Achieving Business Excellence Prize: The Case Of Trimo Trebnje d.d.

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a global realization of the strategic importance of quality, and many countries established programmes to recognize quality and excellence. Companies pursuing an excellence strategy soon recognized that the award frameworks offered more than just a vehicle for recognition. The frameworks were seen to be best-practice models for implementing excellence strategies, performing self-assessments, benchmarking and, ultimately, delivering improved performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we present the business excellence from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence model point of view. Second, we describe how employee results, customer results, and favourable society results are achieved through leadership driving policy and strategy, people, partnerships and resources, and processes, which ultimately lead to excellence in key performance results in a manufacturing company that won the 2002 Slovene National Quality Award based on the EFQM Excellence model

Pomen obvladovanja stroškov v javnem sektorju

Vprašanja obvladovanja stroškov in nadziranja poslovanja so vse aktualnejša tudi v slovenskih organizacijah javnega sektorja. Organizacije, ki so najbolj napredovale na tem področju, uvajajo v svoje poslovanje menedžerska orodja, ki prispevajo k obvladovanju stroškov in ki so se najprej uveljavila v proizvodnem sektorju. Prispevek se ukvarja z vprašanji obvladovanja stroškov v javnem sektorju. Namen prispevka je predstaviti obvladovanje stroškov in njegov pomen za uspešno delovanje vseh podjetij in drugih organizacij, s posebnim poudarkom na organizacijah javnega sektorja, v katerih se vse bolj uveljavljajo načela in pristopi, ki so sicer značilni za podjetja v zasebnem sektorju. Poleg tega v prispevku predstavljamo uporabo sodobnih menedžerskih orodij, ki prispevajo k obvladovanju stroškov v slovenskih podjetjih, ter na podlagi rezultatov empirične raziskave analiziramo vpliv njihove uporabe na uspešnost podjetij

The Importance Of Performance Management Tools Usage For Surviving The Economic Crisis

The main objective of our research is to explore how using performance management (PM) tools impact the exit hazard of firms by considering a sample of Slovenian firms during the recent economic crisis. The paper finds that, when firm and industry characteristics are not accounted for, the firms that used PM tools in 2007 experienced around a 6 percentage points lower hazard of shutting down during the current economic crisis. Further, our study supports the view that firm size and age are more important determinants of a firms survival probability than the influence of using PM tools (and other firm characteristics) due to a strong and significant correlation between the use of PM tools and firm size and age

PRIKAZ MENADŽERSKIH ALATA KORIŠTENIH U MENADŽMENTU TROŠKOVA U SLOVENSKIM TVRTKAMA

Global competitive pressures have made companies focus increasingly on the cost management that has always been a basic component of any successful business strategy. Consequently, many companies are now adopting new cost management philosophies and techniques (in the paper referred to as “contemporary cost management concepts “ and abbreviated as “CCMCs “), and shifting away from traditional cost accounting techniques. The purpose of the paper is to emphasize the importance of the use of CCMCs in companies facing the rapidly changing business environment, in particular companies in transitional economies. The paper provides final results of an extensive research conducted in 264 Slovenian companies. This research aimed to answer whether there is a common understanding and using of CCMCs among Slovenian companies, whether there is relationship between size of the company and use of CCMCs, and whether the use of CCMCs affects the performance of companies.Globalni pritisci konkurencije prisiljavaju tvrtke da se sve više usredotočuju na menadžment troškova koji je oduvijek bio temeljna sastavnica uspješne poslovne strategije. Kao rezultat toga, veliki broj tvrtki primjenjuje novu filozofiju i tehnike upravljanja troškovima (u ovome se članku koristi skraćenica CCMS u značenju “suvremene koncepcije menadžmenta troškova”) i napušta tradicionalne tehnike računa troškova. Svrha ovog članka jest istaknuti značaj uporabe CCMS u tvrtkama koje su suočene s brzim promjenama poslovnog okruženja, osobito u tvrtkama u tranzicijskim gospodarstvima. Članak daje rezultate temeljene na opsežnom istraživanju provedenom u 264 slovenskih tvrtki. Ovo istraživanje imalo je za cilj utvrditi da li u slovenskim tvrtkama postoji temeljno razumijevanje i korištenje CCMS-a i postoji li veza između veličine tvrke i uporabe CCMS-a, te na koji način uporaba CCMS-a utječe na uspješnost poslovanja tvrtk

