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In recent years, numerous approaches have been proposed to improve operations performance. Three in particular, just in time, supply chain management, and quality management, have received considerable attention. While the three are sometimes viewed and implemented as if they were independent and distinct, they can also be used as three prongs of an integrated operations strategy. This study empirically examines the extent to which just in time, supply chain management, and quality management are correlated, and how they impact business performance. Results demonstrate that at both strategic and operational levels, linkages exist between how just in time, total quality management, and supply chain management are viewed by organizations as part of their operations strategy. Results also indicate that a commitment to quality and an understanding of supply chain dynamics have the greatest effect on performance. Keywords: Just in time; Quality management; Supply chain management: Empirical research, I. Introduction Numerous operations paradigms, initiatives, and practices have emerged in recent years in response to competitive pressures calling for improved product quality, increased responsiveness, and shorter lead times, but [...]

A survey of senior managers who are members of the American Production & Inventory Control Society found that supplier assessment, just-in-time and quality management efforts affect new product design and development. The study applied a structural equation model to analyze how these techniques affect new product development.

Much of the research on operations scheduling problems has either ignored setup times or assumed that setup times on each machine are independent of the job sequence. This paper considers the problem of scheduling a single machine for minimizing total tardiness in a sequence dependent setup environment. The comparative performance of branch-and-bound, genetic search, simulated annealing and random-start pairwise interchange was evaluated in this problem setting. The experimental results suggest that simulated annealing and random-start pairwise interchange are viable solution techniques that can yield good solutions to a large combinatorial problem when considering the tardiness objective with sequence dependent setup times. However, branch-and-bound may be the preferred solution technique in solving smaller problems, and it is the only solution technique tested that will confirm an optimum solution has been reached. The methods considered in this research offer promise to deal with a class of scheduling problems, which have been considered difficult by both researchers and practitioners.

This study used a blended view of corporate entrepreneurship and operations core capability as enablers of innovation. Survey data collected from automotive OEM suppliers in five emerging countries in South-east Asia are used to examine the relationships among corporate entrepreneurship, operations core competency and innovation. We measured corporate entrepreneurship by its corporate culture and leadership, whereas operations core competency was operationalised by a firm’s knowledge management, technology management and process management. Finally, innovation is measured by process innovation and product innovation. Our analyses show that in the context of Asia, corporate entrepreneurship affects a firm’s operations core competency, which in turn affects innovation. Our findings provide valuable insights about the enablers of a firm’s operations core competency and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, we study the concept of supply chain integration scope by comparing firms that involve immediate supply chain partners in their strategic efforts (narrow supply chain scope) versus firms that involve supply chain partners beyond the immediate level, for example second tier suppliers and end customers (broad supply chain scope). By relying on Coordination Theory and expanding upon Frohlich and Westbrook's (2001) 'arcs of integration' principle, we propose that supply chain integration scope and the type of supply chain management efforts deployed by firms are correlated. We use data from a large sample of US and European firms to explore the association between supply chain integration scope and supply chain management efforts. The results show that supply chain integration scope can be predicted by a firm's supply chain management efforts. The implications of our results for practising managers are also offered. Our results suggest that supply chain managers should consider the practices identified in this study while deciding on the appropriate level of supply chain integration scope, i.e., which extended supply chain members to include in their strategic planning efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key element of successful organisations is the alignment of their strategy and tactics. This study explores the relationship between a firm's competitive strategy and its operations practices in the context of a developing economy. Two competitive strategies are examined; a niche market strategy characterised by targeting specific market segments, and a broad market strategy characterised by serving a wide range of market segments. Three sets of operations practices consistent with the adoption of lean manufacturing, Total Quality Management, and relationship development in a supply chain context, are explored. Using survey data from senior managers in Thailand, results show that for firms adopting a niche market focus, competitive strategy directly influences process management and relationship development, which in turn affect workforce commitment. Only workforce commitment has a direct effect on operational performance. In contrast, for firms adopting a broad market focus, competitive strategy directly influences workforce commitment, which in turn affects process management and relationship development practices. It is the latter practices that directly influence operational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a typology of supply chain management strategies based on data from a large sample of US firms. The resulting typologies and their relationships with firm performance are tested. The result of set correlation analysis on the data revealed six distinct supply chain management typologies, and showed significant statistical relationships with performance. Additional analysis revealed that two of the typologies describe the ideas of velocity, variability, and visibility of supply chains. The paper also discusses the relationship between product life cycle and the supply chain management initiatives that comprise the strategy typologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a three-factor model of operations capability is presented which, unlike previous studies that view capability as an outcome, examines the drivers of capability acquisition. The model proposes that capability acquisition is a function of an organization's commitment to the principles of quality management, just-in-time practices, and effective new product development processes. Furthermore, the paper proposes that these underlying facets of capability acquisition are common across geographic boundaries. The model is tested using data drawn from US and European companies. Results not only provide support for the three-factor model, but also for the invariance of the model and its underlying components between US and European firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study analyzing the influence of choice of supplier and the relation between the buyer and the supplier, on the performance of the business enterprise, is presented. A structural equation model is used for the study.

