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Methodology for the selection of compensation trade tools in SMEs

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to determine which factors of business tools are important in Czech companies. To find these factors, theoretical information from the area of trade tools and data from primary research (obtained via questionnaire) were used. These data are applied by a statistical evaluation of selected indicators which could help determine the significance of the indicators in the area being monitored. Activities concerning the management of company finances are also partially incorporated, as due to their close cohesion with business, they cannot be excluded from the field of turnaround management. The business tools described in the paper see excellent usage not only during times of crisis but also in periods of prosperity, when their application provides companies with unique competitive advantages as a way of increasing GDP. The results of the paper confirm the necessity for compensation tools in the business environment and provide the significance level of the compensation tools used. Accurate usage could create an advantage in a global market characterised by high competition.

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Methodology for the selection of compensation trade tools in SMEs

Author: Milichovský, František; Koleňák, Jiří
Publisher: De Gruyter Open
Year: 2014
DOI: 10.2478/danb-2014-0012
Source: https://dspace.vut.cz/bitstreams/038f5d6c-a2aa-4bc6-8afe-acec712148c6/download
DANUBE: Law and Economics Re iew, 5 (3), 213–224
DOI: 10.2478/danb-2014-0012
213
METHODOLOGY FOR THE SELECTION OF COMPENSATION TRADE
TOOLS IN SMES
F an išek Milicho ský1, Jiří Koleňák2
Abs ac
The main aim o his pape is o de e mine which ac o s o business ools a e impo an
in Czech companies. To ind hese ac o s, heo e ical in o ma ion om he a ea o ade
ools and da a om p ima y esea ch (ob ained ia ques ionnai e) we e used. These da a
a e applied by a s a is ical e alua ion o selec ed indica o s which could help de e mine
he signi icance o he indica o s in he a ea being moni o ed. Ac i i ies conce ning he
managemen o company inances a e also pa ially inco po a ed, as due o hei close co-
hesion wi h business, hey canno be excluded om he ield o u na ound managemen .
The business ools desc ibed in he pape see excellen usage no only du ing imes o c isis
bu also in pe iods o p ospe i y, when hei applica ion p o ides companies wi h unique
compe i i e ad an ages as a way o inc easing GDP. The esul s o he pape con i m he
necessi y o compensa ion ools in he business en i onmen and p o ide he signi icance
le el o he compensa ion ools used. Accu a e usage could c ea e an ad an age in a global
ma ke cha ac e ised by high compe i ion.
Keywo ds
Compensa ion T ades, T ading Tools, C isis Managemen , SMEs
I. In oduc ion
The opic o his pape is compensa ion ade ools ha can help a company o ganize day-
o-day ac i i ies in o de o achie e s a egic goals du ing an economic c isis. The ools
ha a e used can be aken as kinds o pe o mance indica o s. The pe o mance o hese
ools has become c ucial in compe i i e s uggles; hey p o ide a compe i i e ad an age
and i should he e o e be in he in e es o en e p ises o moni o hese key indica o s and
ac o s.
1B no Uni e si y o Technology, Facul y o Business and Managemen , Kolejní 2906/4, 612 00 B no, Czech
Republic. E-mail: milicho[email p o ec ed].cz.
2New on College, Poli ických ězňů 912/10, 110 00 P aha, Czech Republic, E-mail: kolenak@new oncollege.cz.
214 F an išek Milicho ský, Jiří Koleňák: Me hodology o he Selec ion
o Compensa ion T ade Tools in SMEs
Each economic c isis which has a ec ed he Eu opean egion aises impo an ques ions
abou he necessi y o inno a ion o deal wi h he si ua ion. This in u n c ea es oppo -
uni ies o a company o be mo e e ec i e in he moni o ing o i s own p oduc ion and
p ocesses (Klímko á, Ho nungo á, 2012).
The cu en hype -compe i i e business en i onmen equi es con inuous e o on he pa
o manage s esponsible o co po a e go e nance o seek ou new compe i i e ad an ages.
