The aim of this study is to investigate how companies within different industries that use budgets perceive the critique that has been raised against it. As such, this study explores whether the companies find the critique valid and if so, whether and how they have managed to cope with the problems that the budget has been argued to entail. Additionally, this study explores the potential impact that the external and internal context of the budget may have on these perceptions. Utilizing on a qualitative case study research design, our findings indicate that the relevance of the critique is contextually contingent with regards to both the external and the internal environment of a company. Consequently, the likelihood for the alleged problems of the budget to appear is greater when the alignment between a company’s external and internal environment and the employed budget purpose is poor, and/or when the budget’s cohesiveness with other management control systems within a certain management control system-package is deficient. Thus, in contrast to the critics, we argue that budgets should not be seen as a static and stand-alone practice as it evidently constitute a multifaceted and contingent practice.

För att skapa en hållbar utveckling behöver alla aktörer i samhället arbeta tillsammans. Ekonomistyrning kan hjälpa företag att mäta och följa upp prestationer i syfte att kontrollera att de når uppsatta mål. Hållbarhet kan definieras på olika sätt, vilket kan försvåra arbetet med styrning av hållbarhet i företag. Tidigare forskning har nästan enbart fokuserat på stora företag trots att majoriteten av alla företag i EU är små och medelstora företag. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur småföretag arbetar med hållbarhet och vilken roll ekonomistyrning har i detta arbete. Då det finns en begränsad mängd forskning om småföretag och hållbarhet syftar även studien till att bidra med nya insikter om hur småföretag kan gå tillväga för att bli mer hållbara, samt vilka hinder de möter under arbetet med hållbarhet. Till studien genomfördes fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med småföretag i syfte att undersöka hur småföretag arbetar med ekonomistyrning för att uppnå långsiktiga hållbarhetsmål. De fyra fallföretagen arbetar med hållbarhet, har maximalt 50 anställda och verkar inom olika branscher. Med grund i Malmi och Browns (2008) modell för Management Control Systems identifierades och analyserades vilka styrsystem som förekommer vid arbete med hållbarhet i småföretag. Studien visar att småföretag saknar tillräckliga resurser för att kunna göra ett formellt och systematiskt styrningsarbete. Detta är en av anledningarna till att småföretag väljer att arbeta löpande med hållbarhet. Många småföretag har endast en ägare eller är familjeägda, vilket gör att ägarens definition till hållbarhet är avgörande för hur företaget arbetar med hållbarhet. Det är således även ägarens kompetens som påverkar graden av formaliserade ekonomistyrningssystem i företaget. / Most of the research on sustainability and Management Control Systems is based on large businesses even though the majority of all companies in the European Union are small and medium sized businesses. Small businesses can make a big impact on the current climate crisis, but since sustainability can be a complex issue and more advanced management in small business is limited, working towards sustainable development in small business could be a challenge. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to study how small businesses work to be more sustainable using Management Control Systems. For data collection, interviews were conducted in four small businesses who work with sustainability. The study finds that it can be hard for small businesses to work with sustainability due to lack of resources, which makes the use of Management Control Systems more informal and value based.

Management accounting research is substantially focused on the area of management control, where the concept of management control systems is used. A vivid debate among academics is held whether management accounting research is not excessively focused on management control field while decision making information support tends to be rather neglected. The aim of the thesis is to assess the contribution of the concept of management control system, its progressive potential and value added from the point of view of management accounting. In the first part, the thesis is concerned with theoretical background of management control systems and the potential of prevailing theories to conceptualize an effective management control system. In the second part, the thesis focuses on contentual analysis of the concept of management control system. Relation between management accounting and management control system is examined in particular. The thesis assesses the contribution of the concept of management control system and its progressive potential derived from the ability of this concept to describe relevant facts and links in a more suitable way, concluding that the concept of management control system is advantageous in researching the control systems of companies and their information support, because certain aspects of this concept enables to understand to researched issues at a higher qualitative level.

