[2015年ACCAP3商务分析考点总结2.docVIP

2015年ACCA P3商务分析考点总结（2） BENCHMARKING ? 　　Benchmarking can be thought of as a scientific way of setting objectives that will act as targets before and during the operating period, and comparators during and after the period ? 　　Benchmarking can be defined as: The establishment, by the collection of data, of comparators that allow relative levels of performance to be identified.’ ? 　　Benchmarking can be thought of as a scientific way of setting objectives that will act as targets before and during the operating period, and comparators during and after the period. The phrase ‘by the collection of data’ is crucial: anyone can establish objectives without the collection of data, but these will be of little use because they are likely to be arbitrary and without any validity. Benchmark data validates objectives. ? 　　The sources of data that can be used include internal data (for example, comparing the results of different branches), data about other companies (for example, those in the same industry) and government data (for example, data about employee sick days). We will examine the sources of data in more detail later. ? 　　BENCHMARKING AND THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS ? 　　Benchmarking can be used in all three steps of the classical, rational model of strategic planning: ? 　　Assess the strategic position (internal and external factors)Frequently, strategic planning starts by defining the mission or mission statement. For example, BMW states that its mission is: ‘The BMW Group is the world’s leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility.’ ? 　　So, without comparison through benchmarking, how does BMW know that it is delivering premium products and services? ? 　　Assessment of an organisation’s current strategic position can be summarised in a SWOT analysis. However, the use of comparators is inherent in a SWOT analysis: if you can say that something is a ‘weakness’ or a ‘strength’ you must be carrying out some sort of compar