Performance measurement and management in small companies of the service sector; evidence from a sample of Italian hotels

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-160
Author(s):  
Alessandro Panno
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Financial Indicators ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Performance ◽  
Resources And Capabilities

Purpose This paper aims to examine how modern small-medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the tourism industry perceive and define corporate performance, and how they measure and monitor businesses’ achievements. Actual performance measurement activities are expected to show how (and if) companies manage the key factors that drive value creation and value erosion processes. Are effective performance measurement activities aligned with main theoretical prescriptions? Design/methodology/approach Theory and previous empirical research on SMEs’ performance is instrumentally used to identify those key factors that are supposed to drive small/medium hotels’ business performance; building on a resource-based view (RBV) framework, which provides the theoretical perspective to link resources, capabilities and actions to firm performance, a model based on the financial, the operational and the organisational dimension of firm’s success is developed through the selection of a set of consistent financial and non-financial indicators. The balanced performance measurement model is then tested via a field research study based on a semi-structured questionnaire sent to 540 selected SMEs active in the tourism sector. Findings The results suggest that small-medium Italian hotels, typically family firms managed by owners, tend to adopt a balanced system of performance measurement that keeps track of the financial and non-financial dimensions of hotel’s performance; customer orientation proves to be an extremely important leading indicator of non-financial corporate performance. Amongst traditional financial indicators, net profits, profitability ratios such as return on investment and return on sales, revenues for available room, occupancy rate and some cost efficiency ratios are found to be relevant, whereas extensive use is made of non-financial metrics such as customer satisfaction, number of complaints, number of new and repeat customers, employee competencies and staff abilities. Furthermore, some interesting results about frequency of measurement and purpose of measurement are also presented. Research limitations/implications Data used in this study do not allow for a comprehensive analysis of the correlation between hotel performance and a specific measurement model implemented. Further future research that is meant to be developed will focus on the issue of addressing the nexus between firm performance and resource and capability used as strategic factors and monitored with an effective performance measurement system. The sample can also be expanded to carry out comparative analysis. Practical implications The results shed some further light on performance measurement activities actually implemented by Italian hotels. The evidence gives a contribution to understanding the relationship between critical resources and capabilities that need to be developed and effectively managed to reach superior business performance. Furthermore, the study highlights the need to design and implement a customised performance measurement model, which accounts for firm-specific resources and capabilities and sector-specific features for the hotel to properly manage those strategical success factors that can deliver sustained competitive advantage to the firm. Originality/value This research paper contributes to performance measurement literature, by suggesting that the development and the implementation of a simplified but structured and complete performance measurement system, designed on the specific needs and features of SMEs, seems to be a sensible way to improve resources and capabilities utilisation and to obtain a holistic understanding of the achievements of these organisations.

Measuring the success of a performance measurement system in Thai firms

2012 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 548-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nopadol Rompho ◽  
Sakun Boon‐itt
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
The Body ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
A Performance

PurposeThis study aims to identify what managers involved in the design of a performance measurement system (PMS) perceive are the attributes of a successful PMS.Design/methodology/approachA total of 85 managers from Thai firms were interviewed to develop the proposed model to measure the success of a PMS. Results from 269 returned questionnaires from Thai managers were analysed by second order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).FindingsBased on the study's findings, success of PMS was categorised into two aspects: design success and implementation success. Using CFA the empirical data demonstrate a good fit with the proposed measurement model.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are based on the opinions of managers and therefore their accuracy is open to question. Adding non‐managerial perspectives might demonstrate another picture.Practical implicationsThe findings could well be useful for managers in any organisation. They can assist the manager in judging whether or not the company's PMS is successful according to the discovered criteria. Use of these criteria could lead to better decision‐making in the design and implementation of a PMS framework in any organisation.Originality/valueThis study enhances the body of knowledge by defining what a successful PMS means to managers in Thai firms. The results of this study can be applied to any country, but perceptions of what is important could vary from country to country.

