Managerial accounting

In contrast to financial accountancy information, management accounting information is:

forward-looking, instead of historical;
model based with a degree of abstraction to support decision making generically, instead of case based;
designed and intended for use by managers within the organization, instead of being intended for use by shareholders, creditors, and public regulators;
usually confidential and used by management, instead of publicly reported;
computed by reference to the needs of managers, often using management information systems, instead of by reference to general financial accounting standards.