Budgets preparing and application problems in the Lithuanian enterprises

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos svarbaus verslo valdymo ir kontrolės įrankio – biudžetų – sudarymo ir taikymo problemos Lietuvos Respublikos įmonėse. Ši valdymo apskaitos sritis, plačiai pripažinta ir taikoma išvystytos rinkos šalių įmonėse, mažai nagrinėjama Lietuvos ekonominėje literatūroje, bei, dėl ko tenka apgailestauti, susiduria su nemažomis požiūrio, pripažinimo ir taikymo problemomis įmonėse. Pagrindinis dėmesys sutelktas biudžetų taikymo patirties Lietuvos įmonėse įvertinimui, biudžetų taikymo privalumų ir trūkumų, biudžetų sudarymo procedūrų nagrinėjimui, dažniausiai pasitaikančių biudžetų sudarymo Lietuvos įmonėse klaidų analizei.Article focuses on the budgeting problems experienced by the Lithuanian enterprises. While this important management and control tool is widely used by the companies in the market economics, it is seldom scrutinized in the Lithuanian economic literature. As a result, budgeting grapples with considerable attitude, appreciation and application issues. The negative attitude towards budgeting has many causes, such as the legacy attitude from the planned economy era, the competitive environment of the Lithuanian market, the lack of management education, etc. Moreover, Lithuanian market is dominated by small and medium enterprises which since the independence have been run based on the owner's intuition and experience. The mass privatization followed by the (European Union membership have converged the competitive environment in Lithuania and the European countries. Foreign capital companies have obtained the management know-how and experienced managers from their investors, thus gaining a competitive advantage over the local firms. Survival in the competitive environment has compelled the Lithuanian enterprises to better utilize the market economy toolbox and plan their future prospects. From the theoretical standpoint, budgeting is a straightforward concept, clearly explained in any textbook. The practical application, however, is challenging, as every enterprise is unique and has a distinctive business model, determined by the company's size, activity type, management methods, the uncertainties and risks in the market. Furthermore, budgeting is a product of a collective creation and thus, the influence of the human factor is substantial. On account of the above, the article analyzes the current budgeting situation in the Lithuanian enterprises, reasons behind different budgeting approaches, common budgeting mistakes and the influence on the business management processes