Case Creve Couer Pizza, Inc Essay Example For Students

Case Creve Couer Pizza, Inc Essay The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/1741-0401. htm An empirical study of performance measurement in manufacturing ? rms Maurice Gosselin ? ? School of Accountancy, Universite Laval, Quebec City, Canada Abstract Purpose – The recent performance measurement literature suggests that organizations should put more emphasis on non-? ancial measures in their performance measurement systems, that organizations must use new performance measurement approaches such as the balanced scorecard and that measures should be aligned with contextual factors such as strategy and organizational structure. The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which organizations are following these prescriptions. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of a sample of Canadian manufacturing ? rms was conducted. In the questionnaire , organizations had to indicate the extent to which they use 73 performance measures. They also had to respond to questions about determinants such as strategy, organizational structure and environmental uncertainty. More than 100 organizations responded to the survey. The response rate was 50. 5 percent. Findings – The results show that manufacturing ? rms continue to use ? nancial performance measures. Despite the recommendations from experts and academics, the proportion of ? rms that implement a balanced scorecard or integrated performance measurement systems is low. Furthermore, organizations that use these approaches are not employing more extensively non-? ancial measures than those which are applying traditional performance measurement approaches. This research project also shows that there are some signi? cant relationships between the types of measures and contextual factors like strategy, decentralization and environmental uncertainty. This research ? nally demonstrates clearly that there is a need to develop a theory that explains how ? rms can use their performance measurement system to enhance their performance. Originality/value – This paper provides information on performance measures used by organizations and their association with organizational eterminants. Keywords Performance measures, Performance management, Balanced scorecard Paper type Research paper Study of performance measurement 419 1. Introduction Since the beginning of the 1990s, performance measurement has become an important issue for academics and practitioners. The professional literature has suggested that managers should design new performance measurement systems that include ? nancial and non-? nancial measures. Kaplan and Norton (1992, 1993, 1996) advocated in favor of the design of balanced scorecards. Dixon et al. (1990) and Nanni et al. 1992) proposed the use of integrated performance measurement systems. All these systems would put more emphasis on non-? nancial measures and would enable organizations to give more weight to customers and in ternal processes in their performance The author acknowledges the ? nancial assistance provided by the FQRSC of the Gouvernement ? du Quebec. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management Vol. 54 No. 5/6, 2005 pp. 419-437 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1741-0401 DOI 10. 1108/17410400510604566 IJPPM 54,5/6 420 measurement systems. Overall, this change would help ? ms to improve ultimately their performance. These suggestions have been in general well received in the accounting community according to the large number of books, seminars and professional articles on performance measurement. However, there is not much information on the extent to which ? rms actually use these performance measurement â€Å"innovations†. A few studies have been conducted recently and have revealed that organizations are implementing to some extent performance measurement innovations such as the balanced scorecard (Ax and Bjornenak, 2000; Ittner and Larcker, 1998; Malmi, 2000) . These studies have provided some explanations of the diffusion process for this innovation but have not attempted to establish a closer link between the measures used, the innovation and some contextual factors. The purpose of this paper is to examine what are the measures that manufacturing ? rms use, classify these measures into categories, assess the extent to which ? rms use performance measurement innovations such as the balanced scorecard and integrated performance measurement system and examine the association between the measures and contextual factors like strategy, decentralization and environmental uncertainty. A survey was mailed to 200 randomly selected Canadian manufacturing ? rms to collect data on their performance measurement systems. After extensive follow-up procedures, 101 responses were received. The results show that traditional measures are still widely used and that the proportion of ? rms that have decided to implement new performance measurement approaches is relatively low. Furthermore, the level of performance measurement competence does not seem to be as high as one could expect. More speci? ally, the results show that the types of performance measures used by ? rms are seldom associated to strategy, environmental uncertainty and decentralization. This paper is organized as follows. A brief review of the literature is completed in Section 2. The questionnaire and the data collection process are described in Section 3. The results are described and discussed in Section 4. 