1. Basics of Financial Controlling

Controlling is a multifaceted term. With controlling, designated institutions carry out very different activities and assume different roles in companies. The basic part of this book approaches the field both from practice and from theory. The theoretical guiding principle of “securing rationality of leadership” encompasses the previously presented practical fields of application of controllers. Subsequently, the possibilities of organizational placement of the controlling department as a staff or line department together with the hierarchical placement in the corporate organization will be discussed. In large companies, the question also arises as to whether controlling should be organized centrally or decentralized. This is associated with various advantages or disadvantages for the perception of the securing of rationality of leadership as the core task of controlling. In addition, the chapter deals with the professional and interdisciplinary requirements that successful controllers should meet.