Foundations For Growth: A New Zealand Guide to Business Improvement

Publication date: September 2004

This Guide is essential reading for anyone in business. It outlines key ways in which you can improve your business and explains what the benefits will be.

The Guide is written in sections reflecting key business activities: leadership and planning, identifying and working with your customers, motivating and developing staff, improving your products and services, understanding your processes and ensuring high levels of quality, managing your information, and developing your relationship with your community. It also provides tips on where to turn for help (information, funding or advice) in heading down the business improvement path.

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• Table of contents 

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>> Foundations for Growth (PDF, 1.8MB)

Table of Contents

COVER PAGE AND CONTENTS (PDF, 162KB)

INTRODUCTION (PDF, 159KB)

• How Does it all Work?
• Business Excellence Models
• Before You Start
• How to Use This Guide
• Self-Assessment Questions
• Business Improvement in Action

PART 1 YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS PLANNING (PDF, 208KB)

• Leading Your Business
• Promoting Shared Goals and Values
• Your Business Planning
• Summary

PART 2 YOUR CUSTOMERS (PDF, 235KB)

• Identifying and Reaching Your Customers
• Understanding What Your Customers Value
• Customer Satisfaction
• Dealing With and Making Use of Customer Complaints
• Maintain Good Customer Relationships
• Understanding Change In Your Market and Your Competition
• Selecting Your Customers
• Summary

PART 3 YOUR STAFF (PDF, 232KB)

• Recruitment and Staff Planning
• Ensure Staff Know What is Expected of Them
• Performance Appraisal and Feedback
• Training and Development
• Rewards and Motivating Factors
• Staff Satisfaction
• Safe Environment
• Summary

PART 4 YOUR BUSINESS SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES (PDF, 271KB)

• Understanding Your Processes
• Reviewing and Improving Your Processes
• Assessing the Quality of Suppliers and Supplies
• Ensuring Quality to Your Customers
• Quality Management Systems (QMS)
• Summary

PART 5 IMPROVING YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (PDF, 178KB)

• What Are We Good At?
• Market and Customer Research
• Planning Your Improvement or Development Process
• Involving Staff
• Involve Others
• Summary

PART 6 MAINTAINING INFORMATION ON YOUR BUSINESS (PDF, 199KB)

• Understanding Information Management Needs
• Are You Managing Your Information Well?
• Performance Measurement
• How Do You Compare?
• Information Security and Retrieval
• Summary

PART 7 YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR COMMUNITY (PDF, 80KB)

• Being Environmentally Friendly

WHO ELSE CAN HELP ME? (PDF, 337KB)

APPENDIX A CASE STUDIES (PDF, 78KB)

• iQuest New Zealand Limited
• Nova Enterprises Ltd
• Pacific Helmets (NZ) Ltd
• Pacific Horizon Ltd
• Furniture by Mecchia
• The Wild West Adventure Company Ltd

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS (PDF, 179KB)