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The paper aims to study market dynamics in the backdrop of information symmetry and quality perception. The position of high quality products (HQPs) in the market is a focus of this analysis. Also, an attempt is made to unfold the prevailing parametric relationships in the market of developed and developing nations.

Related literature is reviewed and investigation is attempted into market dynamics. System dynamics is used for preliminary modelling and analysis. Simulation runs are carried out to assess the impact of company reputation and advertising on market parameters.

Behaviours of market parameters are unraveled. From using correlation analysis and analytic hierarchy approach, the policy measures to improve the HQP position in the market are revealed.

The study of some aspects of market dynamics is attempted. Further, study and modelling are required to completely understand the market behaviour.

The model has a practical relevance to implement quality perception enhancement by deciding on the policy mix.

This is a start for systems analysis of the market, which may offer a long‐term foundation to market dynamics.

Total quality management (TQM) at the industry end along with quality function deployment (QFD) molds product quality. It flows to the customer at the market end with a value called quality perception, embedding the concept of probability of acceptance and quality uncertainty. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and validate the existence of upcoming term “quality uncertainty” in the backdrop of information asymmetry.

Theories of probability and reliability engineering are used for mathematical modeling and analysis. Fault tree and success tree method is specifically applied to analyze quality uncertainty and quality perception at the market end.

Quality perception is an outcome of combined probability of information symmetry and TQM or product quality, whereas its inverse is quality uncertainty. Determining quality perception or uncertainty of any product type is possible in a market scenario, and its impact on product life cycle and company revenue can be accessed accordingly.

The model proposed here helps compute information symmetry and quality perception at the market end. More data exploration methods can be investigated to apply this model precisely in real life setting.

It is of equal importance to measure quality uncertainty due to information asymmetry and commensurate revenue loss to the company. Based on this, a policy mix of maneuvering for quality perception enhancement can be developed at both ends of supply chain processes.

With quality perception defined and modeled, the paper attempts market orientation to quality paradigm. It adds a new dimension to quality management.

Prevailing information asymmetry in business processes alters the market dynamics. Quality uncertainty ensues from this phenomenon. Philosophy of information economics is implemented to correlate total quality management (TQM) practices in industry with quality perceived by customers. Quality perception, a newly coined term, is discussed at length, along with causal factors. This paper aims to provide a system dynamics framework for quality perception and to investigate the role of the changing level of market‐side enablers on quality perception.

System dynamics is used for modeling and analysis. To realize the impact of information asymmetry on quality perception, simulation runs are carried out for an Indian case.

Enablers, such as advertising, word‐of‐mouth, rebate, warranty and guarantee, mitigate the effect of information asymmetry on quality perception, and commensurately translate TQM to market value.

The study of some aspects of information asymmetry and quality perception is attempted. Further study is required to understand repercussions of information asymmetry on the complete supply chain processes.

The model has a practical relevance to implement quality perception enhancement by deciding upon the policy mix.

With quality perception defined and modeled, the paper attempts market orientation to quality paradigm.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the application of Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to analyze the barriers in implementation of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). TPM is explained in brief with emphasis on maintenance programs to improve quality of products, reliability of processes and reduction in cost. Barriers in implementation of TPM are also discussed. Concept of ISM and steps in developing ISM are described in detail. The authors then illustrate the research methodology which involves applying ISM to analyze barriers in TPM.

The paper starts off by describing the concepts of TPM and ISM. Barriers in implementation of TPM are discussed. It explains ISM as a methodology to understand the underlying interrelationship among the inhibiting factors. The authors draw up an action plan to carry out research on the usage of ISM to study the TPM inhibitors, to develop an integrated model to establish the relationship among the different TPM inhibiting factors and to suggest action plan to mitigate these factors.

Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) can be used to analyze the driving and dependence power of the variables inhibiting implementation of TPM. The barriers to implement TPM are described with detailed explanation. The complexity of the problem and the degree of interconnection among the variables can be found out. This will help Managers take action on mitigating the barriers.

By analyzing the interrelationships among the barriers and their strengths, management can chalk out the strategy to implement TPM in an organization. Management will become aware of the barriers which have the maximum influence and then can act accordingly to mitigate these barriers. This will help in implementing TPM faster and in an organized manner.

