The idea of using models to inform business practice seems appealing, as it suggests the abstraction and control of a large, complex subject by means of a smaller, easily manipulated mechanism. In reality, however, many models prove inadequate when translated into business methods. Monitoring Business Performance – Models, Methods and Tools elucidates how the assumptions and perceptions that guide performance assessment are often based on models that are poor interpretations and descriptions of reality.
In this book, the author scrutinizes the models underlying a number of well-known business methods and tools, and sheds light on the assumptions and subjective perceptions that undermine their effectiveness. In doing so, he offers a unique criticism of accepting business models without questioning their relevance and applicability, and highlights the need to treat models as hypotheses, rather than as certainties.
Preface Part I: Models and Theories 1. Monitoring Business Performance 2. Models as Descriptions of Reality 3. Models in Natural and Social Sciences – A Comparison 4. Are Models Transferable in Time and Space? 5. Models as Reflections of Knowledge and Ideas Part II: Methods and Tools 6. Models for Assessing Business Performance 7. Performance Indicators 8. Methods and Tools for Business Development 9. Information Systems as Business Monitoring Tools 10. Going Astray – Business Models and State Bureaucracy in an Unholy Alliance
Biography
Per Lind is Professor in Industrial Economics and Management at Uppsala University, Sweden. He received his doctoral degree from Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He has experience with management in industry (production, marketing) with IBM and Logica, and developed business monitoring systems for UNIDO. He is author of Computerisation in Developing Countries (Routledge, 1991), Small Business Management in Cross-Cultural Environments (Routledge, 2012) and about 60 other publications in English, Spanish and Russian.
