Relevance Lost: The Rise and Fall of Management Accounting

by H. Thomas Johnson, Robert S. Kaplan

Traces the history of the role of management accounting in business and argues that present management accounting systems have become obsolescent

Genres: Business, Accounting, Economics, Management, Finance

296 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1987

Reviews

[Liv]

Not a bad book at all even for subject that can teeter on the dry side, and even for audiences that start it with little prior knowledge of the subject. Helpful for understanding very important aspects of commercial history and accounting. Even though it was published decades ago, the book articulates issues that persist today in enterprise management. I like how it reinforces the ubiquity of that stubborn tunnel vision that persists when it comes to companies’ pursuits of short-term profits. I liked how the book began laying out the history in a very linear manner, but then it started jumping around more and getting more repetitive. Made some claims without expounding on them further where necessary. That could be confusing for beginners in the field, but anyone better steeped in the field would surely be able to make the connections out better. “Relevance Lost” serves its purpose overall.

[Chanuka Madushan]

f