The Importance of Benchmarking to Improving Container Terminal
Akram Elentably
Dr. Akram Elentably, King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia – Jeddah.
Manuscript received on January 02, 2014. | Revised Manuscript received on January 04, 2014. | Manuscript published on January 05, 2014. | PP: 149-153 | Volume-4 Issue-6, January 2014. | Retrieval Number: F2447014615/2014©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Published By: Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: The behavior of natural body simply considering is Benchmarking is a common activity for many people, in its simplest form comparison of Ideal performance against another similar activity, perhaps just to check that we are getting the best results or the best value for a particular item. In addition the reflect of benchmarking on several scopes such as:- High-quality results -Improving efficiency -Meeting or exceeding needs Adding value -Better tools for enhanced decision making. This happens in all walks of life. There are many different perspectives – here are two examples: “Benchmarking is a continuous systematic process for evaluating the products, services and work processes of organizations that are recognized as representing best practices for the purpose of organizational improvement.” (Spendolini, J.M. The Benchmarking Book. American Management Association. New York 1992, p.2 )Or “Benchmarking is a performance measurement tool used in conjunction with improvement initiatives; it measures comparative operating performance of companies and identifies the „best practices. „Benchmarking creates value by:· Focusing on key performance gaps;· Identifying ideas from other companies;- Creating a consensus to move an organization forward;· Making better decisions from a larger base of facts.” (Mission Statement for The Procurement And Supply-chain Benchmarking Association (PASBA), Benchmarking is most effective where a large amount of data derived from practical experience, rather than theory, can be drawn together to identify best practice or establish a range of targets. Data accumulated by trade associations or organizations with international experience is often the best basis. But don‟t ignore data derived from your own experiences, benchmarking against historical performance of the same activity also has its uses. While direct comparison between identical activities is most straightforward, some lateral thinking can create benchmarks for particular operations or processes in one sector that can, to some extent, be applied to similar operations in different sectors.
Keywords: Benchmarking, Spendolini, PASBA, accumulated, straightforward.