Abstract
This article offers a practice-oriented synthesis of management control patterns across three cultural clusters (German/European, Anglo-Saxon, Japanese), then demonstrates how these play out in Hungary via three anonymized vignettes (HP–HSZ–HT). In the Prime stage, performance stability hinges on three elements: fixed decision rhythms, a lean and well-defined KPI portfolio with leading/lagging pairs, and pre-agreed intervention thresholds (trigger + owner + reaction window + follow-up). The method is qualitative multi-case; all vignettes intentionally omit numbers and identifying details. Our cross-case analysis structures findings along convergence (shared core), divergence (sectoral and cultural weights) and localization (a path-dependent Hungarian “hybrid optimum”). We close with a 10-item implementation checklist to support immediate managerial use.
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