Modernization through Benchmarking: An Analysis of Three Utility Companies

Benchmarking has become popular as a way of evaluating the efficiency of public organizations. This article illustrates how three public companies in the supply sector perceive the implementation of regulatory benchmarking, how they react, what actions are initiated and what dilemmas it involves. Emphasis is put on assessing whether benchmarking results in actual changes and how the companies react to the pressures of rationalization that challenge existing professional understanding. The article is based on ethnomethodology with the use of the notion of account, where primary data collection has taken place through research interview.

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