Supplier performance measurement system use, relationship trust, and performance improvement: a dyadic perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vieri Maestrini ◽  
Andrea Stefano Patrucco ◽  
Davide Luzzini ◽  
Federico Caniato ◽  
Paolo Maccarrone
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Performance Improvement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Performance Improvements ◽  
Supplier Performance ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems ◽  
The Impact

PurposeGrounding on resource orchestration theory, this paper aims to study the relationship between the way buying companies use their supplier performance measurement systems and the performance improvements obtained from suppliers, with relationship trust identified as a mediator in the previous link.Design/methodology/approachThe authors design a conceptual model and test it through structural equation modelling on a final sample of 147 buyer-supplier responses, collected by means of a dyadic survey.FindingsResults suggest that the buyer company may achieve the most by balancing a diagnostic and interactive use of the measurement system, as they are both positively related to supplier performance improvement. Furthermore, relationship trust acts as a mediator in case of the interactive use, but not for the diagnostic. This type of use negatively affects relationship trust, due to its mechanistic use in the buyer-supplier relationship.Originality/valueThe authors’ results contribute to the current academic debate about supplier performance measurement system design and use by analyzing the impact of different supplier performance measurement system uses, and highlighting their relative impact on relationship trust and supplier performance improvement. From a methodological perspective, adopting a dyadic data collection process increases the robustness of the findings.

scholarly journals DISCOVERING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM TO EVALUATE THE EFFICIENCY OF E-BUSINESS SOLUTIONS / VEIKSMINGUMO MATAVIMO SISTEMOS PAIEŠKOS E. VERSLO NAŠUMUI ĮVERTINTI

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Uturytė-Vrubliauskienė
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Exact Nature ◽  
Organization Performance ◽  
Basic Objective ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems

Despite the significant growth of information technologies investments, evidence of their influence on organization performance remains inconclusive. Nowadays it is very important to realize whether expected economic benefits of information technologies investments are being recognized in organizations. Currently organizations can no longer afford basically to lose their money in e-business initiatives without developing and using suitable metrics to measure the effectiveness of such investments and to find out the relationship between e-business and organization performance. The study describes research aimed at determining the exact nature of such e-business performance measurement systems. The basic objective of this study is to discover performance measurement system for evaluating the efficiency of e-business solutions. Santrauka Svarbiausias šiuolaikinės organizacijos tikslas – didinti verslo vertę sėkmingai taikant konkurencingas priemones. Dėl to organizacijos yra priverstos ieškoti alternatyvių būdų, kaip spręsti verslo problemas. Dabartinėje visuomenėje, vykstant sparčiai technologijų kaitai ir globalizacijos procesui, verslas ir informacinės technologijos yra neatsiejami. Organizacijos, norėdamos tinkamai valdyti duomenis, keistis jais su partneriais ieško įvairių informacinių technologijų sprendimų. Organizacijų investicijos į informacines technologijas per pastaruosius du dešimtmečius auga labai stipriai. Tačiau sudėtinga įvertinti, kokią įtaką verslo efektyvumui turi diegiamos ir naudojamos informacinės technologijos. Todėl pasaulinės konkurencinės rinkos sąlygomis veiklos vertinimas tampa svarbia ekonomine problema. Sėkmingą verslą garantuoja informacija apie kiekvieno produkto ar vartotojo pelningumą ir atskirų padalinių veiklos efektyvumą. Mokslinio tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad trūksta galimybių įvertinti verslo veiksmingumą. Pagrindinis šio straipsnio tikslas – veiksmingumo matavimo sistemos paieškos, leidžiančios įvertinti elektroninio verslo sprendimų našumą. Atskleidžiant poreikį kurti ir diegti tokias sistemas organizacijose, įrodant, kad veiksmingumo sistemos, taikomos šiuo metu, netinka taikyti organizacijoms, jos turi būti adaptuotos ir gebėti įvertinti informacinių technologijų įtaką veiklos našumui.

