Balanced Scorecard Management System Training Will Be Offered at DePaul University under New Exclusive Partnership.

DePaul Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation Will Offer Education Programs Beginning In June Under Agreement with Balanced Scorecard Collaborative

CHICAGO -- DePaul University and the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative (BSCol), the research and education division of Palladium Group, Inc., have formed a partnership to establish the university's Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation as the exclusive Chicago-area knowledge and training center for the Balanced Scorecard Management System. Training in this popular business strategy management approach used by organizations worldwide will be available starting in June at DePaul's highly regarded business school in downtown Chicago.

Created in 1992 by Drs. Robert S. Kaplan, Ph.D., BSCol chairman and the Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development at Harvard Business School, and David P. Norton, BSCol president and CEO, the Balanced Scorecard has been implemented in corporations, organizations and government agencies worldwide. While most organizations can successfully formulate strategy, independent research has proven that 70 percent of them fail to communicate and execute that strategy. The Balanced Scorecard enables organizations to implement strategy rapidly and effectively by integrating a measurement system with the management system. Based on the simple premise that "measurement motivates," the Balanced Scorecard has been integral to the success of organizations throughout the world.

"The Balanced Scorecard has proven beneficial to businesses and organizations of all sizes," according to Edward Barrows, vice president of BSCol. "Our challenge has been finding the best way to reach our vast market. Colleges and universities provide a regional and professional presence. They understand the strategic business needs of companies and together we can drive success. Through our partnership, DePaul will support and host exclusive Balanced Scorecard seminars and provide BSCol with a regional partner for our global services."

Mark L. Frigo, Ph.D., director of The Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation at DePaul's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which offers a highly ranked MBA program, said the partnership supports the center's mission. "One of the objectives of The Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation is to establish our business school as a center for thought leadership in the area of strategy execution," he said. "This new partnership furthers our mission to create the most insightful series of offerings and research in business strategy development, strategy execution, corporate performance measurement, and strategic valuation offered in Chicago."

Ray Whittington, Ph.D., dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, said the collaboration enhances the business school's role as a leader in management and executive education in the Chicago area. "The partnership with the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative reflects our commitment to serve the needs of the business community and our constituents," he said

The first Balanced Scorecard Executive Breakfast Briefing, "Executing Strategy," will be presented by Mario Bognanno, vice president with the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, and Frigo from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. June 6 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 8005. The briefing will identify the barriers that prevent most organizations from executing strategy and feature a presentation by Kaplan and Norton of their research-based principles for effective strategy execution. The speakers also will outline the specific steps necessary to mobilize an organization, translate strategy into operational objectives, create alignment, personalize strategy and make strategy execution an ongoing organizational capability, as well as reveal the impact the Balanced Scorecard has had on many of the world's leading corporations and organizations.

The registration fee is $175 per attendee or $150 per attendee for multiple attendees from the same organization. For more information on Balanced Scorecard programs being offered by DePaul, including the June 6 briefing, contact Sarah Musto at 312/362-5207 or [e-mail], or visit the Web site: http://commerce.depaul.edu/sev/.

About Palladium Group, Inc.

Palladium Group, Inc., is helping the world's leading organizations execute strategy by linking strategy management to operational processes, structure and technology. Palladium offers its clients services in Strategy Management, Process Management, Financial Management, Human Capital, and Information Management. Palladium's highly recognized Strategy Execution Model enables organizations in financial services, life sciences, manufacturing, retail and utilities and energy to benefit from effective strategy execution that results in improved financial results and shareholder value. Headquartered in Lincoln, Mass., Palladium has 10 U.S. offices and international offices in Barcelona, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Munich and Sydney, with an additional nine affiliates throughout Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, Palladium's education, advisory and research division, manages the BSC Hall of Fame and Office of Strategy Management program. Since its formation in 2005, Palladium has signed more than 185 new customers, giving the company over 550 customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.palladiumES.com.

About DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. Its Kellstadt Graduate School of Business offers the third-largest part-time MBA program in the United States and the program is ranked in the top 10 by U.S.News & World Report in its "America's Best Graduate Programs 2008" guidebook.