2020software.com
This site offers its visitors a comparison of the main features of the various accounting systems by industry type (manufacturing, distribution, retail, etc.) and business size. It is therefore a very useful tool for businesses interested in buying such a system.
A Balanced Scorecard Approach
This article explains how measuring the profitability of its clients can help a business adapt the products and services it offers and improve its earning power.
A Six Sigma Initiative for Business Intelligence
While optimizing a business intelligence system can generate a lot of value for companies, it has been observed that implementing such an application is generally subject to minimal and inadequate support and follow-up. To obtain better results, the author suggests that Six Sigma approach should be used.
ABC Contrôle de gestion
This relatively simple site provides a good summary of management control. This makes it interesting for any CMA who wants to review the basic concepts of management control or train others on the subject.
Accounting Software News
This site, created by J. Carlton Collins, an independent CPA, describes some thirty different reputable software packages, grouped by the market they target, from small to very large companies ($500 million in revenue). The author compares the packages according to a number of important characteristics, including price for eight standard modules and number of users, financial reports, technology required and Internet features. Moreover, he lists the strengths and weaknesses of some of the packages. It is a very useful site for a company planning to buy an accounting package.
This evolving site also contains relevant information about various suppliers of accounting software and links to supplier sites. It also features recent news on supplier activities and events affecting the market for this kind of software.
Advice from Web entrepreneurs to VSEs
In this very interesting article, three e-commerce entrepreneurs offer very small enterprises lessons from their own experience in product development, financing and corporate culture.
Arizona State University
This site offers a definition of tools appropriate for continuous improvement and the context in which they can be useful.
Building a Performance-Based Culture
This article explains how to create an organizational culture that is focused on results. The author believes that an organization’s critical resources are time, talent, treasure and technology and proposes an approach that makes it easier to improve performance in terms of these four resources. He uses a case study to illustrate his approach.
CEFRIO (Centre francophone d'informatisation des organisations)
CMA International Centre for studies of business processes
The CMA International Centre for Studies of Business Processes at the École des HEC tests and develops benchmarking and makes it accessible to participating companies at a reasonable cost. The expertise and know-how acquired benefit the École des HEC, bolstering research, teaching and continuing education activities. Positive spin-offs also ensue for the business community through corporate participation in the study projects launched by the Centre.
This site also includes other interesting articles. The Centre's site also includes numerous links to other groups involved in benchmarking.
Comment faire face aux défaillances des systèmes de mesure de performance?
This article highlights the major failings of the performance measurement systems used in organizations, especially their lack of adaptability to the company’s mission and strategy and the fact that they are defined as a function of the organization chart and not the value chain and cannot be sufficiently exploited.
Decision-making to meet industry challenges (French)
The manufacturing industry lags a little bit behind the service sector, which could be explained by an inadequate data quality level. This article discusses the various advantages of business intelligence in an industrial setting and its applications, including zero defect and supply chain improvement.
Developing an Internet Strategy For Your Company (Part 1)
This four-part article explains how to develop a Web strategy and discusses the use of intranets and extranets.
Diagnosing Performance Problems
This article explains how to improve your management of employee performance by using an evaluation system based on seven criteria that include aptitude, skill level, effort and persistence.
E-Commerce vs. T-Commerce: Who Will Buy?
The author of this article examines how e-commerce and t-commerce both compete with and complement each other.
Electronic Marketplaces (E-marketplaces)
Electronic marketplaces are now legal tender and often play an important role in business procurement practices. However, all electronic marketplaces are not equal. This article explains what an e-marketplace is and the different types of e-marketplaces, as well as things to consider before using the various services offered.
e-procurement
This article presents the foundations of e-procurement as well as its full potential for businesses.
Evaluating a CRM Application: Ten Criteria
This article describes 10 criteria that should be part of the decision process when a firm decides to purchase and implement a CRM system.
How to Improve the Effectiveness of Performance Management and Appraisal by Overcoming the Root Cause of the Problem
Employee performance evaluation is a complex problem for all managers. This text offers various ways to improve the effectiveness of employee performance management.
Intangible assets: what are they worth and how should that value be communicated?
The importance of intangible assets such as intellectual property has grown in the last few years. This article explains how to measure the value of these assets and communicate it, where appropriate.
