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The Functional Controller for Sustainable and Value Chain Management: Fashion or Need? A Sample of Job Advertisements in the COVID-19 Period

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  • Ewa Walińska

    (Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 97237 Lodz, Poland)

  • Justyna Dobroszek

    (Department of Accounting, Faculty of Management, University of Lodz, 97237 Lodz, Poland)

Abstract

This article aims to present a profile of functional controllers created in German-speaking countries in the context of their competences and tasks for sustainable management and value chain creation. Sustainable chain management requires finding a balance between the economic, social, and environmental spheres, inside and outside the organizations, in all business functions/processes related to value chain formation. Managers for sustainable management need to have adequate and high-quality financial and non-financial information. They are crucial during the pandemic COVID-19 period. Functional controllers can provide this. Content analysis of job advertisements was used as a research method. The identification of competences was based on Cheetham and Chivers’ model. Tasks were referred to as essential functions of controlling. Descriptive statistics and the Student’s t -test with Cochran–Cox correction and the Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney test were used to analyze the data. In terms of the studied controllers, more functional than meta competence was identified. There were more hard skills than soft skills. In terms of tasks, studied controllers are preoccupied with analysis, coordination and optimization, participation in management, definition of new tools, and reporting. The results confirm that functional controllers have an impact on sustainable development and value chain creation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ewa Walińska & Justyna Dobroszek, 2021. "The Functional Controller for Sustainable and Value Chain Management: Fashion or Need? A Sample of Job Advertisements in the COVID-19 Period," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7139-:d:582037
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    Cited by:

    1. Agnieszka Bieńkowska & Katarzyna Tworek, 2022. "Controlling and Its Influence on Organizations’ Functioning under Conditions Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Szabina Fodor & Ildikó Szabó & Katalin Ternai, 2021. "Competence-Oriented, Data-Driven Approach for Sustainable Development in University-Level Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-23, September.
    3. Alla Mostepaniuk & Elsie Nasr & Razan Ibrahim Awwad & Sameer Hamdan & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani, 2022. "Managing a Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.

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