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• Building Business Capability

• Benchmarking

• Business Practices Survey

The following questionnaire is derived from the Ministry's study of business practices, Firm Foundations. It is intended to be a simple benchmarking tool with which you can compare your firm's practices and operational outcomes against the average scores for firms of a similar size in your industry.

Please respond to all the questions to ensure that the results are as comparable as possible - at the end of the questionnaire you will be provided with a scorecard generated from the responses. The information you provide will not be stored or used by the Ministry.

Industry classification:

Size of firm:

Note: If you have selected "other" in either of the above categories, we are unable to provide an industry/size average in your scorecard.

Leadership and Planning

1. Does this business have a formal planning process (regular meetings and/or written documents) that sets goals for:

2. Choose one option for each item. In developing goals how often does this business incorporate the requirements of:

3. Does this business have a vision statement:

4. To what extent does this business promote a set of company values to its employees:

5. In the last 12 months has this business put any money into sponsorship of, or donations to, any community activity:

6. Over the last three years were measures to reduce the environmental impact of this business in place:

7. Does this business have, or is it planning to implement, systems to gain environmental certification (e.g. ISO14000):

Customer Focus

8. Does this business have set procedures (consistent methods that staff know and adhere to) for dealing with customer complaints:

9. To what extent do staff other than sales and marketing staff visit the firm's major customers:

10. How often does this business systematically measure customer satisfaction:

11. How much does this business work with customers on product or service development / improvement:

Quality and Supplier Focus

12. Does this business have systems in place for measuring the quality of inputs sent by:

13. How much does this business work with key suppliers to improve each others' processes:

14. When supply problems arise do this business's non-managerial employees have the authority to contact external suppliers:

15. Are non-managerial employees actively encouraged to identify problems or suggest improvements to products or processes:

16. Does this business have, or is it planning to implement, systems to gain quality management systems certification (e.g. ISO9000):

Employee Practices

17. Does this business systematically measure employee satisfaction:

18. Are formal employee performance reviews used within this business (consistent methods that are recognised and regularly used):

19. How many employees are on "pay for performance" schemes (e.g. productivity based incentives, gain sharing, bonuses):

20. Choose one option for each item. Over the last 12 months please estimate the proportion of employees in this business who participated in the following:

21. Does this business have processes in place to manage health and safety (e.g. an OSH training programme, provision of information for employees):

Information and Benchmarking

22. Does this business have a formal system in place to manage the storing and retrieval of information:

23. In the last three years has this business's performance been compared in a systematic way with (you can select more than one box):

24. In which of the following areas have comparisons been made with competitors (you can select more than one box):

25. Tick one box for each item. Over the last three years to what extent did this business focus on the following when assessing performance:

26. How closely does this business monitor competitors' products and / or services:

27. Is it part of the regular work of one or more people (either employees or outside contractors) to assess whether the business is achieving its goals:

Innovation and Technology

28. How does this business's core equipment (that used in the production of the business's main goods and services) compare with the best commonly available technology:

29. In the last 12 months did this business invest in any of the following which were specifically related to the introduction of new or significantly improved products, services or processes (you can select more than one box):

30. Please estimate this business's total expenditure on the items in question 29 (above) as a proportion of total expenditure:

31. In the last two years how often did this business undertake in-house research and development:

Outcomes

32. Over the last three years has this business's technology changed:

33. Over the last three years have this business's management and operating systems changed:

34. Choose one option for each item. How would you say this business compares to its major competitors on each of the following:

35. Please estimate this business's cost of quality (e.g. rework, scrap, error, inspection) as a proportion of total sales:

36. What proportion of goods or services from this business are delivered to customers in full, on time and to specification:

37. Choose one option for each item. Over the last 12 months please estimate how large the following have been as a proportion of total sales:

38. Over the last three years what has been the proportion of staff turnover for this business:

39. How many of this business's employees are able to do more than one job:

40. In the last 12 months please estimate what proportion of this business's pre-tax payroll was related to employee education and training:

41. In the last three years did this business offer new or significantly improved products (goods or services) to its customers:

42. In the last three years did this business introduce new or significantly improved production processes including new ways to supply services or deliver products: