WARSBA Judging

The judging panel usually comprises of sponsors’ representatives and SBDC staff, and will be chosen by the SBDC.

Criteria

Nominees will be judged against the following outlined criteria. Up to four finalists will be selected for each category. All finalists will be notified prior to the awards ceremony with the winners to be announced on the night.

The following three criteria are the basis by which all entries will be considered:

Business Model (50% of total assessment)
Customer Care (25% of total assessment)
Business Performance (25% of total assessment)

To assist with the assessment of entries the following questions may be considered.

Business model

In assessing the Business Model criteria, four essential elements could be considered:

1. Products/ services (10%)

Does the business have innovative products/services?
Does the business use innovative business practices?
Has the business clearly identified a market need for its products/services?

2. Marketing (10%)

Does the business have an understanding of its target market?
Does the business have a marketing strategy and is it effective?
Is the business aware of the features that give it a competitive advantage, or unique selling point?
What is the unique selling proposition?

3. Staffing (10%)

What sort of strategies does the business employ for recruiting staff?
What sort of strategies does the business employ for retaining staff?
What sort of programs and strategies does the business have for the ongoing training and development of staff?
What sort of programs does the business have for recognising and rewarding staff?

4. Vision (20%)

Does the business have plans for growth?
Does the business have systems for reviewing and improving its business processes?
Does the business have processes in place for ensuring products/services meet market demands and to identify new markets?
Is the business developing new products/services?
Has the business put in place a strategy or plan to enter new markets?
How does the business determine the strategic or long term direction of the business?

Customer care

Some of the issues to consider include:

What sort of strategies does the business use for attracting customers?
What sort of strategies does the business use for retaining customers?
Does the business have a formal Customer Service Plan or Strategy?
How does the business measure customer satisfaction?
How does the business differentiate products and/or services from competitors?

Business Performance