Budget i kombination med balanserat styrkort
En fallstudie av kommunal verksamhet
A budget consists of figures showing how much a particular activity has access to during a given year. With a balanced scorecard, these figures and guidelines can be converted in to more easily understandable non-financial instructions for the employees. One of the most significant differences between the budget and the scorecard is that the budget focuses on short-term results while the scorecard focuses on long-term visions and goals. With a long-term thinking the leaders can set more long-term goals and also make more well-planned investments which increases the possibility for the organization to evolve and become better in the long term. By combining the two instruments a good balance between short and long term perspectives can be achieved, which creates a more effective steeringIn the 1990s, many of the municipalities introduced needs budget, one of them was Gothenburgs municipality. The purpose of this model was to find a more accurate allocation of the municipals resourses. Needs budgeting depends on population size, age composition and a number of social factors. The revenues in the municipal operations arise outside the business. This means that it is important to develop a control system that creates motivation, creativity and effectiveness at all levels within the organization. A method of creating this is to implement a balanced scorecard. The purpose with the scorecard is to inspire policy makers to plan activities based on a variety of perspectivesThe purpose of the study was to examine how the balanced scorecard works along with the budget in a municipal activities, and how a combination of these models can contribute to a stronger management. The essay is based on a case study of a municipal operation in the City of Gothenburg. Qualitative interviews with the financial manager of the city administration has been carried out on two occasions. In addition to the interviews the study also consists of literature and dissertations in the subject. Conclusions to be drawn from this study is that municipal operations by supplementing the budget with a scorecard can increase the focus from purely financial measures to include non-financial. This can lead to better management of the business and its resources. In addition, we found that the needs budgeting leads to a more equitable distribution of the municipal resources. This is because the allocation is made at a high organizational level and the distribution is non-negotiable.