This study examines the impact of managerial education on firm performance indicators in the furniture manufacturing sector of Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye. Data was collected from 32 SME managers through a structured survey. The sample was categorized into three education levels: primary school (n=11), high school (n=12), and university (n=9). The Fisher-Freeman-Halton Exact Test was employed to analyze the association between education and eight performance dimensions, including efficiency, debt repayment, ROI, and net income. Descriptive results indicate that university-educated managers adopt a more cautious and critical stance regarding financial outcomes, reporting higher rates of perceived decline in short-term debt capacity (35%) and net income (25%) compared to other groups. Conversely, primary school-educated managers displayed higher optimism in efficiency and revenue growth. Statistical analysis revealed near-significant associations for net income (p=0.052) and business expenses (p=0.068). Managerial education serves as a strategic filter for financial realism. While experiential knowledge drives operational optimism in traditional clusters, formal education enhances analytical risk assessment and long-term sustainability.
ŞAHİN et al. (Tue,) studied this question.