Maurice Gosselin

An empirical study of performance measurement in manufacturing firms

Purpose – The recent performance measurement literature suggests that organizations should put more emphasis on non‐financial measures in their performance measurement systems, that organizations must use new performance measurement approaches such as the balanced scorecard and that measures should be aligned with contextual factors such as strategy and organizational structure. The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which organizations are following these prescriptions.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of a sample of Canadian manufacturing firms was conducted. In the questionnaire, organizations had to indicate the extent to which they use 73 performance measures. They also had to respond to questions about determinants such as strategy, organizational structure and environmental uncertainty. More than 100 organizations responded to the survey. The response rate was 50.5 percent.Findings – The results show that manufacturing firms continue to use financial performance measures. Despite...

A Review of Activity-Based Costing: Technique, Implementation, and Consequences

Abstract Accounting history has shown that new techniques have periodically been incorporated into the accounting craft. The context of the 1980s and the 1990s has led to the emergence of activity-based costing (ABC). This chapter will include a review of the evolution of ABC from its emergence around 1985 to its most recent development, “time driven ABC.” The academic research on ABC of the last 15 years will be reviewed to identify research opportunities on ABC. The consequences of ABC on the evolution of management accounting and its impact on our comprehension of the accounting process of change will be discussed.

Contextual factors affecting the deployment of innovative performance measurement systems

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between strategy, structure and environmental uncertainty, and the design and the use of performance measurements systems. The paper provides empirical evidence on the contextual factors associated with the use of financial and non-financial measures, process and outcome measures and the deployment of innovative performance measurement systems in manufacturing business units. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 200 Canadian manufacturing organizations. Respondents were asked to indicate to which extent they use different measures. They also had to mention if they had adopted an innovative performance measurement approach such as the balanced scorecard. The questionnaire also included questions to classify organizations as prospectors, defenders or analyzers and to measure the levels of decentralization and perceived environmental uncertainty. Findings - The results show that there is a significant association between strategy, organizational structure and environmental uncertainty and the use of non-financial and process measures. They also indicate that there is an association between strategy and environmental uncertainty and the deployment of innovative performance measurement systems. Practical implications - Since the 1990s, performance measurement has become an important issue for both academics and practitioners. The professional literature has suggested that managers should design innovative performance measurement systems such as balanced scorecards that include financial and non-financial measures and also process and outcome measures. This paper provides a better understanding of the factors that affect the implementation of innovative performance measurement systems. Originality/value - The paper presents one of the few studies that provide a better understanding of the contingent factors that influence the design and the use of innovative performance measurement systems.