Different Types Of Benchmarks Research Articles

Evaluating Bias of Sequential Mixed-mode Designs Against Benchmark Surveys

This study evaluated three types of bias—total, measurement, and selection bias (SB)—in three sequential mixed-mode designs of the Dutch Crime Victimization Survey: telephone, mail, and web, where nonrespondents were followed up face-to-face (F2F). In the absence of true scores, all biases were estimated as mode effects against two different types of benchmarks. In the single-mode benchmark (SMB), effects were evaluated against a F2F reference survey. In an alternative analysis, a “hybrid-mode benchmark” (HMB) was used, where effects were evaluated against a mix of the measurements of a web survey and the SB of a F2F survey. A special reinterview design made available additional auxiliary data exploited in estimation for a range of survey variables. Depending on the SMB and HMB perspectives, a telephone, mail, or web design with a F2F follow-up (SMB) or a design involving only mail and/or web but not a F2F follow-up (HMB) is recommended based on the empirical findings.

Efficiently solving quantified bit-vector formulas

In recent years, bit-precise reasoning has gained importance in hardware and software verification. Of renewed interest is the use of symbolic reasoning for synthesising loop invariants, ranking functions, or whole program fragments and hardware circuits. Solvers for the quantifier-free fragment of bit-vector logic exist and often rely on SAT solvers for efficiency. However, many techniques require quantifiers in bit-vector formulas to avoid an exponential blow-up during construction. Solvers for quantified formulas usually flatten the input to obtain a quantified Boolean formula, losing much of the word-level information in the formula. We present a new approach based on a set of effective word-level simplifications that are traditionally employed in automated theorem proving, heuristic quantifier instantiation methods used in SMT solvers, and model finding techniques based on skeletons/templates. Experimental results on two different types of benchmarks indicate that our method outperforms the traditional flattening approach by multiple orders of magnitude of runtime.

COMPARISON OF BEST PRACTICE BENCHMARKING MODELS

A review of benchmarking literature exposed that due to the development there are different types of benchmarking and different benchmarking models. There are universal models, but also models uniquely developed for particular benchmarking types. Each model varies in terms of the number of phases involved, number of steps involved, application, etc. The research focuses on one of the most popular benchmarking types: best practice benchmarking. Best practice benchmarking describes the comparison of performance data obtained by studying similar processes or activities and identifying, adapting, as well as implementing the practices that revealed the best results. The research intends to propose best practice benchmarking model after reviewing existing benchmarking models in literature. Implementing successful benchmarking project requires more than abidance to the step-wise models. Factors, which have an impact on the adoption of best practices benchmarking models will be highlighted, because many companies are involved in benchmarking, but adoption of best practices is not as height as might be expected. Key words: benchmarking model, best practice benchmarking, benchmarking cycle.

Benchmarking as NPM Instrument in Activating Social Security Policies

Social benchmarks have become a popular instrument amongst public policymakers. The first part of the article reviews the application of benchmarks as an evaluation tool and their significance in the evaluation of activating social security policies under New Public Management. It offers a typology in terms of aims and types of benchmarks and several examples of applications of different types of benchmarks using examples from Dutch activating social security policies. The second part of the article analyses bench-learning by showing how to get the most out of benchmarks.

Direct evidence on income comparisons and their welfare effects

This paper provides direct evidence that income comparisons exert a significant impact on subjective well-being. It also evaluates the relative importance of different types of benchmarks. Internal comparisons to one's own past living standard outweigh any other comparison benchmarks. Local comparisons (to one's parents, former colleagues or high school mates) are more powerful than self-ranking in the social ladder. The impact of comparisons is asymmetric: under-performing one's benchmark always has a greater welfare effect than out-performing it (in absolute value). Comparisons, which reduce satisfaction also increase the demand for income redistribution, but there, the relative impact of subjective ranking is preponderant.

Enterprise performance management: a three-level approach

The mechanism of enterprise performance management is presented in this article and it combines the possibilities of involving (interacting) the three groups of improvement sources: intrafirm, intrabranch and interbranch (international). The mechanism is based on the combination of different types of benchmarking, which are realised with the help of innovations originated by the author, they are: the model of three-level analysis of enterprise performance; the model of realisation of internal benchmarking; the organisational approaches which facilitate the realisation of external types of benchmarking; the model of personnel motivation. The general model (algorithm) of enterprise performance management is adduced. The results of practical realisation of the elements of the offered mechanism are stated, and they provide steady growth of parameters of efficiency of some enterprises of the food-processing industry.