Esta tese investigou como a prática da folga organizacional auxilia no alcance dos objetivos financeiros e não financeiros de uma empresa familiar privada. A folga organizacional foi definida na pesquisa como a disponibilidade de recursos a um nível mais elevado do que o estritamente necessário para a operação da organização (Cyert & March, 1963; Onsi, 1973 Danneels, 2008), decorrente das experiências passadas e expectativas futuras dos sujeitos que precisam tomar decisões em determinado contexto social (Nazarova, 2014). As particularidades da empresa familiar compreenderam a essência e a importância da riqueza socioemocional da família nesse tipo de organização; sumarizadas em termos da necessidade de exercer influência e controle na gestão da empresa, envolvimento direto nas decisões estratégicas e operacionais da organização e intenção de continuidade do negócio sob o controle da família (Chua et al., 1999; Gomez-Mejia Haynes, Núñez-Nickel, Jacobson & Moyano-Fuentes, 2007; Berrone, Cruz & Gomez-Mejia, 2012; Chrisman, Chua, Pearson, & Barnett, 2012). Desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, sob abordagem interpretativista, por meio da condução de um estudo de caso. A empresa selecionada possui 36 anos de história, está na segunda geração da família e contempla uma estrutura, porte e complexidade demandados para a investigação da folga organizacional. Os dados da pesquisa são provenientes de 35 entrevistas, documentos disponibilizados pela organização, bem como de notas de campo provenientes da observação de estruturas, procedimentos e comportamentos durante os seis meses de contato com o campo. Utilizou-se a técnica de análise do discurso para realizar a descrição e explicação do fenômeno investigado por meio do (i) entendimento do que permeia a organização, (ii) o recorte de fragmentos de diferentes sujeitos, momentos e situações que retratam o fenômeno investigado e (iii) a discussão dos achados com base nas inferências da pesquisa e literatura anterior. O estudo permitiu o entendimento de que a folga organizacional não representa necessariamente um comportamento disfuncional dos sujeitos, ou um problema em termos de desempenho na organização. Pelo contrário, a prática, dentro dos limites considerados aceitáveis pela família proprietária da empresa, é vista como uma alternativa em decisões com alto nível de insegurança ou incerteza, além de estratégica no sentido de preparar e estruturar a organização para o longo prazo. Dentre as contribuições da pesquisa, destacam-se as discussões sobre (i) a perspectiva positiva da folga organizacional, (ii) a autoridade da família na empresa que legitima a prática da folga e define suas delimitações, (iii) a inquietação na organização está na intensidade, na natureza dos recursos, no momento e na forma com que a folga é praticada, e não em sua existência ou não no modelo de gestão, (iv) o reconhecimento da importância de se tratar o tema da folga sob uma perspectiva holística do sistema de controle gerencial, e (v) o benefício de um olhar temporal mais alongado do modelo de gestão que valoriza, além dos aspectos financeiros, o envolvimento emocional e afetivo dos membros da família e dos funcionários em relação à organização. / This dissertation investigated how the organizational slack practice supports a private family business to achieve its financial and non-financial goals. Organizational slack is defined in this research as an availability of resources at a higher level than is strictly necessary to the organization\'s operations (Cyert & March, 1963, Onsi, 1973, Danneels, 2008). Organization slack stems from experiences and future expectations of individuals who need to make decisions in a given social context (Nazarova, 2014). The study took the essence and the socioemotional wealth lens to look at the particularities of the family business. Theses frameworks are summarized in terms of need to exert influence and control over management, the direct involvement in the strategic and operational decisions of the organization, and the intention of business continuity under family control (Chua et al., 1999, Gomez-Mejia, Haynes, Núñez-Nickel, Jacobson, & Moyano-Fuentes, 2007, Berrone, Cruz & Gomez-Mejia, 2012, Chrisman, Chua, Pearson, & Barnett, 2012). A qualitative research was developed through an interpretative approach and conduction of a case study. The selected company has 36 years of history, is in the second generation of the family and contemplates a structure, and complexity required for an investigation about organizational slack. The data were obtained from 35 interviews, internal documents of the organization and the observation of structures, procedures and behaviors during the six months that the researcher was involved in the field. The research used the discourse analysis technique to perform a description and explanation of the investigated phenomenon through (i) understanding what permeates the organization, (ii) take out fragments of different subjects, moments and situations that presents the phenomenon investigated and (iii) discussion of the research findings based on the inferences and previous literature. This study discusses that the organizational slack does not necessarily represents a dysfunctional behavior of organizational subjects, or a problem in terms of performance in the organization. Contrarily, the practice of slack within the limits that are acceptable by the business family owners is seen as an alternative in decisions that involves a high level of insecurity or uncertainty, as well as a meaningless strategy to prepare and structure the organization for the long term. The contributions of the research are highlighted in the discussions related to (i) the positive perspective of the organizational slack, (ii) the family authority in the company which legitimizes the practice of slack and defines its delimitations, (iii) the concern in the organization about the intensity, nature of the resources, moment and form with which the slack is practiced, and not in its existence or not in the management model, (iv) the recognition of the importance of dealing with the issue of slack under a holistic perspective of the management control system, and (v) the benefit of a more extended temporal view at the management model that values, in addition to financial aspects, the emotional and affective involvement of family members and employees with the organization.