In he ecen pas , inspi a ion has been ound in he economic c isis, which o ced he
examina ion o he iabili y o p ojec s and en i e companies, and c ea ed a need o es
managemen p ocedu es and me hods in he con ex o new ci cums ances.
Pe iods o c isis ha e gi en companies an oppo uni y o adap o he business en i on-
men . Common p ac ices include (1) educing deb s o he minimum (minimizing he
isk o de aul ) and (2) cos minimiza ion and he s abiliza ion o ope a ing cash low,
me hods which a e commonly used by co po a e op managemen . Financial and business
ins umen s we e applied alongside hese ools.
Thispape alsodeals wi hse so business ools ha helpcompanies o ealise hei business
and s a egic objec i es by means o compensa ion ools. The use o hese is possible a
any ime, no only du ing pe iods o c isis. The aim o his pape is o ind ends indica ing
imp o emen h ough he use o business ools du ing pe iods o economic c isis.
Wi h ega d o he s a e’s p o isions o deal wi h he c isis, small and middle companies a e
o en on he edge o in e es , e en hough hey ep esen mo e han 99% o all companies
and hey make up mo e han wo- hi ds o all wo kplaces in he EU. They a e he engine
o inno a ion in lowe o de s and a pla o m o he de elopmen o he en ep eneu ial
spi i . Thei ob ious lexibili y is pe haps he eason o he expec a ion ha hey will
help hemsel es. The mos impo an ask o managemen is hus o ind and ealise
p o isions o s abiliza ion and, i possible, o use he si ua ion o imp o e he si ua ion
o he company. The ools a ailable o manage s in hese condi ions could be gene ally
classi ied as c isis-managemen ools, bu ul ima ely as u na ound-managemen ools.
II. Theo e ical backg ound
Du ing any c isis, c ea i e and inno a i e hinking become mo e impo an . Acco ding o
Čicho ský e al. (2012) and Vlček (2011), inno a i e hinking is c ea ed ou o indi idual
expe iences and he ambi ion o imp o e abili ies, skills o knowledge. Th ee ac o s a e
impo an o his c ea i e p ocess:
1) accep ance (usage o new and inno a i e indings in human hinking),
2) applica ion (adop ion o imi a ion o new and inno a i e indings),
3) adap a ion (ac i i y o ans o m indings in o new o iginal a eas o expand know-
ledge).
The e o e, he e exis s a equi emen o change he app oach and hinking o en ep eneu s
in o de o hem o be e ec i e and inno a i e.
The e ec i e implemen a ion o inno a ion helps o inc ease compe i i eness. I in ol es
using in e en ion p og ams compa ed o ee de elopmen and inno a ion unde p essu e.
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In each o ganisa ion, he implemen a ion o inno a ion is accompanied by a lack o con-
nec i i y be ween indi idual a eas and non-linea i y. This is usually caused by a sho age
o need ul skills, sca ce esou ces, low lexibili y o poo educa ion le els (McAdam,
2005).
Accep able solu ions could be used by so-called inno a i e hinking. In o de o an
implemen a ion p ocess o be success ul wi h inno a i e hinking, an app op ia e suppo -
i e o ganiza ional s uc u e is equi ed (Hump eys, McAdam, Leckey, 2005; Paul, Elde ,
2002).
Fo many companies, ha d imes a e a cons an o he p esen pe iod. The di icul si ua ion
on he ma ke indispu ably has a s ong in luence upon hese companies. Bu i does no
ha e o b ing hem o he b ink o su i al. The e a e many ools o he iden i ica ion o
app oaching oubles and, i po en ial p oblems a e disco e ed in ime, app op ia e ools
can be used o mas e he si ua ion.
The e a e many indica o s which allow companies o ecognise app oaching di icul ies.
