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Balanced scorecard

Use our selection of books, articles, links and guides to gain insights, inform your decision-making and find more information and guidance on the balanced scorecard.
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In their original article (The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, January/February 1992) Kaplan and Norton described the balanced scorecard as 'a set of measures that give top managers a fast but comprehensive view of the business'.
Ten years on Kaplan and Norton reassessed the impact of their system, stating that in this time it had "evolved from a performance measurement system to an organizing framework for successful strategy implementation" (Transforming the balanced scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management. Accounting Horizons, June 2001). Today, the balanced scorecard has been reimagined for the environmental, social and governance (ESG) era.

Latest on the balanced scorecard

Exclusive The performance prism
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 17 Dec 2015
This BPM tool guide is one of a series produced for ICAEW by Professor Mike Bourne of Cranfield University.
Exclusive Balanced Scorecard
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 30 Oct 2015
The Balanced Scorecard is a framework for clustering business objectives, measures and targets under four perspectives.
Exclusive Guideline - Using non-financial measures
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 14 Nov 2014
A guide to using non-financial measures (NFMs) from the Business Performance Management Community.
Exclusive Business support functions
  • Article
  • 10 Dec 2013
For a project to succeed, it needs a team that can perform. David Parmenter outlines how a company can make the most of external consultants in these circumstances.
Exclusive BPM - Knowing the score
  • Article
  • 10 Sep 2013
Balanced scorecards can significantly change how an organisation communicates and operates. Christian Doherty talks to Alan Sharpe, director of finance and information systems at the RSPB, about how scorecards came to the charity’s rescue.
Exclusive Template: balanced scorecard
  • Article
  • 15 Jan 2013
The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a strategic performance management framework that has been designed to help an organisation monitor its performance and manage the execution of its strategy.
Exclusive Template: strategy map
  • Article
  • 15 Jan 2013
A strategy map is a one-page visualisation of the strategic objectives of a company in a cause and effect diagram (showing outcome objectives and enablers).
Exclusive Balanced scorecards for SMEs
  • Article
  • 15 Jan 2013
The balanced scorecard is a time-proven strategy management framework for any organization, irrespective of size or sector. But a range of specific benefits are available to small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are not widely highlighted in the standard scorecard literature.

Tools and templates

Exclusive Template: balanced scorecard
  • Article
The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a strategic performance management framework that has been designed to help an organisation monitor its performance and manage the execution of its strategy.
Exclusive Create balanced scorecard strategy maps
  • Article
Since its launch the balanced scorecard has been popular with both profit and not-for-profit organisations and there have been numerous examples of quite stunning successes. This case study looks at the New York headquartered communications agency Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide.

Reports

Exclusive Special Report 41: Financial planning and cost management
  • Report
  • 2013
  • PDF (6,761kb)
This special report covers activity based costing and forecast modelling as well as looking at the management of staff expenses.
Exclusive Special Report 34: Balanced scorecard
  • Report
  • 2011
  • PDF (442kb)
This special report discusses how to ensure success, the technology available to support the tool and how to incorporate your business strategic objectives into your balanced scorecard.
Exclusive Special Report 1: New reporting models
  • Report
  • 2004
  • PDF (400kb)
Should business reporting be reformed? In this special paper for Faculty members, Brian Singleton-Green looks at the key ideas for reform and at the issues they raise.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics : Maintaining Maximum Performance
  • 2005
  • Paul R. Niven
  • Wiley
A step-by-step guide to analysing the effectiveness of an organisation's balanced scorecard and ensuring it is operating at maximum performance.
Exclusive Business process management and the balanced scorecard
  • 2007
  • Ralph F. Smith
  • Wiley
Shows managers how to optimally use the balanced scorecard to achieve strategic success.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • 2010
  • David Parmenter
  • John Wiley and Sons
A manager's guide to implementing KPIs.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • 2020
  • David Parmenter
  • Wiley
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help define and measure the organizational goals which are fundamental to an organization's current and future success. This book provides a model for simplifying the complex areas of KPIs while helping organizations avoid common mistakes and hazards.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

