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This paper investigates the impact of bank‐specific determinants on bank’s profitability in the Kuwaiti banking sector for the period 1993‐2005. In order to achieve this purpose, a pooled annual data for seven national commercial banks is used to estimate a five variables model by the seemingly unrelated regression technique. The results indicate that equity ratio, loan‐assets ratio, operating expenses ratio, and total assets explain about 67% of the variation in return on assets (ROA). However, the results indicate that loan‐assets ratio, and operating expenses ratio are statistically insignificant. Accordingly, the results stress the need for improving capital adequacy and reducing the ratio of non‐interest assets as a way to improve profitability. The positive impact of the size variable indicates scale efficiency meaning that there is a potential for higher profits as the size of these banks increases.

Reports a survey of the largest‐ever national survey of the international quality management system, ISO 9000 (BS EN ISO 9000), which has been installed in 95,000 companies internationally. Specifically, reports the marketing considerations which motivate companies to seek certification and the marketing benefits which accrue from certification. Mail surveys were carried out on 4,250 certificated organizations; 1,220 (28.7 per cent) responded. Marketing considerations were secondary in seeking registration, and outcomes related to profitability and process improvement were more highly valued than marketing benefits.

Renishaw Metrology launched a Total Quality Commitment Programme nearly three years ago. Every employee is responsible for quality. Emphasis is on getting it right the first time and prevention not detection.

Speculates on whether companies are obtaining value for money from technology, as IT spending consumers a considerable portion of both the balance sheet and the annual operating budget. Shows how to figure out whether a company is getting its money’s worth out of its investment in technology, and uses four main items in a list to add value: expense containment; process improvement; customer advantage; and talent leverage. Employs copious use of figures and tables to aid the reader. Concludes it is also possible to generate values for semi‐tangible assets such as people and intangibles.

This article presents a study of the link between strategy competence and performance in the context of international market entry. The concept of strategy competence encompasses international market entry and business relatedness. It is assumed that efforts of a firm to establish a business in a market where the firm encounters limited entry barriers, and where the local business belongs to the corporate core, lead to high performance in the local business. The empirical findings are based on a study of 173 Swedish ventures in Germany and indicate that limited customer access problems lead to high performance. At the same time, high relatedness between the core business and the local business, in terms of similar requirements for management skills and similar brand recognition, leads to high performance of the local business. In light of the findings, management would be well advised to leverage key management skills such as brand management from the core to the local business and to continuously evaluate ways to achieve customer access.

In difficult retail trading conditions, and as price‐led strategies become more common, cost control is a very high priority for retailers. The problem faced by UK retailers is that many of the factors influencing the rising trend of consumer theft are outside their control. Identifies some of the social and political factors involved. Based on interviews with retailers a general security strategy of containing consumer theft and actively driving down other “unaccounted” stock losses emerged. However, within this general strategy each retailer adapted it to their particular needs and capabilities.

Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organisation to give their best each day. The result is that the staff is committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. Although employee engagement as a practice is evidenced as bringing improved productivity to small businesses, and while 87% of the UK small enterprises claim that they are taking active steps to improve employee engagement, only 12% of such businesses list it as a business priority.

In a smaller organisation, it is easier for leaders to be involved in driving forward and measuring planned actions to improve employee engagement. According to the consulting firm Aon Hewitt (2015), there are six major categories for drivers of employee engagement: (1) The work people do; (2) The people they work with; (3) Opportunities; (4) Total rewards; (5) Company practices; and (6) Quality of life.

The focus of this chapter is to recommend how small businesses can drive employee engagement using the six drivers of engagement recommended by Aon Hewitt, and improve levels of productivity in the firm.

• Appreciate the scope and pervasiveness of fake reviews in retailing

• Recognise the causes of fake reviews in retailing

• Understand consumer responses to fake reviews in retail

• Understand how retailers can and should manage fake reviews

• Understand better the expected future of retail with fake reviews

Appreciate the scope and pervasiveness of fake reviews in retailing

Recognise the causes of fake reviews in retailing

Understand consumer responses to fake reviews in retail

Understand how retailers can and should manage fake reviews

Understand better the expected future of retail with fake reviews

This research empirically tests the rationale of corporate downsizing of employees as a cost reduction strategy on the long‐run profitability of a corporation. The sample for this study consisted of 185 large publicly‐held US‐based corporations which announced their intentions to downsize during the period 1990‐1992. Over the subsequent ten‐year period (1992‐2001) their returns on investment were obtained and the empirical relationship between downsizing and long‐run profitability was determined. Whether organizations that undergo this type of change appear to be better off than they were before they implemented the process was the focus of this study. The study ascertained that downsizing does not appear to be in the best long‐term interest of the corporation, its employees, or its shareholders, and that the massive job cuts did not lead to strong sustained gains in the price of the stock. Many organizational benefits fail to develop as expected and the benefits are elusive. The findings of this study suggest downsizing does not engender a long‐run productivity gain and it fails as a method to boost shareholder value.

This study aims to examine the impact of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis (GFC) on Australian firms' compliance with IFRS 36/AASB 136 for goodwill impairment testing. It also examines the factors associated with the cross-sectional variations in the compliance levels.

Based on a survey of disclosure notes in companies' annual reports, firm-level compliance scores were developed and further analysed applying quantitative statistical methods.

The findings suggest that firms' compliance has increased during the GFC compared to the PCP. There was no significant intra-period change in the compliance levels during the PCP. Firms belonging to goodwill intensive industries show greater compliance levels than firms in other industries. Audit quality is also a significant determinant of firms' compliance with IFRS for goodwill impairment testing. Goodwill intensity is a significant determinant of firms' compliance level during the GFC but not during the PCP. Firm size is associated with the compliance levels when the industry effects are not controlled for. When the industry effects are controlled for, the effect of size on firms' compliance levels disappears. Profitability is also associated with firms' compliance with IFRS for goodwill impairment testing. However, firms' leverage ratio is not significantly associated with compliance levels.

This is the first known study to examine the issue of compliance with IFRS for goodwill impairment testing in the context of the GFC and the PCP.