In this paper, we have introduced and discussed a new and evolving tool of corporate strategy - benchmarking. We have compared and contrasted it with other, and sometimes competing, business philosophies and instruments of strategy. We have considered and deliberated on its three vital and expanding applications to business functions - sales (market penetration), manufacturing and quality management, and finance (cost control) with true stories from leading organisations in North America. We have also attempted to chart the direction of its future growth and development, especially in redefining business performance measurement.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Lincoln University, 2008. / Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M. Eng.(Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Summaries in Afrikaans and English. Includes bibliographical references

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-90). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (MProjMgmt)--University of South Australia, 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Most new generation organisations have management models and organisational performance measurement systems in place. All these new kinds of models and systems will not be enough in the race for survival. Organisations needs a clear point of view of where they are going -a vision about tomorrow and what they should do to overcome the gap, from their current situation in order to get there successfully. It is also important for organisations to have a solid foundation to base such a visioning process on. Reengineering, continuous renewal, total quality management, lean production, downsizing - these all have proven vital to survival. But getting better at what we do is just about keeping ourselves in the race - it's not about winning the race. To win, we will have to know what the strategic intent and business priorities of the competition are (where are they going), in order to make sure we get there first. Charles Handy said about the winners of the race, "... it will be those who invent the world, not those who respond to it." Benchmarking is a means to ensure the above, where one basically have to say, "Let's look honestly at ourselves and determine what we do well and what we do badly. And where we do things badly, let's figure out what the world standards are, and then find some way to commit ourselves to reaching those standards." The purpose of this study was therefore to ensure a means for an organisation to get ahead in the race. It is important to note that performance measurement plays an integral role in management and benchmarking, because no process or action can be managed if it can be measured. Organisations are also not solely based on actual detail processes. There are other more strategic as well as "softer" issues of an organisation that will become much more important in the future, than concrete processes. These factors are the visioning processes within an organisation and their impact on change, as well as the creation and mobilisation of certain knowledge for certain purposes. The end-result of the study was therefore a scientific analysis of an engineering business environment, in order to create a means/methodology to do benchmarking, whilst ensuring a balance between the strategic, operational and knowledge aspects.

One of the more frequently heard criticisms of local government is that it is not delivering the required services or it is not delivering an efficient standard of service. Performance management for local government contributes to creating a performance culture in the public service at municipal level. Performance management is a mechanism that is used to ensure that the municipality is doing its work and delivering on its mandate. The SALGA HRD Policy Conference held in March 2003 endorsed the spirit of the relevant legislation on performance management in municipalities. As the employee body and the only recognized voice of municipalities in the country, SALGA has been of the view that the legislative imperative placed on municipalities to be developmental and performance orientated cannot be overly emphasized. Concomitant with the legislative imperative has been the political will or unwavering political commitment to ensure that municipal administrations are accountable to their respective councils, and by extension, the communities they serve. The successful implementation of the Performance Management System at all municipalities will certainly serve as a yardstick in objectively measuring the performance of municipal and provincial local government officials. It is believed that the ongoing measurement of performance will inevitably lead to better delivery of services to our people. The Constitution of South Africa places a developmental mandate on local governments, with the express purpose of them providing effective and efficient services to their communities and to promote local social and economic development. Further to this, the Municipal Systems Act of 2000 provides a legislative framework for municipalities to embark on integrated development planning. Thus all municipalities require an Integrated Development Plan (lDP) to be in place in order to fully realize their objectives as set out in Section 152 of the Constitution. In the interpretation of the legislation, it is clear that the Council (the political body of the municipality) is held responsible to ensure that its municipality has an lDP and PMS in place. Thus both the political principal and the leadership of a municipality are, by law, required to fulfil their obligations in implementing the PMS, while the provincial local government department is charged with the obligation to ensure that such objectives by municipalities are realized by way of providing financial and human capital assistance. Since the lDP and PMS have been legislated in such a manner, it thus becomes legally imperative that municipalities comply with the legislation. The Auditor General is thus required to audit a municipality within this context. Failure to comply may entail certain legal repercussions. Generally, there has been a drive to inculcate improved performance in all three spheres of government. However, it becomes integral that municipalities are performance oriented, especially since it is the sphere of government closest to the grass-roots levels where the real impact of service delivery is experienced. There is undoubtedly a link between lDP and PM. However, it has been observed that both in municipalities and provincial local government there is no synergy between these two components and they tend to operate in isolation of each other. Logically, the scorecards of the organisation and individuals should be derived from the municipality's IDP; however this is not always the case. It is also evident that both the municipality and provincial local government approaches the two issues as different disciplines. Having said this, it is important for SALGA and Provincial Local Government to encourage and ensure better alignment of lDP and PMS in both the province and municipalities.

The objective of this study was to identify usage of foodservice performance measures, important activities in foodservice benchmarking, and benchmarking attitudes, beliefs, and practices by foodservice directors. The design of this study included two parts: (1) eleven expert panelists involved in a Delphi technique to identify and rate importance of foodservice performance measures and rate the importance of benchmarking activities, and (2) a national mail survey of 247 randomly selected foodservice directors from college/university, correctional, health care, and school foodservice operations to identify attitudes, beliefs, and practices about benchmarking and usage of performance measures. Statistical analyses of the expert panel data included frequencies of importance rating of performance measures and benchmarking activities. The expert panel identified 89 performance measures, which were subsequently consolidated into 19 generic performance measures. Regarding the national survey, a χ² analysis was conducted on: usage of types of benchmarking compared with knowledge and importance of benchmarking, and experience with benchmarking outcomes; foodservice directors' category of foodservice operation compared with usage of performance measures, type of benchmarking and benchmarking partner(s); and foodservice directors' knowledge of benchmarking compared to importance of benchmarking. According to the national survey, the most commonly used performance measures were: food cost percentage, cost per unit or area of service, and meals per labor hour. Usage of internal, external, and functional/generic benchmarking was associated with foodservice directors' knowledge about benchmarking, importance of benchmarking, and general experience with benchmarking outcomes. Foodservice directors' category of foodservice operation was associated with usage of types of benchmarking partners, and with some performance measures and types of benchmarking, while not others. Foodservice directors' knowledge about benchmarking was related to perceived importance of benchmarking. Sixty-one percent of respondents reported needing knowledge and skills about benchmarking. This research provides insight into performance measures that are or could be used in foodservice benchmarking. It also suggests that benchmarking has at least some importance, particularly to those with knowledge about benchmarking. It could be a useful management tool to foodservice directors, regardless of category of foodservice operation. Research results were used to develop a benchmarking guide for foodservice directors. / Graduation date: 1998