IT Toolbox Portal for CRM
It has become increasingly difficult to satisfy the needs of customers and create a solid competitive advantage. Focusing on the customer orientation may be the key to future success. Moreover, not all clients are equally profitable. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can help identify which customers are most profitable for an organization and help investments be channeled to such customers. Increasingly, vendors of ERP systems are developing or buying CRM applications for their software.
This site offers general information on CRM systems, especially their implementation, integration with other systems and existing vendors, through texts and links to other sites. News and discussion forums are also available. Navigation, similar to the Yahoo! search engine, is simple and fast.
In addition, the IT Toolbox portal offers similar pages on other technologies:
Kimball University: Overcoming Obstacles When Gathering Business Requirements
This article discusses the obstacles that may arise when installing a data warehouse and practical ways of overcoming them.
Management Control
With articles and suggested readings, this site is a reference for controllers, especially as concerns balanced scorecards, cost measurement and strategic management.
Non-financial Performance Measures: What Works and What Doesn't
Measuring organizational performance can be based on both financial and non-financial measures. This article discusses the non-financial measures and tries to provide guidelines for better understanding the pros and cons of their use.
Performance Measurement Metrics for Success
This article explains how to decide on performance measures for a supply chain and just how important this decision is since wrong indicators can harm decision making and result in the chain performing worse.
Qualimètre, the performance measurement system in Québec
A very useful tool for any Québec business that wishes to measure its performance, Qualimètre, designed by the Mouvement québécois de la qualité, lets you measure all areas of management. Considered a competitive strategy, Qualimètre basically enables businesses to do a self-diagnosis and then develop an action plan so that the most effective measures can be applied to attain company objectives.
Searchandising and the Zen of Online Retailing
This article explains the importance of a search tool for online retailing sales. Not only does it make sales easier by helping users easily find what they’re looking for, but such a tool often makes it possible to better understand the behavior of Internet users and guides them to what should interest them.
Step by Step guide to Value Stream Mapping
Several tools are commonly used for continuous improvement. This article explains how to use Value Stream Mapping while describing the eight steps of the recommended methodology, with supporting graphics.
SWOT Analysis - Matrix, Tools Templates and Worksheets
This text presents different approaches to the SWOT competitive analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). It effectively summarizes the concept and provides several tips on how to successfully perform this kind of study.
Ten biggest mistakes in managing organisational performance
This article presents the main traps that managers fall into when evaluating their organization's performance. For example, the author warns against the dangers of relying only on financial statements and setting objectives without having the means to evaluate their success.
The Balanced Scorecard Institute
The Balanced Scorecard Institute is an independent, nonprofit source of information about applications of the Balanced Scorecard approach to management in government and other nonprofit organizations.
In an era of downsizing and outsourcing, government has not been the first priority of consultants and vendors who provide business engineering services to companies. Therefore this web site has been developed, to provide a central source of Balanced Scorecard information applicable specifically to government settings. This site is of, by and for government managers who need to deploy strategic plans and improve their strategic success.
Among the essays presented you will find: - Measurement-Based Management Theory : Three Approaches to Management, Selecting a Management Approach, Desired Features of Agency Metrics, Measurement-Based Management and its Excesses, Objections to Measurement-based Management. - Applying the Balanced Scorecard : Ten Good Reasons for a Performance Management System, Improving Government, Mission and Generic Processes, Seven Steps to Raise Baldrige Score to 300 by 2001.
The Balanced Scorecard is not the monster we imagine it to be
The author of this text explains how using the balanced scorecard as a management tool is on the rise, particularly in the public sector. While the benefits of implementing this tool are very tangible, the author also notes that some precautions should be taken in order to use it successfully.
The Business Questions Your Performance Measures Should Answer
The author of this article endeavours to improve the adequacy of performance indicators that are selected based on the information needs of managers.
The Key(words) to eCommerce Success
Selling products and services on the Internet is not so easy, but being at the top of the list of search engine results could make a difference. This article discusses the importance of site ranking in order to improve Web site visibility.
The new thinking on key performance indicators
This article discusses the difficulty in and importance of selecting the right performance indicators for a given firm. According to the author, many organizations do not achieve their objectives because their indicators are incorrect.
What gets measured gets done
Since what gets measured usually gets done, it’s a good idea to measure only right things. If what is measured is not important, the effect is wasted. The selection of the right performance measurements to use in benchmarking is thus vital because, intentionally or not, it affects the behavior of those whose activities are measured.
What is Prospect Relationship Management ?
This article explains the basics of prospect relationship management, which is very close to client relationship management (CRM).