An empirical investigation of the channels that facilitate a total quality culture

It is generally agreed that the culture of an organisation is a function of its values, beliefs and behavioural practices and that the influence of culture on an organisation is powerful and pervasive. There is also broad agreement that total quality management (TQM ) is a management paradigm that propagates certain values, behaviour and working methods. Moreover, that the successful introduction and practice of a total quality management approach requires close attention to, and more often than not modification of, organisational culture. Yet, culture is somewhat intangible, and regardless of the precise cultural aspirations, in order to change or maintain the desired culture an organisation needs a set of facilitating channels. These are mechanisms or necessary conditions that influence, mould and help sustain a desirable cultural orientation. This paper examines the channels that facilitate the development of a total quality culture based on the findings of an investigation of an international sample of organisations widely regarded as leading exponents of TQM

Exploring the relationships between core elements of TQM implementation

The purpose of the study proposed in this paper is to empirically examine the relationships between important sets of variables known to influence the successful implementation of TQM. The study is presently in the design stage. The sets of variables are TQM principles, organizational culture, and remedial strategies to reduce the barriers to successful TQM implementation. To date, each set of variables has been examined in the literature largely separately. Accordingly, the proposed study would be the first holistic approach that attempts to investigate these relationships collectively to develop a comprehensive TQM implementation model. Primary survey data will be collected from service industry companies of Bahrain. The strength and direction of relationships among the variables will be examined using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression

Knowledge acquisition in supply chain partnerships: The role of power

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Production Economics. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Knowledge is recognised as an important source of competitive advantage and hence there has been increasing academic and practitioner interest in understanding and isolating the factors that contribute to effective knowledge transfer between supply chain actors. The literature identifies power as a salient contributor to the effective operation of a supply chain partnership. However, there is a paucity of empirical research examining how power among actors influences knowledge acquisition and in turn the performance of supply chain partners. The aim of this research is to address this gap by examining the relationship between power, knowledge acquisition and supply chain performance among the supply chain partners of a focal Chinese steel manufacturer. A structured survey was used to collect the necessary data. Two conceptually independent variables – ‘availability of alternatives’ and ‘restraint in the use of power’ – were used to assess actual and realised power, respectively. Controlling for contingencies, we found that the flow of knowledge increased when supply chain actors had limited alternatives and when the more powerful actor exercised restraint in the use of power. Moreover, we found a positive relationship between knowledge acquisition and supply chain performance. This paper enriches the literature by empirically extending our understanding of how power affects knowledge acquisition and performance

Multiobjective optimization as a decision aid for managing build-to-order supply chains

This paper provides an overview of multiobjective optimization (MOO) as a decision aid in build-to-order supply chains (BTO-SC). The main features of BTO-SCs are discussed along with capabilities of MOO to enhance decision making at different points along the chain. Key decision points across a typical BTO-SC are identified and potential applications of MOO are discussed. A sample application is presented and future avenues for further research highlighted

Developing a theory of total quality management - using the delphi technique

Quality has become an important determinant of competitiveness, to the point that it is now widely considered to be the foundation upon which other factors that contribute to competitive advantage, such as cost, speed of delivery, reliability of delivery and flexibility, must be built. Total Quality Management (TQM) has emerged as a prominent tool for organisations in pursuit of lasting improvements in quality, business performance and, for introducing change. A large and increasing number of organisations are starting to adopt TQM in recognition of its strategic importance. The importance of quality is also recognised by governments and industrialists throughout the developed world. The increasing number of awards expounding the value of TQM is a manifestation of the importance placed on the concept. All the signs indicate that the adoption of TQM is unlikely to diminish. Despite the interest, and the attention of many researchers and writers, TQM remains an imprecise subject. Examination of the large volume ofTQM related publications revealed that the literature is dominated by prescription and anecdote and highlights a lack of empirical work. A number of broad areas can be identified where it would appear that the literature has remained irreconcilable or under-developed. Moreover, it appears that the domination of TQM's development by practitioners has resulted in the absence of a theoretical grounding for TQM. These findings pointed to the need for substantive research to extend the current knowledge and understanding of TQM and to support its future development. The aim of this study was to address these broad areas and to fill an important gap in the existing knowledge and understanding ofTQM. More specifically, the aim was to develop an inductive theory o/TQM based on the expert opinion o/practitioners in the leading organisations. For the purpose of this study "theory" is defined as comprising three components: concepts, relationships and underlying logic. The study achieves this aim through the explication of the views of a sample of best practice TQM organisations representing a wide range of industry sectors. The design of the research was motivated by the distinctive shortfalls in the domain and strategy of previous TQM research. After evaluating the methodological options available, the Delphi method was identified as the most relevant and practical research technique. A modified Delphi survey comprising four planned rounds of postal questionnaires was used to collect the study's primary data. Conversion of this primary data into the proposed theory involved a profound process of interpretation and refinement which centred around explaining the logic underlying the salient TQM variables that were identified. Exploratory factor analysis was used to aid the interpretive processes. The salient variables were heuristically organised into a set ofTQM concepts and the interrelationship digraph technique was used to facilitate the extraction of the salient relationships between the concepts from the core body of underlying logic. The study identifies nine key concepts of the TQM approach and puts forward seven key propositions that explain the important relationships between them. The three core concepts are Customer Focus, Internal Collaboration and DynamiclEnergetic Leadership. The study corroborates the belief evident in the more recent TQM literature that TQM is a management philosophy. The idea that TQM is a "management fad" is refuted. The study provides strong evidence that TQM is universally applicable to 'for profit' organisations. It is also shown that the impact of TQM goes beyond management practice. TQM is undeniably concerned with the attitude, the values and the behaviour of all of the members of an organisation. The primary data in this study came from a sample that comprised 'for profit' organisations only. The proposed theory has therefore been derived in this context. This represents the main boundary to which generalisation can be taken. An objective of the study was to test the proposed concepts in order to refine the proposed theory. This objective was only partially met due to unexpected diversity in some of the qualitative primary data. This study has expanded understanding by contributing an inductively developed theory of TQM to the present knowledge. This interpretation of TQM, which identifies the logic underlying the relevance of the important TQM variables, transcends a description of TQM which is specified purely in terms of the relevant variables. The study also contributes an understanding ofTQM that explicitly distinguishes its purpose from its mechanics. The core practical contribution of the study is that it can act as a conduit to improve practitioner understanding. Practitioners seeking to improve the performance of their organisation to a position of sustainable competitive advantage through the introduction of a TQM approach can have an understanding of TQM that is based on proven practice. The study also contributes a set ofTQM concepts and an interrelationship digraph that can act as a base-line from which existing TQM approaches may be critically examined. Furthermore, the study contributes a theory of TQM to the development of a sound theoretical framework that can systematically and appropriately guide future research