2. Empirical research on performance measurement and hypotheses Research on performance measurement has gone through several phases during the last 30 years. In the 1970s, researchers examined how organizations used management accounting systems especially budgeting as tools for performance measurement. In the 1980s, the focus was put essentially on the budgeting process and its impact on performance. The scope of the research on performance measurement began to broaden in the beginning of the 1990s. Dixon et al. (1990) and Kaplan and Norton (1992, 1993, 1996) developed new perspectives and frameworks to organize performance measurement systems. Nanni et al. (1992) suggested that ? ms should increase their level of performance measurement competence. The degree of competence would depend on the ? t between the design of the performance measurement system and the strategy of the ? rm. Kaplan and Norton suggested that the performance of a ? rm would increase with the use of a balanced scorecard. Surprisingly, only a few empirical studies were conducted during the 1990s and they have not really been able to test the extent to which these pre scriptions are followed by organizations and their impact on the performance. Traditionally, management accountants have relied on the use of ? nancial measures to evaluate the performance of cost centers. Since the end of the 1980s, academics, consulting ? rms and practitioners have all emphasized the need to give more weight to non-? nancial measures in performance measurement systems. Despite these recommendations, we may expect that organizations, especially in the manufacturing industries, will still rely mainly on ? nancial measures. Therefore, the ? rst hypothesis is: H1. Firms tend to use more frequently ? nancial measures than non-? ancial measures. New approaches to performance measurement suggest that organizations should use more non-? nancial measures than traditional performance measurement systems. Thus, we may expect that the extent to which organizations use non-? nancial measures will be higher in ? rms that have implemented innovations if performance measurement systems such as the balanced scorecard or integrated performance measurement sys tem. H2. Firms that have implemented a balanced scorecard or an integrated performance measurement system use more frequently non-? nancial measures. The concept of performance measurement competence suggests that organizations use types of measures that ? t with their strategy, their organizational structure and the environmental uncertainty that they face. The type of strategy employed by a ? rm should in? uence the design of the performance measurement system. Miles and Snow (1978, 1994) identi? ed four strategic types of organizations according to the rate at which they change their products and markets: prospectors, defenders, analyzers and reactors. The fundamental difference among these types is the rate of change in the organizational domain. Prospectors are characterized by their dynamism in seeking market opportunities, their capability to develop and produce new products to meet customers’ needs, their investment in large amounts of ? nancial resources related to research and development, and their enhancement of teamwork. They are usually innovators that create change in their respective industries. Defenders have a strategy that is the polar opposite from prospectors. They operate within a narrow product-market domain characterized by high production volume and low product diversity. Defenders compete aggressively on price, quality and ustomer service. They engage in little or no product/market development and stress ef? ciency of operations. Defenders are likely to face a lower level of environmental uncertainty than prospectors (Slocum et al. , 1985; Govindarajan, 1986). Analyzers stand between these two categories, sharing characteristics of both prospectors and defenders. Reactors do not follow a conscious strategy. They are viewed as a dysfunctional organizational type. The premise of the Miles and Snow typology is that prospector, defender and analyzer strategies, if properly implemented, can lead to effective performance. Since prospectors search continually for market opportunities and have a broad product-market domain, they will tend to adapt their performance measurement systems to their strategy and, therefore, focus on non-? nancial measures pertaining to customers, products, employees and quality. Defenders will tend to put more emphasis on ? nancial measures such as variances. Therefore, we may hypothesize