Benchmark

Question

Hello everyone. A student asked me to give her more information on the word benchmark. It is common here in companies to say (i'm going to do my benchmark) and I'm not sure exactly what it can be related to.

Could you please help me?

Thanks in advance,

Cristiane

Pieanne · Accepted Answer

Maybe it is "to set a standard"?

Matthewg · Answer

I've never heard benchmark being used in that way ('I'm going to do my benchmark.') However, benchmark is a word originally used by surveyors, meaning 'a physical point of reference', literally a mark, such as an orange cone, set upon a bench. So I suppose surveyors would say, 'I'm going to do my benchmark,' meaning, 'I'm going to set my reference point.'

Benchmark is also a dead metaphor used in computing. For contextual purposes, which kind of company are you referring to?

Mister Micawber · Answer

In finance and accounting:

'BENCHMARK is a study to compare actual performance to a standard of typical competence; or, a standard for the basis of comparison as being above, below or comparable to.'

Criss · Answer

Hello mattewq!

First of all, thank you so much for the reply. It's very commom to use this expression here in the marketing departments of most companies.

Criss · Answer

Hello Mister Macawber,

Thank you so much for the quick reply. I really appreciate all the help!

Criss · Answer

Hi pieanne,

Thank you very much for the help. I'm glad I joined this site

Pieanne · Answer

You're welcome, Criss. If you like English, I'm sure you're going to spend some time on this site!

Matthewg · Answer

There are some training companies that offer 'benchmark courses' or 'benchmark training' in marketing. If I studied for a marketing degree twenty years ago, I can take one of these course to bring my marketing knowledge to the current standard (i.e. current benchmark.)

I suppose that when people say, 'I'm going to do my benchmark,' they are using the shorthand for 'benchmark test' or 'benchmark course.'

Kingfisher · Answer

Hi all,

Thank u for your useful replys but I would appreciate u more If you could tell me the diffeences between the following terms:
Benchmark/criterion/standard/touchstone ...... I really get confused sometimes.

Thanks

Mister Micawber · Answer

Here are the summary definitions from OneLook Dictionary Search:

Benchmark: a standard by which something can be measured or judged (Example: "His painting sets the benchmark of quality"). A benchmark is a point of reference for a measurement. The term presumably originates from the practice of making dimensional height measurements of an object on a workbench using a graduated scale or similar tool, and using the surface of the workbench as the origin for the measurements.

Criterion: the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated.

Standard: a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated; the ideal in terms of which something can be judged.

Touchstone: a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated. A touchstone is a small tablet of dark stone such as fieldstone or slate, used for probing of precious metal alloys. It has a finely grained surface on which soft metals leave a visible trace.

As you can see, they are all quite similar, and I would call them essentially interchangeable. This is the sort of synonym set whose members are distinctive mostly in individual preferential use, I feel.

'Criterion' I tend to use for very specific points of comparison-- that is why the plural 'criteria' is more common (37 million vs 6 million if googled): we are usually speaking of a set of criteria for judging, for instance, natural English-- style, register, genre, grammar, etc.

'Standard' and 'standards' I tend to use more generally, as in 'standard English'-- which consists of innumerable criteria. Both 'standard' and 'criterion' are objective, analytic words.

'Touchstone' and 'benchmark' I seldom use except to indicate a mark or level of particular excellence or of a sea change in reference points that I wish to highlight-- for me they are rather sylistic words.

There are, however, likely to be other opinions forthcoming.

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