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Business press

The ICAEW Library provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive ESG reporting may come easier with the balanced scorecard
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Paul E.Juras, Linette A.Rayeski, Ashley Stampone
The article discusses how companies are shifting in focus from shareholder value to value creation for a broader set of stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, and customers, by incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals and metrics. It emphasizes the importance of ESG reporting, the upcoming regulatory requirements, and how adopting a balanced scorecard approach can be useful to monitor ESG initiatives effectively.
Exclusive Traditional vs contemporary management accounting practices
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Lu Jiao, Kevin Baird, Abubakar Nuraddeen Nuhu
Results of a survey examining the direct and moderated effects of traditional and contemporary management accounting practices on organizational performance and competitive advantage. The survey investigated the effectiveness of several practices, including: capital budgeting, standard costing, activity-based management, balanced scorecard and strategic cost management.
Exclusive The balanced scorecard: Repurposing a time-tested strategic framework for the New Model of Work
  • 01 Sep 2021
  • Jenn Shelton
The traditional corporate workplace is undergoing a paradigm shift following the Covid-19 pandemic; Jenn Shelton takes a look at how the balanced scorecard can help businesses navigate to a new model of work. She gives a brief overview of the parts of the balanced scorecard framework and how these might be employed in a hybrid onsite and remote home working workplace transformation.
Exclusive Revision of performance measurement tools and methods
  • 01 Jan 2019
  • Alladyn Elmgasbi
The article discusses and compares several popular performance measurement tools and methods, including: the Balanced Scorecard, Tableau de bord, Skandia Navigator, Intangible Assets Monitor, German Scorecard, Business Excellence Model, Dutch system of performance management, Performance Prism and the EFQM Excellence Model.
Exclusive Applying balanced scorecards to supply chain performance
  • 01 Nov 2018
  • M.Balaji, S.N. Dinesh, V.Veera Parthiban
Article on the advantages of using the balanced scorecard system and the four different perspectives of its framework.
Exclusive Advancing innovation: what's your role?
  • 01 Sep 2015
  • Patrick J. Stroh
As a financial professional, adding discipline and execution to creativity and idea generation will create a winning mix to help your company succeed.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on the balanced scorecard and business performance management. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Directors' checklists
  • 2020
  • M.Wearden
  • ICSA Publishing
An easy-to-use A-Z guide to the key tasks and responsibilities of a director. Includes sections and checklists on the balanced scorecard, Cadbury Code, committee terms of reference, directors' duties, directors' report, remuneration committee and strategy development.
Non-executive directors' checklists
  • 2020
  • M.Wearden
  • ICSA Publishing
An easy-to-use A-Z guide to the key tasks and responsibilities of a non-executive director (NED). Includes sections and checklists on the annual report and accounts, articles of association, balanced scorecard, business continuity and disaster recovery, business ethics and the UK Corporate Governance Code.
Cost accounting: a managerial emphasis
  • 2018
  • C.T. Hongren
  • Pearson
This book focuses on how cost accounting helps managers make better decisions, with chapters on topics including activity-based costing, activity-based management, inventory costing, balanced scorecard, cost management, transfer pricing and performance measurement.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources

Centre for Business Performance
  • Cranfield School of Management
Based at Cranfield School of Management, the Centre offers articles, research reports and white papers.
Performance and strategy resources
  • 2GC Active Management

Created by the UK consultancy firm 2GC Active Management, their performance and strategy resources section includes FAQs on the balanced scorecard, its annual Balanced Scorecard Usage Survey Reports, a series of balanced scorecard case studies, recommended reading, and a curated collection of links to other BSC websites.

Balanced scorecard
  • Toolshero
General introduction to the balanced scorecard from ToolsHero. The site offers a range of free resources on management theory aimed at students, managers and business professionals.
Balanced Scorecard Institute
  • Balanced Scorecard Institute
The BSI provide guidance, information and tools to government and non-profit managers on the balanced scorecard approach. The site includes an explanation of the basic concepts, a selection of articles outlining the reasons to apply BSC, articles on metrics, and a directory of balanced scorecard software vendors.
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