This research studies Management Accounting practices in the context of their actual receptivity and use by the companies. Centered on costing methods, cost predetermination methods, elaboration and use of budget plans and cost-volume-profit relation analysis, a bibliographic research is realized, which gives arguments about the contribution of these practices to increased company management effectiveness. Besides the so-called traditional practices, the more recently developed practices are also treated, especially activity based costing (ABC) and target costing. Some researchers believe that the latter are more appropriate for the current operational environment of the companies. Amplifying the research field, this study is based on a research held in forty-nine Brazilian subsidiaries of multinational enterprises, with a view to identifying the management accounting practices currently used by these companies, as well as verifying the recognition level the company management dedicates to the practical validity of the new recommended procedures. The quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpretation of the collected data, which is realized on the basis of the traditional practices as well as those recommended by the current literature, joins pieces of knowledge that are expected to contribute objectively and effectively to the better understanding of accountancy in the management accounting sphere.
cost accounting; management accounting; information systems; decision making
