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The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a series of precepts which explain the role of technology and technology congruence in consumers' perceptions of brand extensions.

A series of relationships between technological congruence and consumer evaluations of brand extensions is proposed. Regression analysis and a series of planned contrasts are employed to test these relationships.

In general, extensions that are higher in overall technology content are perceived as being higher in quality. Higher technology brands benefit from a superordinate brand technology effect. However, this technology content effect is moderated by the congruence/incongruence of the levels of technology of the brands, products, and attributes.

The primary limitations of this research are that it focused on a relatively small and homogeneous segment of the population (average age 24) and it tested the effects of technological incongruence only on perceived quality.

These results have extensive implications for designing and positioning brand extensions in the market. The implications are particularly salient for brands that are perceived as employing relatively low technology.

These results improve one's understanding of customers' responses to brand extensions, particularly when the product or associated attributes are technologically incongruent with the brand.

This paper explores differences in the implementation of total quality management (TQM) in different types of service process, using a typology which distinguishes between services positioned along the continua of volume and variety. A case‐study‐based analysis of the implementation of six core TQM precepts was conducted to explore differences in implementation between professional (low volume, customised) services, mass (high volume, standardised) services and service shops (positioned midway on the continua). The study revealed some significant differences in the maturity of TQM implementation in the different types of service. The results suggest that mass services are conducive to the implementation of quality measurement, SPC and preventative approaches to quality improvement. However, professional services are more conducive to the cultural managerial changes associated with TQM. Interestingly, whilst it was hypothesised that TQM practices would be most readily transferable to mass services, the results suggested that the service shop was the most conducive environment for TQM implementation.

Aims to profile the ethical decision‐making foundations and referents which influence ethical decision making for small hotel operations in the USA. Reviews the precepts of egoism, benevolence and principle used as criteria in decision making and the main referent sources of individual, local and cosmopolitan used when applying these precepts. Research consisted of 1,500 operators in nine different regions and a response rate of 40 percent. The questionnaire consisted of the Ethical Climate Questionnaire plus demographic variables such as: gender, experience, education level, property type and position classification. Findings included: managers/owners mostly operate from an egoism perspective and an individual referent. Develops a model to explain these ethical precepts and referents.

Compares, contrasts and assimilates the contributions of the TQM manufacturing and service quality management literatures. A manufacturing model of TQM is proposed, and then developed and enhanced in the light of concepts, tools and techniques which have emerged from the service quality literature. Examination of the core TQM precepts in the light of the service literature highlights certain key asymmetries and differences between the manufacturing and service literatures on quality management, both being characterised by different strengths and weaknesses. While the manufacturing literature is practitioner oriented and highly evangelical and universally prescriptive in tone, the service quality management literature adopts a more measured and academically rigorous approach, although it is arguably less successful in generating practical solutions for management. While the service quality management literature has clearly been enriched and significantly influenced by the TQM manufacturing literature, it is now contributing to the conceptual development of the core precepts of TQM and nurturing a sensitivity to the contingencies which render their application appropriate. Indeed, as the performance characteristics of services increasingly contribute to the success of manufacturing organisations, the issue in future may well be the conceptual transferability of TQM from service to manufacturing.

Few service organizations in the US and Europe have not by now attempted to implement at least some of the principles of TQM in their operations. Indeed some service organizations have made repeated attempts to re‐invigorate their quality management programmes and have experienced waves of waxing and waning enthusiasm about TQM. How should service managers determine whether TQM is realized within their organizations? Is their implementation partial or comprehensive? Should it be refocused on improvement areas hitherto neglected? Presents a model of TQM which is translated into an auditing tool to enable service managers to determine the maturity of TQM implementation in their organizations and refocus their improvement initiatives.

