The accounting information lies at the basis of the decision making process, both inside and outside of the organization. Financial statements, prepared in accordance with reporting standards, present an accurate, but historic, image of the organization’s financial position and performance. Such information is valuable for third parties, but for managers it does not represent a useful “guide”.

Managers require detailed, timely, flexible information, all in an accessible format to “guide” their business. Taking into consideration their role as information “suppliers” for managers, accountants have to meet these requirements. It is known that information “suppliers” and users have fundamentally different motivations and attitudes, which can lead to very different perceptions.

In this paper we try to identify the perceptions of management accountants and managers regarding the information supplied by the management accountants. These perceptions are seen in terms of desired changes in the information supplied and in the role played in the future by management accountants.

Improved management accounting information can only come through a convergence of the perceptions of managers and management accountants regarding the nature, opportunity and format of the required information.