that: Study of performance measurement 421 IJPPM 54,5/6 H3. Prospectors tend to use more frequently non-? nancial measures while defenders tend to use more frequently ? nancial measures. Centralization has been used as a proxy for organizational structure in most empirical studies in management accounting. Centralization represents the extent to which the decision-process pertaining to the management of divisions or subsidiaries is centralized. The link between centralization (decentralization) and management accounting systems has been investigated in many management accounting studies (Gordon and Narayanan, 1984; Chenhall and Morris, 1986; Govindarajan, 1988; Gul and Chia, 1994). This research showed that centralization plays a key role in the design of management accounting systems. In the area of performance measurement, Anthony and Govindarajan (1995) suggested that ? nancial measures are more important at higher hierarchical levels and non-? nancial measures at lower levels such as at work centers. Therefore, we may elaborate the following hypothesis: H4. Firms that are more centralized tend to use more ? nancial measures while decentralized ? rms tend to use more non-? nancial measures. Environmental uncertainty is considered as one of the factors that in? uence the design of management accounting system and performance measurement systems. This construct has been studied in several management accounting studies (Tymon et al. , 1998). Gordon and Narayanan (1984) found that organizational structure and perceived environmental uncertainty are closely related and that high levels of PEU are positively associated with organic structures and the perceived importance of broad scope information. Chenhall and Morris (1986) reached the same conclusion. Gul (1991) concluded that, when environmental uncertainty is high, sophisticated managerial accounting systems enhance performance. This research suggests that managers of ? ms operating in a volatile environment attribute more importance to information which is deemed relevant for decision making as opposed to information from traditional systems which is generally produced for the purpose of coordinating and controlling and not for planning. The following hypothesis is based on these ? ndings. H5. Firms that face a higher level of environmental uncertainty tend to use more frequ ently non-? nancial measures in comparison to ? rms that face a lower level of environmental uncertainty. 3. Survey instrument A questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of 200 Canadian manufacturing. The instrument was divided into ? ve sections. The ? rst section included a list of 73 ? nancial and non-? nancial measures widely used by organizations and mentioned in the professional and the academic literature. A list of the measures is included in Table I. The second section pertained to changes in the performance measurement system. Respondents were asked if they had adopted the balanced scorecard or an integrated performance measurement approach, their overall evaluation of the success of the approach and the degree of ownership of the performance measurement initiative. The third section included Chenhall and Morris’ (1986) instrument on management accounting system. In the fourth section, respondents needed to evaluate on a ? ve-point scale the level of environmental uncertainty and decentralization in their business. The instrument to measure environmental 422 Performance measures Net pro? t Gross pro? t margin Total sales of revenues Pro? t before tax Cost of goods sold Total expenses Total costs by department Amount of raw material inventory Cost per unit produced Amount of ? nished good inventory Total operating cash ? ws Number of worker injuries Total net cash ? ows Inventory turnover ratio Rate of incidence of injuries Backlog in the delivery schedule Number of customer complaints Account receivable turnover Amount of work in process inventory Length of time from order delivery Materials price variance Number of units produced Rate of production capacity or resources used Amount of material scrap produced Return on sales Number of emp loyee hours Number of units of ? nished goods in the inventory Number of customer orders received Rate of incidence of production defects Labor ef? iency variance Level of absenteeism Number of machine or plant hours used Return on investment (ROI) Total of cash receipts Number of customer orders completed Number of unit of material components in the inventory Current ratio Total sales per region Cost reduction resulting from quality product improvement Total of cash disbursements Unit of output per hours of labor used Total sales per employee Number and length of down time Market share Cost quality Return on equity (ROE) Number of warranty claims Mean 4. 76 4. 71 4. 69 4. 57 4. 30 4. 22 4. 20 4. 13 4. 09 4. 08 4. 08 4. 07 4. 05 4. 2 3. 98 3. 95 3. 90 3. 90 3. 82 3. 75 3. 68 3. 67 3. 66 3. 65 3. 62 3. 58 3. 57 3. 56 3. 55 3. 51 3. 50 3. 49 3. 43 3. 43 3. 42 3. 42 3. 40 3. 29 3. 28 3. 27 3. 26 3. 