ENVIRONMENT BENCHMARKING- A MODERN MANAGEMENT TOOL APPLIED TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

This paper is an attempt to clarify and present the many definitions of benchmarking. It also attempts to explain the basic steps of benchmarking, to show how this tool can be applied by local authorities as well as to discuss its potential benefits and limitations providing a series of examples it illustrates the effective use of this management tool, and its requirements for comparable data and information.