A study of the internal control structure for electronic data interchange systems using the analytic hierarchy process

Electronic data interchange (EDI) systems involve the direct exchange of structured business data between trading partner computer systems. A reliable internal control structure is the primary means of providing assurance of information integrity in EDI systems. This paper reports the results of a study that examined information system (IS) managers' and computerised information system (CIS) auditors' judgements of the relative importance of elements of the internal control structure for EDI systems, using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). It then assessed the degree of consensus in their judgements. Generally consensus was found to be high. However, the areas where there was lack of consensus may indicate potential areas of control weakness in EDI systems.     

The just design and use of management control systems as requirements for goal congruence

Management control systems (MCS) are designed to achieve the greatest possible goal congruence, such that people pursue personal goals that are conducive to the organizational goal. Both the use and the design of MCS are crucial for achieving goal congruence, but they are thought to be contingent to specific external situations. We analyze the basic concepts of justice and fairness, and argue that these two facets of justice, which we label “formal” and “informal” justice, need to be put in the context of MCS use and design. We argue that both formal and informal (in)justice are determinants for MCS to achieve specific levels of goal congruence, independently of the situation.We conclude that there are two stable types of goal congruence, labeled “maximum goal congruence” – where both MCS design and MCS use are just – and “minimum goal congruence” – where both design and use are unjust; and two unstable types of goal congruence, labeled “occasional goal congruence” – where the MCS design is unjust but its use is just – and “perverse goal congruence” – where the design is just and the use is unjust. This provides a framework for future empirical research on the subject.     

Vernacular accountings: Bridging the cognitive and the social in the analysis of employee-generated accounting systems

We unpack the concept of “informal accounting systems” and bracket “vernacular accountings” based on the modality and source of legitimacy of such systems. Vernacular accountings are accounting and control systems that are self-generated by organizational actors in the context of their work and not officially sanctioned within the organizational hierarchy. We argue that these systems capture actionable knowledge from the epistemic perspective of their users. We identify three ideal types of vernacular accountings: vernacular accountings as an inventory of knowledge that employees construct to meet their task specific information needs; vernacular accountings as a defensive resource constructed and used by employees who resist or do not trust the formally sanctioned systems; and, vernacular accountings as organizational practice that has both pragmatic and epistemic functions and that facilitates distributed cognition. Drawing on an epistemic perspective that spans cognitive and social levels of analysis we develop theoretical propositions on the emergence and use of these three types of vernacular accountings.     

An institutional theory perspective on the DRG framework, case-mix accounting systems and health-care organizations

Case-mix accounting systems have been advanced as both reflecting the economic reality that underlies a hospital's various “product lines”, as defined by DRG prospective payment categories, and facilitating rational decision making regarding resource acquisition, deployment and use. This article uses the institutional perspective to extend this conceptualization of case-mix accounting systems. The institutional perspective proposes that many elements of organizational structure, like case-mix accounting systems, reflect as much a need to conform to societal expectations of acceptable practice as the technical imperative of fostering rationality. This article also extends institutional theory regarding the issues of power and decoupling by considering institutionalization to be an unfinished process in the health-care context, wherein the active agency of individuals and organizations is subjected to systematic examination. In this specific context, case-mix accounting may play a significant role in establishing and perpetuating — not merely supporting — the very social structure of legitimacy, and may consequently be considered an interest-oriented activity having the potential to penetrate and alter the internal operating processes of financially strained hospitals.     

Electronic data interchange: an evaluation of alternative organizational forms

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has come to revolutionize in recent years the way in which businesses conduct their trading activities. This study examines alternative organizational forms for EDI processing within organizations and evaluates them on several task performance indices including independence, saturation, and satisfaction, and also relates them to EDI effectiveness as a function of information technology (IT) intensity and length of EDI use. Results from an extensive, two-phase survey of EDI users indicate that organizational form for EDI processing influenced task performance indices such that the more decentralized structures (i.e. star and circle structures) exhibited higher independence and lower saturation than the more centralized structures (i.e. wheel, kite, and chain structures). More decentralized forms also exhibited higher satisfaction with EDI than the more centralized forms on nonroutine EDI tasks. EDI task performance indices were also correlated with EDI effectiveness, such that higher independence, lower saturation, and higher satisfaction were associated with higher EDI effectiveness. IT intensity and length of EDI use also positively moderated the effects of decentralization on EDI effectiveness. These results are discussed in terms of the organizational implications of this strategic IT resource: EDI.     