21 3. 20 3. 19 3. 16 3. 16 3. 15 Standard deviation 0. 59 0. 75 0. 77 0. 85 1. 13 1. 04 0. 95 1. 22 1. 14 1. 15 1. 21 1. 27 1. 20 1. 16 1. 29 1. 36 1. 32 1. 20 1. 25 1. 38 1. 46 1. 39 1. 31 1. 49 1. 52 1. 24 1. 50 1. 40 1. 36 1. 53 1. 31 1. 38 1. 56 1. 55 1. 47 1. 48 1. 39 1. 58 1. 32 1. 50 1. 43 1. 44 1. 40 1. 33 1. 38 1. 58 1. 64 (continued) Study of performance measurement 423 Table I. Performance measures IJPPM 54,5/6 Performance measures Customer satisfaction: survey ratings Materials quantity variance Labor rate variance Number of doubtful account receivable Amount of training expenses Total sales per sale representative Unit of output per machine hours used Number of new employees Number of employee hours per shift Percentage of key staff turnover Number of new products Tonnage of production waste produced Quantity of energy consumed Number of new customers Cost per damaged unit produced Unit of output per unit of raw materials used Time-to-market for new products Number of new customer contacts Earnings per share Average sales order Number of lines or products Stock price Unit of output per square foot used Number of removed products Price-earnings ratio Rate of products removal Mean 3. 12 3. 12 3. 10 3. 06 3. 03 2. 94 2. 85 2. 82 2. 75 2. 75 2. 71 2. 69 2. 67 2. 61 2. 53 2. 52 2. 48 2. 40 2. 40 2. 36 2. 27 1. 90 1. 84 1. 81 1. 80 1. 51 Standard deviation 2. 46 1. 51 1. 63 1. 46 1. 37 1. 53 1. 37 1. 34 1. 40 1. 42 1. 40 1. 54 1. 36 1. 37 1. 38 1. 42 1. 32 1. 27 1. 75 1. 28 1. 30 1. 68 1. 04 1. 05 1. 58 0. 80 424 Table I. uncertainty developed by Gordon and Narayanan (1984) was employed. It included six items pertaining to price, purchase, labor, product diversity, selling and distribution costs and quality while the instrument for decentralization referred to 12 decisions. The Miles and Snow (1978) instrument for strategy typing was included in section ? ve. The last section, section ? ve, included questions on background information. The population surveyed consisted of Canadian manufacturing ? rms included in the SIC codes 30-39. A list of ? rms was drawn from the Financial Post â€Å"CanCorp† CD-ROM database. A sample of 200 ? rms was randomly drawn from this list. The questionnaire was sent to vice-president ? nances, CFO or controllers. The names and addresses of managers were extracted from the CanCorp database. To insure that the response rate would be acceptable and to avoid non-responses biases, extensive data collection procedures were performed. An initial copy of the questionnaire was sent with a pre-paid and preaddressed envelope. A follow-up letter was sent three weeks later and another questionnaire was sent six weeks after the initial mail out. A research assistant called non respondents to attempt to know why they had not responded to the survey. These procedures yielded a response rate of 50. 5 percent, 101 responses for an initial sample of 200 ? rms. 4. Results A preliminary analysis of the results of the survey show that manufacturing ? rms are still using to a large extent ? nancial measures. In Table I, the 73 measures were ranked ccording to the mean result of the extent to which respondent use each of the measures. The use of each metrics was measured on a ? ve-point scale ranging from rarely (1) to frequently (5). The results show that ? nancial measures are more frequent ly used by manufacturing ? rms in the sample. Therefore, H1 is con? rmed. The ? rst 11 measures are ? nancial. These measures are: net pro? t, gross pro? t margin, total sales of revenues, pro? t before tax, cost of goods sold, total expenses, total cost by department, amount of raw material inventory, cost per unit produced, amount of ? nished good inventory, total operating cash ? ows. The ? rst non-? nancial measure is the number of worker injuries. Same Sex Marriages EssayFactor 1: customer and product sales Average sales order Cost per damaged unit produced Number of lines or products Number of new customer contacts Number of new customers Number of new products Number of removed products Number of warranty claims Rate of products removal Time-to-market for new products Total sales per region Total sales per sale representative Factor 2: production information Account receivable turnover Amount of ? nished good inventory Amount of material scrap produced Amount of raw material inventory Amount of work in process inventory Cost per unit produced Inventory turnover ratio Net pro? t Number and length of down time Number of unit of material components in the inventory Number of units of ? nished goods in the inventory Number of units produced Rate of production capacity or resources used Factor 3: ? nancial ratio Current ratio Pro? t before tax Return on sales Total costs by department Total expenses Total net cash ? ws Total of cash disbursements Total of cash receipts Total operating cash ? ows Factor 4: employee data Amount of training expenses Level of absenteeism Number of employee hours Number of new employees Number of worker injuries Percentage of key staff turnover Rate of