Esta tese investigou como a prática da folga organizacional auxilia no alcance dos objetivos financeiros e não financeiros de uma empresa familiar privada. A folga organizacional foi definida na pesquisa como a disponibilidade de recursos a um nível mais elevado do que o estritamente necessário para a operação da organização (Cyert & March, 1963; Onsi, 1973 Danneels, 2008), decorrente das experiências passadas e expectativas futuras dos sujeitos que precisam tomar decisões em determinado contexto social (Nazarova, 2014). As particularidades da empresa familiar compreenderam a essência e a importância da riqueza socioemocional da família nesse tipo de organização; sumarizadas em termos da necessidade de exercer influência e controle na gestão da empresa, envolvimento direto nas decisões estratégicas e operacionais da organização e intenção de continuidade do negócio sob o controle da família (Chua et al., 1999; Gomez-Mejia Haynes, Núñez-Nickel, Jacobson & Moyano-Fuentes, 2007; Berrone, Cruz & Gomez-Mejia, 2012; Chrisman, Chua, Pearson, & Barnett, 2012). Desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, sob abordagem interpretativista, por meio da condução de um estudo de caso. A empresa selecionada possui 36 anos de história, está na segunda geração da família e contempla uma estrutura, porte e complexidade demandados para a investigação da folga organizacional. Os dados da pesquisa são provenientes de 35 entrevistas, documentos disponibilizados pela organização, bem como de notas de campo provenientes da observação de estruturas, procedimentos e comportamentos durante os seis meses de contato com o campo. Utilizou-se a técnica de análise do discurso para realizar a descrição e explicação do fenômeno investigado por meio do (i) entendimento do que permeia a organização, (ii) o recorte de fragmentos de diferentes sujeitos, momentos e situações que retratam o fenômeno investigado e (iii) a discussão dos achados com base nas inferências da pesquisa e literatura anterior. O estudo permitiu o entendimento de que a folga organizacional não representa necessariamente um comportamento disfuncional dos sujeitos, ou um problema em termos de desempenho na organização. Pelo contrário, a prática, dentro dos limites considerados aceitáveis pela família proprietária da empresa, é vista como uma alternativa em decisões com alto nível de insegurança ou incerteza, além de estratégica no sentido de preparar e estruturar a organização para o longo prazo. Dentre as contribuições da pesquisa, destacam-se as discussões sobre (i) a perspectiva positiva da folga organizacional, (ii) a autoridade da família na empresa que legitima a prática da folga e define suas delimitações, (iii) a inquietação na organização está na intensidade, na natureza dos recursos, no momento e na forma com que a folga é praticada, e não em sua existência ou não no modelo de gestão, (iv) o reconhecimento da importância de se tratar o tema da folga sob uma perspectiva holística do sistema de controle gerencial, e (v) o benefício de um olhar temporal mais alongado do modelo de gestão que valoriza, além dos aspectos financeiros, o envolvimento emocional e afetivo dos membros da família e dos funcionários em relação à organização. / This dissertation investigated how the organizational slack practice supports a private family business to achieve its financial and non-financial goals. Organizational slack is defined in this research as an availability of resources at a higher level than is strictly necessary to the organization\'s operations (Cyert & March, 1963, Onsi, 1973, Danneels, 2008). Organization slack stems from experiences and future expectations of individuals who need to make decisions in a given social context (Nazarova, 2014). The study took the essence and the socioemotional wealth lens to look at the particularities of the family business. Theses frameworks are summarized in terms of need to exert influence and control over management, the direct involvement in the strategic and operational decisions of the organization, and the intention of business continuity under family control (Chua et al., 1999, Gomez-Mejia, Haynes, Núñez-Nickel, Jacobson, & Moyano-Fuentes, 2007, Berrone, Cruz & Gomez-Mejia, 2012, Chrisman, Chua, Pearson, & Barnett, 2012). A qualitative research was developed through an interpretative approach and conduction of a case study. The selected company has 36 years of history, is in the second generation of the family and contemplates a structure, and complexity required for an investigation about organizational slack. The data were obtained from 35 interviews, internal documents of the organization and the observation of structures, procedures and behaviors during the six months that the researcher was involved in the field. The research used the discourse analysis technique to perform a description and explanation of the investigated phenomenon through (i) understanding what permeates the organization, (ii) take out fragments of different subjects, moments and situations that presents the phenomenon investigated and (iii) discussion of the research findings based on the inferences and previous literature. This study discusses that the organizational slack does not necessarily represents a dysfunctional behavior of organizational subjects, or a problem in terms of performance in the organization. Contrarily, the practice of slack within the limits that are acceptable by the business family owners is seen as an alternative in decisions that involves a high level of insecurity or uncertainty, as well as a meaningless strategy to prepare and structure the organization for the long term. The contributions of the research are highlighted in the discussions related to (i) the positive perspective of the organizational slack, (ii) the family authority in the company which legitimizes the practice of slack and defines its delimitations, (iii) the concern in the organization about the intensity, nature of the resources, moment and form with which the slack is practiced, and not in its existence or not in the management model, (iv) the recognition of the importance of dealing with the issue of slack under a holistic perspective of the management control system, and (v) the benefit of a more extended temporal view at the management model that values, in addition to financial aspects, the emotional and affective involvement of family members and employees with the organization.

