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The successful implementation of total quality management practices in any organisation depends on many factors. A study of three multi‐national electronics firms operating in Singapore reveals the factors which contribute to successful TQM.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the environmental disclosure (ED) quality of public-listed companies (PLCs) in environmentally sensitive industries (ESI) in Malaysia in 2005 and 2009 (two years before and two years after the mandatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) requirement of Bursa Malaysia (BM)). BM (The Stock Exchange of Malaysia) has made CSR, including ED in annual reports mandatory since 2007. This study compares environmental reporting (ER) before and after the 2007 mandatory reporting requirement to determine if this command and control mechanism has had any effect on the quality of ED.

The quality of ED was measured using a disclosure quality index adapted from various prior studies. The index consists of a total of 46 disclosure items grouped into 9 categories. Content analysis was utilized to extract data from the annual reports of 164 PLCs in ESI.

Overall, the quality of ED improved in 2009 from that of 2005. More importantly, companies disclosed more quantitative environmental information in 2009 than in 2005. However, the average quality of ED was still low in 2009 compared to the overall potential score. Results provide some support for legitimacy as well as institutional theories.

The sample of the study consisted of listed companies in ESI only; the results cannot be generalized to other companies in non-environmentally sensitive sectors.

Prior studies that used data before the mandatory CSR requirement by BM found ED in annual reports mainly declarative in nature, generally low on quality and with little quantifiable data. The results of the present study provide evidence of the positive impact of mandatory environmental reporting on ED quality.

The use of a multi-theoretical perspective may offer a more meaningful explanation of ER behavior in Malaysia. The results of the study would provide the impetus for regulatory agencies in developing countries to perhaps consider legislating ER. The findings provide some evidence to support the influence of legitimacy and institutional factors behind improved ED of Malaysian PLCs. This outcome exhibits a positive influence on the government efforts in promoting sustainability. Finally, the study contributes to present a more up-to-date account of environmental commitment undertaken by Malaysian corporations through their environmental reporting, after the CSR mandatory listing requirement took effect in 2007.

What can be learned from management training in other major companies? was the question asked by the training manager of one of Britain's most successful companies. To find the answers, the training managers of 11 major companies were invited to compare experiences, to learn from each other and hence to improve. The companies were chosen for their known interest in training and the diversity of their businesses. All are large or multi‐national companies ranging from electrical component manufacturers to multiple retailers. Between them they employ well over 200,000 people.

In southeast Asia, international companies are growing to serve customers with multiple faiths. This study aims to focus on Thailand and it is one of Southeast Asia’s nations and it has Muslim minority customers. To represent Thai Muslim companies, Thai Muslims are marketing their goods by bearing the tagline “we are Islamic”. Scholars described it as “Islamic brands”. This research describes the significant feature of Islamic brands between Thai Muslim people. It examines, which of the Islamic brand dimensions motivates Thai customers towards buying Islamic brands.

The current study’s conceptual model was the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and 281 Thai Muslims responded via a standardised survey. The data was collected from four southern Thailand provinces (Narathiwat, Pattani, Satun and Yala) and the statistical application Smart-partial least-squares 3 was used for data analysis.

The most significant factor motivating Thai Muslims towards purchasing Islamic brands is the customer’s Islamic brand. The second factor was the Islamic brands by compliance and Islamic brands by country of origin.

Three regions in Thailand have been researched, as well as the results concentrate only on three Islamic brand attitudes as independent variables and the development of behavioural expectations of TPB. This research also presents a model that could help understand the consumer perceptions about Islamic brands and established brands amongst various consumers.

The present research applies to small companies and multi-national businesses, as it illuminates and recognises the image of Islamic brands and suggests the preferences of customers in selecting the brand of Islamic brand.

The current study aims to explain Thai Muslim customers’ buying behavioural intentions while purchasing Islamic brands in Thailand.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and evaluate an effective employee retention plan for information technology (IT) service organizations as part of a knowledge management (KM) strategy.

The employee retention plan is evaluated at three IT multi‐national companies which are providing global IT services with successful knowledge management systems (KMS) in place. Semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted with senior managers and team leaders of three companies. The data collected is used for studying attrition and retention and its impact on KM.

The paper provides evidence of various strategic, technological, and local issues influencing the success of retention and its benefit to KM programs in global IT service companies. Organizations adapt attrition control measures for long‐term benefit. These measures help in effective KM, serving the client at lower cost with consistent service levels.

Interviews are limited to three large companies in the IT services sector in the Bangalore (India) region. Future in depth studies would benefit from a larger and more diverse sample. It is suggested that IT service organizations develop and practice effective employee retention plans along with effective KMS.

To provide clear benchmarks for developing employee retention capabilities, an employee retention plan for IT services is proposed. The employee retention plan is discussed from a consistent delivery perspective and in view of effective KM practice.

The paper conducts an evaluation of the retention measures and provides a roadmap for future research endeavors.

This study aims to explore the preparers’ perceptions of sustainability reporting as a distinct voluntary corporate reporting practice in the Middle East. It links these perceptions to the influences of local and global institutional contexts and how companies respond to them.

The study is informed by a discursive institutionalism theoretical framework that incorporates concepts such as multiple institutional logics, hybridity in social practice and interpretive role of social agents. Its empirical findings are built on seven interviews with officials involved in the practice to explore their perception of sustainability reports.

Sustainability reporting is not understood and perceived in the same way among reporting companies in the Middle East. The difference in perception is linked to the scope of operations of the company, whether it is global or local. The results provide evidence supporting the theoretical framework. Different institutional logics are identified that interact at the structure level to influence sustainability reporting practice, and companies act at the agency level by selecting from the institutional influences what match their interests and priorities. Consequently, the practice itself will be hybrid and will include various ways and forms of reporting.

The study contributes to knowledge about how global business practices are adopted by companies in the developing countries.

The objective of this study is to examine CSR practices in the Maldives.

The perceptions of business and non-business stakeholders were analysed in order to identify CSR practices that are idiosyncratic to the Maldives and to reflect on the relevance of current mainstream CSR agenda for the Maldives. Surveys and in-depth interviews were used to draw the perceptions of a sample of 52 businesses and 36 non-business stakeholders. The study adopts an interpretive methodology to analyse the perceptions and to reflect on extant CSR theories.

The paper suggests mediocre CSR practices of businesses and lukewarm responses from non-business stakeholders in the Maldives. There is a difference between what businesses consider ought to be CSR practices (the normative) and their actual CSR practices. Businesses prefer to keep their CSR practices discreet as publicity may cause increasing demands from local communities for financial and other assistance. CSR practices in the Maldives are also influenced by the local Islamic culture. The meaning of CSR prevalent in the context of more advanced western economies may prove to be superfluous in the context of the Maldives, a small and developing Islamic country struggling to meet the basic needs of its people.

This study represents the first research on CSR activities in the Maldives. It contributes to existing literature by challenging the relevance of mainstream CSR practices to a developing economy.

No self‐respecting executives will bow down to a code of dress which they find unacceptable to their own personalities or which demands they fit a corporate mould.