incidence of injuries Rate of incidence of production or service defects Factor 5: non-? nancial ratio Number of employee hours per shift Number of machine or plant hours used Quantity of energy consumed Tonnage of production waste produced Unit of output per hours of labour used (continued) Study of performance measurement 431 Table III. Factors based on the factor analysis IJPPM 54,5/6 432 Table III. Unit of output per machine hours used Unit of output per square foot used Unit of output per unit of raw materials used Factor 6: variance of labour and material Labour ef? ciency variance Labour rate variance Materials price variance Materials quantity variance Factor 7: stock market measures Earnings per share Price-earnings ratio Stock price Factor 8: order and delivery Backlog in the delivery schedule Length of time from order delivery Number of customer orders completed Number of customer orders received Factor 9: quality Cost quality Cost reduction resulting from quality product improvement Market share Number of customer complaints Factor 10: revenues and pro? t Cost of goods sold Gross pro? margin Total sales of revenues Factor 11: return on investment Return on equity (ROE) Return on investment (ROI) Customer satisfaction: survey ratings Factor 12: account receivable Number of doubtful account receivable) Total sales per employee performed. As it is shown in Table V, only a few performance measures were signi? cantly different. Therefore, we cannot con? rm that balanced scorecard and integrated performance system implementers use non-? nancial measures to a larger extent than other ? rms. In the questionnaire, ? rm’s controllers had to type their organizations according to the three statements developed by Miles and Snow (1978). Table VI shows that 35 ? rms were identi? ed as defenders while 21 as prospectors. The remaining 45 ? rms were considered as analyzers (42) or did not respond to this question (3). To test H3, we examine the Spearman correlation coef? ient between the strategy types and the 12 factors that were derived from the factor analysis. The results show that there is a signi? cant negative association between the defender strategy type and factor 1 (customer and product sales), factor 2 (production information) and factor 4 (employee data). Defenders seem to use less frequently these non-? nancial measures. The test shows that de fenders are not using more frequently ? nancial measures. Therefore, the results con? rm partially H3. Pearson correlation coef? cients were used to test H4 about the association between centralization and the type of measures used by manufacturing ? rms. Centralization Number of organizations Adopted a new performance measurement approach Balanced scorecard Integrated performance measurement Other Have not adopted a new performance measurement approach Total 18 12 1 31 70 101 Percent 17. 8 11. 9 1. 0 30. 7 69. 3 100 Study of performance measurement 433 Table IV. Adoption of new performance measures Performance measures Customer satisfaction: survey ratings Amount of training expenses Tonnage of production waste produced Stock price Price-earnings ratio Mean (no PM innovation) 2. 69 2. 83 2. 51 1. 65 1. 59 Mean (PM innovation) 4. 03 3. 38 3. 10 2. 52 2. 31 ( p-value) 0. 0001 0. 0654 0. 0796 0. 0202 0. 0421 Note: The table includes only the measures for which there was a signi? ant difference in the means Table V. Performance measures – t-test for group means Number of organizations Have identi? ed a precise type of strategy Defender Prospector Analyser Have not identi? ed a precise type of strategy Total 35 21 42 98 3 101 Percent 34. 7 20. 8 41. 6 97. 1 2. 9 100 Table VI. Type of strategy used was measured by adding the scores of the hierarchical levels at which 12 decisions are made. The mean and the standard deviation for each of the decisions are included in Table VII. The results in Table VIII show that there is a signi? cant negative association between centralization and factor 6 (non-? nancial measures) which includes eight non-? ancial measures and a signi? cant positive association between centralization and ? nancial measures grouped in factor 12. Therefore, the results con? rm H4. Decentralized ? rms tend to use more non-? nancial measures than centralized organizations. The last hypothesis pertained to the association between environmental uncertainty, measured with the Gordon and Narayanan’s (1984) instrument and the use of ? nancial and non-? nancial measures. Table IX includes the mean and the standard deviation for each of the six items included in the instrument. The results on the correlation be tween the factors and environmental uncertainty are shown in IJPPM 54,5/6 Decisions (level of authority: 1-5) Decide to design a new product Establish the budget level Choose the methods of work to be used Select machinery or equipment to be used Select suppliers Determine labour force requirements Select type or brand for new equipment Decide what type of costing system will apply Dismiss direct workers Determine sale prices Alter responsibilities or areas of work of a line department Determine personnel rewards Total Mean 4. 