Management control in Italian SMEs

The main goal of this research is to investigate management and implications issues with regard to performance measurement systems (PMSs) in small and medium firms (SMEs) in Italy. In particular, the aim is to comprehensively understand the use of management accounting tools in Italian SMEs. Indeed, appropriate managerial tools are relevant in firm management, especially for the improvement and growth of firms in this turbulent international scenario. The focus is on SMEs in some countries such as Italy, small and medium firms play an important role; however, mainstream studies in management literature focus more on large firms. The method used to conduct this study is a survey that collected a high level of data on PMSs. The sample includes 309 Italian SMEs. The main findings concern the use and adoption of management control tools. In addition, the analysis of management issues is based on both major national and international literature and empirical evidence and adopts the newly emerging Beyond Budgeting Theory. Finally, this study contributes to a better understanding of the behavior of SMEs with regard to the management and control of their performance. In particular, this research highlights that budgets are still an important managerial tool for SMEs.