Effect of the Management Accounting on the Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Rwanda: A Case of Small and Medium Enterprises in Gasabo District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4266Abstract
Management accounting provides an excellent opportunity for companies to compete in the market by offering superior products and services at reasonable prices to customers. The general objective of this study was to study the effects of management accounting practices on the Financial Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Gasabo district, Rwanda. This study adopted a correlation study design. The target population for this study was the 171 small and medium enterprises in Gasabo district Stratified random sampling method was applied to come up with the sample size, since the population in different Small and Medium Enterprises was considered heterogeneous, implying that a simple random sample is unrepresentative. The study therefore involved 171 Small and Medium Enterprises in Gasabo district. The study collected primary data from the respondents. The data collected was both quantitative and qualitative. Qualitative data is descriptive and non-numerical, while quantitative data is numerical. The study found that Budgeting was the most widely used management accounting practices, including budgeting for planning, activity-based budgeting, flexible analysis, zero-based budgeting, and budgeting for controlling costs. costing systems were the second most widely used management accounting practice, including separation of variable, incremental, and fixed costs; plant-wide overhead rate; activity-based costing; target costing; and cost of quality. Information for decision making was also used by respondents, including stock control models, customer satisfaction analysis reports, product profitability analysis reports, risk analysis reports, and investment analysis reports. Strategic analysis was also highly used by respondents. The study further concludes that the most important elements of management accounting practices amongst the Small and Medium Enterprises in Gasabo district are; the management accounting function identifies key factors that influence Financial Performance and management accounting practices have increased return on equity (ROE), which is a measure of how profitable a company is for its shareholders. This is because management accounting practices help companies to identify and improve risky areas, which can lead to increased profits. This study recommends the creation and enhancement of awareness among firms of the importance of Information for decision making practices as this is the most highly used management accounting practice amongst the Small and Medium Enterprises in Gasabo district.
Keywords: Management Accounting Practices, Costing Systems, Budgeting, Information for Decision Making, Strategic Analysis, Financial Performance, Small And Medium Enterprises
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