Essay on ACF International

Introduction In this paper, the perspective of internal business processes will be considered as a part of balanced scorecard analysis of target organization ”“ ACF International, a nonprofit which works to eliminate hunger and malnutrition all over the world. The purpose of the paper is to identify three objectives related to internal business processes of the organization, develop appropriate measures, targets and actions for these objectives, consider the alignment of these objectives with organizational mission and vision, and analyze the relationships between these objectives and previously set financial and customer service objectives. 1. Analysis of internal business processes perspective Internal business processes of ACF International are directly related to the company’s mission of eliminating hunger and malnutrition; these processes involve organization of fundraising, hiring and educating personnel, identification of burning issues to be addressed, organization of campaigns, community services and programs, research in sustainable agriculture, purchasing materials and food for humanitarian help, establishing partnerships with local governments and international NGOs, etc. Overall, the activities of ACF International can be classified into four segments: nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene; food security and livelihoods; and emergency response (ACF International, 2012). 2. Objectives for internal business processes perspective With regard to internal business process, the most important aspects for ACF International are centered around the programs implemented by this nonprofit. Increasing the effectiveness of programs is the first objective in this perspective; the second objective is improvement of the effectiveness of communications and fundraising, and the third objective is the improvement of effectiveness of organizational governance. Associated measures, targets and actions are outlined in the next section. 3. Measures, targets and actions for internal business processes perspective Measures, targets and actions needed to reach the objectives associated with internal business process objectives are listed in Table 1. Objective Measure Target Action increase of the effectiveness of programs the percentage of undernourished people in the target regions decrease this measure by at least 15% for every target region provide more extensive education to program staff; take steps to prevent malnutrition at early stages improvement of the effectiveness of communications and fundraising rate of awareness among citizens of developed countries increase this awareness rate at least by 10% launch social media campaigns; develop a mobile app for tracking the impact of ACF International improvement of effectiveness of organizational governance the percentage of programs which have successfully reached their outcomes increase this percentage at least by 20% perform more in-depth research before launching programs; encourage board members take more active part in program evaluation Table 1. Internal business processes objectives, measures, targets and actions 4. Relationship to customer service and financial perspectives The objectives identified for internal business processes are also related to the objectives of other dimensions of the balanced scorecard. Increase of the effectiveness of programs will lead to the increase of the number of people suffering from malnutrition, and, therefore, Objective 1 of the customer service perspective will also be reached. More effective communications and fundraising will help improve financial stability of the organization (Objective 3 of the financial perspective). Finally, improved organizational governance will have impact on both customer service and financial perspective: operational effectiveness and assets structure are likely to increase (Objectives 1 and 2 of financial perspective), and the number of service recipients with malnutrition will likely increase (Objective 1 of the customer service perspective). Objectives 2 and 3 of customer service dimension are not directly related to internal processes measures, but they reflect different aspects of ACF International operations, and will also be somewhat improved due to the objectives of internal business processes perspective. Currently there is no need to change financial and customer service objectives outlined in the previous papers.



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