British Accounting Review (2001) 33, 23–45 doi:10.1006/bare.2000.0149, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on MARKET COMPETITION, COMPUTER-AIDED MANUFACTURING AND USE OF MULTIPLE PERFORMANCE MEASURES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ZAHIRUL HOQUE AND LOKMAN MIA Griffith University, Australia MANZURUL ALAM James Cook University, Australia This paper reports the results of an empirical investigation into use of multiple measures of performance in manufacturing organisations. More specifically, it examines how a multiple performance measurement system is associated with the intensity of market competition and the application of computer-aided manufacturing processes. To test this association, data were collected from 71 New Zealand-based manufacturing units. The results suggest that greater emphasis on multiple measures for performance evaluation is associated with businesses facing high competition and making greater use of computer-aided manufacturing processes.  2001 Academic Press INTRODUCTION In recent years, researchers have expressed concerns with traditional performance measures, which focus mainly on financial criteria such as return on investment or net earnings (Lynch & Cross, 1991; Kaplan & Norton, 1992, 1993 and 1996; Ittner & Larcker, 1998; Otley, 1999; Banker et al., 2000; Hoque & James, 2000). A reason for their concern An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual congress of the European Accounting Association, Antwerp, Belgium, April 1997, the annual conference of the Accounting Association of Australia and New Zealand, Hobart, Tasmania, July 1997 and One-Day Symposium on Issues of Accountability and Performance, Brisbane, February 1997. We acknowledge valuable comments by T. Hopper, T. Mia, M. Shields, P. Venebles, the participants of the above conferences, joint editors, the associate editor, and two anonymous reviewers. Please address all correspondence to: Zahirul Hoque, School of Accounting and Finance, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, PMB 50, Gold Coast Mail Centre, Queensland 9726, Australia, Fax C 61 7 5552 8068; email: Z.Hoque@mailbox.gu.edu.au Received March 2000; revised November 2000; accepted November 2000 0890–8389/01/010023+23 $35.00/0  2001 Academic Press