The Application of Non-Financial Performance Measurement in Malaysian Manufacturing Firms

Non-financial performance measures in recent years have been receiving growing attention among modern's organizations to provide additional information for managers. The use of non-financial performance measures in the manufacturing environment is even crucial where its normal operation is more complex than any other type of organizations. The purposes of this research are to examine the application of non-financial performance measurement system among manufacturing companies and to explore the association between size of the firm, business environment, owners/manager involvement and modern manufacturing technology and the use of non-financial performance measures. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample 500 Malaysian manufacturing firms which resulted in 102 useable returned questionnaires. The results show that non-financial performance measures related to internal processes and customers have the highest extent of use. In contrast, techniques related to quality control have a relatively low level of use. The results also reveal that there are significant relationships between size of the firm, involvement of owner/manager, and modern technology and the use of non-financial performance measures. This research provides new empirical evidences on the use of non-financial performance measures and contributes a better understanding of the contingency approach in the context of performance measurement system within a manufacturing environment.