Michael Pelz

2018

This paper uses a systematic literature review to study the antecedents and consequences of
management accounting in startup companies. Most literature focuses on large enterprises because
it is generally assumed that the adoption of static management accounting is counterproductive in
small dynamic firms. However, some authors state the contrary as to why we examine the existing
empirical literature on this topic to create a wider base of knowledge. Our results indicate that the
entrepreneur´s personal, professional and the firm´s characteristics affect the timing of adoption of
MA and thereupon show beneficial implications to a startup. Besides the positive impact of venture
survival, startups that used management accounting practices such as budgeting, financial planning
and cost control, achieved higher performance levels in terms of growth