New edition with unchanged content. Benchmarking is a relatively new management tool and is becoming increasingly popular. But what about the acceptance and use of this controlling tool in the German retail book trade? The Cologne Comparison of Book Retailers, carried out by IfH Cologne, has established itself in the book retailing industry as a means of inter-company comparison. Can this already be called benchmarking or does benchmarking go far beyond a comparison of key figures? The author, Kathleen Falter, explores this question by developing the theoretical basis of benchmarking and the Cologne comparison of operations and then critically analyzing the Cologne comparison of operations with regard to general aspects and, in particular, the suitability of the annual comparison of operations for benchmarking. In conclusion we.