Information Flow Parameters
for Managing ^
Organizational Processes
Developing a framework for enhancing the design of systems and
improving management control of complex relationships.
I N T H E contemporary digital economy, intangible assets, of which information is a critical com-
ponent, fuel a dominant share of growth and prosperity. This is in contrast to the value added by
physical assets in the erstwhile traditional business model [3]. hiformation has typically been ana-
lyzed as a product, with the focus primarily derived from a snapshot view taken at a particular rime.
However, emphasis on the product view falls short of a precise measurement due to the nonquan-
tifiable nature of the characteristics
(such as relevance and reliability) of By Ravindra Krovi, Akhilesh C h a n d r a ,
information. A systematic and con- ^^ld Balaji RajagOpalan
scious effort to influence and control
the flow of information will lead to efficiencies in organizational processes. Therefore, it is impera-
tive to manage information flow (and not just information) to improve business process efficien-
cies, especially in organizational environments.
Numerous studies done in the business process understanding ot the dynamics of such flows. We
redesign realm have articulated the need for ratio- propose a parameter-based guiding framework oi
nalizing organizational processes [4]. If process effi- information flow to manage organizational
ciencies are to be realized, it is critical to take another processes. Ir establishes a foundation to assist organi-
look at the infrastructure based on the parameters zations in measuring and reporting information by
affecting the flow of information. Few studies, how- better managing their flow,
ever, have speciBcally addressed how flow irregulari-
ties can affect the process. The framework proposed Information Flow Dynamics
here adopts a process view of information, which In order to comprehend the process view, we draw
requires an understanding of information character- from an analogy of information flow with fluid How.
istics during its flow through communication chan- During its flow, a fluid is known to change its prop-
nels, and its processing by organizational agents, erties (such as velocity and viscosity) with respect to
Understanding the process view should help man- space and time llO]. Fine-tuning its measurable
agers in measuring the impact of flow parameter dimensions can meaningfully alter the nature of
variations on information quality. fluid flow. Knowledge of the relationship between
Companies, however, are often poorly organized properties of fluid and its flow is used in engineering
and underprepared to manage such complex infor- to design efficient fluid conduits (such as pipes) and
mation flows [1]. The existing state of underpre- altering fluid flow mechanisms (such as dams),
paredness may partly be attributed to a lack of Could there be a conceptual equivalent of infor-
COMMUNICATIONSOFTHE ACM F ...
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This document discusses the importance of information technology (IT) in supply chain management. It makes three key points:
1. IT plays a crucial role in modern supply chain management by enabling fast communication, data processing, and intelligence sharing between organizations. This helps improve business processes and achieve cost efficiencies.
2. Several existing IT tools that are widely used in supply chain management are discussed, including electronic data interchange, barcoding, enterprise resource planning systems, warehouse management systems, and transportation management systems.
3. While IT provides many benefits, implementing IT systems for supply chain management also faces challenges like overcoming resistance to change, integrating new and legacy systems, and managing large amounts of shared data.
The rise of the digital supply network - IIOT Industry40 distribution Ian Beckett
The document discusses the rise of digital supply networks (DSNs) enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies. Key points include:
- Industry 4.0 technologies like IoT, analytics, automation and 3D printing are enabling the transformation of traditional linear supply chains into interconnected DSNs.
- DSNs integrate information from many sources in real-time to provide end-to-end transparency, intelligent optimization, and holistic decision making across the supply network.
- Characteristics like always-on agility and a connected community allow DSNs to minimize latency and inefficiencies compared to traditional supply chains.
This document proposes enhancing data staging as a mechanism for fast data access. It discusses challenges with current data warehousing systems, including performance issues as data volumes increase. It then introduces the concept of data staging and proposes a new approach called Deterministic Prioritization to improve data staging. This approach would prioritize and filter data in the staging area based on confidence levels and distinctiveness, to reduce processing loads. It would create clustered indexes on distinct data columns to alter query execution plans and improve performance. The goal is to develop a new cross-platform data staging framework with forecasting and prioritization mechanisms to optimize data transfer and system resource usage.
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Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source
systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by
subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure
from data users within the data warehouse for data to be availed quickly for them to make appropriate decisions and forecasts. This has
not been the case due to immense data explosion in millions of transactions resulting from business processes of the organizations. The
current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed
because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation
should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a
technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries
out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic
Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test
scenarios in the study. Previous studies in this field have mainly focused in the data warehouses processes as a whole but less to the
specifics of data staging area.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure from data users within the data warehouse for data to be availed quickly for them to make appropriate decisions and forecasts. This has not been the case due to immense data explosion in millions of transactions resulting from business processes of the organizations. The current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test scenarios in the study. Previous studies in this field have mainly focused in the data warehouses processes as a whole but less to the specifics of data staging area.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source
systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by
subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure
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current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed
because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation
should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a
technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries
out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic
Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test
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specifics of data staging area.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
This document proposes enhancing data staging as a mechanism for fast data access. It discusses challenges with current data warehousing systems, including performance issues as data volumes increase. It then introduces the concept of data staging and proposes a new approach called Deterministic Prioritization to improve data staging. This approach would prioritize and filter data in the staging area based on confidence levels and distinctiveness, to reduce processing loads. It would create clustered indexes on distinct data columns to alter query execution plans and improve performance. The goal is to develop a new cross-platform data staging framework with forecasting and prioritization mechanisms to optimize resource usage and data transfer speeds.
The document discusses the concept of a synchronous supply chain where each stage is connected and shares information. It emphasizes the need for planning and processes to be linked across organizations to enable synchronization. Key points covered include the types of information that should be shared, the role of integrated logistics systems and information technology in achieving synchronization, and the importance of flexibility and quick response in manufacturing and logistics to meet customer needs.
IRJET- Importance of IT in Supply Chain Management ImprovementIRJET Journal
This document discusses the importance of information technology (IT) in supply chain management. It makes three key points:
1. IT plays a crucial role in modern supply chain management by enabling fast communication, data processing, and intelligence sharing between organizations. This helps improve business processes and achieve cost efficiencies.
2. Several existing IT tools that are widely used in supply chain management are discussed, including electronic data interchange, barcoding, enterprise resource planning systems, warehouse management systems, and transportation management systems.
3. While IT provides many benefits, implementing IT systems for supply chain management also faces challenges like overcoming resistance to change, integrating new and legacy systems, and managing large amounts of shared data.
The rise of the digital supply network - IIOT Industry40 distribution Ian Beckett
The document discusses the rise of digital supply networks (DSNs) enabled by Industry 4.0 technologies. Key points include:
- Industry 4.0 technologies like IoT, analytics, automation and 3D printing are enabling the transformation of traditional linear supply chains into interconnected DSNs.
- DSNs integrate information from many sources in real-time to provide end-to-end transparency, intelligent optimization, and holistic decision making across the supply network.
- Characteristics like always-on agility and a connected community allow DSNs to minimize latency and inefficiencies compared to traditional supply chains.
This document proposes enhancing data staging as a mechanism for fast data access. It discusses challenges with current data warehousing systems, including performance issues as data volumes increase. It then introduces the concept of data staging and proposes a new approach called Deterministic Prioritization to improve data staging. This approach would prioritize and filter data in the staging area based on confidence levels and distinctiveness, to reduce processing loads. It would create clustered indexes on distinct data columns to alter query execution plans and improve performance. The goal is to develop a new cross-platform data staging framework with forecasting and prioritization mechanisms to optimize data transfer and system resource usage.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source
systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by
subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure
from data users within the data warehouse for data to be availed quickly for them to make appropriate decisions and forecasts. This has
not been the case due to immense data explosion in millions of transactions resulting from business processes of the organizations. The
current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed
because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation
should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a
technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries
out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic
Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test
scenarios in the study. Previous studies in this field have mainly focused in the data warehouses processes as a whole but less to the
specifics of data staging area.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure from data users within the data warehouse for data to be availed quickly for them to make appropriate decisions and forecasts. This has not been the case due to immense data explosion in millions of transactions resulting from business processes of the organizations. The current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test scenarios in the study. Previous studies in this field have mainly focused in the data warehouses processes as a whole but less to the specifics of data staging area.
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Most organizations rely on data in their daily transactions and operations. This data is retrieved from different source
systems in a distributed network hence it comes in varying data types and formats. The source data is prepared and cleaned by
subjecting it to algorithms and functions before transferring it to the target systems which takes more time. Moreover, there is pressure
from data users within the data warehouse for data to be availed quickly for them to make appropriate decisions and forecasts. This has
not been the case due to immense data explosion in millions of transactions resulting from business processes of the organizations. The
current legacy systems cannot handle large data levels due to processing capabilities and customizations. This approach has failed
because there lacks clear procedures to decide which data to collect or exempt. It is with this concern that performance degradation
should be addressed because organizations invest a lot of resources to establish a functioning data warehouse. Data staging is a
technological innovation within data warehouses where data manipulations are carried out before transfer to target systems. It carries
out data integration by harmonizing the staging functions, cleansing, verification, and archiving source data. Deterministic
Prioritization Approach will be employed to enhance data staging, and to clearly prove this change Experiment design is needed to test
scenarios in the study. Previous studies in this field have mainly focused in the data warehouses processes as a whole but less to the
specifics of data staging area.
Enhancing Data Staging as a Mechanism for Fast Data AccessEditor IJCATR
This document proposes enhancing data staging as a mechanism for fast data access. It discusses challenges with current data warehousing systems, including performance issues as data volumes increase. It then introduces the concept of data staging and proposes a new approach called Deterministic Prioritization to improve data staging. This approach would prioritize and filter data in the staging area based on confidence levels and distinctiveness, to reduce processing loads. It would create clustered indexes on distinct data columns to alter query execution plans and improve performance. The goal is to develop a new cross-platform data staging framework with forecasting and prioritization mechanisms to optimize resource usage and data transfer speeds.
The document discusses the concept of a synchronous supply chain where each stage is connected and shares information. It emphasizes the need for planning and processes to be linked across organizations to enable synchronization. Key points covered include the types of information that should be shared, the role of integrated logistics systems and information technology in achieving synchronization, and the importance of flexibility and quick response in manufacturing and logistics to meet customer needs.
Efficient Cost Minimization for Big Data ProcessingIRJET Journal
This document discusses efficient cost minimization techniques for big data processing. It characterizes big data processing using a two-dimensional Markov chain model to evaluate expected completion time. The problem is formulated as a mixed non-linear programming problem to optimize data assignment, placement, and migration across distributed data centers. A weighted bloom filter approach is presented to reduce communication costs through distributed incomplete pattern matching.
Data Lake-based Approaches to Regulatory-Driven Technology ChallengesBooz Allen Hamilton
The document discusses how a data lake approach can help financial institutions address regulatory challenges more effectively than traditional ETL approaches. A data lake allows raw data to be ingested rapidly and indexed as needed for analysis, reducing preparation time. It also enables unified queries across all data sources and quick fusion of multiple sources. This significantly reduces operational complexity and costs while improving security, flexibility, and the ability to address evolving requirements. The data lake approach is well-suited for challenges involving streaming analytics, point-to-point data marts, or data-heavy ETL requirements. Booz Allen has successfully implemented this approach for government clients to prototype solutions around critical applications.
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IRJET- A Data Stream Mining Technique Dynamically Updating a Model with Dynam...IRJET Journal
This document summarizes several techniques for handling concept drift in data stream mining. It discusses how ensemble methods are commonly used to deal with concept drift and categorizes ensemble approaches into online and block-based. It also reviews several existing studies on handling concept drift, including methods that use adaptive windowing and online learning as well as techniques for detecting concept drift and efficiently updating models. The document concludes by discussing the need for approaches that can adapt to different types of concept drift and changes in non-stationary data streams.
This document discusses using soft computing techniques to evaluate coordination in supply chains. It proposes a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) model to measure the extent of coordination (EC) based on four coordination mechanisms: contracts, information sharing, information technology, and joint decision making. The EC is calculated as a weighted sum of the crisp scores of the four mechanisms, where the weights are determined from pairwise comparisons in the AHP. The model provides a way to quantitatively assess coordination across a supply chain and analyze different coordination scenarios. It is demonstrated through a numerical example involving order quantities and performance measures at different supply chain levels.
