Balanced Scorecard

A framework for business process management facilitates the implementation, management and improvement of process-based organisations. In order to do so, organisations require new capabilities such as change roadmaps, knowledge management and balanced performance measures.

The public sector in the United States continues to wrestle with the challenges of complying with legislation such as the Information Technology Reform Act and the Government Performance and Results Act that requires federal agencies to align their programs with the overall mission of the agency and to report their success and failures on an annual basis to Congress.
The results unfortunately have not been very good. The Office of Management and Budget and the General Accounting Office have found in their reviews that the federal government as a
whole has not been doing a very good job aligning their programs with the goals and establishing effective performance measures.
The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) offers a methodology that can be applied to the federal sector to enable more effective alignment of programs to mission and a tangible means for measuring the results. Some agencies, particularly within the Department of Defense, have embraced the Balanced Scorecard as a means for achieving these objectives, and have successfully transformed their programs to achieve higher productivity, aligning with the mission of the agency
and resulting in higher efficiencies.
This paper discusses the overall effectiveness and applicability of the Balanced Scorecard to the federal sector of the US Government, including a specific real-world application by the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS).
JEL Classification: Lll, L86, M31.

Since New Labour came to power in the UK in 1997, there has been a drive to improve the effectiveness of public services through the use of private sector principles. From, the Modernising Government White Paper to the development of the Public Services Productivity Panel who, produced a raft of White Papers tackling health, social services, welfare and criminal justice. This paper, through the analysis of two studies, will reflect on some of the general literature on public sector performance management and the findings and recommendations of the Public Services Productivity Panel in order to attempt to answer whether performance management in the public sector is currently fact or fiction? In other words the paper will aim to develop and answer, to a certain extent, if it really possible to raise productivity and performance within public sector organisations through developing performance management systems based on private sector experience.

Most of the cultural and artistic extension actions at the UFPB are carried out by the Coordination of Cultural Extension (COEX) of the Dean´s Office for Extension and Community Development (PRAC), through its Nuclei and Cultural Producers. Despite the hierarchical dependency from COEX, the management and programmatic integration among Nuclei e between them and Cultural Producers is lacking. As result, it is observed a lack of synergy and fragmented and scattered actions, showing inefficiency in the use of resources and low effectiveness in terms of scale and impact both within and outside the UFPB. One of the reasons is the lack of an organizational culture that values and applies forms of integrated strategic planning and management, with the use of performance indicators for the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the cultural and artistic actions. To approach this problem, the main objective of this work was to develop an strategic planning framework based on the Kaplan and Norton´s Balanced Scorecard (BSC) adapted to the COEX’s cultural and artistic extension actions. Thus, it is expected to provide a framework towards a more strategic and result based decision making process with better integration, contributing, at the same time, with greater accountability and better institutional learning, To this end, a desktop review and a survey were carried out, based on the SWOT matrix, to assess the internal and external situation of the COEX. Also it was conducted a participatory strategic planning meeting with all COEX’s personnel to develop the strategic intention (mission, vision, values and strategic objectives). Having as a base the BSC it was developed the COEX´s map of strategies with a hierarchy of objectives, performance indicators and initiatives. The strategic planning process also allowed to redefine the COEX role in order to rescue and strengthen its function of policy formulation, mobilization and creation of partnerships, integration and articulation of the different units and fostering the dissemination of information and results. The result chain model, integrated to the BSC, was used to set up the methodological guidelines for the annual planning of actions (programmes, projects, courses, events, etc) and set up the necessary steps to develop the foundations of the M&E function within the COEX.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) has gained significance as one of the 21 st century manufacturing paradigms for improving organizational competitiveness. Supply chain ensures improved efficiency and effectiveness of not only product transfer, but also information sharing between the complex hierarchies of all the tiers. The literature on SCM that deals with strategies and technologies for effectively managing a supply chain is quite vast. In recent years, organizational performance measurement (PM) and metrics have received much attention from researchers and practitioners. Performance measurement and metrics have an important role to play in setting objectives, evaluating performance, and determining future courses of actions. Apart from the common criteria such as cost and quality, ten other performance measurements are defined, visibility, trust, innovativeness, delivery reliability, flexibility and responsiveness, resource utilization, cost, assets, technological capability, service and time to market, so total twelve criteria and fifty eight subcriteria are used to evaluate the performance in supply chain. So, for evaluating and selecting supplier a multi-attribute decision-making technique, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP), is used to make decision based on the priority of performance measures. This paper describes a decision framework for evaluating and selecting supplier performance in a supply chain. A case study from the automotive industry is used to demonstrate the AHP technique.

