MASTER'S THESIS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BASRAH EXAMINES THE TOPIC OF STRATEGIC DIRECTION FOR COST MANAGEMENT:
A master's thesis at the College of Administration and Economics at the University of Basrah    examined the topic of strategic direction for reducing costs using the value chain and the balanced scorecard, a case study in the Southern Refineries Company, a public company
The study presented by the student Zainab Abdul Rahman Hussein aimed to apply the value chain and the balanced scorecard to the company and to show its impact on reducing costs and achieving the strategic direction of the final product.
The thesis concluded that the four traditional perspectives of the balanced scorecard are sufficient and satisfactory to obtain the required information, without the need to add other perspectives or axes, as modifications can be made to the traditional balanced scorecard to suit the nature of the company, the study sample, and that the use of the value chain technology provides us with a database and information about the nature of the main and supporting activities, which helps in making appropriate decisions in planning and control.
This technology included adding, deleting or making modifications, providing sufficient flexibility in line with the nature of the company's activities. In conclusion, the thesis reached the necessity of adding new production lines to petroleum products to accommodate the largest number of employees and not to differentiate because the employees have a high degree of experience in their field of specialization.