Bbc Case Study

Case Note: Building a Balanced Scorecard for a public broadcasting organisation. (Simulation only)

This case study consists of the outcomes of a simulation exercise undertaken with an MBA class to demonstrate and to test the process of developing a Balanced Scorecard for a public Broadcasting organisation. The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) was chosen to test the procedure.

The BBC: mission, purposes, and limitations.

The BBC is the national public broadcasting organisation of the UK. It operates under a Royal Charter of 1926, and under a constitution, both of which are now under review (in July 2006).

The motto of the BBC is ‘Nation shall speak peace unto nation.’

The mission of the BBC is embedded in the latest revised draft royal charter (July 2006), which describes the BBC’s public nature and its objects as:

1) The BBC exists to serve the public interest.

2) The BBC’s main object is the promotion of its public purposes which are:

a) Sustaining citizenship and civil society.

b) Promoting education and learning.

c) Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence.

d) Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities.

e) In promoting its other purposes, helping to deliver to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services and, in addition taking a leading role in the switchover to digital television.

3) In addition, the BBC may maintain, establish, or acquire subsidiaries through which commercial activities may be undertaken to any extent permitted by a Framework Agreement. (The BBC’s general powers enable it to maintain, establish or acquire subsidiaries for purposes sufficiently connected with its Public Purposes.)

The BBC promotes its Public Purposes by means of its mission, to inform, educate and entertain, through the...