Abstract

Natural oceanic phenomenon, such as internal waves and ocean currents, produce rapid environmental changes which can disrupt ocean-going mass transportation and shipping. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ocean-induced environmental uncertainties and navigational business performance. A number of technical models, both numerical, regression and phenomenological, have already been identified as important tools for analyzing the effects of marine environmental change. It is therefore sufficient for us to further look at two constructs: information processing requirements and information processing capability, from the balanced scorecard (BSC) perspective in relation to empirical ocean study. In this study we explore the usefulness of the “Fit” model, in relation to environmental uncertainty, technical support and BSC performance. Previous research has proven that the BSC is a good tool for measuring and evaluating firm performance. The BSC makes it possible to evaluate managerial activities from a broad perspective, which can include both tangible financial aspects and intangible, non-financial aspects, for example when evaluating the integration of technology into a business. Customer satisfaction is at the core of business performance. The BSC is a goal and action-oriented approach that can monitor and improve business performance. The BSC was originally intended to solve problems related to the historical nature of the financial measures in accounting approaches. The “Fit” model can be viewed as a core construct for information processing related to business performance. Finding the best fit between the information processing requirements and the information processing capability needed to reach the best performance, has been the initial focus for organizational consideration. However, there is relatively little in the literature linking the fit model and the BSC. The purpose of this study is to make a contribution to this literature by focusing on a major issue that that has been relatively neglected: that is, the linking of the BSC to navigational business performance a preliminary concept of fit in the context of a marine environmental model.

Key words: Balanced scorecard, navigation, business performance, regression model, conceptual framework.