Shareholder bonding in financial mutuals: An exploratory study of the relative effects of altruism and agency

It is argued that cooperatives allow for the increased use of more informal methods of control than those found in non-cooperative organizations. The extent to which these informal controls can be utilized may depend on the strength of shareholder bonding, the determinants of which are, inter alia, peer group pressure and altruism. Peculiar cooperative organizational arrangements might be associated with differential agency costs, however formal recognition of the role of altruism in economic behaviour provides a direct alternative to agency theory.     

The external organizational environment and its impact on management information systems

It is argued in this paper that organizations are “living purposeful” or “adaptively rational” systems whose survival depends on their ability to interact successfully, on a continual basis, with the surrounding environment. Three states of the external organizational environment — controllable, partially controllable and uncontrollable — are identified, and the information characteristics of each state are discussed. The approaches that organizations can adopt to collect information on the environment are also discussed; these approaches use externally-based data sources and modeling and/or analytic techniques. On these bases, we consider effective strategies and methodologies which organizations can adopt for processing, evaluating and communicating information about the external environment to satisfy decision-making requirements.     

任务不确定性对管理控制系统的影响及其作用机理——基于在中国国有大型铁路施工企业的实地研究

本研究通过在中国国有大型铁路施工企业的实地研究,通过深度访谈和定向调查两个阶段的递进研究,比较充分地探讨了任务不确定性对控制方式、进而对控制绩效的影响及其作用机理。研究表明:总体来看,建筑业有比较"模糊"的任务特征,各种控制方式都有不同程度的使用。具体而言,当面临"常规的"任务时,四种控制方式都对控制绩效有显著为正的影响;当任务不确定性较低(特别是例外事件少)时,正式的控制方式(行为控制和结果控制)对控制绩效有显著为正的影响;随着例外事件变多,非正式的控制方式(人员控制和过程控制)将产生更显著的效用。     

Flexible specialization, new technologies and future industrialization in developing countries

Developing countries increasingly recognize that in the future far more attention will need to be paid to firms located outside the modern or formal sector. In this context, the complex of recent microelectronics and organizational innovations seems highly attractive for these are often said to be capable of facilitating a pattern of industrialization based on flexible, small-scale production, rather than on the more typical large-scale technology of mass production. This article, accordingly, seeks to evaluate the various mechanisms through which the new technologies—and the more general possibilities implied by the various definitions of ‘flexible specialization’—may in fact contribute to such an alternative model of industrialization.     

Complementary controls and ERP implementation success

Many organisations have sought to improve their competitiveness by investing in advanced information technology, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. They have implemented ERP systems for a variety of reasons, including solving year 2000 issues, reengineering business processes, and facilitating e-business. The implementation of an ERP system and associated changes in business processes, however, is not straightforward. ERP implementation projects are but another example of an information systems development project that needs to be controlled, yet the implementation of an ERP system is significantly different than a traditional system implementation. Control can be exerted by both formal and informal means [Kirsch, L.J., V. Sambamurthy, D-G. Ko, and R.L. Purvis. 2002. Controlling information systems development projects: The view from the client. Management Science. 48(4): 484–498]. Research has demonstrated that single modes of control are not sufficient, rather that a portfolio of control modes should be utilized. We expand upon this concept and suggest that this need for a mix of overlapping and redundant control mechanisms identified in the literature is explained through the use of the theory of complementarity [Milgrom, P. and J. Roberts. 1990. The economics of modern manufacturing: Technology, strategy and organization. American Economic Review 80: 511–528; Milgrom, P. and J. Roberts. 1994. Comparing equilibria. American Economic Review 84: 441–459; Milgrom, P. and J. Roberts. 1995. Complementarities and fit: Strategy, structure, and organizational change in manufacturing. Journal of Accounting and Economics. 19: 179–208; Topkis, D.M. 1998. Supermodularity and Complimentarity. Princeton University Press]. Surveys of chief information officers and internal auditors were conducted to obtain data on the controls used in ERP implementations. We find that groups of complementary controls need to be employed in the implementation of ERP systems to achieve a successful implementation.     

The Importance of Mutual Understanding Between External Accountants and Owner–Managers of SMEs

This study investigates the perspective of the owner–manager of a small or medium‐sized enterprise (SME) on the importance of mutual understanding with an external accountant. Mutual understanding means that the owner–manager understands what the accountant is saying and feels understood by the accountant. The results, based on 310 completed surveys of Belgian owner–managers, show that owner–managers who have a high level of mutual understanding use the advice of their external accountant more extensively. This is in turn positively linked to the financial health of an SME. Furthermore, several drivers that enable the establishment of a high level of mutual understanding are explored. Owner–managers with a high level of mutual understanding consider their accountant as a strategic partner, experience a high level of proactive behaviour with them, have a higher frequency of formal contact, and perceive informal contact as important. External accountants should consider these opportunities in their client management and training of internal staff. Education of clients and openness also seem very important, as the level of a client's accounting knowledge, the number of accounting topics owner–managers deal with, and transparency towards the accountant are significantly positively related to mutual understanding.     