Traditionally, data integration has meant compromise. No matter how rapidly data architects and developers could complete a project before its deadline, speed would always come at the expense of quality. On the other hand, if they focused on delivering a quality project, it would generally drag on for months thus exceeding its deadline. Finally, if the teams concentrated on both quality and rapid delivery, the costs would invariably exceed the budget. Regardless of which path you chose, the end result would be less than desirable. This led some experts to revisit the scope of data integration. This write up shall focus on the same issue.
IRJET- Integration and Flexibility through ICT in Supply Chains: C-F-P Modeli...IRJET Journal
The document discusses integration and flexibility through information and communication technology (ICT) in supply chains. It proposes a Complexity-Flexibility-Performance (C-F-P) modeling approach to determine the appropriate level of flexibility needed in a supply chain based on an analysis of its complexity. The document analyzes various factors that contribute to supply chain complexity and the impact of ICT on supply chain management. It applies the C-F-P framework to map attributes of a company's supply chain in order to assess complexity levels and identify dimensions of flexibility to improve performance and competitiveness. The analysis found that factors like cost of ICT integration, compatibility with existing systems, and human resources had major contributions to the company's ICT-
The Evolution of Digital Control Towers in Supply ChainTredence Inc
Corporations today want to leverage useful applications of the supply chain control tower. Organizations have copious amounts of data across their supply chain and related functions.
Learn more: https://www.tredence.com/solutions/supply-chain-control-tower
The document discusses the challenges facing banks in modernizing their technology systems. It notes that banks have historically focused on rapid growth and innovation over efficiency, resulting in thousands of fragmented systems. It proposes that banks undergo an "industrialization" process to simplify their technology and business processes. This involves defining core capabilities, processes, and data assets and organizing people and technology to better support standardized processes. The document provides several recommendations for how banks can initiate this change, such as prioritizing data management, adopting service-oriented architectures, and leveraging cloud computing technologies to reduce costs. The goal is for banks to develop a "solid technical core" that is lean, integrated and operates with predictability and efficiency.
Virtual Instruments - Infrastructure Performance Management White PaperJohn McDonald
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Federal IT infrastructures face increasing complexity as they are virtualized and migrated to private clouds at a rapid pace. This makes it difficult to ensure optimal performance and alignment with changing agency needs.
- Impediments to Aligning IT Organizations with Mission Goals
Siloed teams, lack of processes, and legacy monitoring tools that don't account for virtualization prevent IT from delivering on service level agreements.
- Infrastructure Performance Management (IPM) – a New Approach
IPM provides comprehensive, real-time visibility into overall infrastructure performance to help optimize budgets, mitigate risks, and ensure performance meets agency requirements.
Order out of chaos, the case for building a supply chain control towerMondher Ben-Hamida
The document discusses the need for companies to establish a Supply Chain Control Tower to gain visibility and control over increasingly complex global supply chains. A Control Tower provides centralized monitoring of supply chain data in real-time to enable faster decision making during disruptions. It advocates for greater data sharing between partners and outlines how a Control Tower aligns with higher levels of supply chain maturity and orchestration.
The cumulative effect of decades of IT infrastructure investment around a diverse set of technologies and processes has stifled innovation at organizations around the globe. Layer upon layer of complexity to accommodate a staggering array of applications has created hardened processes that make changes to systems difficult and cumbersome.
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http://www.embarcadero.com
Data yields information when its definition is understood or readily available and it is presented in a meaningful context. Yet even the information that may be gleaned from data is incomplete because data is created to drive applications, not to inform users. Metadata is the data that holds application
data definitions as well as their operational and business context, and so plays a critical role in data and application design and development, as well as in providing an intelligent operational environment that's driven by business meaning.
This document provides a comprehensive overview of data warehousing analysis. It discusses the evolution of data warehousing from traditional ways of managing historical data in legacy systems and on desktops. Key characteristics of a data warehouse are identified, including being an organized, extensible environment for analyzing non-volatile data over time from various sources. Emerging technologies like falling hardware costs and increasing processing power enabled faster analysis of large datasets and the development of data warehousing.
The document discusses the benefits of an integrated reconciliation process over the current state of siloed reconciliation systems and processes. It argues that integrating data, casing breaks, and resolution into a single process allows managers to gain a holistic view of reconciliation and address inefficiencies. Specifically:
1) Currently, managers use many different specialized systems that do not integrate, requiring manual workarounds. This hinders the ability to analyze patterns in mismatched data and improve processes.
2) An integrated process combines strategies, staff, and tools into a single workflow from data to resolution. This allows managers to derive standardized information and reports across asset classes.
3) The ideal integrated process allocates more time and resources to
- A data warehouse is a central repository for an organization's historical data that is used to support management reporting and decision making. It contains data from multiple sources integrated into a consistent structure.
- Data warehouses are optimized for querying and analysis rather than transactions. They use a dimensional model and denormalized structures to improve query performance for business users.
- There are two main approaches to data warehouse design - the dimensional model advocated by Kimball and the normalized model advocated by Inmon. Both have advantages and disadvantages for query performance and ease of use.
Evaluation of Data Auditability, Traceability and Agility leveraging Data Vau...IRJET Journal
This document discusses how Data Vault modeling can provide data agility, auditability, and traceability in environments with frequently changing business rules and data sources. It presents a case study of an e-commerce retailer that uses a subscription-based business model. The retailer initially allowed one subscription per customer but changed the rule to allow multiple subscriptions per customer for some segments. The document evaluates how a Data Vault model is better suited than other techniques to accommodate this type of frequent change with minimal impact. It presents the Raw and Business Data Vault models designed for the retailer's scenario and argues that Data Vault modeling maintains data auditability and traceability even as the underlying business rules and data sources change.
A data warehouse is a central repository of historical data from an organization's various sources designed for analysis and reporting. It contains integrated data from multiple systems optimized for querying and analysis rather than transactions. Data is extracted, cleaned, and loaded from operational sources into the data warehouse periodically. The data warehouse uses a dimensional model to organize data into facts and dimensions for intuitive analysis and is optimized for reporting rather than transaction processing like operational databases. Data warehousing emerged to meet the growing demand for analysis that operational systems could not support due to impacts on performance and limitations in reporting capabilities.
IRJET- Blockchain Technology in Supply Chain Management: A ReviewIRJET Journal
This document provides an overview of how blockchain technology can enhance supply chain management. It begins with describing traditional linear supply chain networks and their limitations, such as lack of visibility and delays in information flow. It then introduces blockchain technology, explaining how it creates a distributed ledger that allows for near real-time and transparent transactions without intermediaries. The rest of the document discusses how blockchain can streamline supply chain processes, increase transparency, and reduce costs through functions such as smart contracts, inventory management, and distribution optimization. It concludes that a decentralized blockchain network will interconnect all aspects of the supply chain and provide numerous benefits to stakeholders.
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what the researchers found (i.e., the results of the research study)
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future research that might be conducted in this particular research area
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make sure to discuss the following•your understanding of .docxcarliotwaycave
make sure to discuss the following:
•
your understanding of the purpose of the research
•
what the researchers found (i.e., the results of the research study)
•
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•
any problems you see in the research study
•
what the researchers might have done differently to improve their study
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future research that might be conducted in this particular research area
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The cumulative effect of decades of IT infrastructure investment around a diverse set of technologies and processes has stifled innovation at organizations around the globe. Layer upon layer of complexity to accommodate a staggering array of applications has created hardened processes that make changes to systems difficult and cumbersome.
Mining Stream Data using k-Means clustering AlgorithmManishankar Medi
This document discusses using k-means clustering to analyze urban road traffic stream data. Stream data arrives continuously over time and is challenging to process due to its high volume, velocity and volatility. The document proposes using a sliding window technique with k-means clustering to analyze recent urban traffic data and visualize clusters in real-time to provide insights into traffic patterns and congested roads. This analysis could help travelers and authorities respond to traffic issues more quickly.
http://www.embarcadero.com
Data yields information when its definition is understood or readily available and it is presented in a meaningful context. Yet even the information that may be gleaned from data is incomplete because data is created to drive applications, not to inform users. Metadata is the data that holds application
data definitions as well as their operational and business context, and so plays a critical role in data and application design and development, as well as in providing an intelligent operational environment that's driven by business meaning.
This document provides a comprehensive overview of data warehousing analysis. It discusses the evolution of data warehousing from traditional ways of managing historical data in legacy systems and on desktops. Key characteristics of a data warehouse are identified, including being an organized, extensible environment for analyzing non-volatile data over time from various sources. Emerging technologies like falling hardware costs and increasing processing power enabled faster analysis of large datasets and the development of data warehousing.
The document discusses the benefits of an integrated reconciliation process over the current state of siloed reconciliation systems and processes. It argues that integrating data, casing breaks, and resolution into a single process allows managers to gain a holistic view of reconciliation and address inefficiencies. Specifically:
1) Currently, managers use many different specialized systems that do not integrate, requiring manual workarounds. This hinders the ability to analyze patterns in mismatched data and improve processes.
2) An integrated process combines strategies, staff, and tools into a single workflow from data to resolution. This allows managers to derive standardized information and reports across asset classes.
3) The ideal integrated process allocates more time and resources to
- A data warehouse is a central repository for an organization's historical data that is used to support management reporting and decision making. It contains data from multiple sources integrated into a consistent structure.
- Data warehouses are optimized for querying and analysis rather than transactions. They use a dimensional model and denormalized structures to improve query performance for business users.
- There are two main approaches to data warehouse design - the dimensional model advocated by Kimball and the normalized model advocated by Inmon. Both have advantages and disadvantages for query performance and ease of use.
Evaluation of Data Auditability, Traceability and Agility leveraging Data Vau...IRJET Journal
This document discusses how Data Vault modeling can provide data agility, auditability, and traceability in environments with frequently changing business rules and data sources. It presents a case study of an e-commerce retailer that uses a subscription-based business model. The retailer initially allowed one subscription per customer but changed the rule to allow multiple subscriptions per customer for some segments. The document evaluates how a Data Vault model is better suited than other techniques to accommodate this type of frequent change with minimal impact. It presents the Raw and Business Data Vault models designed for the retailer's scenario and argues that Data Vault modeling maintains data auditability and traceability even as the underlying business rules and data sources change.
A data warehouse is a central repository of historical data from an organization's various sources designed for analysis and reporting. It contains integrated data from multiple systems optimized for querying and analysis rather than transactions. Data is extracted, cleaned, and loaded from operational sources into the data warehouse periodically. The data warehouse uses a dimensional model to organize data into facts and dimensions for intuitive analysis and is optimized for reporting rather than transaction processing like operational databases. Data warehousing emerged to meet the growing demand for analysis that operational systems could not support due to impacts on performance and limitations in reporting capabilities.
IRJET- Blockchain Technology in Supply Chain Management: A ReviewIRJET Journal
This document provides an overview of how blockchain technology can enhance supply chain management. It begins with describing traditional linear supply chain networks and their limitations, such as lack of visibility and delays in information flow. It then introduces blockchain technology, explaining how it creates a distributed ledger that allows for near real-time and transparent transactions without intermediaries. The rest of the document discusses how blockchain can streamline supply chain processes, increase transparency, and reduce costs through functions such as smart contracts, inventory management, and distribution optimization. It concludes that a decentralized blockchain network will interconnect all aspects of the supply chain and provide numerous benefits to stakeholders.
Similar to Information Flow Parametersfor Managing ^Organizational .docx (20)
make sure to discuss the following•your understanding of t.docxcarliotwaycave
make sure to discuss the following
•
your understanding of the purpose of the research
•
what the researchers found (i.e., the results of the research study)
•
the broader implications or practical application of the research
•
any problems you see in the research study
•
what the researchers might have done differently to improve their study
•
future research that might be conducted in this particular research area
.
make sure to discuss the following•your understanding of .docxcarliotwaycave
make sure to discuss the following:
•
your understanding of the purpose of the research
•
what the researchers found (i.e., the results of the research study)
•
the broader implications or practical application of the research
•
any problems you see in the research study
•
what the researchers might have done differently to improve their study
•
future research that might be conducted in this particular research area
.
make sure to discuss the following•your understanding o.docxcarliotwaycave
make sure to discuss the following:
•
your understanding of the purpose of the research
•
what the researchers found (i.e., the results of the research study)
•
the broader implications or practical application of the research
•
any problems you see in the research study
•
what the researchers might have done differently to improve their study
•
future research that might be conducted in this particular research area
.
