Performance Measurement And Control In Small Businesses

Financial measures have traditionally been the cornerstone of the perform ance measurement system. In recent years, there has been a shift from treating financial figures as the foundation for performance measurement to treating them as one among a broader set of potential financial measures. Changes in cost structures and the manufacturing and competi tive environment have been responsible for the change of emphasis. In today's worldwide competitive environment companies are compet ing in terms of product quality, delivery, reliability, after-sales service and customer satisfaction. None of these variables are measured by traditional financial measures, despite the fact that they represent the major goals of world-class manufacturing companies. By focusing mainly on financial variables there is a danger that the performance reporting system will motivate managers to focus exclusively on cost reduction and short-term profitability and ignore many of the critical factors that determine long-term business success. The key to success, in today's global economy, is total customer satisfaction. To achieve this, companies must develop performance measures that drive employees to control processes that satisfy customer expectations. In particular, performance measures should provide process-level information that motivates employees to achieve the responsiveness and flexibility that companies require to compete on a global basis. Responsiveness is achieved by building relationships that lead to satisfied customers, suppliers and employees. Flexibility is achieved by reducing output variation in proceSfes; for example, the reduction of lead times and delays are both necessary for sustained competitive excellence and long-term profitability.

A multidisciplinary book on performance measurement that will appeal to students, researchers and managers.

Measuring and managing the performance of a business is one of the most genuine desires of management. Balanced scorecard, the performance prism and activity-based management are the most popular frameworks in this setting. Based on the findings of R.G. Eccles’ acclaimed "Performance Measurement Manifesto (1991)" this book introduces new contexts and themes of application and presents emerging research areas related to business performance measurement and management, e.g. SMEs and sustainability. As a result of the 1st International Summer School Piero Lunghi on "Perspectives of Business Performance Management" this book is written both for students and academics, as well as for practitioners looking for new, yet proven ways to measure and manage business performance.

Performance measurement and management control are critical components of improving organizational performance. But, researchers have historically had little success in determining the specific actions that lead to superior performance. After several decades of research in this area, we have few clear conclusions. But, recently researchers have provided some clarity. Managers and researchers have more carefully collected and analyzed data to better understand the most effective management control and performance measurement mechanisms to drive and measure superior organizational performance. This book contains a compendium of some of the excellent papers presented at a workshop on Performance Measurement and Management Control: Superior Organizational Performance in September, 2003. Sponsored by the European Institute for the Advanced Study in Management (EIASM) and held in Nice, France, this workshop attracted leading scholars on management control and performance measurement from around the world. The contents of this book represent a collection of leading research in management control and performance measurement and provide a significant contribution to the growing literature in the area. The primary questions relate to the specific managerial actions that can be taken to drive superior organizational performance and the most appropriate measures of long term organizational success. The papers in this volume address these questions using a variety of research methods. Experimental, analytical, empirical, and field studies are all used to explain how management control and performance measurement can aid in the implementation of strategy and the improvement of organizational performance. The approaches are used in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. We are hopeful that this book will continue the search for additional understanding and development in performance measurement and management control and provide guidance for both academics and managers as they work toward improving organizational performance.

Containing case studies and research findings, this book deals with methods and tools suitable for designing, managing, and controlling processes within the supply chain. The authors are leading experts within the international community in the field of production management.

Everyone in business wants to improve their performance. But how to choose between the bewildering number of ways in which success is measured? Do you choose cash flow, added value, operating ratios? - and what kind of profit measure suits your business? This book provides you with an easy-to-follow guide covering over 50 different measurements. It explains each measure's uses and describes the situations for which it is best suited, giving you the snags and merits.

This volume contains exemplary papers that were presented at the 2017 Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control in Nice, France, by researchers in the field from North America, South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia.