Monica Bartolini

Demand chain management: an integrative approach in automotive retailing

Recent reviews of the Operations Management research literature have shown a surprising little shift towards empirical methodologies from traditional modeling solution methods. In addition, there is generally a lack of empirical testing and validation of manufacturing strategies. Coupled to this fact is that empirical work is rarely carried out in an inter-disciplinary manner, with the complete combination of OM, marketing, strategy, lean thinking and accounting approaches particularly poorly researched. Fully cross-functional integrative empirical research is required to help support the understanding of the applicability of OM practices within industry. This paper explores such an integration of approaches developed within the Lean Thinking, Strategic Cost Management, Marketing and Policy Deployment areas. In order to investigate the approach a single automotive retailer is used as an instrumental case. The results of the study show that the new approach stands up well as an integrative approach that can prove highly beneficial results. However, the pilot work also identified a number of limitations that are the basis of further refinement and testing of the method.

The practice of strategic performance measurement systems: Models, drivers and information effectiveness

Purpose – For over 20 years, management control literature has indicated the importance of supporting the strategy development and implementation process with strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) and integrating traditional financial indicators with a set of multidimensional forward-looking measures focusing on the long term and linked to cause-effect relationships. Nevertheless, knowledge on the specific SPMS models used in practice and their effectiveness in supporting the managerial decision-making process is still fragmented and ambiguous. The purpose of this paper is to first analyse the SPMS models used in practice, also considering the role of strategy and firm size as drivers of adoption, thereafter analysing the capability of SPMS models to provide managers with measures that are consistent with their strategic information needs. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a survey involving 88 Italian medium-large sized firms (or subsidiaries of multinational firms) operat...

Performance Measurement and Capitals

This chapter focuses on the most important characteristics that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should have in order to reinforce their informative effectiveness in stakeholders’ decision processes. To this aim, we discuss the role that KPIs can potentially play within Integrated Reporting (IR)—i.e. measuring the ability of the company to create value, by increasing or transforming its tangible and intangible capital. Moreover, given the lack of a generally accepted model for measuring and communicating the integrated performance of a company, this chapter introduces a theoretical framework in accordance with IR guidelines and principles. It provides an innovative perspective that contributes to integrate internal- and external-oriented performance measurement systems.

The role of performance indicators in management commentary

Recent literature on financial reporting underlines that, in order to meet the changing needs of business reporting users, more information with a forward-looking perspective should be provided, with a focus on those factors that are responsible for longer- term value, including non-financial measurers. This article hence focuses on the importance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in Management Commentary (MC). Through content analysis, we examine a sample of 111 reports from around the world (following different local and/or international regulations). The paper explores how organizations in practice use KPIs for external purposes, first investigating to what extent KPIs provide the information required by the MC frameworks, and, secondly, whether such KPIs have the suggested characteristics. Results show that although KPIs seem to potentially play a valuable and recognized role in providing the information required by the different MC frameworks, a large number of companies have not provided an effective and balanced picture of the drivers and factors that will lead their future performance. This paper contributes to the scarce research on the effectiveness of different approaches to regulate MC reports, with a specific focus on KPIs. It also highlights some critical issues concerning what and how KPI information should be produced and reported.

A Framework for Extending Lean Accounting into a Supply Chain

The Lean Transformation of the Supply Chain represents a major challenge in Lean Management studies and involves both the reduction of waste (both within and between companies) and supply chain alignment to the actual needs of the final customer. At the same time, Lean Management is looking for an information system able to support a Lean Transformation by incorporating all the drivers of company performance in the development of a cost system. In order to explore the possibility of an integration between the Cost Management practices, the Lean Management principles, and the Value Analysis studies, this paper presents a new integrated methodology, as well as the results of an international and interdisciplinaty research project: the Le.M.A. (Lean Management Accounting) Program. The case study approach adopted reviews an internal supply chain with a view to extending the work at a later point to an external supply chain.

Business Performance Analytics: exploring the potential for Performance Management Systems

Abstract Business Performance Analytics (BPA) entails the systematic use of data and analytical methods (mathematical, econometric and statistical) for performance measurement and management. Although potentially overcoming some traditional diagnostic issues related to Performance Management Systems (PMS), such as information overload, absence of cause-effect relationships, lack of a holistic view of the organisation, research in the field is still in its infancy. A comprehensive model for operationalising analytics for diagnostic and interactive PMS is still lacking. Adopting an action research approach, this paper addresses this gap and develops a five-step framework applied to a company operating in the construction industry. The results show that in addition to encouraging dialogue, BPA can contribute to identifying critical performance variables, potential sources of risk and related interdependencies. A number of critical issues in implementing data-based approaches are also highlighted, including data quality, organisational competences and cultural shifts.

Integrated Reporting and Value-Based Cost Management: A Natural Union

Integrated reporting systems are the wave of the future from two points of view: for their support to management decision making processes, and as strategic information source for annual Integrated Reporting (IR). This chapter describes Value-based Cost Management (VCMS) as one tool available to the financial and marketing communities that can be used in the integration effort because it naturally joins data streams from across the organization to provide a unified picture of the firm’s performance. Furthermore this chapter shows the twofold potential contribution of VCMS to IR. First, it supports the management and monitoring of the company performance with specific regard to customers and internal processes as fundamental dimensions of an integrated performance measurement system. Second, the role played by waste in VCMS is argued to support the sustainability movement and reporting.

Management Accounting in a Lean Environment

Lean production methods were pioneered by Toyota in Japan (Toyota Production System). Thereafter, Lean Thinking (Ohno, 1988; Womack et al., 1990; Womack and Jones, 1996) distilled the essence of the lean approach into some key principles and extended them beyond automotive production to any company or organisation, in any industry, in any country, thanks to its positive effects on process improvement, productivity, waste reduction, quality management etc.

Collaborative Practices and Multidisciplinary Research: The Dialogue between Entrepreneurship, Management and Data Science

Digital technologies and their applications are systematically altering established practices and making new ones emerge in different realms of society. Research in social sciences in general and management in particular is no exception, and several examples that span a variety of fields are coming into the spotlight not only from scholarly communities but also the popular press. To join this conversation, in this chapter we focus on how management and entrepreneurship research can benefit from ICT technologies and data science protocols. First, we discuss recent trends in management and data science research to identify some commonalities. Second, we combine both perspectives and present some evidence arising from different collaborative projects addressing: university-industry collaborations, the impact of technology-based activities, the measurement of scientific productivity, as well as performance measurement and business analytics. Implications for collaborative practices in entrepreneurship research are discussed.