Example performance management dissertation topic 4:

Abdel-Kader and Wadongo (2011:1) state that ‘performance management practices in [NGOs] lag behind’ such practices in other sectors: A critical review of performance management in NGOs in India

Conventionally, ‘non-governmental organisations’ (NGOs) are not-for-profit organisations which do not receive the same level of oversight as government authorities. It was estimated that in 2009 India was estimated to have 3.3 million NGOs operating, with varying degrees of monitoring and control. As numerous NGOs receive public funding, whether from charitable institutions, governments or international bodies, the integrity of the financial management is crucial. This dissertation addresses the common deficiencies in NGO management, using models from the UK NGO sector as well as that of Kenya as comparative measures for NGOs elsewhere in the world, with particular emphasis on the reduction of overhead in order to deliver maximum humanitarian aid, as is intended by those which fund such institutions.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Abdel-Kader, M. and Wadongo, B. (2011) ‘Performance management in NGOs: Evidence from Kenya’ (Working Paper). Available at:  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1909863 [accessed 26 May 2012].
• Chenhall, R., Hall, M. and Smith, D. (2010) ‘Social capital and management control systems: A study of a non-governmental organization’, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Vol. 35(8), pp. 737-756.
• Moxham, C. (2010) ‘Help or hindrance? Examining the role of performance measurement in UK non-profit organizations’, Public Performance & Management Review, Vol. 33(3), pp. 342-354.