IT internal control weaknesses and firm performance: An organizational liability lens

The information systems literature and the public press have called for organizations to more closely scrutinize their information technology (IT) controls; however, little more than anecdotal evidence exists on the business value of quality IT internal control, beyond regulatory compliance. In this paper, we (a) advance an organizational liability perspective to the question of IT internal control value; and (b) use the unique setting provided by the enactment of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) to investigate the relationship between IT internal control weaknesses (ICWs) and both accounting earnings (a contemporaneous measure of firm performance) and market value (a forward looking, risk-adjusted measure of firm performance). Using a data set that provides audited annual assessments of the effectiveness of both IT and non-IT internal controls for a cross-section of companies as mandated by SOX, we find that firms that report an IT ICW have lower accounting earnings compared to firms with strong IT internal controls. We also find that IT ICW moderates the association between accounting earnings and market valuation, with firms reporting weak IT internal controls having a lower earnings multiple. These results are sustained even after controlling for non-IT ICWs and firm-specific factors that are known determinants of ICWs, and are reinforced using an inter-temporal changes analysis in which we use each firm as its own control at a different point in time. Overall, our results provide empirical evidence which suggests that IT internal controls are a strategic necessity and that information systems risk is priced by the capital markets. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.     

Stability to profitability: managing interdependencies to meet a new environment

Management control systems represent what is believed to be an important element in managing internal and external interdependencies. The case study we present in this paper is an attempt to provide additional information contributing to the understanding of the influences on and the roles of management control systems in managing interdependencies. The management control systems were used to deal with changes in the internal and external interdependencies in the domains of strategy and structure of the organization, the organizational field, and the state. The role of the Chief Executive Officer was a key element in both defining the internal and external interdependencies and the employment of the management control systems.     

Internal audit: A comfort provider to the audit committee

This study, based upon four Belgian case studies, provides insights on (1) what drives the audit committee to look for the support of the internal audit function; and (2) what makes the internal audit function an expert at providing comfort to the audit committee [Pentland, B.T., 1993. Getting comfortable with the numbers: auditing and the micro-production of macro-order. Accounting, Organizations and Society 18 (7–8), 605–620; Carrington, T., Catasús, B., 2007. Auditing stories about discomfort: becoming comfortable with comfort theory. European Accounting Review 16 (1), 35–58]. We found that audit committees seek comfort, with respect to the control environment and internal controls, two areas in which they confront considerable discomfort. Besides the internal audit function's traditional assurance role, its involvement in improving internal controls provides a significant level of comfort to the audit committee. Internal auditors' unique knowledge about risk management and internal control, combined with appropriate inter-personal and behavioural skills, enables them to provide this comfort. Besides, their internal position, their familiarity with the company, and their position close to people across the company facilitate internal auditors being a major source of comfort for the audit committee. Formal audit reports and presentations, together with informal contacts, seem to be important symbols of comfort [Power, M., 1997. The Audit Society: Rituals of Verification. Oxford University Press, Oxford]. In addition, we found that the overall level of comfort to the audit committee can be enhanced via collaboration between internal and external auditing (the so-called ‘joint audit approach’).     

Informal networks: the company behind the chart

A glance at an organizational chart can show who's the boss and who reports to whom. But this formal chart won't reveal which people confer on technical matters or discuss office politics over lunch. Much of the real work in any company gets done through this informal organization with its complex networks of relationships that cross functions and divisions. According to consultants David Krackhardt and Jeffrey Hanson, managers can harness the true power in their companies by diagramming three types of networks: the advice network, which reveals the people to whom others turn to get work done; the trust network, which uncovers who shares delicate information; and the communication network, which shows who talks about work-related matters. Using employee questionnaires, managers can generate network maps that will get to the root of many organizational problems. When a task force in a computer company, for example, was not achieving its goals, the CEO turned to network maps to find out why. He discovered that the task force leader was central in the advice network but marginal in the trust network. Task force members did not believe he would look out for their interests, so the CEO used the trust map to find someone to share responsibility for the group. And when a bank manager saw in the network map that there was little communication between tellers and supervisors, he looked for ways to foster interaction among employees of all levels. As companies continue to flatten and rely on teams, managers must rely less on their authority and more on understanding these informal networks. Managers who can use maps to identify, leverage, and revamp informal networks will have the key to success.     

