Applying business analytics for performance measurement and management. The case study of a software company

The concept of Business Performance Analytics (BPA) represents the adoption of analytical methods to support strategy control and (re)formulation. The purpose of the paper is to explore the potential support that BPA can provide for performance management systems. The study, through an interventionist approach, empirically tests a 5-step BPA framework (Raffoni et al. - forthcoming -) and provides insights for further developments. The longitudinal study, conducted at a company operating in the data-security industry, supported the analysis of BPA potential and offered a number of insights to refine the framework and shed light on critical organisational issues. This paper offers both theoretical and practical suggestions. It is one of the few attempts to investigate the potential of Business Analytics in enhancing strategic control. It provides insights in a practical framework that could be used to guide further research in the area and provides an account of potential challenges faced by businesses when trying to move to strategic control with a data-driven approach.

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