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Accounting Control: An Historical Note, Michael J. Mepham

Accounting Historians Journal

Over the centuries, control has expanded from its origins as a specialized accounting technique to cover many forms of regulatory activity in any area and its emphasis has expanded from that of ex post accountability to include ex ante planning and budgeting. Although financial control continues as a vital feature of accounting systems, accountants now frequently go outside their own discipline when they describe the major features of control systems. The accounting origins of control lay buried in the pages of The Oxford English Dictionary.