Passage Six
The expression benchmarking has become one of the fashionable words in current management discussion. The term first appeared in the United States in the 1970s but has now gained world wide recognition. But what exactly does it mean and should your company be practicing it?
One straightforward definition of benchmarking comes from Chris Tether managing director of a New Zealand-based consultancy firm specializing in this area. “Benchmarking involves learning about your own practices, learning about the best practices of others, and then making changes for improvement that will enable you to meet or beat the best in the world.” The essential element is not simply imitating what other companies do but being able to adapt the best of other firms’ practices to your own situation.
Instead of aiming to improve only against previous performance and scores, companies can use benchmarking to inject an element of imagination and common sense into their search for progress. It is a process which forces companies to look closely at those activities which they may have been taking for granted and comparing them with the actives of other world-beating companies. Self-criticism is at the heart of the process although in some cases this may upset managers who are reluctant to question long established practices.
The process of identifying best practice in other companies does not just mean looking closely at your competitors. It might also include studying companies which use similar processes to your own, even though they are producing different goods. The point is to look at the process rather than the product. For example, Italian computer company Arita wanted to improve the quality of its technical manuals and handbooks. Instead of looking at manuals produced by other computer companies, Arita turned to a publisher of popular handbooks such as cookery books, railway timetables and car repair manuals. As Arita’s Technical Director Claudio Benclii says,
“All of these handbooks are communicating complex information in a simple way - exactly what we are aiming to do. And in many cases they succeed far better than any computer company.”
There is some disagreement between benchmarking specialists as to the best methods to follow when starting a benchmarking exercise in your firm. Everyone agrees that the process must have the full approval of senior management but that it is best carried out by a comparatively small team. Some consultants feel this should be as small as three people but most favor a team of between five and eight at least one of whom should have some prior knowledge of the benchmarking process.
76. According to Chris Tether, what does benchmarking involve? ( )
A. Cooperate with the other companies that have better practices.
B. Imitate what the best companies in the field do
C. Compare your own practices with the best ones in the field
D. Always change your own practices
【答案】C。定位第二段“Benchmarking involves learning about your own practices, learning about the best practices of others, and then making changes for improvement that will enable you to meet or beat the best in the world.” The essential element is not simply imitating what other companies do but being able to adapt the best of other firms’ practices to your own situation. 可知，最好的做法并不是模仿，所以 B 错误。A 选项和 D 选项，文章没有提及合作和改版的事情。故正确选项为 C。
77. What is the core of benchmarking? ( )
A. Copy other firm’s practices and be able to adapt to new situations.
B. Imitate what the best companies do
C. Identify the best companies in the field
D. Make the best practices suitable for your own situation
【答案】D。定位第三段：Self-criticism is at the heart of the process although in some cases this may upset managers who are reluctant to question long established practices. 自我批评是标杆管理的核心。故正确选项为 D。
78. What does the Italian computer company Arita look at a Publisher of popular handbooks
such as cookery books, railway timetables and car repair manuals? ( )
A. Because the publisher is one of the competitors of Arita
B. Because the publisher uses similar processes to produce handbooks
C. Because the publisher is associate with many computer companies
D. Because the publisher produces handbooks for Arita
【答案】B。定位第四段尾句“All of these handbooks are communicating complex information in a simple way - exactly what we are aiming to do. And in many cases they succeed far better than any computer company.”可知，Arita 公司找出版商进行对比，是因为出版商制
作各行各业的手册，能够看出制作手册的要领。故正确答案为 B。
79. What is in common between the publisher and Arita? ( )
A. Both of them try to deliver complicated meaning in an easy way on handbooks
B. Both of them are the best in their field
C. Both of them are publisher
D. Both of them are communicating with customers a lot
【答案】A。定位文章第四段，All of these handbooks are communicating complex information in a simple way。此外，Arita 公司很认同这家出版商的理念。B 选项文章未提及;C 选项，Arita 公司是计算机公司;D 选项未提及。故正确选项为 A。
80. What do benchmarking specialists agree? ( )
A. Benchmarking must receive full support from top managers
B. Benchmarking must be carried out in a small team of no more than three people
C. The best number of members in a team is between five and eight
D. Every team member is supposed to have some prior knowledge of benchmarking
【答案】A。定位文章尾段 Everyone agrees that the process must have the full approval of senior management but that it is best carried out by a comparatively small team.可知，要想建立团队，必须要获得高层的同意。D 选项并不是每个人都要对基准测试有所了解，一个人即可。故正确选项为 A。
