A fundamental challenge that management faces in the twenty-first century is how to exercise adequate control, i. e. how to guide and direct the behaviour of their subordinates. With increasing globalisation firms witness a cross-cultural impact too. Of particular interest is the question of whether to use the standardized form of control similar to the home base of firms or whether to adapt their control practices to the local specificities. Given the meagre state of the literature in management control with a cross-cultural emphasis, this study addresses a real world problem, namely the question whether management control practices are configured similarly or differently across cultures. Relying on a generalized industry sample across four countries (Belgium, Canada, Germany and Poland), this study sought to shed light on one of the more intriguing questions – “does culture matter” – for specific control areas, in particular for performance measurement, performance evaluation and reward systems. The theoretical foundations are grounded in the cultural framework of the GLOBE project accompanied by thoughts of new institutionalism, stakeholder theory and contingency thoughts. Hypotheses are tested by mean comparisons (ANOVA, ANCOVA). The empirical findings highlight cultural differences for a broader set of control practices and deliver new insights into the intersection of culture and management control. This dissertation crafts a novel topic with high relevance for both researchers and practitioners. The study demonstrates areas for which management control practices should be adapted to the local needs and areas for which those practices could be harmonized in the whole company. This monograph stresses some areas in which future empirical cross-cultural research can benefit, and some areas where conceptual thoughts could be advanced.

This book provides an exhaustive view of China’s Management Control Systems (MCS), examining the development of theory and practice and presenting a framework that integrates China’s unique enterprise regulations, corporate culture and managerial mindset into management control systems. The work offers detail about the effects of China’s economic reforms on management control in Chinese enterprises and insightful comparisons with Western theory and Western examples. Readers will discover important themes and the evolution of theory in MCS, including discussions of frameworks and the links between management control and economics, management, accounting, cybernetics and system theory. Early chapters explore management control in Chinese enterprises during the period, especially the demands of (guidance, enforcement and external regulation) and the demand for (stakeholders, managers, investors) management control. The work moves on to explore Western management control theory and research, including an examination of the evolution of internal control theory. The author presents detailed perspectives on the elements of management control systems and introduces masterful new ideas and methods through four general control models and ten critical elements in the management control process. A view of management control in various different types of enterprise is presented, from special enterprises and small to medium enterprises to non-profit organizations. The standards for enterprise management control are explored. This work is a valuable practical guide for corporate management teams who wish to develop and execute their own internal control strategies. It will also provide foreign researchers, policy-makers and practitioners with a new perspective on Chinese management control experiences.

Provides an empirical examination of cultural influences on judgments of professional accountants from Australia, India and Malaysia in relation to a number of ethical issues in accounting including auditor-client conflict resolution, whistle blowing as an internal control mechanism and social desirability response bias.

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Internationalization, Design and Global Development, IDGD 2011, held in Orlando, FL, USA, in July 2011 in the framework of the 14th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2011. The 71 revised papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers accepted for presentation thoroughly cover the entire field of internationalization, design and global development and address the following major topics: Cultural and cross-cultural design, culture and usability, design, emotion, trust and aesthetics, cultural issues in business and industry, culture, communication and society.

This book presents an analysis and a critical discussion on performance management systems. It seeks to advance the current state of knowledge in the subject by introducing a holistic performance management system - the loosely coupled performance management system. This new system presents a framework to leverage the systemic relationships among already established performance management mechanisms. The author contends that loosely coupled performance management systems fulfill two different objectives, namely - they assure control and foster innovation. Such a comprehensive approach to management control provides managers of economic organizations with an overarching architecture for the design, diagnosis and effective use of performance management systems.​

Producers and users of management accounting information are confronted with crucial behavioral phenomena--factors that can affect the communication of this information and its use. Riahi-Belkaoui shows what these factors and phenomena are and how to understand and cope with them. In doing so, he shows how producers and users together can improve the efficiency of management accounting itself. He explains the judgment process in management accounting, identifies and explains the major behavioral phenomena, and then provides ways to use them for the firm's benefit. Thoughtful and comprehensive, his book is important reading for executive decision makers in almost all organizations throughout the public and private sectors.

This unique book is positioned at the crossroads of strategic management and international business. Based on an in-depth literature review, the author empirically assesses the widely shared, implicit assumption that strategic management processes can be globally applied in a standardized, i.e., culture-free, manner. So far, a variety of tools have also been recommended but without incorporating cultural differences. As many organizations observe that this ethnocentric view is more an illusion than reality, strategic management research has started to focus on the cultural sensitivity of its theories, tools, and processes to provide practitioners in a multicultural setting with adequate know-how and tools. To foster long-term decision-making despite uncertainty, scenario planning is frequently applied by practitioners. Up until today, scenario planning has however gained little attention from the academic community. Through this book, the author presents a newly developed framework for strategic management that combines the cultural value scale to test the cultural sensitivity of the long-term planning tool called “scenario planning.” The different process steps of scenario planning have been individually examined for their sensitivity toward the cultural dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. The investigation is based on a unique, global set of management consultants working for a leading professional service firm. The results of this research show the cultural sensitivity of scenario planning, with different degrees of the process steps and the tested cultural dimensions.

This book assesses the state of international manufacturing strategy and clarifies how recent developments, for example regarding configuration, technology, and the environment, are impacting on its content and direction and on its relationship to manufacturing performance. In providing up-to-date coverage of the consequences of such forces and factors for international manufacturing, this book aims to expand the debate concerning international manufacturing strategy and cast light on its current evolution. International manufacturing is operating within a time of great flux. While offshoring of activities has dominated over recent decades, nearshoring and reshoring are increasingly being considered and observed in practice. At the same time, technologies such as 3D-printing are gaining traction and the role of ICT and data analytics is increasingly important in the international manufacturing landscape while digitization becomes more prevalent and the embrace of the Internet of Things (IOT) accelerates. Furthermore, issues related to the environment are figuring more prominently in international manufacturing considerations, and assumptions regarding the long-term cost of energy are being called into question. International manufacturing is also experiencing greater servitization.

How can Multinational Corporations effectively manage and control their subsidiaries in transition countries? This empirical study on 40 MNCs operating in Central and Eastern Europe provides insights onto how the transition context and the culture of the region impact the choice and effectiveness of Headquarters control in subsidiaries.

Increasingly companies' stakeholders require organisations to observe international standards prescribed by international laws, treaties, conventions, recommendations, and/or codes of conduct. The papers selected for this volume explore 1) the ethical pressures on international business to meet the challenges of diversity, 2) suggested methods of coping with diversity, and 3) the challenges required to overcome corporate self-interest in the search for new instruments. Collectively these articles reflect scholarly insights and corporate responses to diversity in international business, a topic of wide interest in contemporary business ethics.