Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Effects on innovation and financial performance

Empirical research on the consequences of the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) has mostly been conducted in large firms. Previous findings are not easily applied to the small business literature, and assumptions about the benefits of BSC for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not based on quantitative empirical evidence. We investigated the effects of SME’s use of BSC in terms of financial performance and innovation outcomes. Our arguments are based on the efficiency gains and potential flexibility losses associated with formalizing managerial practices in SMEs. We propose that the developmental stage of the firm may influence this trade-off. Based on a survey of 201 SMEs in Spain, we found that firms using BSC for feedforward control obtained better financial performance and presented higher levels of exploitative innovation. We also found that the positive effect of BSC on perceived and attained financial performance is stronger in more established SMEs

Management control systems and real earnings management: Effects on firm performance

We examine an unexplored side of management control systems (MCS): their links with real earnings management. We propose that interactive use of MCS supports management in identifying, evaluating, selecting, and implementing real actions that conceptually would be classified as real earnings management (REM). Interactive MCS use is predicted to enhance managerial REM actions that retain the focus of the organization on its strategic objectives, leading to higher future performance. We test our research model empirically with survey and archival data. The results support our predictions. Finally, we explore the role of other levers of control.We thank the support of AECA in conducting the study. We also acknowledge financial contribution from Fundación COTEC-Programa de Innovación Abierta 2016 (PIA), the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (ECO2016-77579), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-104163RA-I00 and PID2019-111143GB-C33), Santander Financial Institute, PRICIT (CAM-UAM-Professorship Excellence Program), and the Catedra UAM-Auditores Madrid

Debt pressure and interactive use of control systems: effects on cost of debt

We study if debt pressure drives the use of interactive management accounting and control systems (MACS) and its consequences. We build on Simons (1990) and argue that financing pressures can threaten strategic investment. To alleviate debt pressures and reduce information asymmetries with lenders, managers are predicted to increase the interactive use of MACS. However, because individual MACS have different features, not all interactive use of individual MACS equally serves to assuage debt pressures. We predict that firms facing high debt pressure interactively use traditional MACS and that when individual MACS use befits the level of debt pressure, firms benefit by experiencing future decreases in their cost of debt. Our findings confirm these predictions. We contribute to the literature by showing that pressures from external stakeholders influence interactive use. We also suggest a new relevant firm outcome affected by MACS use: the future cost of debt. Finally, in additional analyses, we show that concerns over innovation may lead managers to choose apparently non-optimal MACS for interactive use, consistent with managers often juggling conflicting pressures.We acknowledge financial assistance from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (ECO2013-48328, ECO2016-77579), CAM (H2015/HUM-3353), FEDER (UNC315-EE-3636), the Catedra UAM- Auditores Madrid and 6th ed. AECA Research Grants (2015-2016)

Relação entre os sistemas de contabilidade e de controle de gerenciamento e das distorções na avaliação e na tomada de decisões

Managers conduct evaluations and make decisions that can be biased and, therefore, cause adverse effects to the desired organizational performance. Identifying the biases and their causes have been widely studied in the accounting literature and management control in recent decades. The aim of this paper is to summarize the previous results, which allows a clear and comprehensive view of the role of Accounting Systems and Management Control (SCCG) in relation to biases in the decisions and assessments. As a result a conceptual framework is obtained in which SCCG are postulated as both generators and inhibitors of bias, according to its own characteristics and the characteristics of users. This result allows professionals (especially controllers) and academicians to know better processes using the information generated by SCCG and so act accordingly.Los directivos realizan evaluaciones y toman decisiones que pueden estar sesgadas y, como consecuencia, provocar efectos contrarios a los deseados en el rendimiento organizacional. La identificación de los sesgos y sus causas han sido ampliamente estudiadas en la literatura de contabilidad y control de gestión en las últimas décadas. El objetivo de este trabajo es sintetizar los resultados previos, lo cual permite disponer de una visión más clara y comprensiva del papel de los Sistemas de Contabilidad y Control de Gestión (SCCG) en relación a los sesgos en las decisiones y evaluaciones. Como resultado se obtiene un marco conceptual en el que los SCCG se postulan al mismo tiempo como generadores e inhibidores de sesgo, en función de sus propias características y de las características de los usuarios. Este resultado permite que profesionales (especialmente los controllers) y académicos conozcan mejor los procesos de utilización de la información generada por los SCCG y así actúen en consecuencia.Os diretores realizam avaliações e tomam decisões que podem estar equivocadas e, como consequência, provocar efeitos contrários aos desejados no rendimento organizacional. A identificação das distorções e suas causas têm sido amplamente estudadas na literatura de contabilidade e de controle de gerenciamento nas últimas décadas. O objetivo deste trabalho é sintetizar os resultados prévios, o qual permite dispor de uma visão mais clara e compreensiva do papel dos Sistemas de Contabilidade e de Controle de Gerenciamento (SCCG) em relação às distorções nas decisões e avaliações. Como resultado se obtém um marco conceitual no qual os SCCG se apresentam ao mesmo tempo como geradores e inibidores de distorção, em função de suas próprias características e das características dos usuários. Este resultado permite que profissionais (especialmente os controllers) e acadêmicos conheçam melhor os processos de utilização da informação gerada pelos SCCG e assim ajam de maneira consequente com isto

Quality of performance metrics, informal peer monitoring, and goal commitment

We examine whether the quality of performance metrics affects informal peer monitoring and, in turn, goal commitment. By fostering performance-oriented behaviours, performance metrics drive managers to involve themselves in learning and improvement efforts, building a fertile atmosphere for informal peer monitoring. We argue that the quality of performance metrics is positively associated with direct peer monitoring and negatively linked to indirect peer monitoring. Subsequently, we postulate that direct (indirect) peer monitoring is positively (negatively) associated with goal commitment. We use partial least squares (PLS) to analyse survey data from store managers in a large retail firm. Results provide overall support for our hypotheses

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Measurement of the top quark mass using charged particles in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Search for anomalous couplings in boosted WW/WZ -> l nu q(q)over-bar production in proton-proton collisions at root s=8TeV

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