For management to perform its functions of planning, organizing, leading and controlling effectively, a control process has to be in place. This control process should incorporate a target or standard measures and compares performance with the standard, evaluates results and takes any necessary corrective action. Hence, the introduction of the control process, including the measurement and evaluation of performance, has been recognized as a significant progression to ensure organizations achieve their objectives and goals.
There are a number of performance measurement tools for management to select but one that stands out as possibly the preferred method is Value-based management (VBM). Value-based management, a relatively new concept, offers management a better way to measure performance in today’s business environment. The application of VBM links business strategy, finance, performance measurement and management processes all together to create value. VBM tells how the value of an organization is maximized, while developing corporate value is the best long-term measure to show how good the present management is doing its job. Therefore, VBM indicates the current situation as well as future prospects of an organization. Further, VBM helps managers and employees to obtain a sharper focus of the corporate vision and objectives based on one leading measurement indicator – that is to enhance corporate value. Unlike many performance measurement tools that may focus on many objectives, which may cause the lack of single focus for accountability for shareholder value, VBM provides a clearer objective focusing on the financial objectives across the organization. More importantly, VBM includes the cost of all capital required, while many performance measurement tools still provide incomplete information about cost.
The purpose of this research is to study what organization factors influence the choice of performance measurement tools, such as VBM selected by management. This research also studies the manner in which the selection and the use of VBM might affect the performance of organizations in Thailand.
A number of studies were made in the past dealing with the effectiveness of VBM.
These studies analyzed how VBM assisted management in their administration and measurement of organizational activities. These researches add significantly to the body of knowledge and advance the concept of VBM. However, most researchers ignored an important aspect and that is, what factors influence the management to select and utilize VBM tools in their organization. This research attempts to address this knowledge gap, and answer the following questions:
• What are the organization factors that could influence the selection and the use of VBM tools to measure organization performance? Then importantly,
• Do the selection and the use of VBM tools improve organization performance?
To examine and to properly evaluate the above questions, this research study identifies four key objectives. First, factors that influence management in selecting value based management tools to measure performance and set standards are to be identified. Second, identify the relationship between organization performance, the use of VBM and certain organization factors such as organization size, market share position and product life cycle stages. Third, study the impact of VBM on organization performance in the Thai environment. Fourth, provide information on how VBM is selected and used in the electrical and electronic industry in Thailand.
The following three hypotheses were proposed to study the behaviour of variables:
Hypothesis 1: Organization factors are not the determining factors for selecting and using VBM tools for performance measurement.
Hypothesis 2: VBM tool selected and used by an organization do not influence its organization performance.
Hypothesis 3: The relationship between organization factors and organization performance are not mediated by the VBM tools selected and used by an organization to measure organization performance.
To test the hypotheses empirically, a mailed-survey questionnaire was used to collect data. A stratified sampling technique on a population of 462 Head of Finance/Accounting Departments of the Electrical and Electronics Industry of Thailand was employed. The above hypotheses were tested using several analytical techniques including regression model, correlation coefficient and factor analysis.
The result of this research indicates that none of the chosen organization factors studied directly influences the selection and the use of VBM tools. In addition, the findings indicated a significant relationship between independent variables, which are organization size and market share position. But these two factors do not establish significantly relationship with the VBM or an organization performance. Further, although the product life cycle stage was not a factor that influenced the selection and the use of VBM tools, it showed a significant negative relationship with organization performance. This was regardless of whether or not the organization selected and used VBM tools. This indicates that the selection and the use of VBM tools are less preferable when the product of an organization is at the early stages such as emerging and growth stages. On the other hand, VBM tools are more preferred by an organization when its product reaches maturity. Finally, these research findings demonstrate that the selection and the use of VBM tools are significantly related to an improvement in organization performance. In other words, the performance of an organization improved with the use of the VBM tool.
It is believed that this research is a first attempt to delineate factors that influence management to select and utilize VBM tools in their organizations. One nation, Thailand and one Industry, the electrical and electronic industry were used as the laboratory to test the hypotheses. It is hoped that future research will replicate this study in other industries and countries that would help to confirm the results of this study. Such studies will not only substantiate this research but also offer new insights into understanding the factors influencing the selection and the use of VBM tools. Different organizational factors, different performance measurement tools, and/or different methodologies in conducting the research showed further contribute to knowledge in this area. The research opportunities are considerable, especially in relation to cross-country comparisons based on performance measurements, using VBM tools and it is this type of research that will improve our understanding of the subject and lead to adoption of these measures in organizations.