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,...

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...

Accounting systems are an essential tool for providing information for decision-making intended for the survival of the firm in the long run, which will benefit the different stakeholders of the firm (if managed properly) and society in general. Of course, the financial function and the...

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...

Economics-based models typically overlook management decisions and firms' capabilities. We develop a model that puts firms at center stage by simulating the aggregate behavior of a population of firms resulting from specific management decisions. The model features a learning process that...

This paper intends to analyze the foundations of trust in a context of bounded rationality. Building on previous work, we show how bounded rationality provides a rationale for the concept of trust that goes beyond the common calculative notion. We show that there are four types of trust and 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...

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...