, C., Otley, D., Merchant, K. (eds) Readings in Accounting for Management Control. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7138-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7138-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-41490-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7138-8

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