eBusiness Self Assessment Tool for SME Stefan Klein

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eBusiness Self Assessment Tool for SMEStefan
Klein
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Online eBusiness Self-Assessment Tool

• Enterprise Ireland has launched a tool aimed at
  helping Irish businesses to make the best use
  information technologies.
• This online facility comprises a multiple-choice
  questionnaire that is used to assess a company's
  business requirements and IT capabilities.
• Users will receive an advisory report
  recommending improvements to IT infrastructure or
  IT management.
• The tool also incorporates a benchmarking
  facility.

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(No Transcript)
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Outline

• What is the purpose of a SAT?
• What is the logic behind the EI SAT?

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Metaphors, secular examples for SATs

• Psychological tests in magazines
• Medical fitness test
• Draw an overall picture
• Analyse fitness
• Identify risk factors
• Propose health care measures

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Purpose of S.A.T.

• A well structured and explained questionnaire or
  guide shall be made available to SME so that they
  can
• learn about the various e-Business application
  domains (such as e-Collaboration, content
  syndication, information partnerships,
  e-Procurement, CRM, SCM) or business models,
• assess the strategic potential for their own
  business and
• review the required technical and organizational
  capabilities
• themselves.

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Positioning SATs

• SATs are positioned between questionnaires
  (e-business Advisor, e-business Accelerator) and
  individual consulting.
• Their purpose is to raise awareness and prompt
  interested SME to look for additional advise.

Standardisation
Web-Questionnaire
Individual eBiz Consulting
Self Assess-ment Tool
Cost
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The process

• The tool is made available on the Web.
• The tool should be designed in a way that filling
  out the questionnaire is already an awareness
  exercise for the SME.
• The results are analyzed and feedback is provided
  to the SME based on their answers, e.g. a SWOT
  analysis. Depending on the approach this can be
  partly automized.
• In case multiple companies will do the self
  assessment, the statistical analysis of the
  collected information across companies,
  industries, application areas etc. will provide
  more detailed insights (industry comparison/
  benchmark) than surveys.

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Typical components
Questionnaire
Theory
Analysis/ logic
Immediate feedback
Benchmarking
Explanations
Background Info
Recommendations
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Enterprise Irelands eBusiness SAT
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The underlying logic
Business structure and capabilities
External drivers
eBiz priorities
eBiz motivationand scope
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Questions

• Company info
• eBusiness motivation
• Motivation and strategic focus for eBusiness
• Urgency and (externa)l drivers of change
• Business structure and capabilities
• Characteristics of offerings (product/ services)
  and operations (processes)
• Transactions characteristics
• Information and communication technology
  Existing solutions and capabilities
• Formal policies
• eBusiness strategy and priorities
• Channel and collaboration strategy
• Procurement strategy
• Priorities

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Example questions
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Example questions
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eBusiness Self Assessment FEEDBACK REPORT

• The first part addresses preconditions for the
  introduction of eBusiness. If your answers
  suggest weaknesses in one of the identified areas
  (promoter, ICT strategy, security and backup),
  you will find recommendations below.
• The second part addresses the role of ICT for
  your organization and your organization's
  capabilities and approaches to managing
  technology.
• The third part provides a list of projects which
  have been selected based on your answers in the
  areas of internal motivation and goals for
  eBusiness as well as external pressures

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Sample feedback
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Outcome Solutions for consideration

• Web presence with company information and online
  catalogue, no transaction support (online
  selling)
• Sell-side solution online selling, customer
  relationship management, after-sales services
• Buy-side solutions exchange of catalogue data,
  e-procurement
• Buy-side solutions linkage to electronic markets
  place
• Buy-side solutions regular exchange of planning
  and transaction data (EDI)
• Collaborative solutions with business partners
  (e.g. distribution partners, outsourcing/
  sourcing partnerships, joint development, service
  maintenance)
• Information and knowledge management (e.g.
  Intranet, Knowledge portal, )

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Please try it out
http//www.enterprise-ireland.com/ebusiness/
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Outcome Solutions for consideration
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Related concepts

• Web Assessment, Web Evaluation, e.g.
  www.webqual.co.uk
• Focused assessment of eReadiness or networking
  capabilities
• E-Business Surveys e.g. eBusiness W_at_tch
• Benchmarking
• E-Business guidelines, e.g. http//www.enterprise-
  ireland.com/practicalebusiness/