Major DiseasesCHAPTER 10Chapter 10Maj.docxcarliotwaycave
Major Diseases
CHAPTER 10
*
Chapter 10
Major Diseases
Learning Outcomes:Identify agents and vectors involved in the spread of infectious diseasesDescribe the process of infection, and the role of the body’s immune systemDiscuss prevention and treatments for colds and influenzaName and describe common infectious diseasesEvaluate your personal infectious disease risk factors, and strategies to decrease risk
Infectious Diseases
Infection is triggered by a pathogen (disease-causing organism) that is transmitted to the host (person or population) by a vector (biological or physical vehicle)
Types of microbes that can cause infection are:
Viruses Fungi
Bacteria Protozoa
Helminths (Parasitic Worms)
Agents of Infection: VirusesThe most common viruses are as follows:Rhinoviruses and Adenoviruses: which get into the mucous membranes and cause upper respiratory tract infections and coldsInfluenza viruses: can change their outer protein coats so dramatically that individuals resistant to one strain cannot fight off a new oneHerpes viruses: take up permanent residence in the cells and periodically flare upPapillomaviruses: may be responsible for a rise in the incidence of cervical cancer among younger womenHepatitis viruses: cause several forms of liver infection, ranging from mild to life threateningSlow viruses: give no early indication of their presence but can produce fatal illnesses within a few years
Agents of Infection: Viruses cont’dRetroviruses: named for their backward (retro) sequence of genetic replication compared to other viruses. One retrovirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Filoviruses: resemble threads and extremely lethal
Coronavirus 2019-COVID-19CDC is responding to a pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. The disease has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”)
COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Reported illnesses have ranged from very mild (including some with no reported symptoms) to severe, including illness resulting in death. Older people and people of all ages with severe chronic medical conditions — like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for example — seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness
Agents of InfectionBacteria: are the most plentiful microorganisms as well as the most pathogenic. Bacteria harm the body by releasing either enzymes that digest body cells or toxins that produce the specific effects of diseases such as diphtheria or toxic shock syndromeFungi: consist of threadlike fibers and reproductive spores. Fungi lack chlorophyll and must obtain their food from organic material, which may include human tissueProtozoa: single-celled, microscopic animals release enzymes.
Main questions of the essay1. What are types of daily-lived situat.docxcarliotwaycave
Main questions of the essay
1. What are types of daily-lived situations that confront undocumented youth sense of identity and belonging?
2. What types of psychological trauma impacts gow undocumented youth negotiate their daily lived situations?
3. How do undocumented youth respond to their daily psychological trauma that they experienced?
Use some examples to describe those experiences happened to those undocument youth, it can be made up.
In the Conclusion, provide some solution. Picture yourself as a policy maker.
.
Make a simple plan to observe and evaluate a facility in your school.docxcarliotwaycave
Make a simple plan to observe and evaluate a facility in your school or surrounding community , and recomond somethings in order to improve it ( write an essay about this article )
#Requirements
200 words
MLA style
should have basic words
Should have an introduction,two bodies,and conclusion.
.
Major Approaches to Clinical Psychology PresentationSelect one.docxcarliotwaycave
Major Approaches to Clinical Psychology Presentation
Select
one of the following psychological diagnoses:
·
Depressive disorder
·
Generalized anxiety disorder
·
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
·
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Create
a 9-12 slide Microsoft
®
PowerPoint
®
presentation, with Speaker Notes;
You have been asked to provide a presentation regarding psychological issues for a local community organization. Your audience is made up of adults within the community who are
not
mental health professionals, and who are interested in learning more about a specific mental health issue.
Provide
a brief explanation of the mental health issue chosen, including primary symptoms, diagnostic criteria, populations most affected, and prevalence within the U.S.
Discuss
each of the major theories in Psychology: psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and family systems approaches.
Compare and contrast
the major approaches in relation to your selected psychological issue.
Include the following:
When, how, and why each approach developed, and identify psychologists most associated with the approach.
Terms and concepts associated with the psychological approach.
The techniques and strategies used by each approach, and the goals of treatment.
The effectiveness of each approach towardtreating yourselected diagnosis, based on treatment outcome research.
Incorporate
information from at least five peer-reviewed, professional publications.
Cite
each source you have relied upon throughout the body of your presentation, and list them on a separate slide titled
References
. Use direct quotes only sparingly.
Format
your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Submit
a signed Certificate of Originality document.
.
Make a powerpoint presentation. At least 4 to 6 pages. Your pape.docxcarliotwaycave
Make a powerpoint presentation. At least 4 to 6 pages.
Your paper should include a cover page (setting forth the title of the paper, your name, the course number, and the date), and a bibliography.
Your paper should include an introductory paragraph, a comprehensive but concise analysis of the topic, and a conclusion paragraph.
.
Make a 150 word response to the following. Incorporarte what was sai.docxcarliotwaycave
Make a 150 word response to the following. Incorporarte what was said in 1.In your response. Discuss some of the qualities that can make art "great." Use texbook: Getlein, Mark. Living with Art, 9th Ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Chapters 1-5
1. Although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, certain criteria should be looked at or met to consider something art. The same applies to calling someone an artist. Getlein first discusses that artists create places that fulfill a purpose for humans. Examples of this include Stonehenge and the Vietnam Memorial. Artists also exaggerate or give new perspective on ordinary objects to make them seem extraordinary. Another thing artists accomplish is using their art to record history. Their art could remind people of a different time or era in human history. For example, a painting for an ancient Chinese dynasty gives us insight into that era. Artists give form to things that cannot be seen or understood. This mostly includes statues, paintings, etc. of various deities. This same idea can also be applied when artists give form to feelings or ideas. This is shown in Van Gogh's famous painting called The Starry Night. Lastly, artists can give us a new or refreshing perspective on the world.
An artist or their art must meet one of these criteria to be considered art. These six criteria show how influential and important art has been to human culture and society for a very long time. Art gives us glimpses into times that are long gone and clues to a different culture.
Make a 150 word response to the following. Incorporate what is said in 2. In your response. What factors make a work of art valuable in different ways to different people? Use texbook: Getlein, Mark. Living with Art, 9th Ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Chapters 1-5
2. Unity is when pieces come together in art to form a cohesive whole. Variety is the difference in these pieces to be more interesting. An example of these concepts is figure 3.8 on page 56. Guernica by Pablo Picasso is a painting of disfigured animals and people that seem chaotic. Different images can be seen throughout the painting. Unity is shown because all the individual objects and people come together to give you a large picture. Variety is also shown because many of the animals like the horse are disfigured and almost cartoonish. I chose this work because looking at the individual pieces of the picture seem strange but they come together to show some kind of conflict.
Symmetrical balance is when the center of gravity in a piece of art is vertical. The two sides of the art must also correspond to each other. An example of this is figure 3.1 on page 51. A picture of interior upper chapel of the Sainte-Chappelle in Paris is shown. This artwork in the chapel shows symmetrical balance because there is an implied line down the middle of the design where a door is and both sides mirror each other perfectly. Asymmetrical balance is when two sides of the art do not correspond w.
Major dams and bridges were built by the WPA during the New Deal o.docxcarliotwaycave
Major dams and bridges were built by the WPA during the "New Deal" of President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s and 1940s and have withstood decades. The American Interstate Highway system came into being during the Eisenhower presidential years over 60 years ago. Sewers were built several generations ago. In more exact terms, the United States' infrastructure system is old and beginning to rapidly deteriorate. How do you feel about the aging of United States' infrastructure? Explain.
How would you recommend a strategy to repair or replace the various aging critical infrastructure? Explain.
What major challenges or barriers exist? Explain.
How do you think they could be overcome?
What types of technologies can be used in determining weaknesses in the integrity of infrastructure construction? Explain.
In your opinion, are these technologies effective? Why or why not?
How often do you think critical components should be inspected for weaknesses and vulnerabilities? Explain your rationale.
In your own words, please post a response to the Discussion Board and comment on at least two other postings. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.
For assistance with your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials.
Unit Materials
.
Major Paper #1--The Point of View EssayWe will be working on this .docxcarliotwaycave
Major Paper #1--The Point of View Essay
We will be working on this paper for the next three units. The final draft of the paper--with all three sections described below--will be due at the end of Unit #4.
Purpose:
This paper assignment has several purposes. As the first major paper for this class, the Point of View Essay is designed to re-engage you with the fundamentals of all good writing, including using lush sensory details to show the reader a particular place (rather than tell them about it), basic organization, clear focus, etc. However, this unit does not function as a mere review. The Point of View Essay will also introduce you to the concept of "thinking and seeing rhetorically, and analyzing writing rhetorically"--using the Writer's Toolbox described in this unit to improve your writing and critical reading skills. Finally, the Point of View Essay allows you to reflect on this process.
The Assignment:
1. Pleasant/Unpleasant Description of the Place:
Choose a place you can observe for an extended period of time (at least 20-30 minutes). Use all of your senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell, even taste if possible) to experience the place, and record all of the sensations that you experience. As you record your data, you may wish to note which details naturally seem more positive, negative, or neutral, in terms of tone. (For instance, a stinky and overflowing trash barrel swarming with flies in a nearby alley might seem more inherently negative than a little white bunny rabbit hopping playfully across the lawn.) Then, you will use this information to help your write two descriptions of the place: one positive, one negative (at least 1-2 well-developed paragraphs or a minimum of 125-150 words each). Both descriptions should be factually true (same real time and real place), but you will want one description to be clearly positive in terms of tone and the other to be clearly negative. In addition to including the information and sensory details you've collected as the basis for these descriptions, you will also use the Writer's Toolbox to create your two contrasting impressions for this assignment. (The Writer's Toolbox is explained in the Lecture Notes section of this unit.) As you revise and refine your descriptions, please be sure you are "showing" your readers your place (really putting the readers "there" in the moment and in this scene), rather than simply "telling" them about it. You will also want to try to eliminate unnecessary linking verbs as much as you can, incorporating verbs that show "action" whenever possible.
2. Rhetorical Analysis:
Looking back at your descriptions, analyze how you created these two very different impressions of the place (one positive, one negative) without changing any of the facts. How did you make your place seem so positive in one paragraph and yet so negative in the other paragraph, without changing the facts? Discuss how you incorporated each of the tools from the Writer's T.
Major Essay for Final needs to be 5 pages long on the topic below an.docxcarliotwaycave
Major Essay for Final needs to be 5 pages long on the topic below and in Mla format with wroks citied AFTER he five pages due at 12:15 today
Requriements: 5 pages long
secondary sources 2 credible , 2 academic
Mla format (in-text ciations + works cited page)
focused specific paper topic
Identifiable methods of compostion choosen wisely
Topic Propsal:
The Media’s Influences on Society
The topic I chose to write my major essay on is the media’s influences on society.
This includes both positive and negative influences that the media portrays which plays a big part in society. I will explain how and why the media is used for much more than just entertainment purposes for society and how the media affects the choices society makes and its outcomes. The media affects society with these influences because it alters the way people think and it plays a role in the choices the people make. The change in peoples thoughts do to influences from what they see creates an opportunity for them to either make a good or bad choice depending on the type of influence that is shown. I believe that most of time the media portrays negative influences upon society. A positive influence from the media would be a commercial or show/clip about stopping bullying that informs people about the topic and why bullying is wrong and how it affects the lives of the victims. This type of media would influence society in a positive way because it would actually get society thinking about the situation and for the bullies some of them will actually realize the harm they are causing there victims and they would probably stop bullying people. A negative influence of the media would be a song with someone talking about how they murder people and take drugs and make it in a way to make people think it’s “cool” and then people who listen to it start imitating the things talked about in the song because they want to be “cool”. What I hope to accomplish with this essay is to open people eyes and help them see that the things they watch and listen to as in media actually alter the way they think and the choices they make so hopefully they change what they listen to and watch to more positive things.
The reason I chose to write about the media and its influences on society is to inform people that media has a bigger purposes than just entertainment for society and to hopefully help people make better choices and actually pay attention to the things they watch and listen to. I see how the media influence our modern society everywhere, at the basketball courts at the park at stores. Some of the people at the basketball courts I go to start listening to music that talk about drugs, gangs, murder and they start acting tough, being stupid and talking reckless and they get into arguments or even worse end up getting into fights and someone gets hurt I see this all the time. My paper is important because it will help shed light on the media motives and hopefully start making people m.
