standards of excellence or excellent standards

[apoziopeza]

The Firm's standards of excellence include creating a favorable impression with clients.

does standards of excellence mean
1. excellent standards? or
2. standards the firm maintains to be excellent among other firms ?

how would you rephrase it?

thanks

 

[JamesM]

They are the standards or guidelines by which they define or measure excellence in their own dealings with others. I think your second option is the closest.

 

[Harry Batt]

In your context most English speakers wouild be confused if you said that a firm had excellent standards. Standards of excellence would be thought of as the standards set by someone other than the firm itself. Excellent standards would b e thought of as standards which the firm set for itself, perhaps better or not as good as the industry.

 

[yourfairlady05]

I would think it would be the opposite of what Harry said. I think "standards of excellence" implies standards they have set for themselves, and "excellent standards" are standards set by an outside party.

Actually the more I think about it it seems that "standards of excellence" could mean standards that are necessary to be considered "excellent", whereas "excellent standards" just defines the word "standard", meaning their standards are excellent, or generally very nice.

 

[MonkeyHawk]

When I copy-edit, I make the first victims passive voice and the second ones prepositional phrases.

But "Standard of Excellence" has become a term of art in business writing.

It presumes the enterprise aspires or achieves qualities accepted as "excellent" throughout the industry.

"Excellence Standards" seems like a more iffy situation.

Perhaps because it comes off as an almost oxymoron; is it "standard" or is it "excellence?"

 

[startrack]

For me, it simply means the standard can be used to evaluate what constitutes excellence, while 'excellent standard' means the standard itself is excellent.