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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the results from a survey on ISO 9000 certified manufacturing companies in Saudi Arabia.

An empirical survey of 175 certified manufacturing firms in Saudi Arabia. This study is focused on the benefits achieved from ISO 9000 implementation, level of satisfaction with the standard, the anticipated steps after ISO 9000 implementation, factors influencing the choice of registration agencies and the associated problems with registration agencies.

Certified firms in Saudi Arabia have performed well in their registration process and have benefited from ISO implementation. This could be due to the high level of interest in the area of quality, as most customers request quality or a certificate to prove existence of quality products/services.

For effective implementation of the standard in other organizations, the study recommended that organizations should plan carefully, measuring internal as well as external aspects and performing cost‐effective analysis of the implementation process. Also they should use gap analysis to assess their actual abilities against ISO requirements. When this study was performed, the number of certified organizations was still small, constraining more in depth research in this area.

Adds to the body of knowledge concerning the ISO 9000 with particular interest on Saudi Arabia.

The purpose of this paper is to examine management attitudes/perceptions of Egyptian manufacturing organizations toward the implementation of ISO 9001:2000. The implementation of ISO 9001:2000 depends on how the standard is perceived by Egyptian companies themselves.

The present study is exploratory in nature and seeks to collect data about management attitudes/perceptions towards ISO 9001:2000 through a structured mail survey. Mail questionnaires were sent to 200 manufacturing companies throughout Egypt, yielding a response rate of 35 percent.

Survey results indicated that Egyptian manufacturing organizations are aware of ISO 9001:2000 and it is considered to be relevant to their organizations. The main motivators for seeking ISO certification were to improve the efficiency of the quality system and to achieve customer satisfaction. The vital benefits perceived from implementing the certificate were improved documentation and improvement in the efficiency of the quality system. However, the participants perceived top management commitment and the lack of qualified personnel to be major barriers for the effective implementation of ISO 9001:2000.

The research adds knowledge in the field of quality management within the context of developing countries and gives a particular focus on Egypt and the manufacturing sector, as it is one of the few papers available within the field of quality management in Egypt.

Purpose: This paper contains an evaluation of the results from a survey on ISO 9000 certified hotels in Egypt. This study is focused on factors influencing the choice of the registration agency; problems with registration agencies; satisfaction level with the registration agencies and the use of training and consultancy in achieving the certification. Design/methodology/approach: Postal survey was used in this study to gather the required data from a sample size of 40 certified large hotels in Egypt. The sample was drawn from a list provided by ISO 9000 certification office in Egypt. A response rate of 60 per cent was achieved. Findings: The certified hotels in Egypt performed well in their registration process and benefited from ISO implementation. They were using their registration agencies for private consultancy and it has been recommended that they should avoid using their registration agencies for private consultancy as this creates conflict of interest and constitutes a violation of ISO 62. Originality/value: Adds to the body of knowledge concerning the ISO 9000 registration agencies in the service sector with particular focus on Egypt.

This study identifies the costs, benefits and the satisfaction level with ISO 9000 implementation in Saudi Arabian firms. A survey of 140 ISO 9000 certified manufacturing companies was carried out. The results suggest that these manufacturing companies were satisfied with ISO 9000 as far as the benefits gained from certification and its costs were concerned. They considered the benefits of ISO 9000 certification to exceed the costs of attaining the standards, and believed that ISO 9000 contributed to organisational survival and success.

ISO certification is expected to help organisations to enhance quality and efficiency, improve communications, achieve competitive advantage and an increase in market share, reduce costs and achieve a higher stock price. This paper presents the results of a study to identify management attitudes towards ISO 9001:2000. To realise this goal, a sample consisting of 38 managing directors (MD) in Egypt was obtained. Results indicated that Egyptian organisations have a high level of understanding of the purpose of ISO certification. The main motivators behind the implementation of certified quality system in Egypt were to improve the efficiency of the quality system, and to cope with pressures from competitors/foreign partners. The principal perceived benefits of ISO 9001: 2000 for Egyptian organisations include improved documentation, improved efficiency of the quality system and more effective supplier selection.

