| 1. |
- Kald, Magnus, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Business strategies and performance measurement systems : empirical evidence
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this article, we discuss the fit between business strategy and the performance-measurement system. The types of business strategy treated in the article are cost leadership and differentiation. The performance-measurement system is studied from a standpoint of design (financial and non-financial measures of performance) and use (interactive and diagnostic). Based on the findings of previous studies, a number of hypothetical relationships between business strategy, the design and use of the performance-measurement system, and financial results are formulated. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire sent to 800 business units in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, with 224 complete responses. The data was analyzed with the aid of cluster analysis. It could not be shown that financial results were affected by the design and use of the performance-measurement system. Furthermore, the relationships between business strategy and performance measurement were not as straightforward as hypothesized. Nevertheless, two clusters of business units have rather clear tendencies in the design and use of their performance-measurement systems. One of them is cost leaders with relatively undeveloped performance-measurement systems. Neither financial nor non-financial measures seem to be important. Interactive use is also limited. The other cluster is comprised of differentiators with a well-developed and complex system of performance measurement. These business units focus to a substantial extent on both financial and non-financial measures. Also in regard to use, all dimensions were generally emphasized in the questionnaire; in other words, both diagnostic and interactive uses are considered important.
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| 2. |
- Kald, Magnus, 1971-
(författare)
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In the borderland between strategy and management control : theoretical framework and empirical evidence
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Strategy and management control are two fields of research that have become increasingly inter-linked. Research in strategy has shown, for instance, that strategies are of no effect unless they permeate the entire organization, and that they become obsolete if not renewed as the business environment changes. Similarly, research in management control has shown that management control loses its relevance if it does not reflect strategy or is not useful in operations. This dissertation considers a number of theoretical approaches to corporate and business strategies and their connection to management control. The reasoning is also examined in light of empirical data collected from major Swedish firms in various industries. One finding is that some combinations of corporate and business strategies and management control are more congruent than other combinations. An additional question discussed in the dissertation is how different types of business strategy could be changed and combined; these possibilities are studied empirically on the basis of data taken from annual reports of Nordic paper and pulp companies. The results show that the nature of business strategy can be changed over time, but that different kinds of business strategies can seldom be combined within the same business unit. Further, the dissertation treats the relationship between different perspectives on business strategies. Another central element of the dissertation is the design and use of performance measurement. On the basis of extensive empirical material from large Nordic firms in a variety of industries, performance measurement at Nordic firms is described, noting differences between countries and between dissimilar business strategies. According to the findings, the Nordic firms used a broad spectrum of measures, which according to theory should be more closely related to strategy than would financial measures alone.
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| 3. |
- Kald, Magnus, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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On strategy and management control : the importance of classifying the strategy of the business
- 2000
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Ingår i: British Journal of Management. - : Wiley. - 1045-3172 .- 1467-8551. ; 11:3, s. 197-212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The point of departure for this paper is a number of contingency-theory studies on the relationship between business strategy and the design and use of management control. In these studies strategy has been operationalized in different ways – a major reason why the findings are ambiguous and difficult to integrate. Thus there is a strong need for a common frame of reference for classifying business strategy. In view of the multifaceted nature of the concept of strategy, however, it is neither desirable nor possible to arrive at a single method of classification that would be appropriate in all situations. Rather, the task is to integrate different strategic variables such as strategic pattern, strategic position and strategic mission. In this paper we show how these three variables may be assumed to influence, and be influenced by, what characterizes changes in strategy and how business units manage their product offerings. Unlike most previous studies in the field, this paper discusses how the strategic variables taken together may be assumed to influence the classification of strategy and thus the design and use of the management-control system. Our deductive analysis, and the hypotheses used in connection with it, show that studies which consider only one strategic variable may lead to erroneous conclusions about the relationship between strategy and management control.
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| 4. |
- Kald, Magnus, 1971-
(författare)
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The role of management control systems in strategic business units
- 2000
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Business firms are confronted with strategic considerations at both the corporate and business-unit level. In this regard, the management-control system is of major importance. For example, the management-control system is used both to obtain information for strategic planning and to follow up on the implementation of strategic plans. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to describe and explain from a strategic perspective how management control is designed and used in strategic business units. This overall purpose can be subdivided into the three research questions addressed in the three articles which comprise the dissertation.The first research question concerns the influence of the relationship between corporate and business strategy on the management-control system. The findings of Paper I, an empirical study of 31 Swedish corporate groups with 47 business units, show among other things that environmentally driven business development is encouraged by an activity-sharing strategy at the corporate level, a differentiation strategy at the business-unit level, and integration of management control between the two levels. A more general implication of this finding is that this kind of combination of corporate and business strategy is one with a good fit.The second research question relates to the effect of different variables of business strategy on the design and use of management control. The variables studied are strategic pattern, strategic mission, and strategic position. The findings of Paper II, a theoretical study with well-known international studies as the starting point, indicate that these variables reflect different dimensions of business-unit strategy and that together they affect the design and use of management control.The third research question is about the design and use of a particular aspect of management control - performance measurement - at large firms in the Nordic countries, which are often portrayed as forerunners in linking strategy and control. The findings of Paper III, an empirical study of 236 Nordic business units, suggest among other things that there is a good balance between monetary and nonmonetary measures at the firms studied. However, performance measurement appears to be primarily a tool for top management, since it is not very well established at lower organizational levels.
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| 5. |
- Nilsson, Fredrik, 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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On creating an environmentally driven mode of business development : empirical evidence
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This article presents the findings of an empirical study of 31 large Swedish corporate groups listed on the stock exchange. The purpose of the study was to investigate how strategies, management control systems, and management attitudes influence the possibilities for creating an environmentally driven mode of business development. According to the study, the chances of establishing an environmentally driven mode of business development are substantially better at corporate groups where corporate strategy emphasizes activity sharing and business-unit strategy emphasizes differentiation. The outlook also improves considerably if control is well integrated in the sense that the overall corporate management control system includes information from the environmental management system at the business-unit level. Such integration is easier if the management control system and the environmental management system are similarly designed and used. More, if the mode of business development is to be environmentally drive, corporate and business-unit management should have a favorable attitude toward systematic involvement in environment-related activities.
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