10 3. 85 2. 57 2. 83 2. 92 2. 94 3. 55 4. 43 2. 85 4. 23 2. 68 3. 81 40. 75 Standard deviation 1. 28 1. 13 1. 22 1. 15 1. 15 1. 01 1. 04 0. 91 1. 17 1. 02 1. 12 1. 16 7. 99 434 Table VII. Centralization Uncertainty Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Factor 6 Factor 7 Factor 8 Factor 9 Factor 10 Factor 11 Factor 12 Table VIII. Correlation matrix 0. 228 (0. 022)** 0. 18 (0. 861) 0. 178 (0. 076)* 0. 217 (0. 029)** 20. 019 (0. 847) 0. 063 (0. 533) 0. 010 (0. 923) 20. 014 (0. 889) 0. 147 (0. 142) 0. 027 (0. 792) 0. 028 (0. 782) 0. 021 (0. 834) Centralization 0. 133 (0. 184) 0. 020 (0. 846) 0. 090 (0. 368) 0. 120 (0. 230) 2 0. 332 (0. 001)*** 0. 005 (0. 957) 2 0. 148 (0. 139) 0. 090 (0. 370) 0. 047 (0. 638) 0. 022 (0. 828) 0. 125 (0. 214) 0. 194 (0. 052)* Prospector 0. 101 (0. 315) 0. 052 (0. 605) 2 0. 034 (0. 732) 0. 212 (0. 033)** 0. 042 (0. 675) 0. 213 (0. 032)** 0. 078 (0. 438) 2 0. 163 (0. 104) 0. 114 (0. 256) 0. 094 (0. 352) 0. 114 (0. 256) 0. 057 (0. 572) Strategy Analyzer 0. 089 (0. 376) 0. 130 (0. 194) 20. 11 (0. 271) 0. 008 (0. 935) 20. 073 (0. 467) 2 0. 193 (0. 053)* 20. 039 (0. 698) 0. 230 (0. 021)** 0. 002 (0. 983) 20. 125 (0. 212) 0. 027 (0. 791) 0. 057 (0. 575) Defender 2 0. 179 (0. 074)* 2 0. 220 (0. 027)** 0. 100 (0. 320) 2 0. 186 (0. 062)* 2 0. 002 (0. 984) 0. 009 (0. 929) 2 0. 023 (0. 817) 2 0. 020 (0. 844) 2 0. 143 (0. 154) 0. 100 (0. 318) 2 0. 144 (0. 151) 2 0. 117 (0. 244) Notes: *correlation is signi? cant at the 0. 10 level (two-tailed); **correlation is signi? cant at the 0. 05 leve l (two-tailed); ***correlation is signi? cant at the 0. 01 level (two-tailed) Table IX. The use of factor 1 (non-? nancial customer measures), factor 3 (? ancial ratio) and factor 4 (employee data) is signi? cantly associated to environmental uncertainty. Therefore, ? rms that are in a more unstable environment would tend to use ? nancial measures but also non-? nancial measures pertaining to customers and employees. 5. Discussion and conclusion The purpose of this study was to collect some empirical evidence on the level of performance measurement competence in manufacturing companies. The literature has suggested that ? rms should put much more emphasis on non-? nancial measures in comparison to ? nancial measures in their performance measurement systems. This study shows that, despite these prescriptions, ? ancial measures are much more used by controllers than non-? nancial measures. The results of the study which is cross-sectional do not enable the researcher to assess the ext ent to which controllers use ? nancial and non-? nancial measures has changed overtime. It only highlights the importance of ? nancial measures. The conclusions may have been different if the questionnaire had been administered to operation managers. The second aim of this research project was to evaluate to which extent controllers use balanced scorecards and integrated performance measurement systems. These recent innovations are already implemented in 30 percent of the respondents’ organizations. However, the performance measures used in organizations that do balanced scorecards and integrated performance measurement systems are quite similar to those who do not. Only three non-? nancial measures were signi? cantly more frequently used in ? rms that have balanced scorecards and integrated performance measurement systems. There is, at this point of time, a strong need for empirical research on the balanced scorecard to better understand how they are designed and how managers use them. Performance competence is a new concept, introduced by Nanni et al. (1992). It suggests that to be competent, a performance measurement system should measure what is important for the organization and that the measures should correspond to its context. The results demonstrate that there is an association between strategy and the different factors. For instance, there is a negative association between customer and sales measures and a defender strategy and other hand prospectors use more frequently employee data. This association is a demonstration of performance measurement competence. The association between centralization and performance measures was also examined and again some association was found. Study of performance measurement 435 Type of competition Price Quality-based By diversity of products Bidding for purchases or raw materials For manpower For selling and distribution Total Mean 4. 39 4. 26 3. 20 2. 88 3. 00 3. 8 20. 99 Standard deviation 0. 79 0. 80 1. 12 1. 11 1. 17 1. 22 3. 53 Table IX. Environmental uncertainty IJPPM 54,5/6 436 Despite the fact that the implementation of balanced scorecards and integrated performance systems has been highly recommended in the literature, the majority of organizations is not using these performance measurement innovations and is still relying on traditional ? nancial performance measures. The results shows clearly that there is a need to better understand how organizations design and implement their performance measurement systems and how they manage to improve their competence in performance measurement. Notes 1. 