Major AssignmentObjectivesThis assignment will provide practice .docxcarliotwaycave
Major Assignment
Objectives
This assignment will provide practice and experience in:
·
Writing a program – Topic 2
·
Debugging– Topic 3
·
Stepwise Refinement& Modularisation – Topic 4 and Topic 10
·
Selection – Topic 5
·
Iteration – Topic 6
·
Arrays – Topic 7
·
File handling – Topic 9
·
Structs – Topic 11
NB Depend
i
ng on when you start this assignment you may need to read ahead especially on how to use files andstructs.
Suggestions:
Read the assignment specifications carefully first.Write the first version of your program in Week 4 and then create new versions as you learn new topics. Do NOT leave it until Week 11 to start writing the program. Review Topic 4 on stepwise refinement. This is how you should approach the major. Also note that though your program must do something and must compile it does not have to be complete to earn marks.
Specifications
One of the many tasks that programmers get asked to do is to convert data from one form to another. Frequently data is presented to users in well-labelled, tabular form for easy reading. However, it is impossible or very difficult to do further processing of the data unless it is changed into a more useful form.
For the purposes of this assignment I have downloaded and will make available the undergraduate applications to the 37 Australian universities from the Department of Education for 2009 – 2013 data file as a text file.
Your program will load this data into an array of structs, save the data in a form that is directly usable by a database (see below), display the data on the console in its original form and in its database form. It will also allow the user to display the highest number of applications for a given state and year.
Your program will use a menu to allow the user to choose what task is to be done. You will only be required to handle the Applications data. You can ignore the Offers and Offers rates data (see below).
Data
See “undergraduateapplicationsoffersandacceptances2013appendices.txt” for the original data.
This is the data your program should produce and save:
New South Wales Charles Sturt University 4265 4298 4287 4668 4614
New South Wales Macquarie University 6255 6880 7294 7632 7625
New South Wales Southern Cross University 2432 2742 2573 2666 2442
New South Wales The University of New England 1601 1531 1504 1632 1690
New South Wales The University of New South Wales 10572 10865 11077 11008 11424
New South Wales The University of Newcastle 9364 9651 9876 10300 10571
New South Wales The University of Sydney 13963 14631 14271 14486 15058
New South Wales "University of Technology, Sydney" 10155 9906 9854 10621 9614
New South Wales University of Western Sydney 11251 11.
magine that you are employed by one of the followingT.docxcarliotwaycave
magine
that you are employed by one of the following:
The social services division of a state or city government
A citizen action committee made up of community members
A police or fire department
A school or educational organization (public or private)
Develop
a 1,050- to 1,400-word needs statement and management plan that will be part of a proposal for a fictitious, grant-funded project of your choosing on behalf of your agency or organization. Include the following sections in your submission:
Paragraph One: Describe the characteristics of your fictitious agency or organization.
Paragraph Two: Discuss the possible funding sources you might contact for this grant proposal.
Needs Statement: Establish the specific problem the proposed project will address.
Management Plan: Describe the responsibilities of the project director (you) and any staff you will employ to implement the grant.
Format
your paper in accordance with APA guidelines.
Submit
your assignment.
Resources
Center for Writing Excellence
Reference and Citation Generator
Grammar and Writing Guides
Copyright 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
.
M4D1 Communication TechnologiesIn this module, we have focused .docxcarliotwaycave
M4D1: Communication Technologies
In this module, we have focused on understanding and using new communication technologies to be more competent communicators.
Respond to the following:
What social media strategy would you recommend for your current (or previous) workplace?
What areas do you think your organization can still improve?
How would you explain the importance of social media to your employer?
.
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss three major techniques for responding.docxcarliotwaycave
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss three major techniques for responding to political risk. Should an international organization always use all three techniques? Why or why not?
Your response should be at least 150 words in length. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.
www.obm.nsaem.ru/.../International%20Management_
Main
Textbook.pd
.
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson1. If you were Lyddie how would you h.docxcarliotwaycave
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
1. If you were Lyddie how would you have handled the incident with mr marsen?
2. Explain how Charlie's visit is a turning point in the story
3. How does Paterson show how important it is for a person to have goals in life
4. What are three examples that Lyddie supports her self pity with when she feels she has been too late for everything
5. What do we learn about Diana and how does this new development change Lyddies role in the factory
6. What event occurs in chapter 20 that was foreshadowed earlier? What predictions can you make about Lyddie's future
.
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss feedback systems. Why is it important.docxcarliotwaycave
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss feedback systems. Why is it important to consider an effective feedback system as an international manager?
Your response should be at least 150 words in length. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.
www.obm.nsaem.ru/.../International%20Management_
Main
Textbook.pdf
use pages 212-215
.
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss factors affecting decision-making aut.docxcarliotwaycave
Luthans and Doh (2012) discuss factors affecting decision-making authority. Briefly describe at least three factors that affect decision-making authority.
I attached chapter 11 to the reflection paper assignment so you can use that to answer this question
thank you
Your response should be at least 200 words in length. All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations.
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.
How to Fix the Import Error in the Odoo 17Celine George
An import error occurs when a program fails to import a module or library, disrupting its execution. In languages like Python, this issue arises when the specified module cannot be found or accessed, hindering the program's functionality. Resolving import errors is crucial for maintaining smooth software operation and uninterrupted development processes.
Main Java[All of the Base Concepts}.docxadhitya5119
This is part 1 of my Java Learning Journey. This Contains Custom methods, classes, constructors, packages, multithreading , try- catch block, finally block and more.
Walmart Business+ and Spark Good for Nonprofits.pdfTechSoup
"Learn about all the ways Walmart supports nonprofit organizations.
You will hear from Liz Willett, the Head of Nonprofits, and hear about what Walmart is doing to help nonprofits, including Walmart Business and Spark Good. Walmart Business+ is a new offer for nonprofits that offers discounts and also streamlines nonprofits order and expense tracking, saving time and money.
The webinar may also give some examples on how nonprofits can best leverage Walmart Business+.
The event will cover the following::
Walmart Business + (https://business.walmart.com/plus) is a new shopping experience for nonprofits, schools, and local business customers that connects an exclusive online shopping experience to stores. Benefits include free delivery and shipping, a 'Spend Analytics” feature, special discounts, deals and tax-exempt shopping.
Special TechSoup offer for a free 180 days membership, and up to $150 in discounts on eligible orders.
Spark Good (walmart.com/sparkgood) is a charitable platform that enables nonprofits to receive donations directly from customers and associates.
Answers about how you can do more with Walmart!"
How to Make a Field Mandatory in Odoo 17Celine George
In Odoo, making a field required can be done through both Python code and XML views. When you set the required attribute to True in Python code, it makes the field required across all views where it's used. Conversely, when you set the required attribute in XML views, it makes the field required only in the context of that particular view.
LAND USE LAND COVER AND NDVI OF MIRZAPUR DISTRICT, UPRAHUL
This Dissertation explores the particular circumstances of Mirzapur, a region located in the
core of India. Mirzapur, with its varied terrains and abundant biodiversity, offers an optimal
environment for investigating the changes in vegetation cover dynamics. Our study utilizes
advanced technologies such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Remote sensing to
analyze the transformations that have taken place over the course of a decade.
The complex relationship between human activities and the environment has been the focus
of extensive research and worry. As the global community grapples with swift urbanization,
population expansion, and economic progress, the effects on natural ecosystems are becoming
more evident. A crucial element of this impact is the alteration of vegetation cover, which plays a
significant role in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of our planet.Land serves as the foundation for all human activities and provides the necessary materials for
these activities. As the most crucial natural resource, its utilization by humans results in different
'Land uses,' which are determined by both human activities and the physical characteristics of the
land.
The utilization of land is impacted by human needs and environmental factors. In countries
like India, rapid population growth and the emphasis on extensive resource exploitation can lead
to significant land degradation, adversely affecting the region's land cover.
Therefore, human intervention has significantly influenced land use patterns over many
centuries, evolving its structure over time and space. In the present era, these changes have
accelerated due to factors such as agriculture and urbanization. Information regarding land use and
cover is essential for various planning and management tasks related to the Earth's surface,
providing crucial environmental data for scientific, resource management, policy purposes, and
diverse human activities.
Accurate understanding of land use and cover is imperative for the development planning
of any area. Consequently, a wide range of professionals, including earth system scientists, land
and water managers, and urban planners, are interested in obtaining data on land use and cover
changes, conversion trends, and other related patterns. The spatial dimensions of land use and
cover support policymakers and scientists in making well-informed decisions, as alterations in
these patterns indicate shifts in economic and social conditions. Monitoring such changes with the
help of Advanced technologies like Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems is
crucial for coordinated efforts across different administrative levels. Advanced technologies like
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
9
Changes in vegetation cover refer to variations in the distribution, composition, and overall
structure of plant communities across different temporal and spatial scales. These changes can
occur natural.
A workshop hosted by the South African Journal of Science aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers with little or no experience in writing and publishing journal articles.
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
Information Flow Parametersfor Managing ^Organizational .docx
1. Information Flow Parameters
for Managing ^
Organizational Processes
Developing a framework for enhancing the design of systems
and
improving management control of complex relationships.
I N T H E contemporary digital economy, intangible assets, of
which information is a critical com-
ponent, fuel a dominant share of growth and prosperity. This is
in contrast to the value added by
physical assets in the erstwhile traditional business model [3].
hiformation has typically been ana-
lyzed as a product, with the focus primarily derived from a
snapshot view taken at a particular rime.
However, emphasis on the product view falls short of a precise
measurement due to the nonquan-
tifiable nature of the characteristics
(such as relevance and reliability) of By Ravindra Krovi,
Akhilesh C h a n d r a ,
information. A systematic and con- ^^ld Balaji RajagOpalan
scious effort to influence and control
the flow of information will lead to efficiencies in
organizational processes. Therefore, it is impera-
tive to manage information flow (and not just information) to
improve business process efficien-
cies, especially in organizational environments.
Numerous studies done in the business process understanding ot
2. the dynamics of such flows. We
redesign realm have articulated the need for ratio- propose a
parameter-based guiding framework oi
nalizing organizational processes [4]. If process effi-
information flow to manage organizational
ciencies are to be realized, it is critical to take another
processes. Ir establishes a foundation to assist organi-
look at the infrastructure based on the parameters zations in
measuring and reporting information by
affecting the flow of information. Few studies, how- better
managing their flow,
ever, have speciBcally addressed how flow irregulari-
ties can affect the process. The framework proposed
Information Flow Dynamics
here adopts a process view of information, which In order to
comprehend the process view, we draw
requires an understanding of information character- from an
analogy of information flow with fluid How.
istics during its flow through communication chan- During its
flow, a fluid is known to change its prop-
nels, and its processing by organizational agents, erties (such as
velocity and viscosity) with respect to
Understanding the process view should help man- space and
time llO]. Fine-tuning its measurable
agers in measuring the impact of flow parameter dimensions can
meaningfully alter the nature of
variations on information quality. fluid flow. Knowledge of the
relationship between
Companies, however, are often poorly organized properties of
fluid and its flow is used in engineering
and underprepared to manage such complex infor- to design
efficient fluid conduits (such as pipes) and
mation flows [1]. The existing state of underpre- altering fluid
flow mechanisms (such as dams),
paredness may partly be attributed to a lack of Could there be a
3. conceptual equivalent of infor-
COMMUNICATIONSOFTHE ACM February 2003/Vol 46, No 2
77
d e s i g n provides the necessary infrastructure for
information processing functions that influence the quality of
the
resulting output. The architecture of the design should,
therefore,
incorporate the flow parameters and their changes in real time.
marion flow that pafallcis fluid flow dynatnics? For
exatiipie, the speed with which iiiFofniation flows in
at! organizatiotial process depetids oti the tiutiiher oF
intermediaries chat belotig to that process. Further-
more, subtle changes cati result from flow irregular-
ities due to localized delays and biases. In the current
busiticss environment, an understanding of flow
parameters is essential For enhancing the value of
complex busitiess processes and designitig systetiis
Suppliers ^ Manufacturer *
Trad iti on a.
Suppliers *
^Distributors*
Model in PC
^ Uell *
4. Dell Model
Industry
. Customers
Figure 1. Reduced node ^ 1 ^ . ^ ^an more effectively
density and the resuttmg , ^ ^
information flow. tnanage these flows.