Many authors have used ISM to study various issues. A couple of authors have used ISM to determine barriers in implementation of TPM. The authors feel that most of the papers describe ISM in brief making it slightly difficult for readers to understand. This paper aims to explain elaborately step-by-step on how to develop an ISM making it easier for researchers to understand the ISM concept. Even though there are papers on TPM and difficulties in implementation of TPM, this paper explains the barriers in implementing TPM based on the experience of the corresponding author having worked in the refinery industry.

Recently, Nobel Prize‐winning research in information economics has revealed that information asymmetry is instrumental for quality uncertainty, which is more crucial in developing nations. In this backdrop, aims to explain market mechanisms for various informational ambiences. Also, the paper aims to deal with quality management progress in developing countries. Factors responsible for quality success are identified and correlated.

System thinking is attempted in order to study information asymmetry repercussions on quality paradigm.

Quality success, particularly in developing nations, depends on many factors and there is a need to assimilate these related strands.

Implications for holistic quality success are offered.

This study aims to describe the general picture of the competition in multichannel expert services in duopoly market and discuss how the quality difference may affects the competition between service providers with different quality levels, where both providers offer face-to-face channel and one of providers offers online channel additionally and service quality that consumers have heterogeneous preferences for is vertically differentiated. These results can be used to determine which service providers should offer online expert services and understand the competition in multichannel expert services in duopoly.

This paper uses the stylized vertical differentiation model to investigate the role of quality in expert services market, assuming that two services providers offer the same services with different quality levels and one of them having additional online services. Taking into account the differences of services from products and the particularity of online service, this paper extends the vertical differentiation model to expert services market.

The quality difference is the key factor in the competition of expert services. Service prices and the profits of providers, independent of the quality levels, are positively related to the quality difference, whereas the demand of online services is in the opposite direction regardless of which provider offers online channel. It demonstrates that provider with low-quality level should open online channel from the point of view of social welfare if it is closely related to the expert services, even though any provider can make more profits by opening online channel.

This extended vertical differentiation model, taking into account the importance of vertical differentiation in expert service, ignores the horizontal differentiation. More accurate strategies for multichannel expert services providers with what level of the quality a provider should offer is needed in future work. Moreover, this paper does not consider the different waiting costs of consumers in face-to-face channel and assumes that their problem will be solved eventually.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, no study has focused on the quality difference in multichannel expert services market or discussed how to offer online expert services in the duopoly market. This study extends the vertical differentiation model to the multichannel expert service market. Therefore, it fills this research gap and extends research to expert services market in the new network environment, aiming to help understand the competition in multichannel expert services.

Studies on managers’ awareness level of total quality management (TQM) in the aquaculture industry in Ghana are scarce, if existing at all. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the awareness level of managers in Ghana’s aquaculture industry about TQM practices and how it is applied in their operations.

In this study, simple random sampling technique was used to select 52 respondents from aquaculture companies in Ghana. The respondents were managers and supervisors who have better understanding of organizational operations and quality management issues. Managers and supervisors considered for the study include quality managers, operational/production managers, supervisors, and also top managers.

The findings from the study depict that respondents’ awareness level about TQM practices and concepts in the aquaculture industry are acceptable and they agree to the fact that TQM is a way of guaranteeing high-quality products and services. The institutions’ main areas of concentration are management leadership, continuous process management, and improvement. Again, the companies’ culture depicts more of a control measure than a prophylactic treatment.

The outcome of this paper will help in comprehending the TQM awareness in the aquaculture industry in Ghana. It will also highlight major areas that managers and supervisors in the industry need education on, in other to enhance their quality skills.

This research is among the first ever known attempts to assess the awareness of TQM concepts and practices in the aquaculture industry in Ghana. It will help improve the quality practices in the industry.

Total quality management (TQM) has begun to influence national business systems and is widely seen as a “revolution” in management. TQM initiatives continuously search the needs of the customers and incorporate them in the organization on an ongoing basis. For this reason, the majority of research study has been undertaken in this field and is still going on across the world, especially in the developing countries, which are lagging behind in the implementation of TQM. Considering the above reasons, the purpose of this paper is to assess the awareness of TQM program in the Indian service industries.

By means of a literature review and empirical data collected using a self‐administered instrument distributed to select Indian service companies, the awareness of TQM was investigated. A total of 172 useable survey instruments were included for the final analysis. This study sample consisted of a group of selected Indian service companies from healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), banking, and hospitality industries. The data were analyzed using graphical representation approach, descriptive statistical analysis, and correlation analysis.