The ele ance o he indica o s di e s be ween a ious ields and also be ween a ious
companies. The basis should be ools o he s a egic analysis o co po a e su oundings:
(1) PEST analysis o en i onmen al in luences, (2) i e o ces analysis, (3) he li e cycle
model (Johnson, Scholes, Whi ing on, 2008) and also o in e nal o ces and en i onmen
alue chain, alue sys em, compe i i e ad an ages (Po e , 2008). Many sui able indica o s
could also be selec ed om models o company p ocesses and om s a egic and ope a i e
con olling (S eins öcke , 1998).
In addi ion o he lis ing o single indica o s, i is also necessa y o conside hei quan i y-
ing abili y (some indica o s a e so-called so indica o s) and also wi h “decon amina ion”
om ela ions o o he s, un ela ed ends, cyclic and seasonal de ia ions, e c.
Fo he pu poses o his pape , indica o s o economic c isis s a us we e mainly selec ed
om hebusiness ield whichmoni o changes indemand olumeands uc u e, a ailabili y
o esou ces a he inpu (ma e ials and aw ma e ial) and basic associa ed se ices. In he
inancial ield, da a we e in es iga ed abou he a ailabili y o ex e nal inancial esou ces,
he paymen discipline o cus ome s and he abili y o co e hei obliga ions.
Fo he equi emen s o he esea ch, ools we e selec ed which help he exe cise o con ol
o e cash low (Cas o and Newcomb, 2006), o example, p o isions o he quicke eco-
e y o deb s, pos ponemen o obliga ions ma u i y, he use o compensa ion businesses
and also many exclusi e business ools om he ields o ma ke ing, p omo ion, ela i-
onships wi h cus ome s o he de elopmen o business channels (MacPhe son, Mille ,
2010).
Many o he ools desc ibed can ac in con a y ways and i depends only on he gi en
si ua ion and managemen a i ude i he pa h ou o he c isis will be, o example, he
limi a ion o loyal y ac ions o cons an cus ome s o hei de elopmen . F om he poin
o iew o c isis managemen , i is essen ial o ake his si ua ion in o conside a ion and
e alua e he p os and cons o bo h a i udes.
F om he poin o iew o hose ac i i ies ealised du ing a c isis, s a egic pa ne ship
enables companies, wi h minimal e o and as di e si ica ion o hei po olio, o ex end
hei se ices o dis ibu ion channels and hus should also be men ioned (Somna h,
216 F an išek Milicho ský, Jiří Koleňák: Me hodology o he Selec ion
o Compensa ion T ade Tools in SMEs
P adyo , Sanji , 2003; Koleňák, 2008; Oli e , Mpinganji a, 2011a). Bu he basic ole o
so-called u na ound managemen is played by compensa ion ade o ms, especially ba e
and mul ila e al ba e . In ac , ba e ade is a gene al ool, applied in a ious coun ies
(Oli e , Mpinganji a, 2011b).
Pu e ba e is he di ec exchange o goods o goods, whe e one con ac is signed o bo h
supply and coun e -supply. The e is no in oicing in ei he he supplie ’s o he cus ome ’s
cu ency, and he e is no mo emen o money. Mul ila e al ba e is qui e a mode n o m
o ba e ade in ol ing many pa ies. The undamen al basis o mul ila e al ba e is ha
a clien buys om ano he clien goods o se ices only acco ding o cus ome needs and
pays by supplying his p oduc s o o he clien s. Indi idual businesses a e no bound by
a ime ame; i is possible o pu chase and sell con inuously acco ding o hei needs.
Each ansac ion is made by means o , and wi h suppo om, some ba e cen e. These
subjec s – ade companies o a ying legal o m and size, coun o clien s, u no e , and
ield o ac i i y – egis e and book single ansac ions and a e suppo ed by he mu ual
business o hei clien s, pa icipan s in he co esponding ba e chain wi h a ious means
(Gu ie , Ickes, 1999; Oli e , Mpinganji a, 2011a; Kaika i, Kaika i, 2013).
