(S)elections in e-Marketplaces

The streets have been abuzz with political campaigns, and traffic has gotten worse. Most take notice of political rallies, especially when entertainers join endorsements in almost all corners. Popular slogans, posters, banners, jingles, television commercials and even the Internet, to name a few, play a key role in getting candidates introduced and relaying the platforms they intend to prioritize within their jurisdiction. Regardless of the advertising medium used, however, the common aphorism is obviously to create "noise" to get the candidates’ names far more visible in the ballots.

This week, the Filipino electorate is being called to transcend from the much-coveted campaign period by going through a prudent synthesis of their final list. The candidates are many, yet only a handful will lead the race. But what is really in a name? Is it driven by simple ad recall or have Filipinos become aware of a candidate’s merits to finally get the Philippines advancing toward higher terrain?

Unfortunately, we do not have a common and visible medium that could itemize categorized attributes that could help compare candidates’ credentials. Unless one gets hold of flyers and successfully understands and reads through these materials, information dissemination could not be systematically measured to get everyone aware of the candidates he is voting for.

Similar concerns are addressed in private e-Marketplaces like SourcePilipinas, specifically through the latter’s ScoreCard feature. Here, existing as well as prospective business partners are graded according to their role as suppliers and/or buyers in a collaborative approach, based on identified criteria and weight allocation per category. Since results are oriented within the purchasing and supply chain, the participants’ confidence is supported since they can readily extract comments from participating members that carry out similar functions.

For example, buyers are appropriately evaluated on the basis of their swiftness in relaying complete requirements, awarding merits, payment terms, and ability to resolve transaction-related issues. Rankings can be performed, depending on the underlying decision criteria that will become the basis in awarding an item. Some participants might opt for the lowest price, especially if the item being purchased is non-sensitive, while others might go for the premium due to value-added qualifiers.

On the other hand, suppliers are best assessed in terms of competitiveness in pricing, quality of items and/or services delivered, services and delivery. Suppliers’ administrative-related functions are also integrally addressed, especially if any discrepancies related to billed invoices arise. Within suppliers’ service-related function, grades are given according to customer service responsiveness, and whether operational coverage is extensive where access for assistance is most often available. In a nutshell, accreditation becomes more convenient and objective since internal ScoreCard systems can now be revalidated, especially for benchmarking with similar and cross-industry players. Since online rating reviews are dynamic, all participants within the pool are prodded to perform, even exceed expectations.

Comparatives can also be accomplished in neutral-centric e-Marketplaces, especially in studying variances when alternative solutions are in place. For similar participating groups vying for a capital expenditure requirement, for example, decisions tied to an outright purchase or lease option can be facilitated. Here, cash flow considerations are highlighted, especially when we speak of long-term contract engagements.

In the future, ScoreCard matrices could probably be further customized that would help e-Marketplayers gauge the success of an upcoming transaction based on qualifying criteria of pre-selected players. Further advancements might soon take shape to help smoothen out "anticipated outcomes" based on the mixture of candidates that are being pre-selected. Compliance with ethics might already be considered, especially if a buying firm would assign a so-called "weight" for this attribute as part of the enterprise’s vision and objectives.

All told, electronic procedures can be made to enable decision-makers to detach subjectivity when objectiveness is called for in pre-selections. Vote wisely.

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Maritel M. Atienza is the assistant general manager of SourcePilipinas. For your queries, e-mail her at [email protected].