The most difficult sections in Data Processing

Beyond this, investigation will need to be done through published sources and through industry contacts regarding benchmark data used in other organizations. Where possible, interviews with former employees of the competition can be conducted to help furnish information in this area.

 The Baldrige Award requires a great deal of documentation which seems excessive for small companies. It is unlikely that a company such as Arthur's will be able to supply all of the documentation required, and there will no doubt be gaps in the information which is supplied. Even those companies which do supply all of the requisite data may find that they are denied the actual award.

 Despite this, companies such as Arthur's should not view the process as a waste if they do not win the prize. The exercise itself should prove valuable as companies seek to identify weaknesses (and strengths) in their processes which provide insight into how they can improve their operations. Regardless of whether the award is given to the company or not, the process itself can help the company improve its competitive position by focusing attention on areas which are all too often not quantified within organizations.

 The Fields have implemented a computer system which is comprehensive and which offers hour-by-hour guidance on how to run a franchise. Useful for managers with little or no experience in the business, the question arises whether the comprehensive system actually discourages.

Creative problem solving by managers. For example, if a store has sufficient foot traffic, but insufficient per-customer sales, the computer suggests that sales people increase their suggestive selling. But an innovative store manager might encourage such selling at all times, not merely when the store is not meeting the computer's expectations. In this way, the computer may actually be dampening sales by causing managers to place too much emphasis on its suggestions and not enough emphasis on their own ability to manage and market their store.

 This approach to control is not appropriate to all types of companies and industries. It is successful at Mrs. Fields because the products being "manufactured" are standardized and the processes which go into those products are quantified to a fine level. Such measures are not appropriate for service industries, or for companies where there is a large amount of customization. The communications aspect of this system is also troublesome in that it takes a day for an e-mail message to reach Debbi Fields, and another two days for her (or her staff) to respond. This is clearly an unwieldy system for urgent messages in this company, and would be particularly useless in small companies

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