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Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Paul Stockton. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-72). Also available online.

Em resposta Ãs exigÃncias de um mercado cada vez mais competitivo, as empresas estÃo passando por processos de mudanÃas profundas como, por exemplo, novas tecnologias, nÃvel mais alto de qualidade, baixo custo, inovaÃÃes de produtos. Desses processos, em que se busca o aproveitamento e o domÃnio das oportunidades emergentes, depende a continuidade das organizaÃÃes. à nesse ambiente que as empresas buscam cada vez mais mÃtodos e tÃcnicas que possibilitem maximizar seu desempenho econÃmico. O presente estudo tem por objetivo analisar as funÃÃes da controladoria em empresas que se diferenciam pela formalizaÃÃo ou nÃo de uma unidade administrativa de controladoria em suas estruturas organizacionais. O estudo leva em conta a teoria da ContingÃncia, que preconiza que nÃo existem soluÃÃes Ãnicas para a resoluÃÃo de problemas organizacionais, pois a otimizaÃÃo da estrutura dependerà de fatores contingentes tais como a estratÃgia da organizaÃÃo, incerteza ambiental e tamanho, dentre outros. A pesquisa à de natureza descritiva e qualitativa, utilizando-se de pesquisas bibliogrÃficas e de campo, com a aplicaÃÃo de questionÃrio e roteiro de entrevista como instrumentos de coleta de dados primÃrios encaminhados aos gestores de quatro empresas, sendo duas com unidade administrativa controladoria em suas estruturas e duas empresas que nÃo possuem essa unidade formalmente estruturada. Trata-se, portanto, de um estudo de caso mÃltiplo. AlÃm da pesquisa de campo, fez-se uso de informaÃÃes coletadas em documentos das empesas. Para anÃlise dos dados aplicou-se a tÃcnica de anÃlise de conteÃdo, que compreende um conjunto de tÃcnicas de anÃlise das comunicaÃÃes visando obter, atravÃs de procedimentos sistemÃticos e objetivos de descriÃÃo do conteÃdo das mensagens, indicadores que permitam a inferÃncia de conhecimentos relativos a condiÃÃes de produÃÃo/recepÃÃo destas mensagens, no que se refere Ãs funÃÃes da controladoria e outros aspectos das empresas como, por exemplo, o perfil do profissional responsÃvel pelas funÃÃes da controladoria. Verificou-se que nas empresas pesquisadas hà a presenÃa das funÃÃes de controladoria, tanto nas empresas que possuem a Ãrea formalmente estruturada quanto nas empresas que nÃo apresentam a controladoria formalmente estruturada, confirmando-se o pressuposto da pesquisa. Levando em conta a teoria da contingÃncia, observou-se que o porte da empresa representa um nÃvel de complexidade organizacional que requer a realizaÃÃo de funÃÃes de controladoria de forma mais sistemÃtica a fim de que as metas da organizaÃÃo possam ser alcanÃadas. Percebeu-se que o termo artefato jà à conhecido e disseminado pelas organizaÃÃes, pois todas as empresas fazem uso de muitos dos artefatos mencionados na literatura, sendo o OrÃamento e o Planejamento tributÃrio os Ãnicos que sÃo utilizados por todas as empresas investigadas. Destaca-se nas quatro empresas pesquisadas, independente da existÃncia da unidade controladoria, que os gestores responsÃveis pelas funÃÃes da controladoria participam sempre das seguintes atribuiÃÃes: elaboraÃÃo de orÃamento e desenvolvimento de condiÃÃes para a realizaÃÃo da gestÃo econÃmica. Percebeu-se, portanto, que as empresas buscam adaptar-se as mudanÃas que ocorrem constantemente no ambiente externo, em que o grande desafio da controladoria ou da Ãrea que exerce suas funÃÃes à gerar informaÃÃes que atendam Ãs necessidades dos gestores para o processo de tomada de decisÃo, em especial alinhando-se com as necessidades de informaÃÃes requeridas pelos gestores no momento das decisÃes estratÃgicas