Alteration in the values
ot any one or combitianon of these parameters
should help achieve a desirable influence on the
tisability of information.
Node Density
A node is used to describe an entity or a group of
entities capable of altering the properties of informa-
tion flow. The node density is then defined by the
nutnber ot intermediate nodes in the infortnation
processitig chatinel. The complexity of information
flow is directly related to node density. Studies have
suggested the itnportance of managing coordination
gaps that arise due to the lack of useful information
or the presetice of incorrect or unusable information
[9]. Specifically, the strategic role of IT design in
reducing coordination gaps in the form of time,
space, and information distances between nodes in
information flow ha.s been emphasized.
The number of intermediate nodes appears to be
an impottant (Victor For two reasons. First, iFdecision
making at each node depends on information from
other nodes, then the presence of a large number of
nodes along the processing channel should result in
5. an increase in uncertainty. Second, a large number
of riodes may impede the speed of infortiiation Fiow.
If the extreme case of tnanual processing (human
node) is assumed, then an increase in the number of
intermediate nodes would also negatively afFect the
processing efficiency oFthe entire system. Organiza-
tions can manage internal and external flows by
altering the number of intermediate nodes. Two
broad strategies for managing such informatioti
flows include supply chain integration and efficient
procurement processes.
Virtual integration across supply chains. Sup-
ply chain integration generates efficient information
flows For participating entities by focusing on value-
added components. For example, Dell Computer
Corp. adopted an aggressive strategy of revamping
its supply chain by pruning the non-value-added
nodes and information flows (see Figure 1). By shar-
ing inFormation about its detiiand forecasts across
the supply chain, Dell does not need to carry inven-
tory until it is needed during production. Also, sup-
pliers maintain convenient shipping points to satisfy
demand on a real-time basis. InFortiiation sharing
and supplier accessibility help Dell manage to carry
inventory on a just-in-time basis. Dell has been suc-
cessHil becattse it could effectively elitiiinate the dis-
tribution rtodes from its supply chain resulting in
leaner order-to-delivery times [7].
However, replication of the Dell tiiodel requires a
careful accomtnodation of situation-speciflc variables.
For example, in cases where product development
requires several components and complex configura-
tions, there is tnore material flow and consequently
6. more inFormation flow. Implementing the Dell
model can be difficult for some companies (such as
Ford) because their supply chains are inherently tnore
complex with many layers {tier-1, tier-2, tier-3...)
and intermediary companies. While tier-1 suppliers
may have a well-developed IT infrastructure, suppli-
ers toward the end of the chain have neither the tech-
nological sophistication nor a justiflable business case
to a.ssist in the sharitig of information.
Procurement process efficiencies. Reducing the
nutnber of nodes can also simplify internal workflow
7 8 February ?OOJ/Vol 46, No 2
COMMUNICATIONSOFTHEACM
processes {such as procurement) and consequently
decrease the typically high cost associated with pur-
chases of MRO {maintenance, repair, or operating) or
indirect supplies (see Figure 2). In such situations, all
employees within the purchasing organization have
access to a proprietary master catalog (created from
various supplier catalogs), ln order to control access,
the system contains procurement rules that enforce
purchasing privileges. When an employee selects a
product, the purchase request is routed to the super-
visor (or other intermediaries) for further approval.
1 his order is eventually sent to an exchange (hosted
by either the purchasing organization or by the pro-
curement software vendor). The order is decomposed
into suborders and then routed to individual suppli-
ers. The immediate value proposition of procurement
process efficiencies for most suppliers is that being
connected to an exchange reduces their costs of find-
7. ing potential buyers. Additional value may depend on
the complexity of items being purchased. Most MRO
purchases do not present a problem because they are
standardized functions. Companies arc, therefore,
able to streamline their
procurement activities.
The value of a node
depends on the extent of
reduction in information
content or decision-
making quality if that
node is removed. Nei-
ther of these conse-
quences occurred in
Dell's situation by the
removal of the distribu-
tor node. While fewer
nodes may result in a
smoother transfer of
information, it is important to realize that the qual-
ity of information at each node affects the efficacy of
decision making at subsequent nodes.
Velocity
Velocity refers to the speed of incoming information
at a node. In recent times, such terms as flow and
velocity are used more extensively to indicate the
speed of change in the economy. Bill Gates has
argued that the primary driver of organizational
change will be the flow of information. The Federal
Reserve Board routinely tracks the velocity of money
to guide its Hscal and monetary policy. Michael Dell
uses the phrase "inventory velocity" to refer to rapid
inventory flow in business transactions [5].
8. Velocity's effect was particularly evident during
holiday seasons when several e-commcrce retailers
Figure 2. Information flow in the
procurement process.
were unable to handle the deluge of seasonal orders.
Therefore, systems that handle millions of e-com-
merce transactions (such as Web servers, database
servers, and payment servers) require a design that is
robust enough to sustain wide variations in the
velocity of information flow without an adverse
effect on their performance. Further, the existing
business infrastructure (such as warehouses and
delivery trucks) supporting order fulfillment
processes should also be sufficiently robust to
accommodate different speeds.
Typically, inventory and fulfliimeiu systems can-
not manage high velocity better in a situation where
the subsystems are partially automated and poorly
integrated. The CIO of a major tier-one supplier to
the three largest automotive manufacturers com-
mented, "Ir takes two or more weeks for information
from the automaker regarding the increase in the
sales of a specific type of model, that translates into
materials requirements for our company, to get to us.
This leaves us with about a week to manage our sup-
ply chain, leaving our inventory management ad hoc
at best." Covisint
(www.covisint.com), an
exchange system based
on standards agreed upon
by the three major
9. automakers, will facilitate
exchange of the type of
information that compa-
nies need. This exchange
could lead ro an increase
in the velocity of infor-
mation flow.
Clearly, systems designed to facilitate the automa-
tion of information exchange help to streamline the
organizational processes. However, it is not always
true that automated processes are less prone to influ-
ence velocity. Some processes could potentially suf-
fer from automation when information flows too
quickly. This might occur in ERP environments
where users are unaware of the consequences of their
actions. For example, in the pre-ERP days, if a sales
clerk entered an incorrect order (wrong specifica-
tion, price, or shipping address), there usually was
time to correct the error. In an ERP environment,
sales order information is directly routed to the man-
ufacturing module where it is scheduled into pro-
duction eventually waiting to be shipped. Since the
sales order module is also integrated with the
accounting module, it is likely an undelivered prod-
uct will result in unpaid invoices because of which
the customer's credit status could possibly be down-
graded. It is also possible to imagine the conse-
COMMUNICATIONSOFTHE ACM 200J/Vol. 46, No 2 79
quences of manufacturing a
product without the correct
specifications. In the past,
10. when most processes were
manual and paper-based, busi-
nesses managed to cope with
these problems because there
was more time available to
them to react and correct some
of the inaccuracies.
Viscosity
Viscosity reflects the degree of
conflict at the node. The con-
flict arises due to the presence
of contradictory information
components known as infor-
mation particles-—the smallest
component of" information
rhat can exist independently Figure 3. Impact of flow
and still retain the characteris- parameters in business
,- - (• • I I transactions,
tics or lnrormation. In such
cases, viscosity appears in the form of multiple val-
ues of information (multiple information flows feed
similar information content to a node) that must be
resolved before the node can begin processing. If
there is lesser conflict between the multiple values,
then a quicker resolution can occur—a situation
characterized by low viscosity. However, a high
degree of conflict will likely delay the resolution
time—a situation characterized by high viscosity.
Consider the following example of Toys-R-Us,
which illustrates the effect of viscosity on business
processes. During a past holiday season, Toys-R-Us
was one of the poorer performers in order fulfill-
11. ment. The company handled both offline and
online sales orders during that period. The number
of online orders outweighed many times the avail-
ahle processing capacity and the inventory the com-
pany had in its warehouses. The company's less than
satisfactory performance stemmed from the perplex-
ing nature of inventory management. Prudent man-
agement practice dictates maintaining inventory at
lower levels to avoid storage-related costs. Contrar-
ily, there are longer-term costs associated with stock-
outs that include lost sates, impaired goodwill, poor
customer resource management, damage-control
expenditures, and changes in customer loyalty.
These alternatives represent information particles of
inventory cost management.
Inventory management presents an interesting
administrative dilemma: maintaming excess inven-
tory versus stock-out possibilities. Planning deci-
sions in such cases involve seeking an optimal
inventory level-—a tradeoff between demand projec-
tions by the marketing department, and inventory
cost control by the production department. The
constraints imposed by the two opposing elements
render the decision making relatively inflexible. An
understanding of the interaction and effect of such
viscous information flows would have helped the
company better manage the costly and lasting effect
Toys-R-Us had to cope with.
The Toys-R-Us experience demonstrates the
potential for adverse consequences when organiza-
tions are unable to manage viscosity. The cause of
such consequences is usually a lack of accurate and
streamlined information across the supply chain.
12. Viscosit)'-related uncertainty eventually results in
what is known as a buUwhip effect 16]. In a bullwhip
effect, entities along the supply chain resort to stock-
piling (for just-in-case scenarios), thereby eventually
leading to excess inventories.
Volatility
Information volatility denotes the as.sociated uncer-
tainty in its content, format, and/or timing. The
degree of volatility may depend on the impact of exter-
nal forces based on either industr'wide or economy-
wide factors. Thus, changes in economic policies or
interest rate by the Federal Reserve Board (perturba-
tion) are likely to affect the operating performance of
an organization. Depending on the effect such
changes have on the organization, they would gener-
ate either laminar or turbulent information flows.
For example, an average daily volume of a few
thousand transactions over a month with a variance
of more than 5.000 or 6,000 could be characterized
as a turbulent flow (high volatility), whereas an aver-
8 0 Fcbfu.iry 20D3/Vol 46. No 2 COMMUNICATIONS Of THE
ACM
age daily volume of a thousand transacrions over a
month with a variance of 500 or 600 could be con-
sidered as a laminar flow (low volatility). More
specifically, when the distribution of transactions is
comprised of several peaks, there is a higher likeli-
hood that the flow is turbulent. Similarly, spikes in
transaction volume for an online trading system
when there are widespread sell-offs are representative
13. of a turbulent information flow.
It is difficult for an organization to control the
timing, content and, extent of turbulence. However,
knowledge of relationships between external forces
and internal processes can help manage the effect on
the system. Consider the example of online retailers
who frequently face the problem of preparing for the
surge in demand during the holiday season. Prepara-
tion could entail making necessary investments In
both the technical infrastructure (such as increasing
the number of servers) as well as the business infra-
structure (such as more efficient arrangements with
delivery companies). Planning for such capacity
alternatives requires an assessment of anticipated
demand and subsequent translation of demand into
resource requirements. Thus, an online toy retailer
could project an increase in page views (resource
requirements) based on fourth-quarter estimates and
historical data on the average number of page views
required per order.
Organizational Implications
Organizations invest in e-business drivers to improve
operational and financial performance [2]. Examples
of such drivers include system integration, internal
orientation of information technology, and cus-
tomer/supplier-related processes. For successful
implementation of these drivers, careful attention
should be given to the parameters influencing the
flow. Figure 3 outlines the role of flow parameters in
influencing the nature of interaction between an orga-
nization and its various stakeholders. For example, a
customer order triggers various interdependent busi-
ness processes and the associated information flows.
Performing a credit and inventory check through
14. related subsystems will validate the order. A satisfac-
tory evaluation should initiate information flows
related to the generation of production schedules,
contacts with suppliers, arrangements with logistics
providers, and realization of cash from customers.
Hence, the relationship between the organization and
the external stakeholders (such as customers, suppli-
ers, and service providers) can be affected by varia-
tions in flow parameters. Some illustrative
implications of flow parameter variations in the con-
text oi Figure 3 are described in more detail here.
Customer relationships. The number of orders
per unit time would constitute the velocity of flow
and may be affected by the number of nodes through
which the order reaches the implementation stage at
the back end ot data processing operations. Further-
more, variations in the number of orders processed
per day can increase the volatility of incoming traffic
at electronic trading sites. Hence, back-end applica-
tions must actively control the infltience of velocity
and volatility of the incoming traffic.
