Seeks to contribute to the empirical database on the progression of thinking with regards to the strategic role of manufacturing by reporting some results of a study on the manufacturing‐strategy thinking and practices amongst practising managers of operations based in a newly industrialized...

Reports on the difficulties currently faced by department stores. Argues that a return to a true service orientation is needed. Discusses consumer attitudes towards the service offered in such stores via the results of a focus group interview, ranking and perceptual mapping of store services....

Considers the “Conceptual Model of Service Quality”. Describes five service gaps, using a case example of American Airlines as illustration. Examines ways of bridging these gaps. Concludes with a personal commentary on the delivering of quality.

Reports on a study attempting to understand whether, and how, service providers try to communicate quality of their services via advertising. Finds that few quality cues are present in magazine advertising for services. Offers examples and suggestions for the effective conveying of quality...

Provides insight into the concept of quality in the service market by investigating possible influences on consumer expectations of quality and how these expectations may be better met. Reports on a study examining the effects of certain stimuli on expectations regarding different types of...

Argues that all service encounters can be thought of as sharing common elements and common problems. Considers some common issues faced by a variety of personal service providers, maintaining that researchers and managers can understand consumer classification and evaluation of services by...

This article compares the humour used in university and corporate training programmes and discusses survey implications. Based on a survey of 183 university business professors and 243 corporate trainers, both groups were found to use similar types of humour (e.g. short stories, exaggeration),...