Fredrik Nilsson

Performance measurement at Nordic companies

During the past decade there have been considerable changes in methods of management control. To a considerable degree, these changes are due to growing globalization and stiffening competition. In the face of these new challenges, there has been serious dissatisfaction with traditional methods of management control. In the Nordic countries there has been a particular interest in ways to improve performance measurement, especially the Balanced Scorecard. At present, however, our knowledge about how Nordic companies design and use systems of performance measurement is limited. In view of this situation, a questionnaire-based study was conducted. Performance measurement was examined in the following dimensions: (1) structure; (2) processes; (3) use; and (4) benefits and shortcomings. The use of three well-known models of performance measurement was also studied. Responses to the questionnaire were submitted by 236 business units, which belong to major corporate groups in the Nordic countries. The findings show that performance measurement is relatively well developed in the Nordic countries, and that the benefits are perceived as outweighing the shortcomings.

On Strategy and Management Control: The Importance of Classifying the Strategy of the Business

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.

Recent Advances in Performance Management:: The Nordic Case

This article presents the findings of an empirical study of 209 firms in the Nordic countries. The purpose of the article is to discuss recent advances in performance management, both for the Nordic Region as a whole and in individual countries. The findings show that the performance management systems of the Nordic firms under study are used both diagnostically and interactively. The two principal applications are in decision support at the top management and the operating levels. Furthermore, in the design of the performance management systems, both financial and nonfinancial measures are quite significant. These tendencies are particularly noticeable at the Danish, Finnish, and Swedish companies. At the Norwegian companies, on the other hand, the design and uses of performance management are somewhat more traditional.

Control systems in multibusiness companies:: from performance management to strategic management

This article discusses the role of control systems in multibusiness companies. The focus is on formulation and implementation of corporate and business unit strategies. Three widely used categories of control models are discussed: (1) models for performance management, (2) models for value-based management, and (3) models for strategic management. The discussion is based upon central normative texts and examples from applications in Nordic companies. The description and discussion of the control models and their features should facilitate decision-making on the design and use of control systems in multibusiness companies.

Implementing business unit strategies: the role of management control systems

This study examines in detail how the toolmakers, Sandvik Bahco have designed and used their management control system to implement their chosen differentiation strategy. Unlike most other studies in this area we have chosen to describe and analyse the control system at the management and the operational levels. The study shows that changes in the learning process at the operational level elicit a need for more, and more comprehensive, information. This means that the borderline between the control systems at the two organisational levels is beginning to dissolve. However, it becomes no less necessary that a control system should be highly adaptable. Rather, it is a question of using a frame of reference that is partially common to the two organisational levels in order to create a meaningful dialogue between them. In this way it is possible to facilitate the choice of strategic orientation as well as its implementation.

Environmentally driven mode of business development: a management control perspective

A prerequisite for successful business development is that the control system is designed and used in such a way that strategically important areas can be planned and followed up. Thus, it must be possible to relate results on the quality front, for example, to the companys strategy, which is why quality systems are often integrated with the overall system of control. Environmental management systems, on the other hand, often tend to lead a life of their own, quite disconnected from the overall control system with its routines for strategic planning and follow-up. This can perhaps explain why environmental work has not become a natural part of corporate business development, despite the market for environmentally friendly products. In this article, we therefore focus particularly on control systems and their role in the promotion of an environmentally driven mode of business development. It appears that the integration of environmental management systems with other control systems has been found to be important. The tentative model presented here indicates the conditions under which such integration is possible. It also shows how a companys approach to environmentally driven business development can fall into various phases. The model includes three dimensions: (1) strategy, (2) control systems, and (3) attitude to environmental work. A number of hypotheses are formulated regarding the importance of these dimensions for the successful promotion of an environmentally driven mode of business development in large companies. The article concludes with some suggestions as to how the model can be used in further research.

Strategy and Management Control Systems: A Study of the Design and Use of Management Control Systems Following Takeover

This paper describes and analyses the approach taken by four well-known Swedish companies to management control following takeover. The findings suggest two factors which can explain how the management control systems were designed and used after an acquisition: the corporate strategy of the acquirer and the business strategy of the acquired company. The case studies show how these forces could impose mutually inconsistent requirements on the management control system of the acquired firm, and also how these inconsistencies were resolved.

OBJECTIVE QUALITY MEASURES FOR HALFTONED IMAGES

Digital halftoning algorithms can produce results of very different quality and characteristics. To evaluate and improve the algorithms, it is important to have robust image quality measures. We propose a method to evaluate objectively the quality of halftoned images. The method is capable of evaluating any kind of monochrome original and is not limited by the choice of halftoning method. To perform the evaluation with respect to the perception of printed halftones, we use models for dot gain in prints and the human visual system. The main contribution and novelty of the method is an adaptive filter used to separate the halftone characteristics from the information about the original in the halftoned image. This approach facilitates the evaluation of the halftoned image’s resemblance to the original as well as of the characteristics of the halftoning method.

Accountability in Local Government : a Principal-Agent Perspective

The purpose of the article is to survey and analyze the chain of accountability to be reviewed by the auditors and through the use of principal-agent (PA) theory to identify the problems that ma ...