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Internationalisation is a pervasive force in business today and the marketing manager must understand the needs of consumers in various markets. This study explores the general attitudes of Finnish consumers to products made in England, France, West Germany, Japan and the US. Following up earlier surveys of 1975 and 1980 the 1985 data show most positive responses towards products of West Germany and Japan, also highlighting ways in which product attributes and marketing practices can be improved.

Following the methodology designed for selecting the best industrial and technological diversification strategy, one of the best methods for achieving the long-term sustainability of companies, the purpose of this paper is to describe its application in the service supply chains (SSCs) sector, specifically, in freight transport in product service supply chains.

The methodology used in diversification processes comprises four stages: evaluation of the technological diversification suitability; selection of the technological diversification strategy; implementation of the diversification strategy; and evaluation of the process.

The main contributions of the paper are: the proposal of a taxonomy or functional inventory for information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the freight transport industry (FTI); the introduction of a new concept, the technological shrub, a variant of the technological tree that allows interdependencies between the functionality systems; the construction of a technological shrub for ICTs in a standard FTI firm; and the multicriteria selection, based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), of the best diversification strategy that can be incorporated by this standard firm for improving competitiveness. This selection utilises a “bottom-up” approach.

The paper deals with the long-term sustainability of companies by means of technological diversification strategies. Based on the taxonomy constructed for ICTs in the SSC sector and the identification of key technologies for a particular firm, a technological shrub is constructed and a multicriteria procedure is developed in order to select the best diversification strategy.

The Financial Services Authority’s (FSA) Consultation Paper 121 suggesting depolarisation in the retail financial services sector has generated a great deal of debate. The motivation for the reforms, primarily to improve the position of the consumer, cannot be disputed. Nevertheless, in attempting such a wide‐sweeping change, it is clear that the reforms could bring difficulties as well as improvements. This paper argues that, to the extent that the current polarisation regime is detrimental for the consumer, this can be addressed without dismantling the basic framework of the current advice system. It acknowledges that there is a need for greater consumer education in this area, and that more needs to be done to address the needs of lower‐income consumers. Nevertheless, it is argued that the advantages anticipated as a result of the more radical reforms in the Consultation Paper are likely to be accompanied by problems that could negate the overall benefit accruing to consumers.

This study aims to propose and demonstrate a practical application of a new three-part holistic sensory evaluation (HSE) method for textiles and apparel based on the senses of sight, touch, hearing and smell. HSE method development was carefully documented, described and successfully applied to evaluate sensory characteristics and consumer perceptions and acceptance of bacterial cellulose (BC), a novel sustainable material for apparel.

In Part One of the HSE method, research participants described the material in their own words based on the senses of sight, touch, hearing and smell. In Part Two, they rated the intensities and their linking for 25 predetermined attributes describing BC. Part Three measured participants’ overall liking of BC and its perceived suitability for apparel and accessories.

Application of the HSE method resulted in an in-depth understanding of BC material. Areas for material improvements and positive characteristics were identified, providing direction for further development. Consumers found BC suitable for accessories and outer-layer garments but not for apparel.

Sensory evaluation of textiles and apparel has traditionally focused on the senses of touch and sight. The new HSE method allows evaluating the full range of sensory characteristics of materials/products and holistically assessing consumer perceptions. The method is especially useful for novel materials and wearable technology. BC has gained increased interests as a novel sustainable material, yet consumer studies have been lacking. This study reports a comprehensive evaluation of BC material from consumer perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a practitioner's guide to mortgage regulation.

The paper explores the mortgage code and the road to statutory regulation.

It was found that the future of mortgage regulation rests partly with those policy makers who decide that change is needed and partly with those who work in the industry. Good firms who strive to run better businesses and deliver improving service to their customers have little to fear from rising regulatory standards as they will always be at least one step ahead of the regulator. What is required is a weather‐eye on the changing market and economic conditions, a strong, unifying voice to campaign on behalf of the industry and a clear commitment to work for the good of the customer. That way, whilst some times will be good, and others will be less so, there will still be business to be done.

The paper offers practitioners a guide to mortgage regulation, advising on what firms need to do, key issues for mortgage intermediaries and the need to manage the sector's reputation.

To explain FINRA’s priorities for 2018, as reflected in its Annual Regulatory and Examination Priorities Letter.

Evaluates the overall tone of FINRA’s letter as self-reflective, describes most of FINRA’s priorities for 2018 as unchanged from previous years, and highlights new areas of focus for FINRA.

