Benchmarking Multiple Choice is inherently unethical if it involves companies that are direct competitors because it involves gathering competitively sensitive information about the operations and costs of rivals. is not a valid tool for measuring the cost-effectiveness of an activity unless it is restricted to companies in the same industry. entails comparing how different companies perform various value chain activities and then making cross-company comparisons of the costs of these activities. loses much of its managerial usefulness if it is done with the aid of third-party organizations. entails calculating the costs of performing each of the primary and related support activities in a company's value chain.