The use of the balanced scorecard in Portugal

Abstract

The origin of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) dates back to 1990, year when Robert Kaplan and David Norton began a study evaluating the performance of twelve companies using a new methodology. The use of a new approach to evaluate the firms performance was motivated by the fact that traditional methodologies based almost exclusively on financial indicators are not adequate when firms have to compete in a environment subject to rapid changes. The BSC presented for the first time by the authors in 1992, considers not only financial indicators, but also operational indicators related with the level of satisfaction of consumers, internal processes and research and development, factors considered fundamental for the competitiveness of firms. Because BSC has been increasingly used in other countries, it matters to determine to what degree Portuguese firms have adopted this new methodology and the reasons why they use BSC. Therefore, we have promoted a survey of the 200 largest firms in Portugal with the goal to determine if they have adopted BSC and if they see this methodology either as a method to evaluate performance or as a system of strategic management. We also analyse if the introduction of BSC in Portuguese firms is associated with changes in management control methods.