This thesis provides an attempt to better understand the design and operation of accounting control systems as part of an interrelated control package in an Australian higher education institution subject to an increasingly competitive environment. The study was designed: (1) to understand how and why the accounting control systems changed; (2) to understand how accounting shapes and can be shaped by other institutional processes; and (3) to understand the roles accounting control systems play in higher education institutions. The research aims and objectives lend to a longitudinal case study approach. The data collection consisted of two phases: (1) a pilot study to determine issues for the intensive study and to identify or develop a suitable theoretical framework; and (2) an intensive field study of the subject organisation to develop and explain the observations. Data collection involved a triangulation approach that mixes three sources: interview, observation, and document evidence over a two-year period between 2000 and 2002. The interviewees were selected from different hierarchical levels: Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Deans, Heads of School, general staff, and Education Queensland. This thesis draws on multiple theoretical perspectives to understand the complexities of accounting control systems change. These perspectives are: institutional theory, leadership theories, political and power theories, and resistance theories. Such an emergent research strategy was deemed pertinent to build a more holistic analysis and to offer alternative explanations of the phenomena under scrutiny. The case highlights a number of findings. First, despite the suggestion that universities operate as autonomous institutions, the University studied still succumbed to external pressures, especially from the Federal Government, for a more managerialist approach. In this study Federal Government pressures were the primary source of change identified. Second, the design and operation of the accounting control systems was found to be contingent on the related control systems and vice versa. Third, the accounting control systems played several roles in the organisation. In particular, they provided visibility to external constituents giving the impression that rational techniques had been employed consistent with Government prescriptions. This was the case for both the budget system and the performance management system. In addition to this, from an internal perspective, the budget was used to promote a sense of equity and fairness, at the same time reducing conflict in the organisation. Finally, the budget system was found to be a source of power in the organisation; it determined the level of control used to direct organisational activity. Implications for future research are presented in the concluding section.

