Ownership vs. Accountability

Ownershipnoun

The state of having complete legal control of something; possession; proprietorship.

Ownershipnoun

(business) Responsibility for something.

Ownershipnoun

The state of being an owner; the right to own; exclusive right of possession; legal or just claim or title; proprietorship.

Ownershipnoun

the relation of an owner to the thing possessed; possession with the right to transfer possession to others

Ownershipnoun

the act of having and controlling property

Ownershipnoun

the state or fact of being an owner

Ownershipnoun

the act, state, or right of possessing something

Ownership

Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be any asset, including an object, land or real estate, intellectual property, or until the nineteenth century, human beings. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties.

Accountabilitynoun

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; accountableness; responsible for; answerable for.

Accountabilitynoun

(military) The obligation imposed by law or lawful order or regulation on an officer or other person for keeping accurate record of property, documents, or funds. The person having this obligation may or may not have actual possession of the property, documents, or funds. Accountability is concerned primarily with records, while responsibility is concerned primarily with custody, care, and safekeeping.

Accountabilitynoun

The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected; accountableness.

Accountabilitynoun

responsibility to someone or for some activity

Accountabilitynoun

the fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility

Accountability

Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) and individual contexts.