This paper attempts to take steps towards the formulation of a more human approach to the theory of the firm than the conventional economics-based models. Unbounded rationality, self-interest and the absence of learning are shown to be crucial assumptions of conventional economic theory. Then,...

Epistemology, methodology or philosophy of science, i.e., the foundations and validity of knowledge, have never been very popular subjects as applied to management research. Lately, though, the need for better theories and the methodological discussion underlying the creation of such theories...

Based on the model and the concepts presented in Cugueró-Escofet and Rosanas (2013), that links justice in the MCS design and use to several states of goal congruence, we also incorporate the role of trust in managers as a crucial aspect of the informal organization. We are going to show that...

Spanish Abstract: El documento trata de los métodos de retribución variable que se han generalizado en los últimos tiempos. Pone de manifiesto el papel que han jugado en los escándalos financieros y en la gestación de la crisis y analiza la propuesta de John Roberts de incentivos débiles,...

Management control systems (MCSs) are used by organizations to try to make sure that their goals are accomplished. MCSs are used to set goals and objectives, to measure accomplishments and to reward or punish people according to results. In this chapter, we argue that the social dynamics...

While for quite a long time the budget was considered a crucial management tool, it has always been subject to criticism. The criticism has become stronger in the past couple of decades, with an alternative system going by the trade name Beyond Budgeting. In this paper, we review the history and...

It is not unusual for management researchers to take the stand that value judgements and, thus, virtues, are an unrealistic approach to management, because what is considered to be realistic is achieving specific results, which may be easier to obtain in the short-run if managers follow some...

There are many, often mutually inconsistent, theories about organizations that explain organizational phenomena to the same, limited extent. Most of them ignore the ethical dimension completely. In this paper we propose the basic principles for a theory of decision-making in organizations that...

In this paper we review the conventional analyses of management control systems, to conclude, first, that the illusion of control can mislead managers into believing that everything can be controlled and monitored, and, second, that no incentive system based only on extrinsic rewards can...

Control systems are a fundamental tool in the management process. Management control systems have been judged using the criterion of goal congruence - that is, to what extent the possible rewards given to people when they take specific actions benefit at the same time individuals and the...