STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING IN BULGARIAN MANUFACTURING SMES

Analyzing the strategic aspects of managerial accounting in the context of reporting in industrial SMEs is a critical management issue. This paper aims to present the main results of an empirical study on this topic among some SMEs from the knitwear industry in the southern part of Bulgaria. Analytical and synthesis methods, descriptive statistics, and comparison techniques are used for this study. All the companies studied have been on the market for more than ten years and have experienced and well-trained managers and other characteristics that imply the availability of managerial reporting/accounting and the application of adapted models for strategic planning in SMEs. The analysis is intended to draw basic conclusions about the application of strategic management accounting in SMEs. In addition, the authors' broader intention is to propose ideas for improving the strategic management reporting techniques that could be useful for management, especially in cases where strategic planning has been implemented. The authors find that the owners or managers of SMEs in Bulgaria are not aware of some features of management accounting that could be useful for their business, especially for strategic planning. It is believed that the range of services offered by external accounting organizations limits the level and thus the role of management accounting information for strategic management. Observations show that some models and techniques that could be good indicators of high risk of business failure are not applied because of the limited information base.