Purpose: This paper responds to recent calls for understanding how multiple management control and performance measurement systems are used simultaneously for managing performance, particularly in the context of SMEs.Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected during an in-depth case study of management control and performance measurement and management practices in a Dutch SME using multiple data sources and elicitation methods, including interviews and participant observations. Findings:This study identifies managerial practices that enable the interplay of the four control systems -beliefs, boundaries, diagnostic and interactive -helping the organization manage organizational tensions in relation to short-and long-term focus, predictable goal achievement and search for new opportunities, internal and external focus, and control and creativity. Research implications/limitations: This article advances the research on integrating multipleaspects of performance management, particularly technical and social. This research is based on a single case study; future qualitative and quantitative studies could explore the interplay between the four control systems in other settings and explore the relationship between control systems and leadership style. Practical implications:Managing performance requires active and continuous use of all four control systems. This is particularly salient in SMEs where less formal controls play a key role and where balance needs to be ensured despite the lack of managerial processes and capabilities.

According to knowledge and network-based theories of multinational companies (MNCs), the main source of MNC competitive advantage is the creation and transfer of knowledge within the MNC system. The processes of knowledge creation and knowledge transfer are extensively investigated in the present literature. However, there are issues that are still underdeveloped, such as control and organizational mechanisms as a micro foundation of modern MNC theories. This paper is aimed at presenting an overview of the modern theoretical approaches of MNC competitive advantages from the managerial point of view. The applicability of these concepts is further considered in the case of MNC affiliates doing their business in transition economies in order to provide guidelines for future empirical research

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