Development of footprint framework of performance measurement system for SMMOs

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-756
Author(s):  
G.S. Dangayach ◽  
Gaurav Gaurav ◽  
Sumit Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Barriers To Adoption ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design And Implementation

PurposeThe performance measurement system (PMS), recognized as an important tool for rapid improvement, has found wide applications in the larger organizations and has received a lot of research attention in recent past. PMS adoption in SMEs is low even though SMEs have realized its importance and benefits and are now ready to embrace PMS as a tool for improvement. This paper proposes a novel framework, called the footprint framework, for design and implementation of PMS for SMEs. The proposed framework overcomes some of the major barriers to adoption by simplifying the process of design and implementation of PMS.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework was conceptualized and its basis was tested for feasibility using an industry survey. The survey was analyzed using the statistical tools available in the SPSS 24.0 statistical analysis software, and the insights obtained from this analysis were used to shape the proposed framework. The framework was populated for small and medium manufacturing organizations (SMMOs) as a case study. Analytic hierarchy process was used to synthesize the data provided by the survey to build up the proposed framework and its components.FindingsThe footprint framework is a unique framework in the respect that it consists of a set of PMS suited to different company profiles that can be accessed quickly. Any SMMO that desires to determine its future PM requirements has simply to define its probable profile of the future in terms of size, business model and order winner and check the PMS appropriate to that profile from the footprint framework. Thus the SMMO can even prepare for its futuristic PM needs.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed framework overcomes some of the major barriers to adoption by simplifying the process of design and implementation of PMS. The main advantages of the footprint framework are its simplicity, ease of use, immediate implementation and a built-in knowledge bank.Practical implicationsThis research has proposed a new PMS framework, an out of the box tool that makes it possible for the Indian SMMO to adopt PMS on an instant basis. The footprint framework combines the experience of several researchers and several practitioners to offer a ready-made starter kit that needs no other aid to implement a most appropriate PMS and leverage the industry PM best practices to build the performance measurement knowledge and expertise of the SMMO without going through a protracted learning or training process.Social implicationsThis research has made a novel proposal for a PMS framework by proposing the footprint framework – a PMS framework that is not only an instant, out of the box solution for the SMMOs but also incorporates the know-how to implement the performance measurement complete with information on what to measure, how to interpret and what should be done to improve.Originality/valueThe proposed framework is simple to understand and removes a key barrier of PMS adoption for SMMOs. The user SMMO needs to state its size, business model and order winner from the available options, build up its PMS code, select the matching PMS from the framework and the SMMO is ready to implement the PMS.

The Benefits of an E-Business Performance Measurement System

2011 ◽  
pp. 158-169
Author(s):  
David Barnes ◽  
Matthew Hinton
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems

This chapter investigates how organizations have been adapting their performance measurement practices in response to their adoption of e-business in their business operations. It aims to identify the features and benefits of an effective e-business performance measurement system. Twelve organizations known to have had some success in developing performance measurement systems suitable for the online environment were studied. The researchers found that these organizations adopted an incremental rather than a radical approach to changing their performance measurement system for e-business, thereby avoiding the costs and disruption associated with the introduction of more complex performance metrics. Secondly, they eschewed the use of best practice recipes (such as the balanced scorecard). The study concludes that although these results may be at odds with the prescriptive generic performance measurement literature, they may be appropriate for the current state of development of e-business.