This article attempts to increase understanding of best practice in decision-making in strategic project management, as applied to the upstream oil and gas sector. It describes what is meant by strategic project management in that context, outlines the wide range of techniques that can be applied to managing strategic projects, and explores the elements (or dimensions) of the strategic project management process, and the appropriateness of techniques in facilitating strategic project management. It seeks to improve managerial understanding of strategic project management, by proposing a set of multidisciplinary elements framed by the balanced scorecard's (BSC) rationale, and investigating the extent to which techniques address the proposed set of elements. 

This paper proposes a preliminary model of a balanced scorecard for tourism destinations, with a specific emphasis on sustainable development. We begin with a review of the perspectives and critical performance variables for the traditional balanced scorecard. We then present empirical work based upon quantitative analysis techniques. A survey was completed by 1531 Spanish municipalities that are oriented towards tourism and have demonstrated interest in management issues. Based on the constructs emerging from this analysis, we then show how the balanced scorecard can be modified to support the strategic planning of tourism destinations. We conclude by discussing the advantages for long-term strategic planning and sustainable tourism management.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper used a mail-survey of companies listed in the Directory of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), year 2003. The FMM Directory provides a database of over 2,000 manufacturing firms of various sizes producing a broad range of ...

Purpose -Tacit knowledge is perceived as the most strategically important resource of the construction organisation, and the only renewable and sustainable base for its activities and competitiveness. Knowledge management (KM) activities that deal with tacit knowledge are essential in helping an organisation to achieve its long-term organisational objectives. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for the stronger strategic role of tacit KM in comparison to explicit KM. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey was administered in 2005 to a sample of construction contractors operating in Hong Kong to elicit opinions on the internal business environment, intensity of KM activities as executed by targeted organisations, and contribution of these activities to business performance (BP). A total of 149 usable responses were received from 99 organisations representing about 38 per cent of the sampling frame. The statistical analyses helped to map the reported KM activities into two groups that, respectively, deal with tacit and explicit knowledge. The sensitivity to variations of organisational policies and strength of association with BP in relation to the two groups of KM activities were also compared empirically. A total of 15 interviews with the managerial and professional staff of leading contractors was undertaken to provide insightful narratives of KM implementations. Findings -The effective implementation of organisational policies, such as encouraging innovations and strengthening strategic guidance for KM, would facilitate human interactions of tacit KM. Higher intensity of activities in managing tacit knowledge would ultimately help the organisations to achieve economic gain in the long run. Originality/value -The stronger strategic role of tacit KM is empirically investigated and established within the context of construction organisations.

There is a large consensus among academics and practitioners that ICT investments should be carefully justified, measured and controlled. In practice, the traditional capital investment appraisal techniques (CIAT's) such as payback period or net present value are by far the most used techniques. Nevertheless, serious doubts about the fitness of these techniques in an ICT environment arise. ICT investments have special characteristics (high risks, LT-return, large proportion of intangible/hidden costs and benefits.. .) which makes the use of these techniques very difficult and the reliability of the outcome most uncertain. Efforts are made to find more appropriate techniques. CIAT's are adjusted so that these techniques become more reliable in an ICT environment. New justification methods/techniques are developed. However neither these adjusted techniques nor the new techniques are frequently used. This might be explained by the fact that the outcome of these techniques is difficult to interpret and to use and the fact that some significant problems (like the estimation of hidden costs) remain unsolved. Moreover, most of the new techniques are still in the conceptual phase. Despite the existence of a wealth of literature, the IS community appears to be no nearer to a solution to many problems associated with ICT appraisal. Since all techniques presented in the article have their drawbacks, it is safe to say that reliance on a sole technique may lead to sub-optimalisation or even failure. Therefore it makes sense to use a mixture of techniques, eliminating or diminishing the weaknesses of each of the techniques used. We strongly recommend a multi-layer evaluation process, or an evaluation process derived from the balanced scorecard, for the appraisal of major ICT investment projects.

