Amizawati Mohd Amir

An investigation on PMS attributes in service organisations in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to the performance measurement system (PMS) literature by concentrating on the service context. Providing a Malaysian perspective on PMS design, the study aims to identify the desirable PMS attributes that are perceived to be important for the service sector.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by administering a mail questionnaire survey to top‐level management of private service firms operating in Malaysia. The sampling frame was based on information provided by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia, and the Central Bank of Malaysia. An extensive search of directories/portals was undertaken to compile the mailing list of each service sector. Samples were randomly selected from the list using proportionate stratified sampling.Findings – The findings suggest that service firms placed greater emphasis on elements of performance evaluation, benchmarking, timeliness and precise PMS information. Differentiation strategy and intensity ...

Performance measurement system design in service operations: Does size matter?

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of firm size on the performance measurement system (PMS) design in the service context. Focusing on several aspects of the PMS design, i.e. the significance of the information attributes (PMS attributes), the way the system is used (PMS use) and the measurement mechanisms (PMS mechanisms), the significance of firm size was explored. Design/methodology/approach - – Data were collected by administering a mail questionnaire survey to the top-level management of private service firms operating in Malaysia. The sampling frame was based on information provided by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia, and the Central Bank of Malaysia. An extensive search of directories/portals was undertaken to compile the mailing list of each service sector. Samples were randomly selected from the list using proportionate stratified sampling. Findings - – The findings suggest that firm size influences the way their PMS was designed. The larger the firm size, the greater the emphasis placed on designing a sophisticated PMS. The results also indicate that size has a greater effect on the PMS of professional service firms, compared to mass service firms. Research limitations/implications - – The limitation of the study pertains to the objective to observe the practice among service organizations on a broad scale, thus limiting the ability to comprehend the reasons for the findings. Practical implications - – To the PMS designers and users, the understanding may offer a basic knowledge for designing and developing an effective and efficient PMS to be a useful tool in facing the continuous growth and stringent service market competition. Originality/value - – Rather than restricted to a specific service industry, the study removes the traditional perception that insists that each service activity and problem is unique, by examining the practice of PMS among service firms from a broad-based perspective. The focus is on the commonalities that exist between them in facing the consequences of the service revolution.

Pricing for Higher Education Institutions: A Value-Based Approach.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept of higher education institutions (HEIs) offering educational services based on value for money. The value is determined based on customers’ (i.e. students) expectations of the service and the costs in comparison to the competitors. Understanding the value and creating customer value are a means to attain competitive advantage and constitute the basis of price setting. Drawing upon this belief, as an initial step towards value-based pricing method, the possible value factors are suggested for calculating educational programme prices across HEIs. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper introducing the value-based pricing approach in setting HEI tuition fees. Extending prior discussion on the demand for quality education and current financial challenges faced by HEIs, it introduces the concept pricing based upon customer perceived value (student/industry). Value-based pricing is deemed appropriate in view of the value of short tan...

Strategic Priorities of Malaysian Hotels: The Role of Management Control Bureaucracy

The study examines the role of the management control system (MCS) in Malaysian hotels that pursue different strategic priorities. It is proposed that the cost leadership and differentiation strategies relationships to performance are indirect through the use of bureaucratic and non-bureaucratic MCSs. Data from a survey of 59 hotels operating in Malaysia were used to test the hypotheses. Using partial least squares, the results indicate no significant indirect effect of bureaucratic MCS on the relationship between cost leadership and performance. Additionally, non-bureaucratic MCS did not mediate the relationship between differentiation strategy and performance. Contrary to expectation, a significant indirect effect of bureaucratic MCS on the relationship between differentiation strategy and performance exists. The differentiators appear to affect the use of bureaucratic MCS to increase performance. The study implies the dominance of bureaucratic MCS in the Malaysian hotel industry and challenges the contingency-based proposition on the coupling of business strategy with MCS.

Pricing for Academic Programs at Institutes of Higher Learning

In general, this study seeks to understand how institute of higher learning (IHLs) in Malaysia determine the price of their academic programs and what are the factors that support their pricing decisions. Specifically the objectives this study are as follows: 1) To assess the present pricing strategies adopted by IHLs for their academic programs. 2) To explain financial management efforts being practiced to justify strategic pricing for academic programs.