0 – Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products; 31 – Leather and leather products; 32 – Stone, clay and glass products; 33 – Primary metal industry; 34 – Fabricated metal products; 35 – Industrial machinery and equipment; 36 – Electronic and other electric equipment; 37 – Transportation equipment; 38 – Instruments; and 39 – Miscellaneous manufacturing industry. 2. This database is based on CanCorp plus, the CanCorp Canadian Corporations database produced by Micromedia Limited, and comprises data from the Financial Post data group of Canada. It contains ? nancial and management in formation extracted from the documents of more than 8,000 companies. The database includes major public corporations incorporated in Canada, major subsidiaries, privately held companies, major federal, provincial and municipal crown corporations, all companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and all ? rms in the Report on Business Top 1,000 list. References Anthony, R. N. and Govindarajan, V. 1995), Management Control System, Irwin, Chicago, IL. Ax, C. and Bjornenak, T. (2000), â€Å"Bunding and diffusion of management accounting innovations: the case of the balanced scorecard in Scandinavia†, paper presented at the European Accounting Congress, Munich. Chenhall, R. H. and Morris, D. (1986), â€Å"The impact of structure, environment, and interdependence on the perceived usefulness of management accounting systems†, The Accounting Review, Vol. 61, pp. 16-35. Dixon, J. R. , Nanni, A. J. and Vollmann, T. E. (1990), The New Performance Challenge: Measuring Operations for World Class Competition, Dow-Jones Irwin, Homewood, IL. Gordon, L. A. and Narayanan, V. K. 1984), â€Å"Management accounting systems, perceived environmental uncertainty and organization structure: an empirical investigation†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 33-47. Govindarajan, V. (1986), â€Å"Decentralization, strategy and effectiveness of strategic business unit in multi business organizations†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 844-56. Govindarajan, V. (1988), â€Å"Contingency approach to strategy implementation at the business-unit level: integrating administrative mechanisms with strategy†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 828-53. Gul, F. A. (1991), â€Å"The effects of management accounting systems and environmental uncertainty on small business managers’ performance†, Accounting and Business Research, Vol. 22, pp. 57-61. Gul, F. A. and Chia, Y. M. 1994), â€Å"The effects of management accounting systems perceived environmental uncertainty and decentralization on managerial performance: a test of three-way interaction†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 19, pp. 413-26. Ittner, C. D. and Larcker, D. F. (1998), â€Å"Innovations in performance measurement: trends and research implications†, Journal of Management Accounting Research, Vol. 10, pp. 205-38. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P. (1992), â€Å"The balanced scorecard – measures that drive performance†, Harvard Business Review, pp. 71-80. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P. (1993), â€Å"Putting the balanced scorecard to work†, Harvard Business Review, pp. 134-47. Kaplan, R. S. and Norton, D. P. 1996), The Balanced Scorecard, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA. Malmi, T. (2000), â€Å"Balanced scorecard in ? nnish companies: some empirical evidence†, paper presented at the European Accounting Congress in Munich. Miles, R. E. and Snow, C. C. (1978), Organizational Strategy, Structure and Process, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Miles, R. E. and Snow, C. C. (1994), Fit, Failure and the Hall of Fame, Free Press, New York, NY. Nanni, A. J. , Dixon, R. and Vollmann, T. E. (1992), â€Å"Integrated performance measurement: management accounting to support the new manufacturing realities†, Journal of Management Accounting Research, Vol. 4, pp. 1-19. Slocum, J. W. Jr, Cron, W. L. Hansen, R. W. and Rawlings, S. (1985), â€Å"Business strategy and the management of Plateaued employees†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 28, pp. 133-54. Tymon, W. G. , Stout, D. E. and Shaw, K. N. (1998), â€Å"Critical analysis and recommendations regarding the role of perceived environmental uncertainty in behavioral accounting research†, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Vol. 10, pp. 23-46. Further reading Gosselin, M. (1997), â€Å"The effect of strategy and organizational structure on the adoption and implementation of activity-bas ed costing†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 105-22. Study of performance measurement 437

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Learn How to Apply Texas Essay Topic Special Circumstance

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How Great Was Alexander the Greats Sample Essay?

