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Explores the role of reward and recognition schemes in motivating groups and individuals to keep their energies focused on the customer. Examines the practical steps necessary to introduce and maintain successful initiatives, both financial and non‐financial. These steps involve taking time to clarify the aims of the scheme and ensuring there is a good “fit” through taking full account of the organisational and customer context. Stresses the need to measure the right things and emphasises the importance of buy in through involvement of employees and customers, plus linking rewards to customer satisfaction and taking account of the needs of internal customers. Concludes with a checklist to enable readers to assess their reward and recognition processes and pinpoint areas which need attention in order to give more customer focus. Short company examples are given throughout to illustrate key points.

Discusses the characteristics of an empowered organization and what has led to the increasing popularity of empowerment. Asks whether it is simply empty management rhetoric or a practical tool for change. Describes the benefits to the customer from this approach and what empowerment means to the employee. Concludes that to be successful, empowerment needs to take place in a supportive framework, with management buy‐in at all levels and help being given to managers so they become coaches and facilitators. Also training alone is not sufficient but may need other tools, such as team building, creating one right culture and reward and recognition programmes.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/09684879610112800. When citing the article, please cite: Sarah Cook, Steve Macaulay, (1996), “Empowered customer service”, Training for Quality, Vol. 4 Iss: 1, pp. 7 - 11.

There are several proposed changes to the law in England and Wales that will particularly affect women with learning disabilities. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, the draft Mental Health Bill and the draft Mental Incapacity Bill all highlight the tension between state paternalism and individual autonomy. This paper uses a fictional case scenario in order to consider the practical implications of this proposed legislation, and dilemmas that may arise.

Outlines a basic definition of empowerment and the benefits it brings to the organization. Written in a practical manner, can be used to explain the principles of empowerment to those unfamiliar with the concept.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the routine, everyday experiences and attitudes people bring to cooking and eating and aims to compare the significance of such culinary cultures to diets in France and Britain.

The initial phase of this qualitative, comparative research involved in-depth interviews with 13 French and 14 British citizens who were each asked to reflect upon foods eaten in the home, preparation methods and issues surrounding dietary practices and culinary cultures. The next phase of the research asked “experts” working within the field to reflect and elaborate upon the initial findings and in total ten French and nine British “experts” were interviewed.

The results reveal how to a greater extent French respondents relied upon raw ingredients from which they more regularly prepared “traditional”, structured and commensal meal occasions. Such a food model remains a significant part of everyday life and culinary cultures in France support the consumption of a relatively healthy diet unlike in Britain.

This is a small exploratory study based on a limited number of respondents. Further research would benefit from observing what people actually do rather than relying on what people say they do.

Those responsible for promoting healthier diets need to further prioritise the significance of culinary cultures to cooking practices and diet.

While the influence of domestic cooking practices on food intake has received some scholarly attention, this paper presents a more holistic insight into how culinary cultures can play a significant mediating role on diets more generally.

Discusses a recent Industrial Society survey which indicated that customer care and service was a priority for UK organizations. Shows that “the customer is always right” needs an effective customer service initiative to be able to address this and more.

Examines the focus on customer service while at the same time maximizing the use of resources. Suggests that through effective management of resources a balance between the cost and quality of human resources can be achieved. Maintains that customer service is the key to success for an organization, and offers seven suggestions for managing a “superior” service. Concludes that successful customer‐focused organizations: do what they say; make what matters to the customer their priority; find ways to improve; make positive personal contact with the customer; and have well‐trained and motivated staff who work well together.

In this article, Sarah Wright introduces the Strategies for Living project; Karen Ledger then describes her experiences of working as a researcher within the programme.Strategies for Living was established as a project within the Mental Health Foundation in 1997, after the publication of a survey, Knowing our Own Minds (Faulkner, 1997). This survey was groundbreaking as, at the time, no other piece of research had directly asked people who used mental health services what they found useful as support for living and coping with mental distress.The report from the survey stated ‘we are all the primary experts on our own mental health, and about what works for us’. This belief underpins the work of Strategies for Living.