The main eason o use coun e ade ools is in cases whe e companies a e in a posi ion
whe e hey mus o e goods in e u n o an uns able local cu ency. Coun e ades hus
become a kind o gua an ee o he alue o he goods (Ha en, 2012; Ma in, Schni ze ,
2002).
In imes o c isis, a s ong co ela ion exis s be ween ba e ades and business cycles,
caused by he amoun o ba e ansac ions. Ma as i and Smy h (2011) and C es i (2003)
ca ied ou s udies in he U.S. egion ocusing on beha iou in ba e exchanges be ween
comme cial ba e and co po a e ba e . Bo h o hese ba e ypes a e posi i ely co ela ed
wi h business in en o ies. Tha means companies usually use ba e ades in almos 30%
o all wo ld ade cases (Oli e , Mpinganji a, 2011a).
In he Czech Republic, mo e han en ba e companies a e ac i e. Pa icipa ion in he
ba e sys em can, o many en ep eneu s, be an in e es ing way o inance he o e heads
connec ed wi h he ope a ion o ex ension o a company – especially in he cu en di icul
pe iod, when nea ly e e y company is s uggling wi h unbalanced cash low. In he Czech
Republic, ewe han 2,000 companies a e ac i ely o ganized in mul ila e al ba e sys ems.
In spi e o all he a gumen s suppo ing he use o ba e , he e a e many opponen s
decla ing ha he e a e no ha many business cases whe ein ba e could subs i u e o
classical paymen wi h money. In eali y, he e is a p oblem wi h his claim, in ha mos
o he ansac ions made ia ba e ade would no be made o he wise, o would only be
o incompa ably small olume o include o he limi a ions.
One o he bigges p oblems en ep eneu s ha e o sol e oday is edundan capaci y in
he o m o unused p oduc ion acili ies o he ga he ing o goods in s o es (Uij enb oek,
2004). These su plus p oduc s mean dead money, which is hus lacking om cash low and
which could be used by ba e ade o he u he de elopmen o he company. Ba e
ade hus helps o b ing he ac ual s a e o asse s in line wi h he desi ed s a e. When
used, compensa ion ools con ibu e o imp o ing co po a e e ec i eness. Ho nungo á
(2014) men ioned possible sys ems by which managemen could measu e he e ec i eness
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o co po a e ac i i ies in connec ion o na ional and in e na ional compe i i eness and
economic pe o mance.
III. Me hodology
The objec i e o his pape is ind ends o imp o emen in he use o business ools
in he cou se o , and a e , pe iods o economic c isis. A ques ionnai e was used which
ocused on small and medium companies a e he economic c isis (in 2013). Zbo ko á
(2014) and Bishop (2013) supposed ha he economic c isis inish be o e 2013, due o he
inc easing end o he wo ld economy.
The esponden s o he ques ionnai e we e mainly owne s and manage s. Companies o
he su ey which ope a e in he Czech Republic. The condi ions o selec ion we e as
ollows:
•Czech companies,
•co po a e size o up o 250 employees.
Co po a e size is based on he de ini ions in he use guide o he Eu opean communi y.
This use guide includes limi s on which companies can be di ided in o speci ic size g oups
(E opské společens í, 2006). The main limi s o indi idual g oups a e men ioned in
Table 1.
Table 1: Limi s o di iding companies
Numbe o employee Annual u no e Annual balance
Mic o company <10 ≤2 mil. eo ≤2 mil. e
Small company <50 ≤10 mil. eo ≤10 mil. e
Medium company <250 ≤50 mil. eo ≤43 mil. e
Sou ce: E opské společens í, 2006
Ques ions we e included as o how manage s o SMEs a e p epa ed o adap hei compa-
nies acco ding o he impac o a c isis. The base p emise was ha manage s ha e a low
le el o knowledge abou ading ools.
Addi ional esea ch me hods we e used o answe he p ima y objec i e o he esea ch.