Organizational control systems in research and development

This paper empirically examines an organizational control framework in research and development (R/D) settings. Data were collected from 76 R/D work group leaders. Analysis of the data indicates that the importance of controls is associated with knowledge of the task transformation process (technological uncertainty) but not with measurability of the work group's outputs, task complexity or task dependence. It is suggested that the results of this and other research indicate the need for a more complete theoretical framework as well as attention to measurement issues.     

Ritual legitimation, de-coupling and the budgetary process: managing organizational hypocrisies in a multinational company

The study of participation in the budgetary cycle has formed a prominent part of the research literature concerned with the budgetary process. More recently there has emerged a body of literature concerned with exploring the political and symbolic nature of the budgetary process. The paper reports upon the outcomes of an empirical study of the introduction of `budgetary participation' in a division of a European subsidiary of a large North American car manufacturer. We detail the long process of consultation and negotiation within the subsidiary, and between it and the European Headquarters. The study provides a revealing instance of the roles of formal budget participation as a ritual of control and legitimation without the substantive involvement of middle managers and suggested to us the introduction of de-coupling and organizational hypocrisy alongside the introduction of budget participation. The study pays close attention to the contingent effects of the wider political context of the division and the relationships between the division, its organizational context and organizational environment, and how this context played upon the budgetary process in the division. The outcomes that we analyse at `Delta' reflect the de-coupling strategies and organizational hypocrisies commonly found in public sector organizations. In this wider setting the corporation persists with the ritual of `tight' budget negotiation and target setting and apparent underachievement in performance. Yet we conclude that the complex technological and political context to the formation and siting of Delta continued and may continue to support its existence.$g0     

Organizational change in an Australian university: Responses to a research assessment exercise

The objective of this paper is to explore the way internal organizational control processes are changed in response to external demands. It does this by investigating the organizational change undertaken by an Australian university in anticipation of, and in response to, an externally imposed research assessment exercise (RAE), specifically focusing on the university's internal research-related performance management system (PMS) and its impact on academics. It adopts a case study method, using data from publicly available documents, interviews with senior management, and a survey administered to academics. The data is interpreted and analyzed using Broadbent and Laughlin's organizational change model. The findings reveal that RAE was anticipated with the appointment of new senior leadership, a new vision, restructure of faculties and departments, and changes to the research PMS. The changes to both the university's mission (significant and longlasting, second order change) and its internal systems (less significant, first order change) are evident. In the context of the global proliferation of PMSs in the higher education sector, this paper contributes to the literature on PMSs, indicating its relevance to universities. Its empirics provide useful insights for university managers and regulators and, more broadly, the paper contributes to our understanding of organizational change.     

Organisational design choices in response to public sector reforms: A case study of mandated hospital networks

In this study we investigate the design and control of public sector networks formed by government mandate. Specifically, we analyse how a range of antecedent factors influence the extent to which organisations within such networks effectively collaborate to unify their efforts. We examine the role of both formal and informal controls in promoting and co-ordinating activity and managing appropriation concerns among organisations of the network. We address these issues in the context of health sector reforms in Victoria, Australia, that resulted in the amalgamation of metropolitan hospitals into a number of hospital networks. While the reforms determined the particular aggregation of hospitals, management retained discretion as to the organisation and control of activity among hospitals of the network. We draw on Oliver's (1991) predictive model of strategic responses to institutional mandates to analyse how efficiency and legitimacy concerns, the influence of external constituents, and consistency between institutional and organisational goals influence resultant structural and control choices in three of these hospital networks. Specifically, we examine the extent to which structural and control attributes promote the integration of activity within networks by analysing the delegation and partitioning of decision rights, and the design and use of performance measurement systems, integrative liaison devices, and standard operating procedures. We also consider the implications of integration for network performance. In our empirical analysis of three hospital networks we observe tension in network design relating to the achievement of efficiency and legitimacy imperatives that underpin the mandate to form hospital networks. The networks differ in their potential to generate efficiency and legitimacy gains from collaboration, their commitment to the ideals underlying the institutional mandate, and their willingness to pursue effective collaboration in light of the influence of other external constituents. In turn they adopt structural and control system designs that reflect different levels of clinical activity integration, and different degrees of substantive acquiescence to the institutional mandate to collaborate.