Dec 17, 2015
Monitoring and Control Requires:
• Identifying factors critical to success• Measuring performance• Defining standards of expected performance• Comparing actual and expected performance• Assessing need for and type of adjustment
Monitoring and Control Process
DoesPerformance Match
Standards?
DetermineWhat toMeasure
EstablishStandards
MeasurePerformance Continue
Monitoring
Yes
Devise StrategyDetermine Critical Success Factors
No
OperationsProblem?
TakeCorrective
Action
Yes
• Internal?• Financial?
• Customers?• Innovation
and Learning?
No
Identifying Critical Success Factors• The few key areas or activities where things must go
well if vision is to be achieved • Should focus on answering:– How do owners see us? (Financial perspective)– How do customers see us? (Customer perspective)– What must we excel at?(Internal perspective)– Can we continue to improve and create value? (Innovation
and learning perspective)
Determining What to Measure• What information is needed to determine how
stakeholders see us?• If the information is gathered, how will it affect
the decision-making process?– Preliminary controls– Concurrent controls– Feedback controls
• When should the measures be taken to be useful?
Controls Should. . .• Involve only the minimum amount of information
needed to give a reliable picture of events.• Monitor only meaningful activities and results,
regardless of measurement difficulty.• Be timely.• Be long-term and short-term.• Pinpoint exceptions (trigger action).• Be used to reward rather than punish.
Example Measures• Financial– Operating Profit Margin, Asset Turnover Ratio, Return on
Equity, Return on Assets, etc.• Customer– Quality, delivery, # of complaints, etc.
• Internal– Planting and harvesting timing, weed control, employee
satisfaction, etc.• Innovation and Learning– # of seminars attended, R&D investment (evaluation of new
products, processes, etc.), etc.
Defining Standards of Performance
• Benchmarking– Looking for those businesses that are the best at
doing something and learning how they do it so that we might emulate their methods
Benchmarking: How?• Identify the area or process to be examined.– Should be an activity that has potential for competitive
advantage• Find behavioral and/or output measures of the are or
process to obtain measurements.• Select an accessible set of competitors and best-in-class
companies to benchmark.– Performing similar activities– Not necessarily in agriculture
Benchmarking Principles
• Be sure to understand and appreciate the differences between business environment and cultures.
• Understand how the aspect that is being studied fits with the other elements of the firm.
Monitoring and Taking Action• Are we meeting the standard?– If yes, continue to monitor or move to next level.– If no, is the performance gap due to extenuating
circumstances?• Wait and measure again, but be careful!
– If no, is the performance gap due to operational breakdowns?• Take corrective measures to fix the problem.
– If no, is the performance gap due to changes in the firm’s external or internal environment?• Assess strategic position and prepare new strategy
Operating PerformanceGross
RevenueFixedCosts
VariableCosts
Net Income
- - =
Total AssetsGross
RevenueTurnover
Ratio=÷
ROAx
InterestExpense
Net Income
GrossRevenue
Operating Profit Margin+ ÷ =
Total Assets EquityFinancial Structure=
Financial Structure
÷
ROE
InterestAssets-
x
DuPont Analysis
Worksheet 4: MBC FarmsFinancial Data
1. Gross Revenue
$1,796,651
2. Fixed Costs385,638
3. Variable Costs1,280,494
4. Net Income130,519
5. Total Farm Assets
4,655,476
6. Owner's Equity
3,534,037
7. Interest Expense
98,716
Worksheet 4: MBC FarmsMBC Farms
Benchmark
Operating Profit Margin
12.8% 13.5%
Asset Turnover Ratio 38.6% 43.0%Return on Assets 4.9% 5.8%Interest Cost of Assets
0.021
Financial Structure 1.32Return on Equity 3.7% 5.7%
Decisions and Rates of Return
Asset Turnover
NeedsImprovement
Look for ways to increase the revenues from existing assets. Re-evaluate:
ThruputCrop Mix/Product MixMarketing ProgramYieldsResource UseCustom Work Enterprise
Look for non-performing assets to cull. Reevaluate:•Leasing vs Owning•Custom vs. Owning•Sharing Assets
Acceptable Operating Profit Margin
Acceptable
NeedsImprovement
Look at Cost Controls. Look for ways to decrease expenses without reducing revenues. Reevaluate:
•Production costs•Rents•Capital Spending Plans•Purchasing Practices•Family Needs•Business Organization•Financing Costs•Employment•Inventory Management•Outsourcing•Records•Control Procedures•Management Priorities
If both assetTurnover and
Operating marginare acceptable,
Increase size
Linking Ideas & Actions• Action Steps– Behavior Controls
• Policies, rules, and SOP’s to get an idea implemented– Output Controls
• Using objectives and performance targets to achieve an idea
• Resources– People– Financial– Equipment– Information
Linking Ideas & Actions• Responsible Individual• Performance Monitor• Time Table• Corrective Adjustments
Exercise• Work on the action plan table.• Try to identify critical actions/controls.– Include both behavioral and output actions.– Make sure to identify the resources need to
accomplish the action.– Make someone be responsible for the action.– Determine how you will measure achievement.– Think of the responsible person’s authority to take
corrective action.