FINRA plans a number of organizational improvements over the next year which could facilitate positive dialogue between firms and FINRA examiners, helping to reduce the burden on broker-dealers and possibly avoid low-level enforcement action. FINRA expressed a desire to better leverage its model as a self-regulatory organization to achieve its mission. Most of FINRA’s priorities for 2018 are old standbys, including fraud, high-risk firms and brokers, cybersecurity and AML programs, product suitability vetting, and best execution surveillance. FINRA’s new areas of focus for 2018 include business continuity plans, technology governance, cryptoassets, options violations, new report cards, and new rules.

Despite FINRA leadership’s commitment to self-analysis and enhanced communication, FINRA continues to be highly committed to examining and addressing through enforcement action potential failures to comply with its rules. Firms facing FINRA or SEC examinations should brush up on FINRA’s old standby priorities and fine-tune their practices to ensure compliance with industry trends.

Practical guidance from experienced securities and financial services lawyers that summarizes FINRA’s stated approach for 2018.

Marketers cannot neglect the X Generation, yet targeting this group has proven difficult, since “Xers” reject any segmentation and marketing techniques that attempt to generalize their characteristics. The targeting is made more difficult due to their advertising‐literate subculture. In this paper, the fashion purchasing behaviour is examined and the results of a survey conducted in Hong Kong are reported. Fashion marketing strategies are suggested for marketers to promote their merchandise to this group of consumers successfully.

Although Australian franchising sector regulation promotes system disclosure and provides for mandatory conflict mediation, there is some concern that inequities exist within the conflict management process. From 2006 to 2008 no less than four government inquiries into franchising took place in Australia in an attempt to resolve problems occurring in the sector. A major issue was that of the perceived imbalance of power in the franchisor‐franchisee relationship, which often results in conflict between the two parties. The purpose of this paper is to extend the conflict literature in dyadic exchange relationships through investigating the causes of conflict from the franchisor and franchisee perspectives.

Exploratory research is undertaken to identify the major causes of franchising conflict. Face‐to‐face interviews are conducted with 24 franchising experts, such as lawyers and mediators, to draw upon their considerable experience in the sector.

The key findings suggest that a lack of due diligence is associated with the formation of unrealistic expectations which increases the potential for future relational conflict. Although franchising experience impacts upon operational approaches and conflict, the role played by third parties and market conditions both appear to exacerbate dissatisfaction in franchise systems.

This research is exploratory and therefore the findings are tentative. The preliminary conceptual models will be tested in a large quantitative survey of key franchising stakeholders in the near future.

With the Australian franchising sector presently under intense scrutiny by regulators this research is timely and important. It is expected that the findings will provide government and industry representatives with a more balanced understanding of the causes of franchising conflict so that preventative action may be taken.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role that halal certification organisations (HCOs) play in the UK in assuring quality in halal cosmetics.

The study evaluates whether halal certification assures the quality of halal cosmetic products. This research evaluated the quality assurance systems of major UK HCOs, using a hypothetical product as a test vehicle. The investigation considered whether these organisations differ in their definition of “halal” and “halal cosmetics” and also considered how effectively their certification signals quality assurance.

The study indicated that there is a failure to adopt holistic halal terminology which implies that within the UK halal cosmetics industry, manufacturers may not be working within agreed standards for halal product integrity.

This study focussed on UK certification for halal cosmetics by three HCOs and disregarded other forms of halal businesses. The literature review is based solely on literature available in the English language. The study lacks generalisability, as only one hypothetical product was tested; therefore, it was not possible to reach an understanding of all the costs involved in UK HCO certification.

This study undertook a comprehensive literature review on halal certification to produce a comparison of halal sanctioning laws, certification processes and the level of supply chain verification by UK HCOs.

This study adds value to the knowledge on UK halal certification.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent guidance from the FSA and industry, and recent case law regarding product providers and distributors

Explains current status of the guidance; provides overview of the guidance and its two component parts directed at “product providers” and “distributors”; discusses international dimensions; explains compliance implications; describes parallel trade association principles published in a July 2007 paper entitled Retail Structured Products: Principles for Managing the Provider‐Distributor Relationship; and summarizes three recent English judicial decisions relevant to the responsibilities and duties of providers and distributors.

The responsibilities of providers and distributors regarding retail structured products are being defined by an interaction of regulatory, common law, and soft law provisions. Just as the FSA's exercise of its regulatory powers is increasingly based less on detailed rules and more on general principles, so the judges' decision making is based less on doctrinal detail and more on a pragmatic assessment of the relevant facts as a whole.

Regarding retail products, the best approach for providers and distributors is to focus not only on detailed rules and contractual provisions but also on the factual detail of the arrangements, and whether the outcomes are fair to investors and meet their reasonable expectations as created by the firm.

Expert analysis provided by leading lawyers specialized in financial institutions.