Byline: Soumen Ghosh, Robert B. Handfield, Vijay R. Kannan, Keah Choon Tan The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) has become a model for the deployment of quality programmes. While the framework underlying the award has been used extensively by organisations, both for award and self-assessment purposes, little empirical evidence exists regarding its validity as a predictor of organisational performance. This research presents a structural equation model that explicitly tests the relationships between strategic and operational quality planning implied by the framework, and their impact on performance. Results support the theory underlying the Baldrige award. Specifically, the strategic quality planning process, mediated by the effective use of information and analysis, is the driver of operational quality planning. Positive business results are the outcome of this planning process. Results also show that customer and market focus is a crucial input to strategic quality planning, the commitment of senior leadership is critical in securing a customer and market focus, and operational level business processes are driven by a strategic commitment to human resource management.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the direct influence of three types of operations management practices, namely total quality management (TQM), lean manufacturing (LEAN), and supply chain management (SCM) on operational performance. Design/methodology/approach – Cluster analysis is used to classify data collected from Thai manufacturing firms into three business strategy clusters of cost leadership, differentiation, and focussed strategy. Next, multiple-regression analysis was used to test the relationships between operations management practices and performance in each of the three strategy clusters. Findings – Results show that all three operations management practices were significantly associated with performance including the interaction of TQM and SCM. Also, the interaction of LEAN and SCM significantly affected performance for firms pursuing focussed business strategy. Practical implications – Manufacturers in developing nations can use this result to deploy appropriate operations management practices to enhance their competitive edge. Originality/value – This study explores the cross-functional alignment between strategies and practices, which have been transferred from developed to developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate entrepreneurship, social capital and resources contribute to the implementation of supply chain management (SCM) practices in Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework of antecedents of SCM practices and several research hypotheses were proposed. Hypotheses were tested with data from original equipment manufacturers suppliers in the ASEAN automotive manufacturing industry. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regressions were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The analysis of survey data suggests that corporate entrepreneurship theory and social capital theory play a key role in motivating and preceding SCM practices. However, traditional resource-based explanations of SCM decisions by western manufacturing firms do not always apply to ASEAN automotive suppliers. Research limitations/implications – This paper may have excluded some crucial constructs that affect SCM practices. This study also suffers from the common limitations of empirical research, including the reliance on a single respondent. Prior studies suggest that firms with better resources are likely to create more effective SCM operations. This study contributes to the literature by adding behavioral explanations to the research stream. That is, drawing on corporate entrepreneurship and social capital theories, the authors’ link firm behavioral factors to their resources and thus help explains SCM practices. Practical implications – This study provides some notable managerial implications. The study shows that to implement successful SCM practices, emerging ASEAN automotive suppliers should exploit both the internal and external antecedents of SCM. Internal antecedent in the form of corporate entrepreneurship that measures a firm's innovativeness and proactiveness, and external antecedent in the form of social capital that measures a firm's relationships with its supply chain members are important factors that affect SCM practices. Also, these factors are important in counteracting the adverse forces of the environmental uncertainty to improve performance. Originality/value – These findings extend prior research by establishing the importance of the relationships between SCM practices and its antecedents. Also, this is one of the few studies that specifically examined the ASEAN automotive industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the deployment of pro-active and re-active practices in the implementation of green supply chain management (GSCM) and analyze their impact on environmental, economic, and intangible performance by considering business strategy as organizational focus. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from a sample of 190 ISO 14001 certified manufacturing companies in Thailand and used to test the research hypotheses. Factor analysis was used to examine the construct validity while multivariate linear regression was used to test criteria validity. Findings – The threat of legislation and regulation (re-active practices) was a consideration that resulted in companies enhancing their environmental, economic, and intangible performance. Reverse logistics practices (pro-active practices) had low levels of adoption and do not have a significant impact on GSCM performance. Research limitations/implications – This study did not consider some aspects of organizational culture interaction between key customers and suppliers in the supply chain. Originality/value – The results of this study suggest that organizations need to be aware that pursuing a low-cost strategy may impact negatively on their ability to invest in GSCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]