In the industrialized world, it is widely accepted that a free market leads to greater efficiency in terms of productivity and cost. But how can competition be introduced into situations where alternative suppliers cannot be used? Deliveries are made throughout the day between different departments within an organization. This is one example where standards are seldom questioned because no competition exists between suppliers. Benchmarking provides an effective substitute for competition. Benchmarking is a continuous, systematic process for comparing your own efficiency in terms of productivity, quality and practices with those companies and organizations that represent excellence. It has been demonstrated to have a profound effect in numerous situations where conditions of a ?planned economy? exist. Benchmarking: A Signpost to Excellence in Quality and Productivity explains the concept of efficiency and how benchmarking can be utilized to improve performance. The authors identify three categories of benchmarking:

• Internal: between units of an organization
• External: between competitors
• Functional: equivalent operations in different organizations

To set up your own project, the book provides a step-by-step guide through the following essential stages:

• Deciding what to benchmark
• Identifying benchmarking partners
• Gathering and analyzing information
• Implementing for effect