Decision support for build-to-order supply chain management through multiobjective optimization

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in International Journal of Production Economics. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2010 Elsevier B.V.This paper aims to identify the gaps in decision-making support based on multiobjective optimization (MOO) for build-to-order supply chain management (BTO-SCM). To this end, it reviews the literature available on modelling build-to-order supply chains (BTO-SC) with the focus on adopting MOO techniques as a decision support tool. The literature has been classified based on the nature of the decisions in different part of the supply chain, and the key decision areas across a typical BTO-SC are discussed in detail. Available software packages suitable for supporting decision making in BTO supply chains are also identified and their related solutions are outlined. The gap between the modelling and optimization techniques developed in the literature and the decision support needed in practice are highlighted. Future research directions to better exploit the decision support capabilities of MOO are proposed. These include: reformulation of the extant optimization models with a MOO perspective, development of decision supports for interfaces not involving manufacturers, development of scenarios around service-based objectives, development of efficient solution tools, considering the interests of each supply chain party as a separate objective to account for fair treatment of their requirements, and applying the existing methodologies on real-life data sets.Brunel Research Initiative and Enterprise Fund (BRIEF

Leanness and agility as means for improving supply chains. A case study on Egypt

Supply chain management has received greater attention from the academics and the practitioners, however the literature review lacks a comprehensive view for supply chain management practices and how its members should act to contribute to its overall success (Li el at., 2005). In this era, where the business organisations are working in several challenging threats and opportunities, greater attention is given to supply chain management. Nowadays, companies are always searching for means to improve their supply chains. The main aim of this research is to show "how leanness and agility approaches can be used within the same enterprise as complementary means for improving its supply chain". To achieve this research objective, the research has provided an assessment and summarised the literature on the supply chain management, lean thinking and agility thinking including their importance; their definitions; their practices and the relationship between lean and agility. The resulted proposed framework deduced from the literature has been applied in the Egyptian Manufacturing Business to show the relationship between the agility principles, lean principles, entity performance and the successful supply chain

Exploring the supply chain agility attributes in fast moving consumer goods industry: A case study in the Middle East

During the 1990s, supply chain management and agility have both received great attention. This is due to the fact that the business market place is characterized by being highly dynamic and complex. This paper aims to explore the need and the attributes of supply chain agility in FMCG business industry working in the Middle East markets. A case study of a multinational company working in the Middle East was chosen, where it faces the challenges of its business environment and its rapid changes in its markets. The findings show the case study supply chain working within such type of industry needs to be agile and that the attributes required for achieving agility within FMCGs supply chain includes: responsiveness; Customer service; flexibility; innovation; speed; quality; efficiency; and responsible people thinking

Decision support for build-to-order supply chain management through multiobjective optimization

This paper aims to identify the gaps in decision-making support based on multiobjective optimization for build-to-order supply chain management (BTOSCM). To this end, it reviews the literature available on modelling build-to-order supply chains (BTO-SC) with the focus on adopting multiobjective optimization (MOO) techniques as a decision support tool. The literature has been classified based on the nature of the decisions in different part of the supply chain, and the key decision areas across a typical BTO-SC are discussed in detail. Available software packages suitable for supporting decision making in BTO supply chains are also identified and their related solutions are outlined. The gap between the modelling and optimization techniques developed in the literature and the decision support needed in practice are highlighted and future research directions to better exploit the decision support capabilities of MOO are proposed

In search of the drivers of high growth in manufacturing SMEs

Though considerable attention in the extant literature has been devoted to growth and performance of firms, there is a dearth of research on high growth firms. Furthermore, the majority of literature in this area focuses on large firms while research on high growth small firms is underdeveloped. This paper investigates the drivers of high growth in manufacturing SMEs. Following a number of focus group interviews with six managing directors of manufacturing firms, a number of drivers of high growth were identified and investigated in a sample of 207 manufacturing SMEs. The results of this study indicate that high growth firms place a greater emphasis on external drivers such as strategic orientation, their operating environment and the use of e-commerce compared with firms having static or declining sales. The analysis shows that high growth firms compete largely on the basis of price. While high growth firms have increased their sales by over 30% during the past three years or longer, it is questionable if manufacturing firms can sustain their competitive advantage without recourse to greater research and development, and innovation in the longer term