F om he poin o iew o seconda y esea ch, cu en in o ma ion sou ces published
in specialised li e a u e we e used, wi h a ocus on ools om he ield o business. In
he p ima y esea ch, we asked ques ions o he manage s o Czech small and middle
companies in he ques ionnai e and in some cases h ough con olled in e iews.
The ques ionnai e used o p ima y in es iga ion was di ided in o ou ca ego ies:
1) Iden i ica ion o he company
2) Impac s o he c isis on he business ield
3) Impac s o he c isis on he inancial ield
4) Knowledge and usage o he ools o company managemen in imes o c isis, wi h
a s ess upon p o ec ing business ac i i ies ( o mo e de ails, see he heo e ical
ou comes sec ion).

218 F an išek Milicho ský, Jiří Koleňák: Me hodology o he Selec ion
o Compensa ion T ade Tools in SMEs
I was independen ly in es iga ed as o whe he he manage s o small and middle com-
panies ha e enough in o ma ion and knowledge in his ield and how hey ha e acqui ed
his knowledge. In acco dance wi h he de ined esea ch, pa o he p ima y esea ch was
ocused on de e mining he de elopmen o knowledge in he ield o compensa ion ade
ools.
The ques ionnai e was ca ied ou in he second hal o 2013 and was ocused on analysing
he possible impac s o he economic c isis on companies. This explo a ion was execu ed
on a sample o 242 esponden s. The esponden s we e manage s om a ious le els o
co po a e managemen .
The ield o ac i i y o each company can be placed in o he ields o se ices, p oduc ion,
and he cons uc ion indus y. I was impo an o ou own esea ch o de e mine whe he
he esponden s use ading ools. Speci ic in o ma ion abou indi idual companies and
hei indus y was no he essence o he esea ch.
F om he o al coun , he bigges g oup (mo e han 69% o e all) included owne s o chie
execu i es. Almos 15% o he es o he esponden s we e loca ed in lowe managemen
le els, and only 16% o esponden s we e in medium managemen .
IV. Resul s
I is ob ious om an analysis o he esul s ha companies commonly use compensa ion
ade ools as a po en ial business suppo . Based on he analysis o he s a is ical cha ac-
e is ics o he examined g oup, we will p esen ou conclusions as an app oxima e esul ,
limi ed by he esul ing eliabili y. In he esul s o he pape he e a e cha ac e is ics o
esea ch ba ie s and u u e esea ch possibili ies.
Table 2 includes undamen al da a which shows ha i is clea ha companies mainly use
he ollowing me hods ou o he g oup o compensa ion ade ools: Reducing he cos
o p ocu ing inpu s; Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock. The conclusions a e gi en by he
cha ac e is ics o he limi s o he esea ch and i s possible u u e di ec ion.
Based on he analyses o desc ip i e s a is ical cha ac e is ics o he sample, ou conclusi-
ons will be p esen ed as an explo a i e esul limi ed by he esul an eliabili y.
F om an analysis o he basic desc ip i e s a is ics, i is clea ha companies mainly use
he ollowing compensa ion ade ools:
•Reducing he cos o p ocu ing inpu s
•Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock
•Sale o su plus p ope y
•Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion
Fac o analysis e eals he educ ion o su eyed co po a e pe o mance indica o s which
companies use in hei own measu emen p ocesses. The main inpu in o ac o analysis
was a co ela ion ma ix which showed he indi idual co ela ion alues o he chosen
indica o s (see Table 3).
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Based on he alues lis ed in Table 3, i is possible o say ha co ela ions exis only in he
h ee highligh ed ela ions. These ela ions a e:
•Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock and Equal u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies
(0,441),
•Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion and Equal u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies
(0,419),
•Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion and Reducing he cos o p ocu ing inpu s
(0,430),
Thus only he ollowing can be de e mined o be key ools: (1) Minimiza ion o wa e-
house s ock, (2) Equal u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies, (3) Inc easing awa eness o
p oduc ion, and (4) Reducing he cos o p ocu ing inpu s.