Oneness is the prime attribute of God. Divine oneness is the singular moral foundation of “everything” invoking socio-scientific intellection in the Islamic worldview. In this ontological sense, this concept of conscious oneness means that the ultimate and indivisible absoluteness and completeness of creatorship, knowledge, will and power over all things, rest with God alone.¹ Because God's oneness belongs to the domain of purity (Ikhlas), removed from the material and cognized worlds, it marks the topological domain of the fullness and purity of the knowledge stock. It exogenously by itself creates, governs, and acts upon the created universes of all kinds, abstract, and evident. By itself, the precept of oneness of God is not causally affected by anything. It creates all but is never created of itself, or by any other.²

The organizational learning literature distinguishes different levels of learning (zero learning and single, double and triple loop learning) in order to understand the complexity and dynamics of changes in policies, objectives, mental maps, and structures and strategies for learning. This article explores the case of an emerging new organizational design, the circular organization, in order to understand the role of triple loop learning. The circular model was developed on the basis of ideas about the relationship between organizational structure and behavior taken from theories of dynamic systems. Circular design precepts appear to provide a structural facilitation of single and double loop learning. In this respect, the circular design tends to act as a facilitating infrastructure for triple loop learning, that is, exploring the structural opportunities and key competences people need to participate in making well‐informed choices about policies, objectives and other issues.

The paper aims to present a study of the question of customer information management in business‐to‐business (B2B) firms, what distinguishes firms that manage customer information well, and what internal processes are necessary for success.

This paper summarizes the themes from several research studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

The study finds that companies that distinguish themselves from others in the area of customer information management practices pay attention first to their company's overall strategy, establish and/or enforce data quality standards, involve functional departments in the development of customer databases and their applications, and use both relational and transactional data in their data applications.

Managers in this area would do well to follow the precepts suggested in this work, especially in terms of developing quality databases before embarking on a customer marketing strategy.

The value of the paper is the consistent themes throughout research studies in various B2B contexts.

This study aims to investigate the participation bankings’ financial services with the Islamic precepts in consideration of the doubts and questions in the minds of the public and religious people on this matter. The study further analyzes the differences between the conventional and Islamic financial services. The PBing, referred to as interest-free banking services, is analyzed in respect to Turkey and the public awareness on these practices are also surveyed empirically to offer some plausible findings and conclusions.

Data in this study are collected via survey method. The participants are picked randomly in the study. The priority of the study is the level of public awareness in terms of education level and financial preference. The findings are further empirically analyzed. The participants have been categorized based on their education level, income level and their religiosity. The significance between the Pearson’s chi-square test and the responses has also been tested. Only significant results have been included in the study.

The findings in the study suggest that the “Islamic” identity of the Islamic finance (IF) institutions has been hurt seriously and that a growing number of people now start considering these institutions as “non-Islamic.” The IF institutions which emerged to respond to the needs of the religious people who are keen to comply with the precepts of Islam have converged to their counterparts in the conventional banking system, particularly in secular countries like Turkey.

Some studies focusing on the consumers in Muslim countries reveal that the greatest expectation out of the Islamic Finance is that it will help the Islamic financial thought take root. One of the initial goals of it is to meet the financial expectations of the Muslims who are eager to follow the Islamic rules in their economic activities. But today, whether IF fulfills this major objective remains unclear. This study offers some empirical view on problem. Participation banks are also considered institutions of IF, which is part of the conventional banking system in Turkey. These institutions have been criticized because of the similarities to the banks in the conventional system, the proximities between the interest rates in the regular banks and the profit shares of these institutions and the unpopularity of the profit-loss sharing (PLS). Critics particularly argue that it is not proper to call these institutions “Islamic.” Currently, whether these banks are truly Islamic remains a controversy. This study analyzes the public perception of the IF as IF institutions by reliance empirical findings through survey. For the analysis, a diverse group of participants selected randomly (in terms of age, income, education and religiosity) in Turkey has been surveyed. The significance in the responses to the questions in the survey was measured empirically to draw conclusions based on the responses and the empirical results.