Benchmarking — Theory and Practice


Book Description

Lecturers and researchers in the areas of industrial engineering, quality management and business development, and middle and higher management in business or technology- oriented positions, will find this book invaluable.




The Benchmarking Book


Book Description

With growing demands for increased operational efficiency and process improvement in organizations of all sizes, more and more companies are turning to benchmarking as a means of setting goals and measuring performance against the products, services and practices of other organizations that are recognized as leaders. The Benchmarking Book is an indispensable guide to process improvement through benchmarking, providing managers, practitioners and consultants with all the information needed to carry out effective benchmarking studies. Covering everything from essential theory to important considerations such as project management and legal issues, The Benchmarking Book is the ideal step-by-step guide to assessing and improving your company’s processes and performance through benchmarking.




Performance Benchmarking


Book Description

"In this book, Peter Bogetoft - THE expert on the theory and practice of benchmarking - provides an in–depth yet very accessible and readable explanation of the best way to do benchmarking, starting from the ground up." Rick Antle William S. Beinecke Professor of Accounting, Yale School of Management CFO, Compensation Valuation, Inc. "I highly recommend this well-written and comprehensive book on measuring and managing performance. Dr. Bogetoft summarizes the fundamental mathematical concepts in an elegant, intuitive, and understandable way." Jon A. Chilingerian Professor, Brandeis University and INSEAD "Bogetoft gives in his book Performance Benchmarking an excellent introduction to the methodological basis of benchmarking." Christian Parbøl Director, DONG Energy "This book is the primer on benchmarking for performance management." Albert Birck Business Performance Manager, Maersk Oil "This excellent book provides a non technical introduction for performance management." Misja Mikkers, Director, Dutch Health Care Authority "With this very well written and comprehensive introduction to the many facets of benchmarking in hand, organizations have no excuse for not applying the best and cost effective benchmarking methods in their performance assessments." Stig P. Christensen Senior R&D Director, COWI




Information Theory and Best Practices in the IT Industry


Book Description

​​​The importance of benchmarking in the service sector is well recognized as it helps in continuous improvement in products and work processes. Through benchmarking, companies have strived to implement best practices in order to remain competitive in the product- market in which they operate. However studies on benchmarking, particularly in the software development sector, have neglected using multiple variables and therefore have not been as comprehensive. Information Theory and Best Practices in the IT Industry fills this void by examining benchmarking in the business of software development and studying how it is affected by development process, application type, hardware platforms used, and many other variables. Information Theory and Best Practices in the IT Industry begins by examining practices of benchmarking productivity and critically appraises them. Next the book identifies different variables which affect productivity and variables that affect quality, developing useful equations that explaining their relationships. Finally these equations and findings are applied to case studies. Utilizing this book, practitioners can decide about what emphasis they should attach to different variables in their own companies, while seeking to optimize productivity and defect density.




Benchmarking for Best Practices


Book Description

Packed with dramatic case studies, this step-by-step guide shows managers how to adopt the seminal benchmarking techniques revolutionizing quality at companies like Federal Express, AT&T, and other industry leaders. Features timesaving tips, evaluation charts, graphs, ethics, and antitrust guidelines. 50 illus.




Maintenance Benchmarking and Best Practices


Book Description

Over the past decade, companies have redirected their maintenance operational focus from internal cost-cutting to profit-maximization. This approach is referred to as profit centered maintenance. Peters provides maintenance supervisors and managers with a benchmarking/best practices road-map called the Maintenance Operations Scoreboard. The Scoreboard will allow maintenance managers to: a) determine and quantify benefits and savings, b) improve craft productivity and c) define a strategy to improve efficiency and productivity. These things are at the heart of a successful Profit Centered Maintenance organization. The author-devised Maintenance Operations Scoreboard is used to perform over 200 maintenance evaluations in over 5,000 profit centered maintenance organizations. For example, at Honda of America, it was used extensively to direct maintenance strategy. It was later translated into Japanese for presentation to key Japanese executives. Another excellent example is Boeing Commercial Aircraft Inc. Boeing combined elements from this same Scoreboard with their company-wide maintenance goals to develop ‘The Boeing Scoreboard for Maintenance Excellence.’ Over 60 facility maintenance work units, at region, group and team levels, are evaluated at on-site visits using the Scoreboard criteria.




