“It’s almost impossible to tell that you are making progress unless you translate things into numbers” – Professor Dr. Naqi Sayed about Business Controlling nowadays

In May 2022, Professor Dr. Naqi Sayed from Lakehead University in Canada taught a course on Business Controlling in an International Context at the Business School Pforzheim. In an interview with student reporter Simon Stolle, he talks about the key challenges in the Business Controlling context, his international teaching experience, and the beautiful nature in Thunder Bay.

Hello Dr. Sayed, this is your first time here in Pforzheim on our campus. What do you think about our Business School so far?

My first impression is really good. The more I learn about this Business School, the more impressed I am. Especially if you look at the number of study programs. I was not expecting this great variety of study programs. It is a much greater variety in comparison to Lakehead University. And, in terms of accreditations, the Business School Pforzheim leaves a good impression.
 

You already mentioned it – you are teaching at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Canada. The university is located right on the waterfront.

Absolutely. There are plenty of lakes – the region is called the land of 1.000 lakes. We have one big lake right next to the city, it is called Lake Superior. But we have lots of smaller lakes, too. So, in general, there are great possibilities for water activities for everyone. I have two kayaks, so I just take them and go for a round on the water. There are a lot of possibilities for hiking as well and there's plenty of wildlife. But you must be careful, you might encounter some dangers that are around, like black bears. It is advised to continue making noise to make them walk away. Fishing is also an activity that people regularly engage in.
 

Here in Pforzheim, you're teaching the course Business Controlling in an International Context. What would you say if you had to explain Business Controlling in an elevator pitch or one minute?

Well, to put it short – and this is what I say to my students: Businesses develop, implement, and follow strategies. Business controlling is all about how you control all the elements, to make sure that everybody follows the same strategy.
 

What are the key issues and challenges that will occupy us in the coming years in this field of research?

When we talk about control, there have been some new developments in terms of how to look at costs. In my opinion, there is a shift happening right now that is recognized by the professional accounting bodies. One major part of this shift is performance management, which is my main area of research. Performance management has always been focused on the financial side of performance like return on investment, profit, etc., which is basically the judgement of company performance. But today, there is an increasing awareness that financial performance is also the result of some other factors – called non-financial performance. For example, customer satisfaction. It drives sales - and more sales mean more profit. So, the first challenge is to find out what kinds of non-financial factors contribute to the success of the company. And the second challenge is to measure these factors. In my opinion, everything can be measured, you just have to be smart about it and learn how to measure it. You can measure things directly but also indirectly. If it is important, you must measure it and translate it into numbers. It´s almost impossible to tell that you are making progress unless you translate things into numbers. In management accounting, you need to translate everything into numbers - no “wishy-washy” things.
 

You have gained extensive international working and teaching experience. In Pakistan, the UK, Australia or Canada – and now Germany. What did you learn by working in such international environments?

I would say my experience is limited in the sense that I've always worked in English-speaking countries. But what I see in general and what surprises me a lot is the similarity in terms of academic procedures. There's not much difference between the countries I have worked in regarding the way subjects are approached. I think that is because the world has become such an international place in terms of academics. They collaborate a lot, and books and articles are available online, so there are a lot of similarities in terms of subjects and the teaching environment.

Another thing is the differences between the students. I was surprised by that, but students in Australia are different from students in Canada who are different from students in Pakistan. Canadian students are more well-behaved in terms of respect towards their professors. I am having a wonderful time teaching there. But this also has a downside: They do not question their professor as often. Australian students seem to be more vocal in comparison to the others. And Pakistani students question a lot – they question almost everything which can be hard sometimes.

If you really want to see the differences in culture, you need to step out of the university environment. The moment you get into the city and step out of the academic bubble, you see the real differences in culture.
 

Why should Business School Pforzheim students spend a semester abroad at Lakehead University in Canada?

Yeah! One reason is that Lakehead University and especially the professors are truly international. We have professors from India, Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and so on - Canadian-born professors are sort of a minority. This is a reason to come because professors teach you a particular way of looking at things based on their own cultural perspectives. Therefore, it opens your mind to other possibilities.

Other reasons are the interaction with the many local Canadian students, the experience of the Canadian lifestyle, and of course the beautiful place itself. If you are into water sports or hiking, Thunder Bay is a great place to do so in summer.
 

You have been in Germany for one week so far. Have you already discovered your favourite German dish?

I have no experience with German food yet, but I am looking forward to trying some typical German dishes. One thing I can say so far is that your bread is awesome.
 

Thank you very much, Professor Dr. Sayed!

Lakehead University is a public research university with campuses in Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is a proud host to 11 research chairs and is ranked among Canada’s top 10 primarily undergraduate universities according to Maclean’s. A total of 7.500 students call the Thunder Bay Campus home. The AASCB accredited Faculty of Business Administration in Thunder Bay is known for its exceptional education.