An institutional analysis of the implication of the MAS change process for the evolution of SMSC efficiency

Abstract

This study's general objective is to get to know the relation between the change process of a Management Accounting System (MASO in small and medium-sized companies (SMSC) and the success of this change. The success of the MAS change is measured by two indicators. The first, internal success, measures the distance between the expectations (what was expected) about the new management techniques put in practice and the realities (what they are). The second indicator, external success, measures the variation in the company's relative efficiency level within its sector. The basic study hypothesis is that the change process can explain the level of (internal-external) success achieved in the change of an MAS. Two techniques will be used for data collection and analysis: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Case Study method (CS). The research results reveal factors that influenced and therefore explain the success of a change in the MAS of a SMSC in the wood and furniture sector located in the Comunidad Valenciana, Spain, including: knowledge and skills of agents involved in the change, influence of external experts, management professionalization, informatics resources, internal training in MAS, trust among agents and people's involvement. Moreover, it was observed that the changes produced over the years under analysis positively influenced the organization's efficiency level.