scholarly journals A performance measurement system for change initiatives

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1647-1672
Author(s):  
Dag Naslund ◽  
Andreas Norrman
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Change Initiative ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Reality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop, implement, test and further enhance a framework for measuring organizational change initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual part of the framework is based on the structured analysis of existing literature. The framework was further developed during an action research (AR) study where the authors developed, implemented, evaluated and improved the measurement system for organizational change initiatives. Findings The academic literature is rich in conceptual articles providing required characteristics of a “good” measurement system and frameworks for how organizations should measure performance. However, academia provides less empirical evidence of how these performance measurement systems can be implemented, evaluated and improved. In this paper, the authors present a study where the developed measurement system has been implemented, evaluated and improved. The results in terms of how the actual framework worked as well as the response from the case organizations are equally positive. Research limitations/implications The framework has been implemented in two different, major change initiatives in one case organization. While the results are truly encouraging, the framework needs to be further tested and refined in more organizations. Practical implications There is a gap between academic perception and practical reality regarding how organizations should measure performance in general as well as measuring organizational change initiatives. The presented, and empirically tested, framework measures both the results of the change initiative (effectiveness) the actual change process (efficiency) as well as the perception of the change initiative and process from different key stakeholders. Originality/value This is the first developed, implemented and further improved measurement system for organizational change which measures both the efficiency and effectiveness of the change initiative (process).

scholarly journals Towards a definition of a business performance measurement system

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 784-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Franco‐Santos ◽  
Mike Kennerley ◽  
Pietro Micheli ◽  
Veronica Martinez ◽  
Steve Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Definition Of

Agile performance measurement system development: an answer to the need for adaptability?

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kati Tuulikki Stormi ◽  
Teemu Laine ◽  
Tuomas Korhonen
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
System Development ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Agile Development ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agile Methodologies

Purpose The purpose of this study is to reflect upon the feasibility of agile methodologies, Scrum in particular, to supplement the procedural design and implementation of performance measurement systems (PMS). Design/methodology/approach The study is an interventionist case study that applied agile methodologies in the PMS development. Researchers actively participated in the PMS development, e.g. researchers designed some of the performance measurement prototypes in order to facilitate the agile development. Findings The study outlines an agile approach suitable for PMS development. The paper answers the topical needs for adaptability and agility in management accounting, by applying agile methodologies into PMS development. PMS development does not take place only as a project or process that systematically progresses from the measure selection to measure implementation. Instead, as the requirements for the PMS change during the development project, management may reject some measures and new measures emerge as the understanding about changing situations increase. Agile methodologies are a methodological way to respond to the inevitable change and to enhance management accounting adaptability. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the PMS literature by proposing that agile development methodologies can advance organizational features that increase management accounting adaptability. As a result, the study proposes a new approach for PMS development to supplement existing ones. Agile methodologies are especially suitable for extending the PMS in new, yet relatively immature areas of performance measurement. The new approach applies Scrum principles in PMS development. By drawing from the theories of performance measurement (system) development and enabling PMS, the paper furthers academic understanding about agile development of accounting information systems. Practical implications Companies can use the proposed approach in PMS development, particularly after the initial system implementation in redesigning the system. The approach may increase the PMS impact in organizations and prevent PMS implementation failures. Originality/value The paper identifies the potential of using agile methodologies to enhance PMS adaptability and provides preliminary evidence of the potential of such approach in supplementing processual PMS development frameworks.

Performance measurement effects on organizational responses to threats

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Huber
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Organization Design ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Performance Management System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how an organization’s performance measurement system can influence the appropriateness of an organization’s responses to threats. Design/methodology/approach – Inductive and deductive reasoning, drawing on major theories and on empirical findings in the management literature. Findings – An organization’s performance measurement system can influence the effectiveness of the organization’s detections of threats and the appropriateness of the organization’s responses to threats and, in these ways, contribute to the organization’s robustness and sustainability. Practical implications – Formation of an appropriate performance management system can prove critical to both detection of and responses to organizational threats. As such, an organizational performance management system can contribute to organizational robustness and sustainability. Originality/value – The idea, that an organization’s performance measurement system can influence the effectiveness of the organization’s detections of threats and the appropriateness of the organization’s responses to threats, is not articulated in the management literature. Thus, the research reported here is original and would seem to have value to the research community, the organization design community (as an organization’s control systems are an important component of its architecture), and the management community.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document