‘Good’ performance measurement
Introduction
Overview:
The aim of the individual assignment is to develop your skills in communicating
about how organisations can effectively measure performance. You will prepare an
essay discussing one of the criteria of ‘good’ performance measurement (you have a
choice of 3 listed in this guide) and its relevance to real-world practices. Also to help
improve your written communication, you will engage in a meaningful drafting,
analysis and reflective exercise in preparing your final submission. You will be
assessed on the quality of the final essay as well as your process in producing it.
Objectives:
This task relates to the following subject objectives: Critically analyse the institutional, organisational and individual influences on
management accounting systems Form professional judgments about the appropriateness of the design and
operation of management accounting systems Apply theory to design management accounting systems in real-world
organisational contexts
This assessment also enables the evaluation of the following program objectives: Convey information clearly and fluently in high quality written form
appropriate for their audience (3.1) Individual assignment components
There are two main components to this assignment
1) Essay (20 marks in total for substantive content, form and structure):
How can managers design ‘good’ performance measures in organisations?
Prepare an essay addressing this question, focusing on the following criteria of ‘good’
performance measurement: Validity Substantive content (15 marks):
1. Describe the nature your chosen criterion, and explain its relevance to
performance measurement. Your essay should provide the reader with a clear
understanding of what your chosen criterion means in relation to performance
measurement, (e.g. what does ‘valid’ performance measurement mean?) and why this is an important consideration. Your essay should contain references
to relevant academic literature about your chosen criterion.
2. Explain how organisations can achieve this criterion in designing
performance measures. Your essay should provide clear insight into how
managers can ensure performance measures meet this criterion (e.g. how can
they ensure valid performance measurement). Your essay should contain at
least 3 references to the relevant academic literature supporting your
arguments.
3. Illustrate using real-world examples. You should illustrate your essay with
examples from the real-world. You may choose to refer to a single detailed
example or several smaller examples. Your examples do not have to be limited
to corporate business settings but can extend to anything relevant to
performance measurement. Your ‘real-world’ example/s are not to be from peer
reviewed journal articles or educational cases. Form and structure (5 marks):
Written communication. Your essay should be written so that it easy to read and
understand Writing reflection
Accompanying your final essay, you are required to submit a ‘writing reflection’
accounting for how you improved the written communication in your essay.
This account should address the following issues:
– What tools and resources did you use?
– How did you use these tools and resources to improve the written
communication of your essay? (HINT: Try to be as specific as possible in
making clear the link between your use and interpretation of the feedback
from these tools and the improvements you made to your essay)
– In your opinion how helpful do you think these tools and resources are
improving written communication? (HINT: You can write about your personal
experience in using the tools, your intentions about how you might use these
again, or what recommendations or advice you would make to others about
using these tools or resources, etc.)