Performance Measurement In Large Slovenian Companies: An Assessment Of Progress

The prevailing literature and empirical studies on management of organizational performance stress the increasing importance of non-financial performance measures and propose companies to implement some kind of integrated performance measurement system. The purpose of our study is to investigate the characteristics of performance measurement and management in large Slovenian companies, focusing also on the progress made in the 5-year period. The analysis is based on two surveys conducted in the spring 2003 and summer of 2008. We investigate what do companies understand by “successful performance”, what are the most and the least important performance measures for companies, and what performance measurement systems do companies use. By answering these questions we discuss the impact of our results on the future development and growth of firms. The research results show that large Slovenian companies consider “successful performance” mostly in terms of implementing the strategy, followed by pursuing the goals of the owners and achieving the goals of different stakeholders. Most large Slovenian companies perceive financial performance measures as more important than non-financial, although they claim they measure both perspectives of their business. Our research results also suggest that 68% of large Slovenian companies in our sample use balance scorecard or some other integrated performance measurement system. These findings are generally in line with the existing theory and empirical evidence from other countries. Our main conclusion is that the prevailing role of financial key performance indicators in large Slovenian companies is appropriate for monitoring the effects of the current financial crisis but if companies want to succeed in the long-run they have to base their decisions also on non-financial measures that enable monitoring of many important capabilities for achieving long-term strategic goals

Determinants Of Integrated Performance Measurement Systems Usage: An Empirical Study

Performance management literature has been advocating the balanced use of non-financial measures alongside traditional financial measures, possibly within integrated performance measurement systems, since the early 1990’s. The purpose of this paper is to explore how contextual factors (such as company size, industry, and market position), business objectives and knowledge about contemporary management tools influence the decision to implement Balanced Scorecard or similar integrated performance management systems. We tested our research propositions regarding the influence of these factors by using survey data and a logistic regression model. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2008 on a sample of 323 Slovenian companies. The sample consists of large, medium, and small firms from different industrial sectors, including manufacturing and service. Overall, our results confirm contextual factors, such as company size and industry, and knowledge about management tools as most important determinants of integrated performance measurement systems usage. Although market position and business objectives also receive some support for their influence, the results are generally weaker and more ambiguous

How accreditation stimulates business school change: evidence from the Commonwealth of independent states

There is scarce or almost non-existing research on changes that take place in business schools in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Changes in CIS business schools (B-schools) are influenced by different external factors (e.g. socioeconomic system, market forces, financial crisis, demographic problems, changes in policies of higher education; influence of the Bologna process). On the other hand, B-schools in the CIS need to make internal changes to gain the external accreditation. We look into the nature of change processes taking place in CIS B-schools, observing them through the prism of ongoing external accreditation processes. The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of the accreditation process on CIS B-school changes. We used a comparative analysis based on the study of 22 Bschools from four countries (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan). We discovered that these changes refer to introducing more strict entrance requirements, strengthening financial resources, and improving efforts to reach the accreditation standards. Moreover, schools have to review their mission, decrease their student-to-faculty ratio, introduce measurement metrics for learning goals, and internationalise their programs. The advanced B-schools in Russia and Kazakhstan usually start with an international programme accreditation, and then move to an institutional one. The trend has begun spreading to schools from non-Bologna countries like Belarus, but it is still a long-time agenda item for Kyrgyzstan

Vpliv vzajemnega delovanja managerskih sistemov nadzora in strategije na obvladovanje uspešnosti poslovanja

We study the interaction between management control systems and strategy its impact on organisational performance considering the way in which multiple aspects of control systems and dimensions of context combine in a variety of ways to enhance performance. Our purpose is to investigate the relationship among management control systems, strategy and organisational performance in a particular company. The contribution of this study is that it upgrades the existing theory in that it does not only establish a relationship between strategy and management control systems, but also considers how this relationships impacts on organisational performance. The study shows that the combination of performance-driven behaviour and regular use of management control systems leads to improved results. The second contribution of the study is that it incorporates a wider range of controls, including informal controls as being equally important as formal controls, to provide a more comprehensive analysis, as opposed to the majority of prior studies focusing on a more limited range of controls. In this way, this paper contributes to the literature in terms of examination of the broader components of management control systems than was previously done.V prispevku proučujemo medsebojno delovanje managerskih sistemov nadzora in strategije ter njegov vpliv na uspešnost poslovanja. Naš namen je raziskati odnos med managerskimi sistemi nadzora, strategijo in uspešnostjo poslovanja v izbranem slovenskem podjetju. Prispevek pričujoče raziskave je v tem, da nadgrajuje obstoječo teorijo, ker se ne osredotoča le na proučevanje odnosa med staretgijo in managerskimi sistemi nadzora pač pa upošteva tudi vpliv tega odnosa na uspešnost poslovanja podjetja. Ugotovili smo, da kombinacija ciljno usmerjenega vedenja ter redne uporabe managerskih sistemov nadzora vodi do boljših poslovnih rezultatov. Drugi prispevek raziskave je v tem, da vključuje širok nabor kontrolnih mehanizmov, saj upošteva tudi neformalne oblike nadzora kot enakovredne formalnim. S tem omogoča celovitejšo analizo kot prejšnje raziskave s tega področja, ki so se osredotočile na bolj omejen nabor kontrolnih mehanizmov (predvsem formalnih). Na ta način članek nadgrajuje obstoječo literaturo s področja proučevanja managerskih sistemov nadzora