Characteristics of Managerial Control Systems of Small and Medium Sized Companies of the Pharmaceutical Sector in Federal State of Rio de Janeiro: a Case Study

Abstract

The current study aims at identifying the relationship between the managerial control described in the specialized literature and the managerial control actually adopted by four small and medium-sized companies of the pharmaceutical sector located in the Federal State of Rio de Janeiro. Due to the characteristics and goals of this research, we have adopted the case study method, because this method is best suited for deeper analysis of one or more organizations, through the comparison of those with ideal types found in the literature. The obtained results suggest that the managerial control systems used by the studied companies do not meet, in many aspects, the theoretical demands used as guidelines for the present study. On the other hand, we have observed that even in those companies where managerial control systems were found which, in some aspects, corresponded to the topics considered relevant in the studied literature, when they were examined from the point of view of the system as a whole, they showed a lack of knowledge concerning the importance of integration of the control mechanisms in reaching the objectives of the organization.