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Focusing on the need for transformational leaders in organisations, animal metaphors are used to identify three sorts of leaders commonly found – sharks (who like to win at all costs), carp (who keep a low, passive profile) and dolphins (who are proactive, learn from setbacks and use “breakthrough thinking” to solve problems). Dolphin thinking is seen to be in short supply but urgently needed in a world of constant change and uncertainty. Some promising signs of dolphin thinking amongst leaders are identified in the total quality, mentoring and TEC movements. Human resource specialists are challenged to help to increase the supply of dolphin thinking through encouraging more open attitudes to recruitment and through generating a learning orientation in their directors, in their organisations and in themselves. Examples of innovative approaches to leadership are explored and David Kearns, Chairman of Xerox, is used as an illustration of a successful transformational leader.

Our business entered the 1980s bloated with too many workers and wrapped in too many layers of management for the proper supervision of workers. That's hardly a formula for productivity.

The concept of company culture is now playing an ever‐increasing role in the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better company management, particularly in the industrial field. This monograph reviews the history and development of both national and company cultures, and then goes on to demonstrate the significance of a culture to proper company management. Well‐managed companies will have both a “quality culture” and a “safety culture” as well as a cultural history. However, it has to be recognised that the company culture is subject to change, and effecting this can be very difficult. Of the many national cultures, that of Japan is considered to be the most effective, as is demonstrated by the present dominance of Japan on the industrial scene. Many industrialised nations now seek to emulate the Japanese style of management, but it is not possible to copy or acquire Japan′s cultural heritage. The text is illustrated by a large number of practical examples from real life, illustrating the way in which the company culture works and can be used by management to improve company performance.

The pursuit of organisational excellence requires the efficient acquisition and use of knowledge, but this is potentially problematical from a legal context. A particular case in point is benchmarking, a required aspect of the EFQM Excellence Model but which is potentially contrary to intellectual property law and competition law. Knowledge acquired through the practice of benchmarking constitutes a diverse range of potentially and commercially exploitable information. The contribution to organisational excellence by the successful transfer of knowledge to companies is potentially major. A methodology through which companies can receive and subsequently exploit knowledge is through the practice of benchmarking. Benchmarking is an organisational improvement methodology centred on measuring current practices and comparing exogenous entities and subsequent implementation. A central feature of benchmarking as it is practised in the West at present is information flow that takes place between benchmarking partners through a variety of mechanisms including informal undertakings or collaborative efforts. This paper examines the interface between benchmarking and the law, specifically intellectual property and competition law.

Self‐ethics are what organisations and professionals should aim for. A comparison is made between legal and medical ethics. This is followed by a discussion of the ethical dimensions of the accounting and auditing professions.

Many executives contend that creating value for shareholders is the primary objective of management. But in focusing so strongly on the bottom line, have US firms neglected the customer?

The purpose of this study is to review a major section of the literature on benchmarking practices in order to achieve better perspectives for emerging benchmarking research streams.

The paper examines the benchmarking literature and presents a framework that suggests evolving patterns of firms' benchmarking practices. This paper examines the studies published in Benchmarking: An International Journal and other articles related to benchmarking practices in major Strategic Management, OM/SCM, and Technology Management journals from 2001 to 2010.

Benchmarking remains an important strategic tool of business in turbulent times. Five research dimensions for benchmarking are discussed in terms of the following: strategy‐based benchmarking; operational effectiveness‐based benchmarking; technical efficiency‐based benchmarking; and micro‐macro integrative benchmarking. For sustainable competitive advantage, benchmarking goes beyond the operational level and moves into a wide range of value chain, strategic, operational, and project levels.

The study contributes to the benchmarking literature by identifying key areas of benchmarking. It reflects a qualitative orientation, but future research may achieve a more systematic and quantitative analysis of the benchmarking literature.

This review paper is unique in that it examines the benchmarking literature and summarizes the results in order to gain a proper understanding of benchmarking and provide perspectives for future research.

Profiles the winners of the 1989 US Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Outlines the background to the award. Reports how Milliken & Company and Xerox Corporation Business Products and Systems, reflect the renewed commitment of American Business to quality improvement. Concludes by reporting how America’s renewed goal of providing high‐quality, world‐class goods and services will make the country competitive and help it to gain its share of markets.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current perceptions of company employees regarding the use and understanding of the terms “benchmark” as in performance measurement and “benchmarking” as in measurement followed by identification of best practices for improvement.

A brief review of the literature from various industries is summarized on this issue, and then related to the research question. A qualitative research study is used to examine the perceptions of 42 participants who were primarily full‐time employees at companies in the New York metropolitan area pursuing a part‐time graduate business degree.

The hypothesis is supported by the literature and the research findings that there is indeed a misunderstanding between the commonly used terms relating to performance measurement benchmarks and true benchmarking where identification of process leaders is only the first step in a complete process that then identifies best practices to be adapted.

Limitations of the study are identified such as the size and characteristics of the study population, and suggestions are made for future research endeavors to verify the findings.

This paper reveals that a more precise terminological use of true benchmarking practices should be promoted and used by management leaders, educators and writers.

This is a valuable empirical research study that examines the important issue of misunderstandings and misstatements of mere performance benchmarks for comparative analysis and real benchmarking practices that identify best practices for adapting via continuous improvement.

The application of BS 5750: Part 2 to the wide range of Ambulance Service activities demonstrates service‐wide commitment to quality assurance and should lead to “customer” confidence and an improvement in competitiveness. Cambridgeshire′s Ambulance Service makes significant strides towards accreditation.