Corporate control of investments and management styles

• This article describes how corporate managers of major Swedish groups in different industries exert control over investment requests and the direction of the investments of their groups, The study is based on interviews with the corporate managers, who are responsible for the capital budgeting procedures of their groups, and analyses of their investment manuals. The article describes what they perceive as their most important means of control, and differences between firms in different lines of industry. These differences can partly be explained by the need to coordinate investments of different kinds and in different parts of the group. The article shows how the design of the resource allocation system depends on the character of the investments and requires a certain management style. This connection between investments, management styles and resource allocation systems shows that there is no ideal resource allocation system optimal for all groups.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Business studies

Företagsekonomi

industriell ekonomi och organisation

Industrial Economics and Organisations

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)