Table 2: Basic desc ip i e s a is ics
Mean S anda d de ia ion Va iance
Equal u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies 0.47 0.676 0.457
Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock 0.58 0.711 0.505
Sale o su plus p ope y 0.51 0.665 0.442
Reducing he cos o p ocu ing inpu s 0.85 0.731 0.534
Dele e aging o company 0.39 0.639 0.408
Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion 0.52 0.677 0.458
Sou ce: Own wo k
Table 3: Co ela ion ma ix
Equal u ili-
za ion o p o-
duc ion ca-
paci ies
Minimiza ion
o wa ehouse
s ock
Sale o su -
plus p ope y
Reducing he
cos o p o-
cu ing inpu s
Dele e aging
o company
Inc easing
awa eness o
p oduc ion
Equal u iliza-
ion o p o-
duc ion capa-
ci ies
1 0.441** 0.188** 0.382** 0.130* 0.419**
Minimiza ion
o wa ehouse
s ock
0.441** 1 0.347** 0.354** 0.044 0.311**
Sale o su -
plus p ope y
0.188** 0.347** 1 0.323** 0.193** 0.283**
Reducing he
cos o p o-
cu ing inpu s
0.382** 0.354** 0.323** 1 0.173** 0.430**
Dele e aging
o company
0.130* 0.044 0.193** 0.173** 1 0.221**
Inc easing
awa eness o
p oduc ion
0.419** 0.311** 0.283** 0.430** 0.221** 1
No es: * Co ela ion is signi ican a he 0.05 le el
** Co ela ion is signi ican a he 0.01 le el
Sou ce: Own wo k
220 F an išek Milicho ský, Jiří Koleňák: Me hodology o he Selec ion
o Compensa ion T ade Tools in SMEs
Table 4: Ro a ed componen ma ix
Fac o o p oduc ion Fac o o inance
Equal u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies 0.763 0.020
Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock 0.781 −0.085
Sale o su plus p ope y 0.455 0.462
Reducing he cos o p ocu ing inpu s 0.670 0.281
Dele e aging o company −0.016 0.918
Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion 0.636 0.358
C onbach’s alpha 0.718 0.323
Ex ac ion Me hod: P incipal Componen Analysis.
Ro a ion Me hod: Va imax wi h Kaise No maliza ion. Ro a ion con e ged in 3 i e a ions.
Sou ce: Own wo k
The o al a iance o inpu sin he ac o analysis can be explainedby means o a desc ip ion
o he p ocess o ex ac ion. The beginning o ex ac ion (Ini ial Eigen alues) includes
whole componen s which we e pu in o he ex ac ion. In he second s ep (Ex ac ion
Sums o Squa ed Loadings), acco ding o he key (Eigen alue ≤1), he e is a educ ion o
he ou s onges componen s which a e used in he nex s ep o p ocessing. The las s ep
(Ro a ion Sums o Squa ed Loadings) shows he di e ences in indi idual componen s.
F om his poin o iew, Ex ac ion Sums o Squa ed Loadings wi h cumula i e pe cen age
is impo an . Fac o analysis ex ac ed only wo ac o s, which explains almos 60% o he
a iance ( he exac amoun was 58.12%). This esul con i ms he good ac o esul o he
in e p e ed a iance.
The o al a iance o he compensa ion ade ools a e explained due o eigen alues, which
ep esen s he o al a iance explained by each ac o . In ex ac ion, all componen s we e
di ided in o wo new s onges componen g oups. These new componen g oups ha e
di e se dep h wi h he p e ious ou componen s (see Table 4). The eigen alues we e
de e mined by ou own igu es and only wo componen s ha e igu es o e o e y close
o 1. Tha means only wo componen s make up almos 60% o he o al a iance o all
ou componen s, and ha e a iabili y as o iginal ac o s.
