Comparison of Management Accounting and Controlling Practice in the People’s Republic of China and Germany

This master thesis compares management accounting (MA) in China and Germany. It starts by analyzing the conceptual development over time. Afterwards, it categorizes the spread of the methods and explains conceptual differences in more detail. Subsequently, macroeconomic factors that have influenced the development of MA are described, evaluated, and future implications for the further development of MA are derived. For this purpose a traditional literature review is used. The MA practice in Germany is further disseminated than in China. Moreover, German management accountants are characterized as business partners while Chinese management accountants are perceived as analysts and inspectors. Other conceptual differences in terms of MA are the data source, the overall orientation, country-specific techniques, and the organizational structure. Most of the differences between German and Chinese MA can be allocated to political, economic, foreign, educational, academic, and cultural influences. The future implications for the further development depend on each factor individually.