Supplementary Cluster Activities constitute an important organisational part within the structure of the German Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass” at RWTH Aachen University, because they focus on the entire clusters efficient networking process and successful strategic cluster development. As research teams from different scientific fields collaborate, the strategic management of interdisciplinary processes becomes necessary to enhance scientific cooperation. Therefore, amongst other measures of cluster development, a Balanced-Scorecard-Approach is implemented to measure the performance of the entire Cluster of Excellence. With the annual implementation of the Balanced-Scorecard-Approach, crucial key performance indicators have been collected, compared and analysed for the strategic management of the Cluster of Excellence, to facilitate innovation activities through adequate measures.

The purpose of this paper is to identify best practices in order to improve the quality of services in Portuguese academic libraries. This article describes an ongoing project to assess the performance of library services, resulting from a partnership of six Portuguese higher education libraries. The study has three main steps:(1) selection of criteria to be evaluated and selection of their corresponding performance indicators;(2) data collection and analysis;(3) identification of best practices. The selection of the criteria to be ...

We present and demonstrate a multi-criteria approach for evaluating R&D projects in different stages of their life cycle. Our approach integrates the balanced scorecard (BSC) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) and develops an extended DEA model. The input and output measures for the integrated DEA-BSC model are grouped in "cards" which are associated with a "BSC for R&D projects". The BSC is embedded in the DEA model through a hierarchical structure of constraints that reflect the BSC balance considerations. We illustrate the proposed approach with a case study involving an industrial research laboratory that selects and executes dozens of R&D projects every year. ᭧

Background: Prior research confirmed that the balanced scorecard (BSC) can be used successfully at manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to assist with sustainability. South African SMEs have a low survival rate despite being a significant contributor to the local economy with the manufacturing sector in particular hampered by negative growth.Aim: The objective of this study was to develop a BSC for manufacturing SMEs in South Africa with measurable key performance indicators (KPIs).Setting: We conducted a Delphi study with cost accounting specialists in different industries.Methods: The development of the generic BSC was facilitated with a Delphi survey and analytical hierarchy process (AHP).Results: The research presents a generic yet flexible BSC for manufacturing SMEs. A total number of 12 generic and 104 specific KPIs were identified. The results revealed a greater emphasis on the financial and customer perspectives that may be conducive to SME sustainability and s...

This paper discusses issues and strategies in implementing Balanced Scorecard to facilitate strategic planning in a small private university library. Bond University has been using the Balanced Scorecard to measure and manage its performance. One of the challenges in implementing the Balanced Scorecard is selecting appropriate performance measures for the four areas of the Balanced Scorecard which are: • Financial perspective – how do we look to stakeholders? • Customer perspective – how do our customers see us? • Internal business processes – what must we excel at? • Innovation and learning – how can we continue to improve and create value? Other challenges include collecting the desired information and systematising its production and analysis. Alignment of libraries with the university’s performance measurement methodology and identification of the library’s contribution to the University’s overall performance are not always straightforward. Specifically this paper will discuss h...

This study approaches the recent incorporation to national libraries of a quality evaluation culture using performance indicators. The project for devising Technical Report ISO/TR 28118 regarding performance indicators for national libraries is explained from its beginnings. This is a specific common standard that permit benchmarking among similar institutions at the international level. The involvement of the international bodies IFLA, ISO and CENL in this initiative is described based on observation of the situations common to all national libraries. The technical process of drawing up the report is likewise described, along with its structure and contents. Also dealt with is the recent experience of the National Library of Spain in incorporating performance indicators to its evaluation processes and applying the ISO report indicators.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to analyse the network strategies of academic libraries and presents an approach to the evaluation of strategic plans and their implementation. Design/methodology/approach -The balanced scorecard approach is used as a framework for organisations to communicate and implement their strategic plans. Findings -It is shown in this study that the balanced scorecard also provides a general framework for the evaluation of the strategy and performance from different perspectives. Practical implications -The concept of the strategy map is used to illustrate the objectives of the strategic plans of the consortium of libraries.