<p>Background: Different forms of reward systems have been more common in Sweden and are used in purpose to motivate employees to work in accordance with a company’s goals. By creating work motivation among the employees, a more congruent situation can appear between them and the managers, and the company can perform better results. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose with this thesis is to study and analyse a reward system from the employees perspective, regarding it’s affect on work motivation. </p><p>Demarcation: Salary and reward are two different kinds of incitement and we will only focus on rewards that are received beyond the ordinary salary. We will also demarcate the thesis to focus on bonussystem as a form of reward system. </p><p>Research method: We have carried out interviews with a person who represent the trade union and with three employees who represent the three different departments at the company. Interviews have also been made with the person who is responsible for the company’s reward system at Östgöta Brandstodsbolag. </p><p>Result: The study shows that a reward system founds to be very positive among employees, due to that it is an extra compensation that can be received beyond the salary. A reward system is motivating when the employee gives the opportunity to influence the goals and measures. Communication is also of great importance to cause work motivation among employees.</p>

<p>Background: All companies and organizations use some kind of management control. A reward system is an example of a management control system, which is used to accomplish congruence between the goals of the employees and the goals of the organization. It is also used in order to motivate the employees and to encourage them to stay within the organization. Today it is difficult for companies and organizations to create and maintain well-functioning reward systems. At many universities individual pay is used as a means of a control system in order to motivate the employees. The public sector has specific characteristics that complicate its pay systems. This affects universities since they are a part of the public sector. </p><p>Purpose: The purpose is to investigate if the individual pay used at universities results in expected effects, that is, if it motivates professors in their work. The purpose is also to explain why professors are motivated/not motivated by individual pay. </p><p>Research method: The material has been gathered by interviews with eight professors at the University of Linköping. </p><p>Conclusion: It is difficult to use individual pay in order to motivate university professors in their work. Professors rather seem to be motivated by non-material rewards than by material such. In addition, individual pay systems can have defects that lessen the possibility of motivating professors. However, if professors have the tendency to be motivated</p>

<p>Bakgrund: Utvecklingen inom redovisningssystem går mot att använda alltfler kompletterande icke finansiella styrmått. Genom att koppla ihop det tankar som finns inom Balanced Scorecard konceptet med ett värdekedjetänkande som finns inom Supply Chain Management kan en horisontell styrning skapas.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och förklara hur företag kan utveckla lönsamhetsrelaterade mått för kompetens och prestationer samt att ge förslag på en process- och värdekedjeanpassning av Balanced Scorecard modellen.Avgränsningar: Uppsatsen behandlas utifrån Balanced Scorecard och Supply Chain Management teorin där fokusering framför allt sker på måttframtagningen. De personer som intervjuats är verksamma inom Svedala Industri i Sverige, Tyskland och Frankrike. </p><p>Genomförande: Uppsatsen bedrevs som en fallstudie där intervjuerna skedde på med personer på divisionsnivå, marknadsnivå samt försäljarnivå med återkommande intervjuer vid behov. Intervjuresultaten användes för att testa den egna modellen i verkligheten.</p><p>Resultat: Uppsatsen visar att incitament föreligger för användning av kompletterande styrnyckeltal för att förbättra företaget. Vidare har vi fått stöd för vår utvecklade modell där värdekedjans fördel med ett flödestänkande kombineras med balanserade styrnyckeltals förmåga ge en bra inblick i företag.</p>

Background: Different forms of reward systems have been more common in Sweden and are used in purpose to motivate employees to work in accordance with a company’s goals. By creating work motivation among the employees, a more congruent situation can appear between them and the managers, and the company can perform better results. Purpose: The purpose with this thesis is to study and analyse a reward system from the employees perspective, regarding it’s affect on work motivation. Demarcation: Salary and reward are two different kinds of incitement and we will only focus on rewards that are received beyond the ordinary salary. We will also demarcate the thesis to focus on bonussystem as a form of reward system. Research method: We have carried out interviews with a person who represent the trade union and with three employees who represent the three different departments at the company. Interviews have also been made with the person who is responsible for the company’s reward system at Östgöta Brandstodsbolag. Result: The study shows that a reward system founds to be very positive among employees, due to that it is an extra compensation that can be received beyond the salary. A reward system is motivating when the employee gives the opportunity to influence the goals and measures. Communication is also of great importance to cause work motivation among employees.