The analysis revealed the significance and usage of TQM in Indian service industries. The results also suggested that the Indian service industries are well aware of the TQM program, though more efforts need to be focused on implementing it properly, use of TQM models and frameworks, and continuously improving the ongoing TQM practices.

Indian service managers show a stronger familiarity with TQM concepts and practices and they believe that TQM is a way of guaranteeing high quality products and services. Therefore, service companies should invest in TQM, as this could help them to improve competitiveness in the marketplace. Further, the Indian service managers and practitioners must be more concerned about the maintenance of standards and take a more dynamic approach towards TQM, thus preparing their company more effective for future challenges.

The result provided in this paper will help in understanding the TQM awareness in the Indian service sector as a whole and suggest some additional improvements in the knowledge of TQM to the managers of Indian service industries which could enhance the level of TQM implementation and hence, business performance.

The assessment of TQM awareness in Indian service industries, along with the understanding of the concept of TQM, has been expanded in the literature on TQM in the Indian service industry.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key enabler for total productive maintenance (TPM) implementation in Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by using graph theoretic approach (GTA). There are certain enablers for TPM implementation which helps the organization to implement it successfully. It is very essential to identify the nature and impact of these key enablers.

A large number of the enablers (27) have identified for TPM implementation in Indian SMEs from the available literature, questionnaire survey and expert opinion. These TPM enablers have categorized into six major categories.

In this research work, the intensity of identifying enablers has been calculated to show their impact or influence in TPM implementation. The value of intensity of TPM enablers shows the role or impact of individual enabler in the implementation of TPM in Indian SMEs.

This study provides an easy-to-use methodology for the practical decision makers in the manufacturing industry to improve their performance by implementing TPM in Indian SMEs. A detailed methodology has prepared to identify the enablers for TPM implementation in Indian SMEs by using GTA. This study also explains that how to check the feasibility of an organization to implement TPM in Indian SMEs successfully.

TPM is an improvement concept which holds the potential to improve manufacturing organizations, but its implementation is not easy in Indian SMEs. The reason behind the unsuccessful implementation of TPM in most of the organizations is the ignorance of impact of innumerable enablers and barriers.

With the growing importance of performance measurement and management, this exploratory study intends to examine the practices of maintenance managers with regards to maintenance measures, as used in their organizations. In this process, the study attempts to uncover the relevant maintenance performance dimensions from the perspectives of the surveyed managers. In addition, the mediating effect of information availability on the main performance measures utilization is studied.

The research at hand is survey-based. It utilizes the responses of a sample of ninety-five (95) experienced maintenance managers to identify the most relevant maintenance performance measures. Factor analysis is then utilized to uncover the important dimensions of performance, as seen by the respondents. Additionally, using the Partial Least Squares method, several models were studied.

The findings of this exploratory research appear to suggest that maintenance managers are beginning to broaden their perspective with regard to performance management. While machine and plant-related performance measures are still emphasized, maintenance managers are slowly moving toward a wider organizational orientation. While the manufacturing organizations are becoming more and more customer-oriented open systems, the maintenance function of these organizations is still, for the most part, operating under the semi-open system orientation. Overall, it appears that an emerging maintenance strategy is slowly taking shape.

For the most part, performance measures and measurement related to maintenance have not received enough attention from researchers. Therefore, the literature dealing with the different facets of performance in maintenance has not been forthcoming. The study attempts to fill this apparent gap in the literature. This is important, as maintenance managers are being asked to contribute to the achievement of the competitive strategies of their organizations. Therefore, they must quickly learn how to view maintenance from a coherent strategic organizational perspective. Such a perspective should help in integrating the maintenance, resources, capabilities, and technical know-how in order to serve the strategic goal of their organization. The research at hand is limited to a sample from Portugal. Therefore, the results and conclusions must be interpreted accordingly.

As maintenance managers struggle to move from a machine-orientation to a more organizational-wide strategic orientation, they are often left with many questions and few answers. This study attempts to bring this problem to the spotlight so that it can receive more systematic empirical and practical research. In this context, the role of maintenance managers in the process of organizational strategy formulation should be examined.

The study presented in this article has practical, as well as theoretical contributions. It deals with an area of performance measurement, which so far has been relatively ignored. It uses a system orientation (closed vs open), in addition to the strategic orientation (single vs multi-faceted strategy) in order to shed some light on the need to have consistency between the nature of the system and its strategic objective.