The impact of the Balanced Scorecard on managerial decision making

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the Balanced Scorecard provides guidance to managerial decision making in Company M. The impetus for this study came from the observations within Company M which is in the process of completing a restructuring programme. Several areas have already completed the transition. Performance measurement has become a crucial factor under the new structure and managers are making use of the Balanced Scorecard to evaluate performance, this begs the question: “ Does the Balanced Scorecard provide effective guidance to managerial decision making? “ To facilitate an objective and effective analysis of the proposed research an extensive literature review was conducted. The Balanced Scorecard is defined, the evolution of the Balanced Scorecard was observed and the preference for the uses of the Balanced Scorecard was examined in detail. This should provide a fair overview of the functionality of the Balanced Scorecard and the intended purpose it was designed to fulfil. However the literature review does not look at any specific company in detail therefore in order to investigate further from the findings of the literature review an empirical study was conducted. The research method used in the research design was a case study; the results were both structured and quantitative. The case study is purely focused on the management and operating activities of a single company (Company M). Therefore the results of the practical research should not be associated with any other company. From a theoretical perspective, the research was conducted in the form of a desktop analysis of literature content ranging from: case studies, existing research papers and published articles. For the empirical study a survey was used to gather information by the distribution and completion of a questionnaire to individuals at all levels of management within the company.