Module Six: Benchmarks and Best Practices

Overview

In the world of business, best practices are those ways of conducting business by the most admired and successful companies. Benchmarking is what we call finding those best practices within organizations, then studying and documenting these performance standards. Refer to your textbook on pages 485-488, "How Retailers Compete: Strategies for Competing Against the Best". Note the five major strategies - price, service, location, selection, and total quality.
"Process benchmarking" is a study that uses surveys/interviews and site visits to identify how others perform the same functional tasks or business objectives. The idea is to gain insight and ideas and to affirm and support quality decision making by executives. The benefits of process benchmarking come as businesses employ recommendations and begin to change - making marked improvements in the productivity, costs, and revenues of the company.

Resources for Benchmarks and Best Practices

The following are links where you can read further about benchmarking, best practices, and creating survey/questionnnaires:

Best Practices, LLC - Best Practice Benchmarking, Consulting, and Business-to-Business Research
Internet Resources for Best Practice Management - University of South Australia Library's extensive list of links
Internet Best Practices - Corporate Internet Lessons, Success Stories and Case Studies
World's Best - World's Best Quality and Best Practice Links
The Benchmarking Exchange & Best Practices Network - Although this site solicits membership, there is information to be gained without joining
Benchmarking - International Institute for Internet Industry Benchmarking
OpinionPower.com - How to create free quick polls, surveys, and forms
Perseus ExpressPoll - How to create an instant poll on the web
ZDNet - Articles on Ecommerce Best Practices
PriceWaterHouseCoopers Better Web - The BetterWeb Program allows you to choose the country you live in and learn about better standards, better information and better business on the web.

Examples of Best Practices for E-commerce Sites

Purpose: Make sure the purpose of the site is clear. If selling products or services, provide clear order-pay sequences.
Navigation: Be sure the site visitor and potential customer can move around easily and not get lost or sent to a location that does not serve your plan. Providing an overall site map for navigation is important.
Target audience: Aim the site to distinct types of consumers who will be interested in the content.
Currency: Date the information and news to show how current they are.
Reliability and Consistency: Once a satisfactory process is established, resist changing it - let the site evolve within certain parameters.
Customer Relations and Satisfaction: Provide click-on access to complementary products and services that enhance the products and services you are marketing.

Can you see how price, service, location, selection, and total quality will also play a part in e-commerce competition?

Assignment

1. Build an interview questionnaire or survey that has two parts.

Part One: Ask about "best practices" related to a company doing business and marketing in a traditional way.

Part Two: Ask questions that reflect business methods now being employed in the world of e-commerce.

The "rules" given above are a few ideas for conducting business on the Web. You will likely be able to come up with more suggestions.
2. List and label five links to businesses that you believe are successful in conducting their businesses both in traditional ways and now, on the Web. These should be companies you would be interested in studying with the help of your questionnaire. Explain why you believe it would be valuable to study these businesses.
Please submit your completed assignment to your instructor.

Send your answers to your professor by filling out the form below.

Your Name:
Your Email:
Your ID #:
Book:
Course number/section:
Professors Name:
Professors Email Address:

Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
For further information about this site contact mhhe_webmaster@mcgraw-hill.com

	Overview In the world of business, best practices are those ways of conducting business by the most admired and successful companies. Benchmarking is what we call finding those best practices within organizations, then studying and documenting these performance standards. Refer to your textbook on pages 485-488, "How Retailers Compete: Strategies for Competing Against the Best". Note the five major strategies - price, service, location, selection, and total quality. "Process benchmarking" is a study that uses surveys/interviews and site visits to identify how others perform the same functional tasks or business objectives. The idea is to gain insight and ideas and to affirm and support quality decision making by executives. The benefits of process benchmarking come as businesses employ recommendations and begin to change - making marked improvements in the productivity, costs, and revenues of the company.
	Resources for Benchmarks and Best Practices The following are links where you can read further about benchmarking, best practices, and creating survey/questionnnaires: Best Practices, LLC - Best Practice Benchmarking, Consulting, and Business-to-Business Research Internet Resources for Best Practice Management - University of South Australia Library's extensive list of links Internet Best Practices - Corporate Internet Lessons, Success Stories and Case Studies World's Best - World's Best Quality and Best Practice Links The Benchmarking Exchange & Best Practices Network - Although this site solicits membership, there is information to be gained without joining Benchmarking - International Institute for Internet Industry Benchmarking OpinionPower.com - How to create free quick polls, surveys, and forms Perseus ExpressPoll - How to create an instant poll on the web ZDNet - Articles on Ecommerce Best Practices PriceWaterHouseCoopers Better Web - The BetterWeb Program allows you to choose the country you live in and learn about better standards, better information and better business on the web.
	Examples of Best Practices for E-commerce Sites Purpose: Make sure the purpose of the site is clear. If selling products or services, provide clear order-pay sequences. Navigation: Be sure the site visitor and potential customer can move around easily and not get lost or sent to a location that does not serve your plan. Providing an overall site map for navigation is important. Target audience: Aim the site to distinct types of consumers who will be interested in the content. Currency: Date the information and news to show how current they are. Reliability and Consistency: Once a satisfactory process is established, resist changing it - let the site evolve within certain parameters. Customer Relations and Satisfaction: Provide click-on access to complementary products and services that enhance the products and services you are marketing. Can you see how price, service, location, selection, and total quality will also play a part in e-commerce competition?
	Assignment 1. Build an interview questionnaire or survey that has two parts. Part One: Ask about "best practices" related to a company doing business and marketing in a traditional way. Part Two: Ask questions that reflect business methods now being employed in the world of e-commerce. The "rules" given above are a few ideas for conducting business on the Web. You will likely be able to come up with more suggestions. 2. List and label five links to businesses that you believe are successful in conducting their businesses both in traditional ways and now, on the Web. These should be companies you would be interested in studying with the help of your questionnaire. Explain why you believe it would be valuable to study these businesses. Please submit your completed assignment to your instructor. Send your answers to your professor by filling out the form below. Your Name: Your Email: Your ID #: Book: Course number/section: Professors Name: Professors Email Address:
	Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies. For further information about this site contact mhhe_webmaster@mcgraw-hill.com