nÃo hà / A Internacional Federation of Accountants (IFAC) publicou o pronunciamento IMAP 1, reconhecendo quatro estÃgios evolutivos da Contabilidade Gerencial. Embora o estudo da IFAC (1998) tenha evidenciado que a Contabilidade Gerencial se encontra no quarto estÃgio, pesquisas apresentaram um baixo grau de implementaÃÃo de novas tÃcnicas de Contabilidade Gerencial nas empresas, e uma predominÃncia de uso de artefatos tradicionais em detrimento dos modernos. Nesta Ãtica, com o intuito de tentar compreender os motivos pelos quais hà esse distanciamento, à que pesquisas tÃm sido realizadas para identificar os fatores que influenciam o uso de artefatos de Contabilidade Gerencial. Acrescenta-se que grande parte destas pesquisas sÃo embasadas na teoria Contingencial e Institucional. Dessa forma, tomando como base essas duas teorias, a pesquisa objetiva analisar os fatores que influenciam a utilizaÃÃo de artefatos de Contabilidade Gerencial nas 100 maiores empresas cearenses segundo o PrÃmio Delmiro Gouveia. Para consecuÃÃo do objetivo geral, foram traÃados os seguintes objetivos especÃficos: (i) caracterizar a Ãrea responsÃvel pelas informaÃÃes contÃbil-gerenciais nas empresas; (ii) analisar os fatores contingenciais internos das organizaÃÃes, e (iii) identificar os artefatos tradicionais e modernos de Contabilidade Gerencial utilizados pelas empresas. Desta forma, trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, de natureza quantitativa, realizada mediante survey. Sendo os dados obtidos atravÃs de questionÃrio aplicado junto aos gestores da Ãrea responsÃvel pelas informaÃÃes contÃbil-gerenciais das 100 maiores empresas cearenses indicadas pelo PrÃmio Delmiro Gouveia, ano base 2011. Das quais 56 responderam, constituindo assim a amostra da pesquisa. Constatou-se que a Ãrea responsÃvel pelas informaÃÃes contÃbil-gerenciais nas empresas, em linhas gerais, denomina-se Controladoria, constitui-se em um departamento e exerce predominantemente as funÃÃes de avaliaÃÃo de desempenho financeiro, e auxilio nas decisÃes estratÃgicas e na elaboraÃÃo do planejamento. Destaca-se ainda que o uso de artefatos tradicionais prevalece em relaÃÃo aos modernos, embora essa diferenÃa tenha se apresentado bem menor do que o esperado. Adicionalmente, em relaÃÃo aos fatores contingenciais internos percebeu-se que: i) as empresas cearenses dÃo maior importÃncia Ãs estratÃgias de fornecer produtos ou serviÃos de alta qualidade e buscar eficiÃncia produtiva, ii) ainda centralizam muitas de suas decisÃes nas mÃos do presidente, e iii) hà necessidade de um maior desenvolvimento da tecnologia da informaÃÃo. Por fim, concluiu-se que a tecnologia e a funÃÃo influenciaram o uso de artefatos tradicionais, bem como a estratÃgia, influenciou a utilizaÃÃo de artefatos tracionais e modernos, confirmando as duas hipÃteses principais da pesquisa: H1: Os fatores contingenciais internos influenciam a utilizaÃÃo de artefatos de Contabilidade Gerencial nas empresas cearenses; e, H2: A funÃÃo da Ãrea responsÃvel pelas informaÃÃes contÃbil-gerenciais influencia a utilizaÃÃo de Contabilidade Gerencial nas empresas cearenses. / The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has published the first IMAP statement, recognizing four evolutionary stages of management accounting. Although the study of IFAC (1998) has shown that the Managerial Accounting is in the fourth stage, research showed a low level of implementation of new management accounting techniques in business, and a predominance of use of traditional artifacts at the expense of the moderns. In this light, in order to try to understand the reasons for this gap is that research has been conducted to identify the factors that influence the use of management accounting artifacts. It adds that much of this research is based in the Contingency and Institutional theory. Thus, based on these two theories, the research aims to analyze the factors influencing the use of management accounting artifacts in the 100 largest companies Cearà according to the Delmiro Gouveia Award. To achieve the overall goal, the following specific objectives were outlined: (i) characterize the area responsible for the accounting and management information in the companies; (ii) review internal contingency factors of organizations, and (iii) identify traditional artifacts and modern management accounting used by businesses. In this way, it is a descriptive research, quantitative, conducted by survey. The data were obtained by questionnaire addressed to area managers responsible for the accounting and management information of the 100 largest companies appointed by the Cearà Award Delmiro Gouveia, base year 2011. Of which 56 responded, constituting the research sample. It was found that the area responsible for the accounting and management information in business in general, is called Controlling, is in a department and predominantly carries out financial performance assessment tasks, and aid in strategic decisions and preparing planning. It also highlights that the use of traditional artifacts prevails in relation to modern, although this difference has been performing much lower than expected. Additionally, in relation to internal contingency factors it was noted that: i) the Cearà companies give more importance to strategies to provide products or services of high quality and pursue productive efficiency, ii) further centralize many of its decisions in the hands of the president, and iii) there is a need for further development of information technology. Finally, it was concluded that the technology and function influenced the use of traditional articles, as well as the strategy influenced the use of tractional and modern artifacts, confirming the two main hypotheses results: H1: Internal contingent factors influencing the use Managerial Accounting artifacts in Cearà companies; and H2: The function of the area responsible for the accounting and management information influences the use of Managerial Accounting in Cearà companies.

