Balanced Scorecard Collaborative Taps SAS For HR Action Working Group.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

LINCOLN, Mass. & CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2000

As exclusive technology partner, SAS to offer proof-of-concept

prototypes for measuring the value of human capital

SAS Institute, the market leader in e-intelligence and data warehousing, today announced that the company will serve as the exclusive technology partner to the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative's HR Balanced Scorecard Action Working Group.

Starting December 5th with a working group session in Boston, Mass., the HR Action Working Group is a six-month program designed to advance the practice of human capital measurement through the lens of a Balanced Scorecard, a management system that helps people throughout an organization focus their efforts and measure progress toward strategic goals.

As the technology partner, SAS will work with participants in the Action Working Group to provide proof-of-concept prototypes using SAS' own balanced scorecard solution, which includes SAS' Strategic Vision(tm) and HR Vision(tm) software. SAS' Strategic Vision software for business performance management received Balanced Scorecard Collaborative certification this past June.

"In an economy where value creation is dominated by human capital and other intangible assets, there can be no better starting point for this new management science than with the measurement of Human Resource strategies," said David Norton, President and co-founder of Balanced Scorecard Collaborative.

"Making strategy a part of everyone's job and understanding how to leverage that knowledge will be key in the new economy," said Jonathan Hornby, SAS' Head of Strategy, Enterprise Performance Management, Worldwide Marketing. "SAS is in the business of helping organizations make better decisions by combining strategy with analytics, while the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative is in the business of developing and facilitating knowledge in the Strategy-Focused Organization. Combine that with today's thought leaders in HR, and we anticipate great things from this HR Action Working Group."

HR Balanced Scorecard Action Working Group will be led by Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, creators of the Balanced Scorecard framework, and Drs. Brian Becker, Mark Huselid and Dave Ulrich, co-authors of The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy and Performance (forthcoming from Harvard Business School Press, Spring, 2001). The draft of this book will serve as the initial workbook for the Action Working Group.

Participants in the Action Working Group will create practical solutions to the most difficult challenges facing HR professionals today, including:

--How to measure the contribution of human capital in creating

value

--What are the roles of the HR organization in measuring and

managing human capital

--How to define and implement innovative HR strategy and programs

necessary to maximize the value of human capital

More than 15 organizations have signed up for the HR Action Work Group, including Allstate, Nationwide, Pfizer, Saatchi & Saatchi, Verizon, Williams Companies and others.

About the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative

Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, Inc. (BSCol) is a new kind of professional services firm that facilitates the worldwide awareness, use, enhancement, and integrity of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as a value-added management process. Founded and led by the creators of the Balanced Scorecard concept, Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton, BSCol provides Strategy-Focused Organization and Balanced Scorecard excellence through consulting, conferences, training, publishing, consortia, certification, partnerships, and online services that deliver know-how to global audiences. Please visit the Collaborative on the Web at http://www.bscol.com .

About SAS

SAS is the world leader in e-intelligence software and services, enabling its customers to turn raw data - including the vast quantity generated by e-business - into usable knowledge. Software from SAS, the world's largest privately held software company, is used at more than 35,000 business, government and university sites in 110 countries. SAS' 1999 revenues totaled $1.02 billion. Please visit SAS on the Web at http://www.sas.com .

SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. (r) indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.