Hagan School of Business

Welcome to "MNG992 DL - Competitive Benchmarking" !

This course is an exciting opportunity with the flexibility of distance learning.  It is my hope that you will have a great learning experience and develop your knowledge of benchmarking more fully.  I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with you, to learn and to grow.

It seems altogether fitting and proper that this course should be on-line.  Each of us is juggling many responsibilities and the availability of technology makes time and place much less of an issue than it used to be.  Doing some of your course work on-line might assist in balancing work and family responsibilities.

A word of caution is in order. The distance learning format is not the right modality for all learners.  You will have the responsibility of completing assignments in a timely fashion without the goading and reminding of the more traditional format.  I ask you to be honest with yourself about the format of the class and how it fits your learning style.  If the fit is not a good one, then please feel free to explore other courses before the start of the trimester.  If the fit is a good one, let’s get started.

We will be in contact via e-mail (my address is JAlstete@iona.edu), the Discussion Forum, “office hours” using chat sessions, telephone, fax, and email.

Course Description:

Prerequisites: 

MBA core courses

Objectives:

• understand what how benchmarking was developed, and how it is used in business and industry to improve performance;
• plan a benchmarking project;
• identify competitive companies;
• use various data collection methods;
• determine current competitive gaps;
• adapt best practices and implement specific actions; and
• project future performance levels and monitor performance.

Calendar:

• Read textbook pages 1-42 and lectures 1, 2, 3
• Intro by instructor, self-introduction of course students in the main discussion forum
• Students create their course web pages, describe their company and position, and potential processes for benchmarking.

• Read textbook pages 51-73, and lectures 4, 5, 6
• On-line Quiz: July 15
• Student benchmarking project groups formed using discussion forum and optional live chats (dates to be determined). Project planning begins.

• Read pages 79-99, and lectures 7, 8, 9.
• Individual and group student benchmarking projects planned using the discussion forum and optional live chat.
• Individual student project plans due July 26.

• Read pages 107-120, and lectures 10, 11, 12.
• Discuss individual and groups project benchmarking data collection and analysis using discussion forum.

• Discuss project best practices found, performance gaps, and adapting best practice using discussion forum.
• Final Quiz: August 4
• Final individual company benchmarking report due August 6.
• Complete course evaluation forms

Method of evaluation:

Quiz Information:

Midterm Quiz – Will be available beginning on July 15. This twenty question midterm quiz will use multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true/false questions on the topics covered in the textbook pages 1 to 73, lectures #1 to 6, and the Benchmarking Code of Conduct.

Final Quiz – Will be available beginning on August 4. This twenty question final quiz will use multiple choice, fill in the blank, and true/false questions on the topics covered in the textbook pages 79 to 122, and lectures #7 to 11.