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In Denmark two different quality awards exist: the Danish Quality Award and the Quality Award for the Public Sector. In this paper we present the average results obtained by public and private applicants to the two existing Danish quality awards. Results are compared between sectors and are also compared across time to show changes in the level of implementation of total quality management in Danish companies. Private companies have improved in nearly all areas from 1993 to 1996. Public institutions have been competing for the first time in 1997 and show a relative strength in enabling areas compared to result areas. Public results in 1997 are very similar to the private results from 1993. Furthermore we describe the quality situation in Denmark and the plans for further development with particular emphasis on the role that the Danish Quality Award Organisation is expected to play in the future.

This paper examines the criterion weights of the EFQM excellence model. More and more research indicates that the official criterion weights from EFQM do not correspond with the way companies are working. This, of course, raises the question whether or not it makes any sense to compare companies according to an arbitrary weight structure, which has never been empirically tested? In this paper the criterion weights are estimated through the use of a factor scores regression based on confirmatory factor analysis of a number of bootstrapped samples. This estimation procedure is applied on data collected among Danish companies which responded to a self‐assessment questionnaire covering the EFQM excellence model in each of the years 1998‐2001. The overall conclusions are that the allocation of weights is fairly stable for most of the criteria except for one. The weight allocated to “People results” is significantly lower in 2001 than in 1999 and 1998.

A measurement system for business excellence is introduced. In what follows the development of this index is described and the first results obtained in Denmark in 1998, 1999 and 2000 are shown. Data and results from a similar study done in Sweden in year 2000 are also described. The presentation includes a discussion of the stability of the model across years for a given country and a discussion of the stability of the model across the two nations represented by Denmark and Sweden. Information about actual financial results for the companies is included and the paper discusses the possibility of using results from the Business Excellence Model as a proxy for actual financial results in Sweden and Denmark.

This paper examines the weight structure of the EFQM excellence model. This is done through a survey among 756 chief executive officers from Danish companies who responded to a self‐assessment questionnaire. The data from this survey have been analysed through factor score regression based on confirmatory factor analysis on 5,000 bootstrapped samples. The analysis shows that the perceived criterion weights vary from the current allocation in the EFQM excellence model. This deviation is so substantial that the allocation of weights between the enabler and the result block vary considerably from the actual allocation in the EFQM excellence model. Furthermore, it seems as if Danish companies perceive the enabler criteria as equally important but this is not the case for the result criteria.

This paper analyses the differences between private and public sector organisations in Denmark in relation to the penetration of holistic management models, how companies achieve excellent results and the empirical weight structure of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The results show that the penetration of holistic management models is greater among public organisations. Furthermore private and public organisations do not achieve excellent results in the same way. Private companies put higher emphasis on the systems dimension whereas public organisations put higher emphasis on the people dimension. In relation to the empirical weight structure of the EFQM excellence model two significant differences were found. Private companies put higher emphasis on the criteria “leadership” and “policy and strategy” than public organisations.

In 2000, a survey was conducted at a Danish hospital with the overall purpose to evaluate the hospital on all the criteria of the excellence model. Leaders and employees were asked to answer 56 questions formulated to cover all nine criteria and based on EFQM's self‐asssessment material. A comparison will be made between these leader scores and the employee scores with the purpose to measure to what degree leaders and employees agree about the state of the hospital. A new congruence measure will be developed and, together with average performance scores, the congruence score will provide input to identify and prioritise improvement initiatives.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how three dimensions of retailer brand architecture – share or retailer brands, quality of retailer brands and visibility of retailer brands – affect consumer intention to shop at stores

A conjoint analysis is conducted with a sample of 599 Danish consumers, which rated intention to shop at hypothetical new shops based on profiles derived from an orthogonal design

Two segments of consumers emerge, one price conscious and one more differentiated. Consumers prefer shops with lower price levels, with dominantly manufacturer brands, with quality of retailer brands at the same level as manufacturer brands, and with good visibility of retailer brands.

The results are based on the evaluation of hypothetical stores, and many additional factors affect store choice in the real world.

Results suggest that we may be heading towards a polarized retail market, mainly divided between discount concepts and high quality retailer brand concepts.

The paper is innovative in isolating the effect of dimensions of retailer brand architecture on consumer store preference.

The objective of this article is to conduct a case study of the Supermalt brand of malt beer, which has become the preferred beverage of Afro‐Caribbean consumers in Brixton on a very limited marketing budget.

The article uses the concepts of personal identity and brand identity in a qualitative study to explore how Brixton‐based Afro‐Caribbean consumers construct their self‐identities and the brand identity of Supermalt. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 14 Afro‐Caribbean consumers. Each interview was divided into three parts. The first part focused on consumers' self‐identities. The second part explored the role of food and beverage products in the construction of self‐identities. The final part focused on the construction of brand identity for Supermalt.

The article provides information on the self‐identities constructed by Afro‐Caribbean informants. The food and beverage consumption of informants reflects their mixed cultural identity. The brand identity Supermalt appears to be malleable, with ample room for consumer co‐construction. Perceptions of brand identity differ markedly among informants, who are all able to construct Supermalt as one of their own.

The findings are based solely on semi‐structured interviews with a small sample of Afro‐Caribbean consumers. The findings are therefore not generalizable.

The Supermalt brand represents an interesting case for companies aiming to develop strong brands with a limited marketing budget. Based on the Supermalt case, suggestions are made regarding branding in relation to ethnic minorities.

This article provides a study of a brand that has become strong within a narrowly defined group of consumers.