Abstract Small businesses are numerous in any country. However, we have very limited knowledge regarding their management accounting (MA) and management control systems (MCS). Traditionally, it has been stated that small firms do not need and use MCS due to their simple structures and poor resources. On the other hand, a few studies on high technology firms have shown that these firms have developed their MCS and are also utilizing sophisticated management accounting practices and information. The aim of this study is to analyse small firms' use of MCS practices as well as to examine the role of MCS practices and information of small firms in a contingency theoretical framework. Furthermore, the study is not only focusing on small, rapidly growing firms but also on traditional, more stable small firms, all employing from 10 to 49 persons. Based on the survey responses of 183 managing directors of small Finnish firms, the study describes the diffusion and penetration of MCS practices and information among small firms. Two theoretical models are constructed linking the use of MCS with strategy, perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU), use of diversified management team and financial performance of small firms. Tests are made by using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggest that small firms do use a wide range of MCS practices and information. The main results also indicate that the use of a more diversified management team seems to increase the use of MCS practices and information. The use of more advanced practices is related to small firms which have been more profitable or which have had lower growth rates in sales. In addition, the use of MCS seems to be associated with small firms' strategies, both realized and intended. The pursued strategy seems to drive small firms' profitability and growth in net sales. However, such an association was not found between the intended strategy and financial performance after two years. The use of MCS seems to have only a few positive effects on small firm's financial performance. Nevertheless, more use of advanced dimensions of MCS seems to predict significant improvements for longer-term growth in net sales.

Entrepreneurship has been argued to be a key driver of the economy by creating jobs, turning inventions to innovations, and also improving the overall standard of life. A firm’s entrepreneurial orientation (EO) indicates the degree to which a firm is entrepreneurial. However, there are several different approaches to conceptualizing the EO concept and its sub-dimensions, frequently described as innovativeness, risk taking, and proactiveness. The role of the sub-dimensions is not quite clear in the EO literature. Furthermore, many studies claim that firms can increase their performance simply by increasing their EO, while this thesis draws upon contingency theory to argue that EO needs to be aligned with—‘fit’ the internal and external context, if the firm is to perform well. Thus, this thesis aims to advance the conceptualization of EO by problematizing the core construct and also discussing how EO can fit with context. The thesis consists of four papers in which the EO concept is elaborated on and contingency theory is applied to construct conceptual models of the interaction between EO and different contexts, which are also empirically investigated. Furthermore, the sub-dimensions of EO are discussed in terms of their meanings and measurement to point out their individual impact on the EO. The overall findings indicate that EO is not as simple a concept as often portrayed in the EO literature. Rather, EO is more complex in the ways that it can fit with internal and external context and, on these bases, it is suggested that ideal types of EO and context is a way forward for research in the area. Additionally, it is argued that EO as a theoretical construct may not only be conceptualized as an overall entrepreneurial attribute (which is common in the extant literature), but also as a complex and granular attribute.

