Management indicators and tools: perceptions of MBA students

Abstract

The relevance of management indicators and tools, according to perception of 425 MBA students of the Fundação Getulio Vargas, was identified using a questionnaire with 26 queries based on previous surveys. Results from only 328 respondents were analyzed because 97 did not select any management indicator or tool. Project Cash Flow was the most relevant indicator followed by Net Revenues. In addition the three more sophisticated indicators of Balanced Scorecard (BSC), Earnings before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) and Economic Value Added (EVA®) were among the first five ranked. Since it was noted that accounting information for decisions varied according to the respondent profile, no one management indicator or tool may be considered optimal. This study concluded that while management accounting is a global discipline, preference for specific information concerning decisions may be local or regional.