The ISO 9000 series of standards has formalised systems for evaluating the ability of organisations to consistently design, produce and deliver quality products and services. Total quality management (TQM) is seen as a relatively new concept and a way for organisations to improve the quality of their products and services, but it may well be the key to survival and achieving competitive advantage in today’s turbulent business environment. However, there are mixed views in the literature concerning whether ISO 9000 and TQM complement or contradict each other. The primary objective of this paper is to address the competing views on both concepts in an attempt to show that both concepts complement each other and ISO 9000 should be used in association with TQM to secure organisational success.

Given the emphasis in today's environment on customer focus, stakeholders’ interests, public‐sector organisational performance and other methods of assessment are employed to address issues in the new public management and prevailing managerialism in measurement of public‐sector organisations around the world. Therefore, many public‐sector organisations have been encouraged to implement benchmarking as one way of satisfying the government's requirement that public organisations provide best‐value services. In order to achieve best‐value services in public‐sector organisations, benchmarking is considered to be a vital management tool and benchmarking has been used widely in private‐sector organisations. This paper focuses on providing a critical view of benchmarking to provide best‐value services to taxpayers and local businesses. The paper emphasises that, in order for benchmarking to be successful in public‐sector organisations, it is important to have a full commitment to continuous improvement, an ability to learn from others, and a commitment to implement improvement.

This paper presents the results of a study to identify the perceived benefits, disadvantages and future employment of older workers in Scottish small and medium‐sized hospitality firms. Towards this goal, a sample consisting of 21 managing directors in Scotland was obtained. Results indicated that hospitality managers in Scotland perceived older workers as offering positive attributes, which can be used in the Scottish hospitality industry. From the participants’ viewpoint, the strengths of older workers were perceived as: to have fewer accidents, generate a positive image, ability to learn as much as younger workers, self‐motivated, disciplined, respect for authority, happier/satisfied on the job, dependable, ability to produce quality work, good communication skills and have credibility with customers, co‐operate more on the job, loyal to the organisation, willing to train, lower absentee rate, and they make better employees. On the other hand, high costs associated with the employment of older workers, inflexible and reluctant to change, keep up with the speed required, and hard to adopt new technology tended to be their weaknesses. The majority of the sample surveyed indicated that they would employ older workers in greater percentages in the near future.

The intention of this study is to investigate the state of benchmarking in a variety of organizations in Egypt. More specifically, the study aims to understand the state of benchmarking in Egyptian organizations as well as the driving forces, benefits behind undertaking benchmarking and the reasons for not benchmarking in non‐benchmarking organizations. Also investigates the most important influential factors for effective benchmarking.

The present study is based upon the results of an empirical research in which the state of benchmarking in Egyptian organizations is studied. Mail surveys carried out on 500 organizations and 45 percent responded.

Results indicated that the most important reasons for initiating benchmarking are to maintain and increase competitive advantage, increased profitability and achieve continuous improvement. Moreover, the most important benefits derived from benchmarking include improved customer satisfaction and improved response time. Further, top management commitment was found to be an important influential factor for effective benchmarking.

Egyptian managers should be aware of the importance of top management commitment, employee involvement and participation and effective communication for effective benchmarking implementation. Also, benchmarking should be made consistent with organization's strategic direction and the provision of the appropriate resources.

It adds to the body of knowledge in the field of benchmarking in developing countries, with a particular focus on Egypt.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the best approaches management should embrace to successfully attract and retain high quality human resource talent within the Niagara region's hospitality industry.

A selected cross‐section of relevant and recent publications are reviewed. The key findings from a mini survey involving 14 senior hospitality managers in the Niagara region are shared.

This paper suggests that the hospitality managers should: understand the basics related to good human resource management practices; know the “fair market value” for each position; foster relationships with colleges and universities to tap into student labor; encourage mature workers to apply for part‐time work; and cultivate a good relationship with seasonal employees and educate them on the rewards of a career within the hospitality industry. Through the industry survey, it was discovered that hospitality managers within the Niagara region are already executing some of these strategies. However, it was concluded that a stronger working relationship with the seasonal employees is required in the region.

Two academics with hotel general manager experience in five countries join hands with the president for three four‐diamond hotels to write this paper. Given the background of the authors, it is expected that the viewpoints would be welcomed by hospitality managers.