Supplier relationships. As a general rule, the Rir-
ther a decision point is along the value chain, the
higher the likelihood it will be affected by node den-
sity. Nevertheless, the nature of controls and interac-
tions may cause node density to become critical at any
decision point. For example, controls for the purchase
function in Figure 3 occur at a relatively early stage in
the value chain, and may affect the node density.
Node density can be a factor along two dimensions:
internal and external. Internal sources stem from the
organization of the purchase department. A large pur-
chase department witb a centralized authority struc-
ture has the potential to congest the decision-making
15. nodes. External source is a function of suppliers' pop-
ulation in this example: selection amongst a large
number of suppliers injects increased node density
(and externally induced volatility) into the system
every time a purchasing decision is involved. Further,
the ability to respond to fluctuations is limited wben
information systems of the company and its suppliers
are not effectively integrated.
Outsourcer relationships. If credit assessment is
outsourced, it might affect the nature of information
flow in the value chain. The level of integration of the
outsourcer s information system with the company's
system will determine the velocity of information. If
the credit-check function is built into the company's
system, then the degree of integration within the
ERP system would influence the velocity of flow. In
specific instances, the velocity will also be affected by
whether required information to perform the credit
check is available internally or help is needed trom a
credit bureau system. Also, when the organization
has some information for performing credit-check
activities internally but requests assistance from credit
bureau systems for additional corroborating informa-
tion it could end up receiving contradictory informa-
tion leading to higher viscosity.
Environmental factors. Besides intrabusiness
transactions, the nature of flows between corporate
intranets and external entities would also be moder-
ated by various environmental factors. For example,
a 500-point drop in the Dow Jones Index can
increase the velocity and volatility of incoming traf-
COMMUNICAT1ONS OF THE ACM February 3003/Vol 46. No
2 8r
16. Pic at electronic trading sites. The uncertainty in the
oil market or a global financial crisis can result in
high viscous flow of information hetween business
entities. Additionally, legal factors sometimes force
an increase in the number oi nodes along the infor-
mation flow—for instance, certain states do not
allow cardirect.com to sell cars directly to consumers
over the Internet; such restrictions would introduce
more intermediary nodes before the final decision
maker processes the information.
Finally, the overall utility oi the information flow
parameters has specific significance b r enhancing
system design and improving management control.
System design provides the necessary infrastructure
for information processing functions that influence
the quality of the resulting output. The architecture
of the design should, therefore, incorporate the flow
parameters and their changes in real time. Knowl-
edge of factors affecting process efficiencies via flow
parameters assumes significance in providing effec-
tive management. In the future, organizations will
evolve into intricate networks of dynamic relation-
ships with external entities. The complexity of the
resulting processes can best be managed by analyz-
ing the parameters of information flow. Q
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for e-busi-
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Value
Code. Harper Collins. 2000.
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processes. Journal of Management Information Systems 12, I
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1995). :57-80,
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effect in
supply chains. Sloan Mitnagetneni Review (Spring l')")7). 9.^-
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with Dell com-
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199H), 74-84,
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aften-onerotis
task of procurement. Wall Street Jotirnal (Nov. 15, 1''99).
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R A V I N D R A K R O V I (krovifi'uakron.cdu) is a professor
in the
Deparrmenc of Marî if;etnent at the University of Akron, OH.
A K H I L E S H C H A N D R A (aclO^uakron.cdu) is an
associate professor in
the School of Accountancy at the University of Akron. OH.
B A L A J I R A J A G O P A L A N ([email protected]) is an
assistant
professor in [he Department of Decision and Information
Scietices ai
Oakland University in Rochester. ML
ACM 0002-0782/0S/02
Because usability
is no longer
a luxury -
it's a necessity.
For Subscriptions
Call 800-342-6626
Association for Computing Macfiinery
The First Society in Computing
19. www.acm,org
f • r ' ariMfli
8 2 Febru.iry 2003/Vol 46, No J COMMUNICATIONS OF THE
ACM
Strategic Performance
Measurement and
Management in Nonprofit
Organizations
Robert S. Kaplan
The managers and constituents of nonprofits are increasingly
concerned about measuring and managing organizational
performance. Financial measures alone, or even supplemented
with a collection of ad hoc nonfinancial measures, are not
sufficient to motivate and evaluate mission accomplishments.
This article describes the adaptation of a new performance
measurement and management approach, the Balanced
Scorecard, to the nonprofit sector. Several examples of actual
implementation are provided.
T
HE topic of accountability and performance measurement has
become urgent for nonprofit organizations as they encounter
increasing competition from a proliferating number of
agencies, all competing for scarce donor, foundation, and
21. Even for-profit companies have recently recognized that finan-
cial measurements by themselves are inadequate for measuring
and
managing their performance. Financial reports measure past
perfor-
mance but communicate little about long-term value creation.
To remedy this deficiency, Kaplan and Norton (1992, 1996)
intro-
duced a new performance management system—called the
Balanced
Scorecard—for private sector organizations. The new system
retained
financial measurements but complemented these with measures
from
three other perspectives: that of the customer, the internal
process,
and learning and growth (see Figure 1).
The initial focus and application of the Balanced Scorecard was
in the for-profit (private) sector. But the opportunity for the
score-
card to improve the management of nonprofits should be even
greater. For profit-seeking corporations, the financial
perspective
provides a clear long-run objective, but it provides a constraint
rather
than an objective for nonprofits. Although these organizations
must
certainly monitor their spending and comply with financial
budgets,
their success cannot be measured by how closely they keep
spending
to budgeted amounts, or even if they restrain spending so that
actual
expenses are kept well below budgeted amounts.
22. In this article, I describe the results from a multiyear action
research program to apply the Balanced Scorecard to several
nonprofit
organizations. The next three sections contain a brief literature
review, a description of the Balanced Scorecard, and a
discussion of
methodology. In the remainder of this article I present our
observa-
tions and actual case studies on applying the scorecard to the
non-
profit sector. These experiences have enabled me to draw some
preliminary conclusions about the benefits and the pitfalls of
deploy-
ing this new performance measurement and management system.
Literature Review
The subject of performance measurement for nonprofit
organizations
is extensive but generally inconclusive (Forbes, 1998). Forbes
noted
that nonprofit organizations lack the simple elegance of a
financial
measure—such as profitability or shareholder returns—used by
for-
profit organizations to assess their performance. Forbes also
observed
that nonprofits have difficulty “developing surrogate
quantitative
measures of organizational performance . . . because [they]
frequently
have goals that are amorphous and offer services that are
intangible”
(Forbes, 1998, p. 184). Herzlinger (1996) argues that nonprofit
organizations should disclose nonfinancial quantitative
measures of
23. the quantity and quality of services provided, but does not offer
guidance about how organizations should select such measures.
The difficulty of clearly defining the metrics for organizational
effectiveness, however, is not confined to nonprofit organiza-
tions (Goodman and Pennings, 1977; Cameron and Whetten,
1983).
In their final book chapter, Cameron and Whitten (1983) offer
two
conclusions about organizational effectiveness: (1) “There
cannot be
3 5 4 K A P L A N
Nonprofit
organizations
lack the simple
elegance of a
financial
measure—such
as profitability or
shareholder
returns—used by
for-profit
organizations to
assess their
performance
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:26 PM Page 354
35. r
P
er
sp
ec
ti
ve
s
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:26 PM Page 355
one universal model of organizational effectiveness” (pp. 262–
267);
and (2) “It is more worthwhile to develop frameworks for
assessing
effectiveness than to try to develop theories of effectiveness”
(pp. 267–269).
Foreshadowing the development of the Balanced Scorecard,
researchers in the 1980s (Cameron, 1981, 1982; Connolly,
Conlon,
and Deutsch, 1980) advocated that multidimensional approaches
be
used for measuring nonprofit effectiveness. In this way users
could
access both the organization’s ability to acquire resources (that
is,
fundraising) and its ability to mobilize its resources to achieve
desir-
able outcomes. The multiple dimensions can also reflect the
36. role of
the multiple constituencies of many nonprofits.
Kanter and Summers (1987) reinforce the importance of
reflecting
the outcomes for multiple constituencies and the need to have
both
long-term measures (outcomes) and short-term measures
(processes
and activities performed). The authors note that conflict often
occurs
between external and internal constituencies, and they conclude
that
“a balanced approach would provide the data to help the
organization
know whether it is ‘doing well’ on any of the dimensions of
perfor-
mance with which an active constituency might be concerned.”
Sheehan (1996) studied philanthropic organizations and
concluded that although most had clear statements of mission,
very
few had developed performance measurement systems that
revealed
whether the organization had an impact on its mission. In effect,
the
organizations had no way to distinguish whether their strategy
was
succeeding or failing.
Sawhill (in this issue) reports a powerful illustration of the
problems when performance measures are not linked to strategy.
The Nature Conservancy has a mission to preserve plants and
ani-
mals by protecting the habitats that rare species need to survive.
For
37. years, the Conservancy operated with a pair of basic
performance
measures known as bucks and acres—indicating how much
money
was raised each year and how many acres of land were acquired
to be kept in their natural condition. These focused performance
measures set the agenda for everyone, and the organization
was apparently successful. During the 1990s, revenues grew at
an 18 percent annual compounded rate and acres protected more
than doubled. Yet the management team reluctantly concluded
that
success in raising money and protecting acres might not be
contributing to the agency’s fundamental mission of conserving
biodiversity. The gap between mission and measures eventually
led
to the adoption of a much more balanced set of measures, better
linked to its organizational mission.
Normally, one would expect that funders closest to an organiza-
tion would be most likely to ask for measures of effectiveness.
But
Letts, Ryan, and Grossman (1999) conclude that “unfortunately,
the big picture at foundations rarely includes concerns about
orga-
nizational capacity and performance. Even worse, the day-to-
day
356 K A P L A N
Since the
introduction of
the Balanced
Scorecard,
companies using
it have been able
38. to implement new
strategies rapidly
and effectively,
leading to
dramatic
performance
improvements
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:26 PM Page 356
grantmaking practices of many foundations actually undermine
the
ability of nonprofits to develop the capacity for sustained high
perfor-
mance” (pp. 169–170, emphasis in original).
Thus, the literature concurs with the need to articulate a multi-
dimensional framework for measuring and managing nonprofit
effectiveness. This scorecard would seem to provide just such a
framework.
The Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard (see Figure 1) was developed for the
private
sector to overcome deficiencies in the financial accounting
model,
which fails to signal changes in the company’s economic value
as an
organization makes substantial investments (or depletes past
invest-
ments) in intangible assets, such as the skills, motivation, and
capabilities of its employees, customer acquisition and
39. retention,
innovative products and services, and information technology.
Since
the introduction of the Balanced Scorecard, companies using it
have
been able to implement new strategies rapidly and effectively,
leading
to dramatic performance improvements (Kaplan and Norton,
forthcoming).
The scorecard’s customer perspective measures the entity’s
performance with targeted customer and market segments by
using
such outcome measures as market share, customer retention,
new cus-
tomer acquisition, and customer profitability. This perspective
should
also measure the value proposition—how the organization
creates value
for its targeted customers. The internal process perspective
includes
measures of operating performance (cost, quality, and cycle
times) of
critical processes that deliver value to customers and reduce
operat-
ing expenses. In addition, the internal perspective can include
mea-
sures of innovation processes that create entirely new products
and
services. Organizational learning and growth arise from such
sources
as people and systems. Typical measures for the learning and
growth
perspective include employee motivation, retention,
capabilities, and
alignment, as well as information system capabilities.
40. Research Method
The research agenda on the applicability of the Balanced
Scorecard
to the nonprofit sector was launched in 1996, shortly after the
found-
ing of the Social Enterprise program at Harvard Business
School. The
program conducted a survey and learned that executives and
board
members of nonprofits consistently rated performance
measurement
as one of their top three management concerns. Although
several
nonprofit organizations in 1996 may have had multidimensional
measurement systems, none explicitly derived their measures
from
strategy and mission or organized their measures using the
multiple
Balanced Scorecard perspectives.