In this paper the authors propose a link between the Benefits Dependency Network, from a Benefits Management approach, and a Strategy Map, from Balanced Scorecard, to improve the management of business benefits and to ensure that actions taken along the investment life-cycle lead to foreseen benefits realization. The goal of this integration is to build a framework that combines useful features of both methods. We sustain that they can be complementary. As a Strategy Map is committed with strategic alignment, communication and monitoring of strategy execution at all levels of an organization, a Benefits Dependency Network is aimed at explaining how benefits are going to be obtained through organizational change. Using the results of a case-study research, we explain how a Strategy Map can cross with the Benefits Dependency Network. The integrated contribution is meant to increase the investments effectiveness, giving to stakeholders the confidence on a clearer delivery path for their expected benefits.

In Mexico, the Automotive Industry is one of the most important sectors, based on the amount of sales, as well as for the number of people employed. The level of competition facing firms to win OEM programs requires having a very strict control over the whole company's operation. System Dynamics is presented as a very powerful methodology for modeling the current and future situation of a company and combined with the Balanced scorecard concept, both provide a deep insight into the dynamics of the company. Based on this case of study a new methodology is proposed which provides a deeper insight on how the system works in such a way that the development of the company's strategy has greater impact. Through the simulation of 24 months into the future it is possible to understand the system´s behavior in terms of the interrelation of the most critical variables which were defined as the main KPI´s.

The premise that people provide organizations with an important source of sustainable competitive advantage is established. The effective management of human capital as determinant of organizational performance is thus accepted. The successful organizations are using human resources as a strategic partner investing them with far reaching transformational roles and responsibilities. Termed as Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), in the current HRM literature, this activity involves making the function of managing people the most prioritized action in the organization and integrating all HR programs and policies within the framework of the organizational strategy. Empirical literature linking HRM with the firms strategy and performance and the processes that operate leaves a significant gap to conceptualize the ground realities and provide a direction to manage people. Managers deploy various tools to strategize and support HR processes. One of the tools available for the HR manager is the Balanced Scorecard concept. This paper examines the HR strategies, HR processes and the performance measures to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the HR Strategies using the BSC concept in a case study format. More specifically, the critical issues relating to the identification of measures for a successful strategy deployment and the results achieved through these strategies would be focused. The study confirms that the use of Balanced Scorecard concept in strategic HR helps the organizations to align & manage its people effectively.

The major purpose of this study is providing a suitable response to this inquiry: What performance evaluation criterions are currently prevalent by various companies listed in the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE)? And to what extent, do they have adapted the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) mechanism for performance evaluation of their operations and departments? The significant objectives of this research are: 1) seeking to exploit practical performance evaluation techniques, and 2) reporting the BSC'S adaption among the TSE firms. In effect, four perspectives of the BSC, promoted by Kaplan & Norton (1992, 1996 & 2004), including financial, customer, internal process, and learning & growth, are extracted in the framework of different hypothesis. The population of this research encompasses all firms listed in the TSE for the year 2006. Totally, 200 qualified and active firms were identified, and a valid and reliable questionnaire was conveyed to them. However, only 68 of the questionnaires w...