V. Discussion
In o de o assess whe he i is possible o use ac o analysis, he Kaise -Meye -Olkin
me hod (KMO) and Ba le ’s es o sphe ici y we e used. The KMO me hod is based
on selec i e co ela ion and pa ial co ela ion coe icien s. The alue ange o KMO is
be ween 0 and 1 (Hin on, B ownlow, McMu ay, Cozens, 2004). Each a iable co ela es
pe ec ly wi h i sel (app oxima e o 1), bu has no co ela ion wi h he o he a iables
(app oxima e o 0). In ou case KMO eached a alue o 0.752, which means ha he
pe o med le el o use ulness o ac o analysis is a an a e age le el.
Ba le ’s es o sphe ici y is a s a is ic es ha is used o examine he hypo hesis ha he
a iables a e co ela ed o unco ela ed. No co ela ion was ound wi h o he a iables
(Sig = 0.000). Ne e heless, Ba le ’s es o sphe ici y is signi ican because o he alue,
which is lowe han 0.05.
DANUBE: Law and Economics Re iew, 5 (3), 213–224
DOI: 10.2478/danb-2014-0012
221
Fo he co ec ness o he ac o analysis and accep ance he esul s, i is impo an o ge
a C onbach’s alpha alue o o e 0.7. O he wise, he e a e equi emen s o imp o e he
sample, o he ques ionnai e. C onbach’s alpha is a measu e o in e nal consis ency ha is
closely ela ed o a se o i ems as a g oup. A “high” alue o alpha is o en used (along
wi h subs an i e a gumen s and possibly o he s a is ical measu es) as e idence ha he
i ems measu e an unde lying (o la en ) cons uc .
Howe e , a high C onbach’s alpha does no imply ha he measu e is unidimensional. I ,
in addi ion o measu ing in e nal consis ency, you wish o p o ide e idence ha he scale
in ques ion is unidimensional, addi ional analyses can be pe o med. Explo a o y ac o
analysis is one me hod o checking dimensionali y. C onbach’s alpha is no a s a is ical
es ; i is a coe icien o eliabili y (o consis ency).
I could be w i en as a unc ion o he numbe o es i ems and he a e age in e -co ela ion
among he i ems. Below, o concep ual pu poses, we show he o mula o he s anda dized
C onbach’s alpha:
α=Nׯc
¯ + (N−1) ׯc(1)
whe e
Nis equal o he numbe o i ems,
¯cis he a e age in e -i em co a iance among he i ems,
¯ equals he a e age a iance.
I he alues we e o inc ease he numbe o i ems (N), i is possible o inc ease C onbach’s
alpha. Mo eo e , i he a e age in e -i em co ela ion is low, he alpha will be low. As he
a e age in e -i em co ela ion inc eases, C onbach’s alpha inc eases as well. The alues
o C onbach’s alpha could be om 0 o 1. I he alues we e close o 0.5, i signi ies a bad
le el o in e nal consis ency. O e 0.7 means ha he alue is accep able and alues close
o 1 a e excellen (Hin on, B ownlow, McMu ay, Cozens, 2004).
Acco ding o ou esul s, he alues o C onbach’s alpha we e:
•Fac o o p oduc ion is a a good le el
•Fac o o inance is unaccep able.
Calcula ing he inal alue o accep able ac o s needs he ans o ma ion o indi idual
coe icien s. These coe icien s ha e become he signi icance o used elemen s. Thei sum
o al has o be 1. The index o he ac o o p oduc ion was de ined by his p ocedu e.
index o p oduc ion ac o =(2)
0,268 ×E+ 0,274 ×M+ 0,235 ×R+ 0,2223 ×I
whe e
E– Equals u iliza ion o p oduc ion capaci ies
M– Minimiza ion o wa ehouse s ock
R– Reducing cos o p ocu ing inpu s
I– Inc easing awa eness o p oduc ion