Abstract This dissertation aims to provide an extensive picture of management accounting systems and explore the relationships between management accounting systems, strategy, information technology, manufacturing technology and organizational performance. The dissertation consists of four essays. The first essay focuses on the adoption and benefits of management accounting practices, whereas the second essay studies the relations between customer-focused strategy, performance measurement techniques, information technology and their link to customer performance. The third essay studies the relations between manufacturing technology, information technology, strategy and organizational performance. The fourth essay, in turn, studies the management accounting systems and their relations to strategy and information technology. The first three essays employ the survey method while the last essay employs the case method. The framework used in this dissertation is the contingency theory. The results indicate that financial performance measures will be important in the future and that greater emphasis will be placed on contemporary management accounting practices such as customer satisfaction surveys and employee attitudes. Also, the relative benefits from the previous three years and the future emphasis in the next three years are generally greater when the size of the firm increases. The results show that there is a significant association between customer performance and the three-way interaction involving customer-focused strategy, contemporary performance measures and advanced information technology. The proposed three-way interaction between financial performance measures, customer-focused strategy and advanced information technology is not supported at conventional levels of statistical significance indicating that financial measures are not important in the model. The results also indicate that contemporary performance measures do not help highly customer-focused firms to achieve customer performance. For firms with a low customer-focus, emphasizing contemporary performance measures and advanced information technology assists in enhancing customer performance. The results also suggest that manufacturing technology and information technology together help firms to improve their organizational performance regardless of their emphasis on differentiation strategy.

The research problem in this study was to identify best practices for the contingency management of health-related absenteeism. To achieve this goal, the following actions were taken: A literature study was conducted to identify the scope and impact of health-related absenteeism on organisations and the legal parameters within which health-related absenteeism should be managed. A literature study was also conducted to identify strategies to prevent and reduce health-related absenteeism and strategies to ensure the continuous provision of products and services in periods of high absenteeism. The theoretical study focused on the management of absenteeism, wellness, ill-health/mental problems and HIV/AIDS, as well as contingency strategies aimed at maintaining production and service provision. iii The findings from the literature study were integrated into a model of best practices for the contingency management of health-related absenteeism. This model was used as a basis for the development of a survey questionnaire to determine whether senior human resources practitioners, occupational health practitioners or line managers, who were responsible for the management of health-related absenteeism in organisations, agreed with the best practice guidelines developed in the study. The survey was conducted in the motor and motor component industry in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Buffalo City Metropole. The empirical results from the study showed a strong concurrence with the best practices guidelines developed in the study, with the exception of the strategies aimed at maintaining undisrupted production and service provision during periods of high absenteeism. In particular, disagreement was shown with regard to alternative work arrangements such as flexible work-hours, a compressed workweek, telecommuting and job-sharing. Absenteeism, in general, is an issue that organisations are challenged with on a daily basis. The proliferation of various diseases, specifically HIV/AIDS, is contributing to this problem. An integrated and strategic approach is required to deal effectively and constructively with the immediate and expected future impact of health-related issues on absenteeism. Organisations could use the best practices guidelines, identified in this study, as a mechanism to benchmark how well they manage health-related absenteeism

Date: 2022-06-01 Level: Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Rahaf Alkhadra  & Jessika Melander  Title: Organisational Change in The Pervasive Digitalization Era Supervisor: Konstantin Lampou Research question: How is digital transformation as an organizational change implemented in organizations and how is it perceived by the individuals within the organization? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic digital changes within organizations, by investigating the process of implementing digital transformation and how it impacts organizational structure on both organizational and individual levels. Therefore, the practice of digital transformation, in which it is manifested as individuals’ perceptions of the change process will be pursued to better equip the notion of contemporary organizations when addressing organizational change. Method: Since the goal is to interpret a pervasive phenomenon, an abductive approach along with a qualitative design were followed to enable an accurate clarification of the subject. The data has been collected from 16 participants through semi-structured interviews with different organizations. Conclusion: The implementation process of DT contains three main phases (sensing, sizing, and transforming), where the transforming phase is where individuals’ perceptions can be comprehended since it is the key element of ensuring the goals of digitalization. Also, the duality of individuals’ perceptions manifested in the reasoning and sensemaking of the change and not in the digitalization per se.  Keywords: Organizational change, digitalization, digital transformation, contingency theory, individuals perceptions.