The benefits of e-business performance measurement systems

To participate fully in the new world of e-business, organisations have to make significant financial investments. How then, should they evaluate e-business investment proposals and monitor the resulting performance of their on-line business operations? To what extent are traditional performance measurement systems fit for a world where clicks not bricks determine business success? This CIMA report describes research investigating how organisations have been adapting their performance measurement systems for e-business. The research aimed to identify the features and benefits of an effective e-business performance measurement system by studying twelve organisations that have had some success in developing performance measurement systems suitable for the on-line environment.

• Based on four years of case study research inlcuding interviews with 12 managers
• offers a distinctive view of e-business in measuring the performance of a business
• Recommendations are made based on the findings from cross case analysis

Inhalt

Executive Summary

• A brief summary of the findings of the research.
  Introduction
  
  • Background to e-business
  • Research objectives
  • Structure of the report
    Literature Review
  • review of previous research and writings on the subject of e-business performance measurement.
    Research Methodology
  • outline of the methods used to research the topic ? namely a case study method, based on qualitative data obtained from key informants within the organisation. Additional data came from company documents.
  • Twelve managers participated in the study.
  • • the data was collected either by taped interview or by email questionnaire.
      Individual Case Study Summaries
• Each case is briefly described
  Cross Case Analysis
  
  • the case studies are grouped into sectors and their responses analysed. Several diagrams used.
  • Summary of findings from cross case analysis
    Discussion
  • examines and discusses the main case study findings in the light of current literature and with regard to the research methodology.
    Conclusions and Recommendations
  • the research showed that companies have not invested as much as expected into the area of e-business performance measurement system. What has been developed appears to be on an ad hoc basis resulting in the conclusions that:
  • organisations do not currently feel the need to make major changes to their performance measurement system for e-business; and
  • best practice advice in performance measurement may be less influential than that reported as typical.
  • Five recommendations are made.
    References
    Literature generated from this project
  • conference papers produced.