Research on Activity-Based Costing and its applications has mainly been focused on organisations in developed countries. Little has been learnt as to whether ABC techniques can be implemented successfully in organisations in developing countries. With the adoption of an innovation action research approach, we have successfully developed an ABC system jointly with a large Chinese manufacturing company, Xu Ji Electric Co. Ltd. (Xu Ji), for the period 2001-2005. The research provides a unique opportunity to examine some key success factors pertinent to ABC implementation within a Chinese organisational and cultural setting. The findings indicate that top management support, which has been identified as an important success factor in ABC literature, is evidently the predominant success factor in this organisation. In addition, Xu Ji's corporate culture of ''top-down'' instigation of the adoption of a series of management innovations (e.g., Economic-Value Added s , Balanced Scorecards and Six Sigma) and its hierarchical command and communication structure, coupled with active involvement of a high proportion of dedicated professionals, can be seen as another success factor in achieving a relatively high level of diffusion of this accounting concept within the organisation. This study also reveals a different insight of internal resistance to change, which is contrary to the evidence presented in the existing ABC literature.

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the first results of the utilization of the Balanced Scorecard as a tool of performance management in the Hospital de Caridade of Carazinho. The process is described by the analysis of the Balanced Scorecard's four perspectives: financial perspective, customer perspective, internal business processes perspective, and learning and growth perspective, besides the community perspective adopted by the Hospital. The evaluation of the results aims to obtain subsidies to propose improvements in the conduction of the process. At the end of the study the conclusion is that, however short the period of effective implementation, the results obtained did not fully meet the expectations. The achievement of results that are not altogether satisfactory should not be viewed as something negative, but rather as possibilities of improvement, warning managers to develop a greater commitment, especially in the framing of clearer and more realistic str...

To make efficient, effective decisions, organizational leaders use strategic frameworks to see how well the organization is accomplishing its goals and implementing its strategies. These strategic frameworks filter great quantities of information about different parts of the organization into a few, critical elements. To process this vast amount of information, these frameworks depend increasingly on sophisticated information systems. Prior behavioral decision making research supports this practice, suggesting that guiding cue selection and increasing information credibility enhance decision performance. Common practice, however, focuses primarily on increasing information credibility and not enhancing cues. This research develops a theoretical model to explain how the decision maker's understanding of the decision context is influenced by the strategic framework and by the information processing system. This research tests the theoretical model with a simulator-based experiment, where 118 MBA and MEng students run a wireless telecommunications firm.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated qualitative and quantitative approach to the development of a balanced scorecard (BSC) for a real life case company KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission, organic food sector, India). Design/methodology/approach -In this paper the semi-structured interviews with director, managers, professional consultant, review of published reports and observations made during research work are considered as basis.

Research and Development has been recognized as most important for future competitiveness to survive in this competitive and highly turbulent environment. A huge amount of money and other resources are being deployed in R&D by government as well as private organizations. A major consideration is required on performance improvement that needs to continuously evaluate the performance of R&D in line with vision and strategy of the organization. This paper deals with evaluating the performance of R&D organizations from four perspectives (financial, customers', innovative and learning, and internal business processes) using the balanced scorecard technique.

Over the last decade the balanced scorecard (BSC) has emerged as a popular strategic performance measurement system as it assists organisations in effectively implementing strategy and in measuring organisational performance. In fact, the BSC has become more extensively used in both the private and public sectors. This topic has attracted much attention in the public sector as evidenced by studies in the healthcare industry, universities, and local government institutions or 'municipalities'. This paper identifies some of the main challenges and lessons learnt by a large Local Government Authority (LGA) within Australia in relation to the design and implementation of a comprehensive BSC designed for a large

Business management is a complex task that can be facilitated using different methodologies and models. One of their most relevant purposes is to align the organization strategy with the daily functioning of the organization. One of these models is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). In this paper, we propose a modeling strategy for the BSC implantation process. We will model it using UML Activity Diagrams and Strategy Dependency models of the language i*. The Activity Diagrams allow determining the order in which involved activities must be performed, and at the same time, to identify which people has the responsability to carry them out. The Strategic Dependency model allows showing the intentional aspects of the actors involved in the most strategic activities of this process. Finally, relationships among the actors and the people involved in the BSC implantation process are modelled using again the language i*. Although this paper only considers the case study of the BSC implantation, our proposal can be generalized to other implantation processes of systems with a high strategic impact on the organization, like ERP or CRM systems.

