The IXORA Gardens has been established for more than 120 years and has the following mission statement: "The IXORA belongs to the nation. Our mission is to increase knowledge and appreciation of plants, their importance and their conservation, by managing and displaying living and preserved collections and through botanical and horticultural research." Located towards the edge of the city, the gardens are visited regularly throughout the year by many local families and are an internationally well-known tourist attraction. Despite charging admission, it is one of the top five visitor attractions in the country. Every year it answers many thousands of inquiries from universities and research establishments, including pharmaceutical companies from all over the world and charges for advice and access to its collection. Inquiries include requests for access to the plant collection for horticultural work, seeds for propagation or samples for chemical analysis to seek novel pharmaceutical compounds for commercial exploitation. It receives an annual grant in aid from Central Government, which is fixed once every five years. The grant is due for review in three years' time. The finance director has decided that, in order to strengthen its case when meeting the government representatives to negotiate the grant, the management board should be able to present a balanced scorecard demonstrating the performance of the gardens. He has asked you, the senior management accountant, to help him. Many members of the board, which consists of eminent scientists, are unfamiliar with the concept of a balanced scorecard.

REQUIRED:

1. Identify the benefit of the Balanced Scorecards.

(10 marks)

2. Determine the process you would employ to develop a suitable balanced scorecard for the IXORA and give examples of measures that would be incorporated within it.