How Great Was Alexander the Great's Sample Essay?Alexander the Great's sample essay is one of the great sample essays that every student should study. There are many similarities and differences between this example and that of a student. In this article, I will talk about what Alexander's sample essay can teach you can learn from it.The first thing you need to understand when studying Alexander the Great's sample essay is that he was not like other students in the school. Instead, he studied very hard. And, in order to study he used to go to his room, walk around for an hour or two, drink lots of water, go to sleep and wake up at least an hour early. This is because Alexander the Great believed that sleep made one's brain clearer.Another key thing about this great sample essay is that Alexander was given to wonder what the state of the world was like to people who were under the control of any of his generals. He believed that if you study in front of others, they would understand y ou better. Furthermore, Alexander, unlike most people, believed that he should not act impulsive.He realized that he could get to be great by thinking. To Alexander, the true greatness of a man was to think of himself, his army, his kingdom and himself alone.To obtain true greatness, he thought, you had to think in all directions. So, he went on thinking and then writing down all he had thought about. And, when he had written out all the thoughts that came to him, he began to focus on them and wrote them down one after another.Here, you can see how Alexander the Great's sample essay can help you. Think of yourself as a sponge. You must learn and analyze your life and see what's important. Write everything down.In doing so, you'll be better able to understand Alexander the Great's sample essay. You'll realize that the great writers write about what they're passionate about. And, they spend a lot of time in writing.Finally, if you're willing to think and write about all you're passion ate about, you'll become a great writer. It's been said that great writers don't need a great pen; they just have to take action and think about what they want to write about and then write about it.

Essay Samples To Get Into Masters Programswhere Anywhere

Essay Samples To Get Into Masters Programswhere AnywhereIt is the dream of any student who wants to pursue an academic path for a higher level of study to get into a master's program at a reputed university. The admission process involves submitting a very competitive application. And it is here that essay samples are required to go through. The candidates who are able to do so will be given a quick shot at gaining admission into a prestigious program.No student would be able to study without any sort of essay samples. These samples are really helpful in preparing the essay that is going to be submitted to universities. Essay samples are very important for the people who want to enter into a master's program. As such, this preparation can really make a huge difference in terms of the outcome of their applications. This is why these samples are so highly sought after by students and professors alike.If you are a candidate from any area, your application form is sure to be longer and m ore difficult than others. This makes the job of writing the application easier. You just have to be extra careful about the spelling and grammar while writing the application form. In addition, you have to ensure that the forms you have prepared are neat and clear. You should also ensure that the key points of the application are properly emphasized.In order to prepare an impressive essay, it is important to do some research. There are a lot of books that provide information on essay writing. Some of these books are available for free and some you have to pay for. The thing that you have to remember is that it is not enough to merely look for essays that are similar to yours. What you really need is a better insight on how to write that essay.The idea behind applying for a master's program is to gain a better understanding of a field or subject that you are interested in. The same applies to writing an impressive essay. Essays written by candidates that are good at all sorts of sub jects have more value.Writing an essay is a great way to create a record for yourself. Essays help you show what your strengths and weaknesses are. It is always good to be able to clarify what exactly is a person's expertise in a particular subject. The essay is therefore a great method of coming up with an objective.Essay samples are the best way to make sure that you get what you want. It is important that you always write something that is original. It is also important that the essay you write does not contain any incorrect grammar or spelling. A good essay can be one that convinces readers that you can write a master's thesis.It is always wise to apply for a master's program. It is not only good for your career but can be great for you as well. You can study whatever you want without having to follow a set curriculum. This is why there is a need to prepare as much as possible before you enter into a program.

Creative Writing Tips - Ideas That Will Inspire You

Creative Writing Tips - Ideas That Will Inspire YouThere are a lot of creative writing tips out there, and not many of them have you excited. If you like being inspired, these tips will help you come up with the best stories and the most creative ideas. Do some research and find out what you are really good at and that will help you to focus your creativity on those areas.Another great idea is to become a writer for hire, even if you do not have any experience, because this allows you to be creative and get out of the ordinary. This is a great way to find out more about the creative writing community and this also gives you the chance to expand your knowledge about the different types of stories. You can also choose to write something for magazines, newspapers or books.To make your writing better, you need to practice, but to do this you need to set goals and start writing well. A great idea is to buy a notebook or notepad and start writing down what you want to learn more about. The goal is to find something to write about that will inspire you to become a better writer.For example, if you want to improve your grammar and spelling, write down the mistakes that you have made. Or write down something that you think is inspiring and use it as a trigger for writing. It will help you become more focused and motivated in all areas of your writing.Writing is an essential part of every day life. It can include anything from business, personal and sport. All of us have the ability to write the most powerful story ever written, and we can use this creativity to our advantage by setting goals and writing up a plan.Some writing tips that will help you are to start writing a piece of each day on a different subject. You can also read as much as you can and create a kind of 'psychology' book that tells you the thoughts and feelings of the person who is reading it. This helps you to understand how people think and feel and allows you to think more freely.One of the best crea tive writing tips is to write regularly. This keeps your writing fresh and encourages you to write well and become a better writer.