Este artículo muestra algunas de las acciones más importantes de la Fuerza Aérea Colombiana para desarrollar, mantener y mejorar sus procesos relacionados con la gestión de calidad. Recoge los esfuerzos que sobre el tema ha desarrollado desde 1999 hasta la fecha de este documento (2009) y evidencia lo que se viene realizando en algunas de sus unidades de trabajo para facilitar el alcance de los objetivos y el desarrollo de la misión de la FAC.

Traditional accounting is based on financial indicators, balanced scorecard divides management into different perspectives, suggesting some authors no more than four or five for each company. To measure each perspective some indicators should be defined. The aim of this work is to propose some indicators that fit each perspective for some textile companies that work in weaving fabrics. These indicators are specific for them, and very useful, when applied it will help on companies' management nowadays that globalization happened. Businesses must strive to increase their competitive advantage, which will increasingly depend on the parameters of innovation, development of new products, versatility, quality, costs, etc, and indicators will measure it.

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Health system performance management is a dynamically complex problem, affected by a large number of factors which interact to produce health outcomes over time. A brief review of current health system performance assessment instruments, including the balanced scorecard, demonstrates only a limited ability to deal with the dynamic complexity of this problem. These are limitations that can be overcome with

Balanced Scorecards (BSC) are being implemented in high income health settings linking organizational strategies with performance data. At this private university hospital in Pakistan an elaborate information system exists. This study aimed to make best use of available data for better performance management. Applying the modified Delphi technique an expert panel of clinicians and hospital managers reduced a long list of indicators to a manageable size. Indicators from existing documents were evaluated for their importance, scientific soundness, appropriateness to hospital's strategic plan, feasibility and modifiability. Panel members individually rated each indicator on a scale of 1-9 for the above criteria. Median scores were assigned. Of an initial set of 50 indicators, 20 were finally selected to be assigned to the four international journal of health planning and management Int J Health Plann Mgmt 2010; 25: 74-90. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)

La mayoría de empresas de clase mundial manejan los siguientes indicadores en la perspectiva de aprendizaje: -Ingresos por empleado -Valor agregado por empleado -Eficiencia de la labor directa Y ahora… -Índice de disponibilidad de talento humano.

This paper proposes a preliminary model of a balanced scorecard for tourism destinations, with a specific emphasis on sustainable development. We begin with a review of the perspectives and critical performance variables for the traditional balanced scorecard. We then present empirical work based upon quantitative analysis techniques. A survey was completed by 1531 Spanish municipalities that are oriented towards tourism and have demonstrated interest in management issues. Based on the constructs emerging from this analysis, we then show how the balanced scorecard can be modified to support the strategic planning of tourism destinations. We conclude by discussing the advantages for long-term strategic planning and sustainable tourism management.

Purpose – To trace the rationale, features, development and application of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) over the past ten years, to provide a critical review of its key problematic effects, and to suggest a future direction. Design/methodology/approach – The shift from the industrial to the innovation economy provides a background to identifying five major problem areas of the BSC which are then discussed with reference to selected case examples. An alternative systemic scorecard is then proposed. Findings – The tyranny of the BSC as a measurement “straightjacket” is beginning to jeopardize the survival of firms, hinders much‐needed business ecosystem innovation, thereby negatively affecting customer value rejuvenation, shareholders' benefits, other stakeholders as well as societal benefits in general. A more systemic alternative is proposed.Research limitations/implications – Future research might focus on further development of the systemic scorecard in different industries and organisational settings with detailed systemic measurement techniques.Practical implications – Rather than relying on the static BSC, it would be more effective to adopt a systemic perspective in measuring/managing intangible assets. Originality/value – An alternative to the BSC is proposed that involves radical change in its underlying assumptions by moving to a more systemic, dynamic framework – a systemic management system, including a systemic scorecard.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of performance measurement systems in organisational effectiveness in the context of the financial services sector within a developing country. Design/methodology/approach – Using the mail survey method data were collected from 69 financial institutions operating in Nepal. Multivariate analysis, in particular multiple regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. Findings – The results suggest that non-financial measures and feedback are tightly intertwined with organisational effectiveness. While institutions are focused on using the performance measures concerning internal business process perspective, less emphasis is placed on using customer and employee-related performance measures because they are considered less significant to organisational effectiveness. The findings also reveal that strategy-related feedback is considered more critical by management, as opposed to performance and staff. The study als...

