The Impact of Strategic Management Accounting on The Financial Performance of Low-Cost Airlines

Abstract

Strategic management accounting is the last stage of evolution in management accounting, seeking to contribute strategic information to support strategic decision-making and strategic management; this information is obtained from the application of several strategic management accounting techniques for collecting superior information. This paper aims to determine the role of strategic management accounting in the financial performance of low-cost airlines, seeking to encourage its adoption, implementation, and use for these types of companies. It relies on a literature review regarding strategic management accounting and the airline industry, especially with documents obtained from Scopus and Web of Science. Besides, a questionnaire was applied to experts in this industry, along with the application of a spline regression model for data analysis. The study revealed that the contribution of strategic management accounting in the financial performance of the analyzed low-cost airlines is influenced by decision-making and decision-implementation processes, management accountants who provide external, non-financial, and forward-looking information are the main actors in the adoption, implementation, and the use of strategic management accounting in the analyzed low-cost airlines.