S T R AT E G I C P E R F O R M A N C E M E A S U R E M E
N T A N D M A N A G E M E N T 357
Strategy and
performance
measurement
should focus on
what output and
outcomes the
organization
intends to
achieve, not what
41. programs and
initiatives are
being
implemented
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:26 PM Page 357
Rather than wait to study organizations that have adopted the
Balanced Scorecard on their own timetable and agenda, I
pursued an
explicit action research program (Kaplan, 1998). I approached
United
Way of America and United Way of Southeastern New England
and
gained their agreement to coach them to become pilot sites for
applying the Balanced Scorecard. Subsequently, I worked in the
same
way with several other organizations, including an international
relief
organization, a social service organization, and an innovative
venture
philanthropy start-up. Many of the observations and conclusions
in
this article have arisen from my active involvement in the
scorecard
development of these organizations, though other organizations,
such
as Duke Children’s Hospital, implemented the Balanced
Scorecard
without outside assistance.
Role for Strategy in a Nonprofit
42. Balanced Scorecard
In my experience, nonprofits have considerable difficulty in
clearly
defining their strategy. I have seen “strategy” documents that
run
upwards of fifty pages. And most of the documents, once the
mission
and vision are articulated, consist of lists of programs and
initiatives
rather than the outcomes the organization is trying to achieve.
Such
organizations, when implementing a performance measurement
system, typically measure progress in achieving milestones on
their
initiatives. This is backwards. Initiatives should exist to help
the
organization achieve its strategic objectives. They are means,
not ends. Strategy and performance measurement should focus
on
what output and outcomes the organization intends to achieve,
not what programs and initiatives are being implemented.
Another problem is that many strategy documents represent a
combined wish list from all the participants invited to engage in
the
strategy-setting process. Nonprofit organizations, in particular,
value
employee participation. But often they have difficulty
channeling
suggestions into a few coherent themes. Accustomed to reaching
conclusions by consensus, they fail to accept some suggestions
while
rejecting others. Such organizations have to understand Michael
Porter’s admonition (Porter, 1996) that strategy is not only what
the
43. organization intends to do, but also what it decides not to do, a
message that is particularly relevant for nonprofits.
Achieving focus and alignment, however, may be particularly
difficult for nonprofit organizations. Many people who become
employees of these organizations voluntarily accept below-
market
compensation because they believe in the mission of the agency.
Their personal values motivate them to do good and to
contribute to
society through the agency’s programs. This is wonderful and a
great source of strength for the nonprofit sector. But it is also a
dan-
ger. Such motivated individuals come to the agency already
equipped
with a clear, albeit personal, idea about how to accomplish the
358 K A P L A N
Strategy is not
only what the
organization
intends to do, but
also what it
decides not to do,
a message that is
particularly
relevant for
nonprofits
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:26 PM Page 358
44. organization’s goals. And they often encounter a nurturing
environ-
ment in which all opinions are valued and listened to. This is an
engine for diffusing organizational energy.
One example illustrates this pathology. I worked with an inter-
national relief agency, helping it to translate its strategy into a
set of
measurable Balanced Scorecard objectives. I read and
interpreted their
strategy statement and then consulted with their senior planning
managers. Two full days of work ensued to develop a prototype,
straw-model Balanced Scorecard for the agency. But as the
managers
prepared to depart, one of them remarked, “This has been a
good
exercise but the scorecard is not complete. It doesn’t have
anything
on our land mine program.” After a stunned silence, I responded
that
a land mine program had not been mentioned in any strategy
docu-
ment or at any time during the sixteen hours of discussion just
con-
cluded. The manager responded that there was a lot of interest
and
funding in the world to eliminate land mines and alleviate the
suf-
fering they caused. Several people in the organization and on
the
board had been encouraging the agency to address this issue.
This agency had wandered into a new initiative without any
sense about whether the initiative fell within its mission and
strat-
45. egy, how the initiative fit with its core capabilities and
competencies,
or whether the agency was particularly well qualified, relative
to
alternative providers, to make a substantial, cost-effective
contribu-
tion to land mine relief. Nonprofits, like their private sector
coun-
terparts, have to focus their limited resources on a limited set of
objectives and constituents. Attempting to be everything for
every-
one virtually guarantees organizational ineffectiveness.
At United Way of Southeastern New England (UWSENE), the
chief professional officer framed the strategic options faced by
his
organization: “Local United Ways have three primary choices.
They
can be donor-focused, agency-focused, or community-focused.
Each
of the three strategies is good, with the potential to yield
positive end
results. But each entails considerable downside risk. Many
United
Ways switch strategies, say, to meet specific community needs,
for
very good reasons, but then are surprised when their agencies
and
donors get upset. UWSENE has definitely become a donor-
focused
organization, believing that if the donors are satisfied, then
agencies
will be provided for” (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1997, p. 4).
With a clear focus on the strategy and the key constituent
group,
46. UWSENE could subsequently develop its Balanced Scorecard in
a
straightforward manner.
At Duke Children’s Hospital, Jon Meliones (Meliones, 2000)
was
attempting to transform an organization that had a $50 million
operating loss in 1995. The length of stay of its patients was 15
per-
cent over target. Meliones believed that a new strategy based on
better communication with patients and physicians, as well as
patient-focused process improvements, would lead to cost
reductions,
revenue enhancements, and better patient care. He used the
Balanced
S T R AT E G I C P E R F O R M A N C E M E A S U R E M E
N T A N D M A N A G E M E N T 359
Attempting to be
everything for
everyone
virtually
guarantees
organizational
ineffectiveness
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 359
Scorecard to communicate and monitor the interrelationships
from
the new strategy.
47. The start of any performance measurement system has to be a
clear strategy statement. Otherwise, performance measures
focus on
local operational improvements rather than on whether the
strategy
is being achieved. But strategy statements can still lead to
diversity
in how individuals interpret them for their everyday jobs.
Organiza-
tional goals, in general terms, often mask real disagreement
about
what the organization is trying to accomplish. By quantifying
and
measuring the strategy, organizations reduce and even eliminate
ambiguity and confusion about objectives and methods. They
gain
coherence and focus in pursuit of their mission.
Elevating the Role of Customers
Most nonprofits had difficulty with the original architecture of
the
Balanced Scorecard, which placed the financial perspective at
the top
of the hierarchy. This is a proper concern. I have stated earlier
in this
article that achieving financial success is not the primary
objective
for a nonprofit. Many nonprofit organizations have rearranged
the
geography of their Balanced Scorecard to place the customer
per-
spective at the top. For example, United Way of America
initially
followed the private sector tradition by having the financial
perspective at the pinnacle of their scorecard. They finally
48. decided
that their customer perspective belonged at the top, and that the
financial perspective should be at the bottom.
In fact, nonprofit agencies should consider placing an overarch-
ing mission objective at the top of their scorecard. The mission
reflects the agency’s long-term objective, such as a reduction in
poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, homelessness, disease,
pollution, or
discrimination. Then the objectives within the scorecard can be
oriented toward improving such a high-level objective. For a
private
sector company, financial measures provide the accountability
measure between it and its owners, the shareholders. That is
why the
financial perspective was placed at the top of the Balanced
Scorecard
hierarchy. For a nonprofit, however, the agency’s mission
represents
the accountability between it and society—the rationale for its
existence. The mission should therefore be featured and
measured at
the highest level of its scorecard. Such an objective may only
show
progress with long lags, which is why the measures in the four
main
perspectives of the Balanced Scorecard will provide the short-
to
intermediate-term targets and feedback.
As another modification of the private sector scorecard frame-
work, nonprofits need to expand the definition of who their
customer
is. In a private sector transaction, customers both pay for the
service
and receive the service. The two roles are so complementary
49. that
most people don’t even think about them separately. But in a
nonprofit organization, donors provide the financial resources—
they
360 K A P L A N
By quantifying
and measuring
the strategy,
organizations
reduce and even
eliminate
ambiguity and
confusion about
objectives and
methods
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 360
pay for the service, whereas another group, the constituents,
receives
the service. Who is the customer, the one paying or the one
receiv-
ing? Rather than making such a decision, organizations have
placed
the donor perspective and the recipient perspective in parallel,
at the
top of their Balanced Scorecards (see Figure 2).
50. I now illustrate the Balanced Scorecards developed at several
nonprofit organizations: United Way of Southeastern New
England,
Duke Children’s Hospital, and New Profit Inc.
United Way of Southeastern New England
As mentioned earlier, UWSENE’s strategy featured its financial
inter-
mediary role of collecting funds from a broad population of
donors
and disbursing the funds to community-based agencies.
Therefore,
the UWSENE project team retained the financial perspective at
the
top of the scorecard.
The UWSENE team discussed whether the four perspectives of
a for-profit Balanced Scorecard were adequate and appropriate
for its
scorecard. Some suggested adding additional perspectives, say,
for
agencies and for volunteers. Agencies, using United Way funds,
sup-
plied needed services to communities. Volunteers, through their
board service and extensive participation in the annual
campaign,
provided substantial personnel resources to UWSENE. The
senior
executive, however, felt that the four basic perspectives had
sufficient
flexibility to include objectives that would address the
organization’s
relationship with agencies and volunteers. This choice did
bother
some in the organization who felt that the agencies were so
critical
51. to the mission of UWSENE that they would have liked them to
be
featured with a separate perspective.
S T R AT E G I C P E R F O R M A N C E M E A S U R E M E
N T A N D M A N A G E M E N T 361
A nonprofit
agency’s mission
represents the
accountability
between it and
society—the
rationale for its
existence. The
mission should
therefore be
featured and
measured at the
highest level of
its scorecard
Figure 2. Adapting the Balanced Scorecard Framework to
Nonprofit Organizations
“To achieve our vision,
how must we look to our
customers /recipients?”
“To achieve our vision, how must
our people learn, communicate,
52. and work together?”
The Mission rather than the financial/shareholder
objectives drives the organization’s strategy.
“To satisfy our customers,
financial donors, and mission,
at which business
processes must we excel?”
The Mission
“If we succeed, how
will we look to our
financial donors?”
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 361
UWSENE Balanced Scorecard
The team, after several months, produced the scorecard shown
in
Table 1. Reactions to the scorecard were favorable. One middle
man-
ager noted, “You can see how you contribute to the customer or
financial needs of the organization, and to staff advancement.
It’s nice
to feel that what you’re doing is worthwhile, that it relates to
the big
picture.”
A member of the project team expressed the enthusiasm among
the staff for the Balanced Scorecard: “In the past, if you raised
more
53. money than the previous year, you felt that you had done a good
job.
But those departments not involved with fundraising didn’t get
any
recognition for the success of the organization. Now we will
look to
all the Balanced Scorecard measures to assess our success in
reach-
ing our goals. Each employee can be seen as making an
important
contribution.”
The UWSENE experience highlighted the impact of communi-
cating the Balanced Scorecard down to all employees. The chief
362 K A P L A N
Table 1. United Way of Southeastern New England
Outcomes Strategic Objectives
Financial External growth Increase net amount of funds raised
Internal stability Balance internal income and expenses to
maintain our
100 percent guarantee to others
Community building Increase amount of funds that go to
services
Increase amount of funds that go to proprietary products
Customer Customer satisfaction Recognition
Ease of giving
54. Market growth Products that customers care about and that
will improve the community
Customer retention Information on results
Quality, timely service
Internal Key internal business processes Improve key internal
processes in the
based on quality following areas:
• Fundraising
• Fund distribution
• Community building
• Information processing/communications
• Pledge processing
• Product development
• Volunteer/staff development
• Customer service
• Interdepartmental communications
Innovative products Develop a research and development
process
to come up with new, innovative products
Viable product line Develop a consistent process for evaluating
existing products and services
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financial officer (CFO) went to talk to the building’s custodian.
The
custodian told him that strategy was something that people at
the top
55. floor did, not him. His job included sweeping the floor, painting
walls, and removing trash, and he didn’t feel that these had any-
thing to do with strategy or mission. The CFO used the
scorecard
to explain that the custodian’s efforts were central to
UWSENE’s
strategy: “The tenants in the building generate considerable
rental
income for us. By maintaining the property well, tenants and
United
Way employees will be pleased to work in the facility. That will
help
us generate more rental income that helps us fulfill our 100
percent
guarantee to donors, and also to attract, retain, and motivate our
employees. In addition, donors and volunteers who visit our
build-
ing will value a clean building, attractive landscaping, and
streets
from which the snow has been removed. I could see the light of
recognition cross his face. He said, ‘You’re right. I can see now
how
what I do is important.’”
By communicating the top-level and departmental scorecards
throughout the organization, individuals in every department
could
align their day-to-day actions with helping the organization
achieve
its strategic objectives.
