Balanced Scorecard Implementation - Essay Example

Secondly the study has discovered the existence of a negative correlation between the four elements - financial, customer, internal business processes and, learning and growth - of the BSC framework and effective development and integration of information systems as determined by costs. Thus this study is particularly influenced by the relevance or irrelevance of establishing a contingency convergent/divergent theoretical and conceptual model on the relative significance of the existing frameworks for analysis of the BSC framework and ERP environment related endogenous and exogenous variables that have a primary and an immediate impact on learning outcomes such as the need for flexible and cost-effective information systems.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment of the modern business organization is determined by three fundamental characteristics. They are material requirements planning (MRP), Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) and digital information systems (DIS) (Esteves, & Pastor, J2001). Thus the ERP environment of the business organization is all about information systems and their design and implementation by using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) framework. The BSC framework on the other hand consists of four distinct but integral elements, i.e. financial management, customer related perspectives, internal business processes and, learning and growth (Kalpan & Norton 1992).

In order for the organization to successfully adopt measures related to BSC performance, the organization would have to adopt ERP measures simultaneously so that the former can be more effective. For instance ERP environment has comparative advantages directly related to BSC framework. Organizations that adopt BSC framework as a strategic measure to achieve positive organizational outcomes are compelled to adopt comparatively better MRP, CIM and/or DIS policies. This is determined by competition.

Thus the internal corporate environment of the organization is extensively determined by the BSC framework because the above constraint/advantage has a direct impact on the four main elements and their respective sub-elements in the BSC framework. This in turn can be assumed to present a structural and componential framework for reference in establishing a set of paradigms or standards in the examination of ERP systems for effective adoption of information systems in the organization.

The consistent need for such effective and flexible information systems and sub-structures thereof has been emphasized time and again by researchers and analysts thus focusing attention on the far reaching consequences of design and implementation of such information systems. The organizational setting requires such ERP measures to be evaluated in advance for their degree of convergence