Retail Partners Inc., which operates eight discount store chains, is seeking to reduce the costs of its purchasing activities through reengineering and a heavier use of electronic data interchange $($EDI$).$ Which of the following benchmarking techniques would be appropriate in this situation?

I. A comparison of the purchasing costs and practices of each of Retail Partners' store chains to identify their internal "best in class."

II$.$ A comparison of the practices of Retail Partners to those of Discount City, another retailer, whose practices are often considered "best in class."

III. A comparison of the practices of Retail Partners to those of Capital Airways, an international airline, whose practices are often considered "best in class."

IV$.$ An in$-$depth review of a retail trade association publication on successful electronic data interchange applications.

a$.$

I, II$,$ III, and IV

b$.$

I and II only

c$.$

Il and IV only

d$.$

I and IV only