Duke Children’s Hospital
Duke Children’s Hospital (DCH), a 138-bed in-patient facility,
included a neonatal intensive care unit, a pediatric intensive
care unit
(PICU), and beds for bone marrow transplant and intermediate-
56. care
patients. Its cost per case had increased by 35 percent from
1994 to
1995 and its 8.0-day average length of stay was 15 percent over
tar-
get. It was losing money, staff members were dissatisfied, and
recent
process improvement initiatives had been unsuccessful. Yet
DCH
needed $40 million for expansion programs. Jon Meliones, head
of
the PICU, identified several burning platform issues:
• The organization was confused about which services were the
most
important to provide.
• There was no shared purpose between administrators, staff
members, and physicians.
• The quality of communication and coordination with referring
pediatricians was poor.
• There were competitive threats to the organization’s market
position.
• There was great difficulty in balancing quality care, patient
satisfaction, staff satisfaction, education, and research with
financial
objectives (Meliones and others, 1999).
Meliones led a pilot Balanced Scorecard program in the PICU
(Meliones and others, 1999). Based on success there, he helped
to
extend it throughout all of DCH’s pediatric facilities, including
two
57. S T R AT E G I C P E R F O R M A N C E M E A S U R E M E
N T A N D M A N A G E M E N T 363
By
communicating
the top-level and
departmental
scorecards
throughout the
organization,
individuals in
every department
could align their
day-to-day
actions with
helping the
organization
achieve its
strategic
objectives
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 363
large hospitals in the region that were acquired as the program
was
rolling out. The project started with the leadership team
developing
a mission and vision statement “to provide patients, families,
58. and
primary care physicians with the best, most compassionate care
possible, and excel at communication.” The strategy
hypothesized
that with better communication and care, referrals and revenues
would increase. In addition, DCH’s new strategy would focus
on
reducing costs and length of stay to restore financial viability.
A multidisciplinary team developed the scorecard for the
strategy
(see Table 2). The team renamed the learning and growth
perspec-
tive “Research, Education and Teaching” to reflect its role in an
academic medical center.
Meliones used the scorecard to screen initiatives so that only
high-impact ones were considered (Meliones and others, 1999).
The
staff implemented many new internal processes; for example,
care providers discussed each patient to be discharged, they
informed the family about treatments before a patient was
released,
and they informed the primary care physician about inpatient
treat-
ment and recommended treatment after discharge. DCH supplied
its
physicians with monthly cost and case statistics as well as
patient
and referring physician satisfaction scores, benchmarked against
the
total physician population. Staff physicians could now compare
themselves against their colleagues and peers and search for
ways to
improve.
59. 364 K A P L A N
Customer
Perspective
Learning and
Growth
Perspective
Internal
Perspective
Financial
Perspective
Satisfied consumers,
families, and
funders
Agencywide
adherence to
performance
improvement via
PDCA methods
Effective,
comprehensive
information systems
(external and
internal
communications)
Achieve continued
improvement in net
asset and liquidity
to support new
60. service
development
Recognized as a
leader in conduct-
ing and disseminat-
ing research
Access to career
development and
mentoring for
all staff
Effective,
comprehensive, and
cost-effective care
for consumers
Effectively link
clinical and
financial data
systems and
decisions
Optimizes quality
of life
Strategic job
coverage at all
levels
Safeguard rights,
responsibilities, and
ethics via corporate
compliance office
61. Effectively link staff
compensation,
performance, and
service delivery
Recognized as a
leader in the media
and by legislators
Diverse staff work-
ing productively—
guided by the
agency’s balanced
scorecard
Effective collabora-
tion and partnering
with other
agencies/providers
Sufficient funding
support for all
programs/services
Table 2. Duke Children’s Hospital Balanced Scorecard
Our Mission Excellence in Service, Training, and Research
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The near-term results from the scorecard, initiatives, and
process
improvements were dramatic. Cost per case dropped by 25
percent
62. in three years, despite an increase in case mix complexity.
Average length of stay also dropped by 25 percent (from eight
to
six days) in two years. Revenues and margins increased,
transform-
ing a loss operation of more than $40 million into a positive
margin
of about $10 million. Most important, the cost and length-of-
stay
reductions were not accomplished at the cost of patient care.
Aware-
ness of the recommended medical plan jumped from 47 to 94
per-
cent, the rate of readmission to the PICU dropped from 11 to 4
percent, and the rate of readmission to the intermediate ward
dropped from 11 to 7 percent.
Family satisfaction scores increased by 9 percent (from 4.3 to
4.7
on a 1–5 scale) and were now the highest among the twenty-
eight
institutions surveyed by the outside research firm. The score on
whether families would recommend DCH to others jumped by 8
per-
cent (from 4.3 to 4.7) and was also the highest among the
twenty-
eight institutions surveyed. Patient discharges by 1:00 P.M.
increased
from 20 to 60 percent, and complaints about the admission and
discharge process decreased by 15 percent within six months.
Pri-
mary care physicians also reported their increased satisfaction
with
the communication they received from DCH.
63. Through the use of the Balanced Scorecard to focus and align
the
clinical, academic, and administrative staff to a new strategy,
DCH
had improved patient and physician satisfaction and achieved
dramatic financial and operational improvements over a period
of
two to three years.
New Profit Inc.
A novel Balanced Scorecard application occurred at New Profit
Inc.
(NPI), a Boston-based venture capital philanthropic fund
(Kaplan
and Elias, 1999). NPI represented a new model for overcoming
the nonprofit sector’s lack of an efficient and active capital
market.
NPI founder Vanessa Kirsch (in Kaplan and Elias, 1999, p. 3)
artic-
ulated three principles to guide the fund’s investment strategy:
• Choose scalable organizations. The fund would seek out social
entrepreneurs who had proven track records and were seeking to
grow their organizations.
• Use a performance-based design. Both NPI and the
organizations it
supported would be made accountable by reference to mutually
agreed-upon benchmarks based on measurable performance
criteria. Fund dispersal would depend on organizations reaching
their goals.
• Employ active life cycle investing and monitoring. The fund
would
commit to multiyear investments. In addition to funding, NPI
would provide management and technical assistance to help the
64. S T R AT E G I C P E R F O R M A N C E M E A S U R E M E
N T A N D M A N A G E M E N T 365
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organization become more effective and grow. NPI would be
expected to take board seats on its portfolio organizations.
NPI used the Balanced Scorecard to evaluate the performance of
its portfolio organizations. Unlike the previously cited literature
(Cameron, 1982; Kanter and Summers, 1987), which expressed
con-
cern about the inherent conflicts among a nonprofit’s multiple
constituents, NPI’s general partner, Kelly Fitzsimmons (Kaplan
and
Elias, 1999, pp. 8–9) stated that the scorecard provides a
common
reference point for its stakeholders: “The scorecard aligns all
our
stakeholders for creating social innovation and social returns.
That
means the boards, investors, fund managers, foundations, and
social
entrepreneurs can bring all their resources to bear in the right
ways to
strategic applications.”
NPI, being a financial intermediary like UWSENE, retains the
financial perspective for its high-level objective, which is to
raise ade-
quate capital and operating funds and then use them in an
efficient
and sustainable manner. NPI identified fund investors as the
65. primary
customers and highlighted investor satisfaction as an outcome
objec-
tive for its customer perspective.
Like the UWSENE debate about the role of agencies, the NPI
team debated whether its portfolio organizations were customers
or
whether they were part of the internal business processes that
needed
to be managed. The team finally decided that portfolio
organizations
are so critical to the success of NPI that they warrant their own
per-
spective. The success of the portfolio organizations would be an
important driver of the investor satisfaction objective.
Extending this
principle, the team proposed that the scorecards from the
portfolio
organizations should include a perspective to represent their
contri-
bution to NPI’s strategic objectives. The scorecard approved for
initial
use at NPI is shown in Table 3.
NPI also demanded that its portfolio organizations also develop
their own Balanced Scorecards to demonstrate how they
contribute
to NPI’s mission for growth, scalability, and social impact.
Kirsch (in Kaplan and Elias, 1999) also used the scorecard as
the
primary communication tool to the board of directors and
funders.
One board member commented: “The Balanced Scorecard
allows the
66. board to be updated in a brisk way about what is happening
across
the organization, factoring in a breadth of issues ranging from
those
of the balance sheet to the softer aspects involving people and
their
knowledge. Discussions don’t become monolithically focused
on how
much money was raised if no one is paying attention to how the
money will be spent.”
Finally, NPI used the Balanced Scorecard to offer a highly
attrac-
tive product-leadership value proposition to potential investors:
a
unique performance management system for accountability to
donors, a system that would help fund managers search out the
best
opportunities for investing, and a mechanism for active
management
366 K A P L A N
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 366
T
ab
le
3
.
N
159. organi-
zations studied have been sustained and are being extended at
the
time of this writing. Participants considered the innovation to
be a
great success and central to their ability to improve the
performance
and accountability of their organizations. The Balanced
Scorecards
at United Way of Southeastern New England and United Way of
America, however, did not survive changes in leadership. We
knew
that the chief professional officer (CPO) of UWSENE would
retire
from the organization within six months. We went ahead
anyway to
get the experience from an early implementation. During the
project,
the CPO did not actively involve his board in developing the
scorecard, believing that the board should monitor the strategy
but
not participate in its formulation.
The consequences from not involving the board in the develop-
ment of the Balanced Scorecard soon became apparent. In the
search
process for a new CPO, the board did not place high weight on
finding
a new leader who would be committed to the new strategic
perfor-
mance management system. The board selected a retired bank
execu-
tive who felt that his immediate priorities would be to deal with
some
operational issues left by his predecessor and to ensure that
each posi-
160. tion had a complete job description. The Balanced Scorecard
was new
to him, he had no commitment to it, and he discontinued its use
at
UWSENE, much to the disappointment of several managers who
had
invested much time and energy in the project. The board, given
its lack
of involvement with the Balanced Scorecard, did not press the
issue.
At United Way of America (UWA), the CEO resigned unexpect-
edly during the project. The new CEO, hired from outside
UWA,
arrived with her own management style and highly formalized
plan-
ning process. The Balanced Scorecard did not fit within her
planning
process and therefore did not survive the transition.
These implementation experiences match the lessons from
the private sector. For a new performance-oriented management
system to succeed, the executive leadership team must be deeply
committed to—not just supportive of—a new way of managing
their
organization. The new way places strategy, not job descriptions,
at
the center of the management system. It emphasizes the value
of communicating to all units and individuals, aligning them to
the strategy, and encouraging them to find innovative ways to
achieve
strategic outcomes in their daily operations.
Summary
During the past five years, nonprofit organizations have adopted
and
161. adapted the private sector Balanced Scorecard to their
situations. Sev-
eral have elevated the role of mission and customer to the top of
the
368 K A P L A N
The Balanced
Scorecard
management
systems at most
of the
organizations
studied are
considered to be a
great success and
central to
participants’
ability to improve
the performance
and
accountability
of their
organization
nml11308.qxp 1/24/01 1:27 PM Page 368
162. hierarchy of perspectives, recognizing that nonprofits should be
accountable for how well they meet a need in society rather than
how
well they raise funds or control expenses. Also, as the
individuals or
groups that provide financial support to nonprofits are usually
dif-
ferent from those who are the direct beneficiaries of the
services pro-
vided, many nonprofits recognize donors or funders, as well as
recipients, as their customers.
The Balanced Scorecard has enabled the nonprofit organizations
to bridge the gap between vague mission and strategy
statements and
day-to-day operational actions. It has facilitated a process by
which
an organization can achieve strategic focus, avoiding the
pathology
of attempting to be everything to everyone. The measurement
sys-
tem has shifted the organization’s focus from programs and
initiatives
to the outcomes the programs and initiatives are supposed to
accom-
plish. It has helped organizations avoid the illusion that they
have a
strategy because they are managing a diverse and noncumulative
set
of programs and initiatives. It has enabled them to align
initiatives,
departments, and individuals to work in ways that reinforce
each
other so that dramatic performance improvements can be
achieved.
Used in this way, all organizational resources—the senior
163. leadership
team, technology resources, initiatives, change programs,
financial
resources, and human resources—become aligned to
accomplishing
organizational objectives.
ROBERT S. KAPLAN is professor at Harvard Business School
and chair of
the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. Since arriving at Harvard
in 1983,
he has focused on linking cost and performance measurement
systems to
strategy implementation and operational excellence.
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