Destination Benchmarking


Book Description

Develops a specific benchmarking methodology relevant to international tourism destinations. This book evaluates different approaches to benchmarking, and their application within tourism destinations. The book considers organization benchmarking - performance evaluation of a particular organization and its departments - and destination benchmarking, which involves all elements such as transport services, airport services, accommodation, leisure and sport, hospitality and local attitudes.




Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma


Book Description

A new update of the classic text on benchmarking Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma updates benchmarking, the revolutionary business performance methodology, by adding statistical concepts from Six Sigma. These two methodologies combine to form a powerful platform for improving any company's overall performance. This new revision reviews the first twenty-five years of development in benchmarking and features new appendices, case studies, and topics, making this the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the subject available. Topics include: Stimulating business improvement with benchmarking Linking Six Sigma to strategic planning and benchmarking Understanding the essence of process benchmarking Making statistical comparisons in benchmarking Applying benchmarking results for maximum utility Reviewing lessons learned from old case studies Conducting a strategic benchmarking study Performing an operational benchmarking study Mainstreaming benchmarking into strategic planning Creating a sustainable benchmarking capability Plus: appendices covering the benchmarking code of conduct, operating procedures, and Web resources




Camera Image Quality Benchmarking


Book Description

The essential guide to the entire process behind performing a complete characterization and benchmarking of cameras through image quality analysis Camera Image Quality Benchmarking contains the basic information and approaches for the use of subjectively correlated image quality metrics and outlines a framework for camera benchmarking. The authors show how to quantitatively compare image quality of cameras used for consumer photography. This book helps to fill a void in the literature by detailing the types of objective and subjective metrics that are fundamental to benchmarking still and video imaging devices. Specifically, the book provides an explanation of individual image quality attributes and how they manifest themselves to camera components and explores the key photographic still and video image quality metrics. The text also includes illustrative examples of benchmarking methods so that the practitioner can design a methodology appropriate to the photographic usage in consideration. The authors outline the various techniques used to correlate the measurement results from the objective methods with subjective results. The text also contains a detailed description on how to set up an image quality characterization lab, with examples where the methodological benchmarking approach described has been implemented successfully. This vital resource: Explains in detail the entire process behind performing a complete characterization and benchmarking of cameras through image quality analysis Provides best practice measurement protocols and methodologies, so readers can develop and define their own camera benchmarking system to industry standards Includes many photographic images and diagrammatical illustrations to clearly convey image quality concepts Champions benchmarking approaches that value the importance of perceptually correlated image quality metrics Written for image scientists, engineers, or managers involved in image quality and evaluating camera performance, Camera Image Quality Benchmarking combines knowledge from many different engineering fields, correlating objective (perception-independent) image quality with subjective (perception-dependent) image quality metrics.




Human Resource Development


Book Description

David McGuire′s student-friendly introduction looks at Human Resource Development on an individual, organisational and societal level analysing how HRD can play a major role in organisational innovation, in developing communities and society and in operating on a cross-national and international basis. Key features: Links key training design and learning theories to broader economic and societal issues for a more holistic and in-depth understanding of the field. Seven brand new chapters ensure a good fit with HRD programmes at all levels and reflect the latest developments in the field, including career development, strategic HRD, knowledge management, the environment, ethics and CSR and the future of HRD. High profile case studies in each chapter bring the theory to life including Apple, Massive Open Online Courses, Barclays, Stephen Lawrence, Lloyds Pharmacy, Marriott Hotels, Netflix, Black and Decker, Google, Colgate-Palmolive, Marks and Spencer and Valve. Case vignettes throughout the chapters highlight HRD in action and provoke critical analysis and discussion, including How a Beer Can Aided the Design of Canon’s Revolutionary Mini-Copier and The Alaskan Village Set to Disappear Under Water in a Decade. An Appendix contains advice on preparing for an HRD examination as well as example exam questions and sample answers, to ensure examination success. Chapters map to the CIPD’s requirements at levels 5 and 7 making it an ideal core text for accredited and non-accredited programmes alike.