E-Governance of Universities: A Proposal of Benchmarking Methodology

This paper aims to provide a benchmarking proposal related to the area of e-governance of universities. An e-governance tool is proposed in order to disseminate both the mission and the institutional culture of each University into a formal scheme of benchmarking tools. A brief review of the literature related to e-governance models is made in order to justify the importance of e-business practices in universities. Some studies developed in the field of benchmarking in the universities were also selected, using different methodologies. Through the analysis of the most relevant studies, a set of indicators was built in order to evaluate the benchmark related to e-governance. In what concerns the electronic governance of universities the benchmark comes from the development of a manual of benchmarking that comprises new evaluation and control areas of the performance of universities, in terms of their contribution for the development of the regions where they are located. The creation of a manual of benchmarking applied to universities, is proposed. In order to validate, or even to improve the manual, it’s necessary to test it not only in universities, but also in other related stakeholders that take part of the institutional networks of universities. Once implemented, the proposed benchmark provides a better way to evaluate the current practices and to identify the best practices. It could also improve the performance of universities in what concerns the e-governance systems.