Benchmarking the benchmarking models

PurposeA review of benchmarking literature revealed that there are different types of benchmarking and a plethora of benchmarking process models. In some cases, a model has been uniquely developed for performing a particular type of benchmarking. This poses the following problems: it can create confusion among the users as to whether they should use only the unique benchmarking model that has been developed for particular type or they can use any model for any type of benchmarking; a user may find it difficult when it becomes necessary to choose a best model from the available models, as each model varies in terms of the number of phases involved, number of steps involved, application, etc. Hence, this paper aims to question the fundamental classification scheme of benchmarking and thereby the unique benchmarking models that are developed for each type of benchmarking. Further it aims to propose a universal benchmarking model, which can be applied for all types of benchmarking.Design/methodology/approachThe fundamental benchmarking model developed by Camp has been used to benchmark the existing models, irrespective of the type of benchmarking, to identify the best practices in benchmarking.FindingsBenchmarking the benchmarking models revealed about 71 steps in which around 13 steps have been addressed by many researchers. The remaining unique steps were considered to be the best practices in benchmarking.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed model is highly conceptual and it requires validation by implementing the same in an organization to understand its effectiveness.Originality/valueThough some of the methodologies used in this paper are already available in the literature, their context of application in the field of benchmarking is new. For example, utilizing the benchmarking process itself to improve the existing benchmarking process is an original concept.

BENCHMARKING METHODOLOGY IN A TRANSPORT SECTOR

The article analyses the following issues: 1) Definitions of benchmarking. Benchmarking as a management tool that has long been succefully used both in the private and public sectors to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of products and processes; 2) Benefits of transport benchmarking. Benchmarking can help transport enterprise to: locate its strengths, pinpoint weaknesses, measure its performance against its competitors, discover what it is possible to achieve; 3) Different types of benchmarking. Different types of benchmarking processes can be distinguished into performance benchmarking, process benchmarking, strategic benchmarking, competitor benchmarking, functional benchmarking, generic benchmarking; 4) Transport benchmarking methodology. The basic transport benchmarking principles ‐ planning, analysis, integration, action and recycle are equally valid for transport policy benchmarking; 5) Key performance indicators in a transport sector.

Benchmarking methodology in a transport sector

Abstract The article analyses the following issues: 1) Definitions of benchmarking. Benchmarking as a management tool that has long been succefully used both in the private and public sectors to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of products and processes; 2) Benefits of transport benchmarking. Benchmarking can help transport enterprise to: locate its strengths, pinpoint weaknesses, measure its performance against its competitors, discover what it is possible to achieve; 3) Different types of benchmarking. Different types of benchmarking processes can be distinguished into performance benchmarking, process benchmarking, strategic benchmarking, competitor benchmarking, functional benchmarking, generic benchmarking; 4) Transport benchmarking methodology. The basic transport benchmarking principles ‐ planning, analysis, integration, action and recycle are equally valid for transport policy benchmarking; 5) Key performance indicators in a transport sector.

Application of the Multiple Benchmark System (MBS) to selected case study projects

Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) have been established under the Kyoto Protocol as project-based instruments to mitigate greenhouse gases of the industrialized countries to the levels imposed by their Kyoto commitments. An unresolved issue associated with the implementation of these two flexibility mechanisms, concerns the choice of the appropriate baseline for calculating the emission reductions in JI or CDM projects. This article describes a computerized tool that constructs and compares different types of standardized baselines and benchmarks. The analysis focuses on the suitability of several different types of benchmarks for assessing the emission reductions of certain types of projects. The analysis is also expanded into a discussion of the extent to which benchmarks reduce the crediting of non-additional projects and limit the risk of missed additional investments. This tool has been applied to actual JI and CDM projects in the Russian Federation and Indonesia.

Quality improvement in the TESOL curriculum: a generic benchmarking approach

Whilst there are different types of benchmarking, this article, as a result of our research into TESOL (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages), argues for a type of benchmarking that we call generic benchmarking to help develop quality education. The term generic is used to indicate that this type of benchmark is drawn from a detailed analysis and synthesis of extant literature, leading to the development and codification of quality characteristics and standards for an area. As the approach was used in research in TESOL, the context of the research is provided, as is a worked example drawn from the extensive literature review on planning for TESOL. Possible implications for staff development and curriculum improvement are identified.

Integration of benchmarking and benchmarking of integration

Benchmarking is an approach used for evaluating and improving the company performances, by comparing them with the best performing companies. Benchmarking first studies the process to be improved, finds a best practice process in order to try to match two parts of the processes which have analogies, and then tries to change or modify the interconnections, structures or behaviour of the part to be improved using the analogy with the best trasformation process. In the paper, we try to define different types of benchmarking, and, in particular, organizational benchmarking. The decision making process and its link with the value of a set of performance indicators, suitably depicting the company's behaviour, is a cornerstone of the benchmarking building. In this framework we define the process that can be used to transform performance evaluation into improvement decisions.

The art of benchmarking: using customer feedback to establish a performance gap

Benchmarking is the art of establishing superior performance by identifying gaps in performance and emulating the best practices which help close them. Benchmarking is a natural development from the implementation of total quality management. It provides business organizations with the opportunity of taking an outward look at competitiveness by measuring true performance. This paper discusses various aspects of benchmarking such as its meaning, the different types of benchmarking, its implementation approaches and reported criteria facilitating its successful implementation. Since one of the difficulties of practising benchmarking is the obtainment of information, the paper discusses the merits of customer feedback in assessing current performance. As an example to highlight the importance of customer feedback, some data on customer–supplier interactions in the context of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) have been used. The data refer on the one hand to suppliers' own assessment on the levels of su...