The drive for reform in the public sector worldwide has focussed attention on the measurement of performance in public sector organizations. This is particularly true in local government. Local government has traditionally been concerned with measuring the delivery of primary objectives, or results, at the expense of secondary objectives, or the determinants of organizational performance. Current strategic management literature suggests that there should be a strong linkage between strategic plans and performance measures. Kaplan and Norton's (1992) balanced scorecard and Fitzgerald et al. 's (1991) results and determinants framework can provide this linkage. This paper reports on research into performance management systems in local government using the four dimensions of the balanced scorecard: financial, community, internal business processes and innovation and learning. It shows how the focus in this system of local government has been on the results of council work, ie. financial performance and to a lesser extent on how the community views performance. Local government performance measurement pays much less attention to the determinants, or means of achieving long-term, sustained organizational improvement in internal business processes, and innovation and learning. Whilst these issues are recognized as important, there are few measurement processes in place to manage performance in these areas. Strategic performance management demands an approach that recognizes the importance of a focus on both results and the means of achieving these results. This paper highlights a suggested framework for strategic and balanced local government performance measurement.

Purpose -This study investigates the adequacy of existing intangible asset models and defines and codifies common principal valuation drivers of intangible assets for use in enterprise balanced scorecard valuation practices of information technology (IT) firms. Design/methodology/approach -Existing intangible asset balance scorecard valuation models and value chain models are evaluated to extract their value components and align them with performance-based activities of the business enterprise to define a common taxonomy of value drivers of intangible assets. Chief executive officers (CEOs), chief finance officers (CFOs) and "other executives" of IT firms validate the taxonomy. Findings -IT firms that use a standard and consistent taxonomy of intangible assets could increase its ability to identify and account for more intangible assets for measurement and valuation. Research limitations/implications -This study is limited to the Washington Metropolitan Area, is a single sector study (IT firms), the target audience is CEOs and CFOs; and emphasis is on the Score Card (SC) type model as classified by Sveiby. Future studies could expand the geographic circumference, the scope to other industry sectors, and the target audience to other decision makers Practical implications -The framework of intangible valuation areas (FIVA) allows a business to identify and link performance measurements/indicators to its intangible value drivers. It supports the capture and subsequent evaluation of leading and lagging indicators in the achievement of a knowledge management strategy. Originality/value -FIVA provides a framework to have command of and access to effective utilization of business resources and knowledge, to develop, sustain and enhance its mission effectiveness and/or competitive advantage.

Offshore outsourcing research is gaining momentum in all stream of Management science. Majority of previous research dealt with national level macro-issues, the new research trend has started to investigate firm level economic and strategic benefits or competitiveness of offshore outsourcing. This paper discusses opportunities and chanllenges of research in this field and proposes the systematic literature review, multiple case study and survey methods to find out the firm level performance of offshoring firms. It also shed light on the emerging theoretical paradigm and proposes integrative qualitative and quantitative performance indicators. Methodologies to find out firm level tangible and intangible performances of offshoring manufacturing firms are the fundamental contribution of this paper.

This paper proposes a framework for analysing the operation of management control systems structured around five central issues. These issues relate to objectives, strategies and plans for their attainment, target-setting, incentive and reward structures and information feedback loops. Their central focus is on the management of organizational performance. Because the framework has been inductively developed, its application is 'tested' against three major systems of organizational control, namely budgeting, economic value added and the balanced scorecard. In each case, neglected areas of development are exposed and fruitful topics for research identified. It is believed that the framework can usefully be developed further by its use in analysing other instances of management control systems practice, and that casebased, longitudinal studies provide the best route to this end.