Comparative study of benchmarking models for higher education institutions

Benchmarking is a systematic and ongoing process of assessing an organisation's business processes against those of business process leaders to obtain data that will enable the firm to take corrective action to enhance performance (Pattison, 1993). Eight benchmarking models, namely the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model, American Productivity and Quality Centre (APQC) consortium framework, Commonwealth Higher Education Management Service (CHEMS) model, Mckinnon model, Henderson-Smart et al. model, educational development efficiency (EDE) model, Tee benchmarking model, and fourth generation balanced scorecard method are being studied, analysed, evaluated and compared. While most models' effectiveness depends on the cooperation and participation of benchmarking partners, few depends on secondary data are an exception. Most benchmarking models lack the implementation and are fluid and flexible models. This comparative benchmarking study helps an institution understand which benchmarking model needs to be used, as the study details each model's essential features, advantages, and limitations.