Just in Time, Quality Management, Supply Chain Management, and Business Performance: A Structural Analysis

Just in time, quality management, and supply chain management are three philosophies firms have used to respond to competitive forces and enhance business performance. They are also complementary strategies that can be used as part of an integrated strategy to streamline material flows, reduce waste, and improve product quality, while satisfying market demands for shorter lead times, increased responsiveness, and lower cost. This study proposes and tests a structural equation model that relates just in time, quality management and supply chain management practices with a firm’s supplier management practices and identifies their relationships with business performance. Results indicate that while just in time, supply chain management, and quality management strategies are mutually supportive, quality management alone has a direct impact on business performance

Supply Chain Integration: Cluster Analysis of the Impact of Span of Integration

Purpose This paper aims to explore whether firms that integrate only with partners adjacent to them in the supply chain exhibit different patterns of supply chain practice and performance than those that also integrate with partners more distant in the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach Cluster analysis of survey data is used to partition firms based on the span of the supply chain involved in their integration efforts. Findings Firms with a broad span of integration have a greater focus on alignment with suppliers and customers, and have more of a supply chain focus than those with a narrow span. They also demonstrate higher levels of performance attributable to supply chain relationships. Practical implications Results highlight the importance to supply chain professionals of taking a broad view of the supply chain rather than focusing only on first tier suppliers and customers. They also suggest the importance of exploring opportunities to facilitate broader participation in supply chain integration efforts. Originality/value Past research has identified the importance of supply chain integration without addressing the importance of how much of the supply chain should be involved in such efforts. This study provides empirical support for the need to involve partners across the supply chain

Green supply chain management practices and performance

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

Supply Chain Management: Supplier Performance and Firm Performance

This research examines the relationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices, supplier performance, and company performance. The results provide empirical evidence that selected purchasing practices and customer relation practices are strongly ssociated with the perceived financial and market success of firms responding to the survey

Tools and Techniques of Quality Management: An Empirical Investigation of Their Impact on Performance

An investigation of quality management at an operational rather than a strategic level is described. Using a survey of senior quality personnel, data were collected on four aspects of quality: management; quality tools; documentation; and the dimensions of quality that companies measure. Regression analysis confirms suggestions in the literature that company performance is positively affected by a culture in which quality is ingrained. Moreover, it identifies positive relationships between several widely used operational practices and company performance

Acquisition of Operations Capability: A Model and Test across US and European Firms

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\u27s 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

A Structural Equation Model of New Product Design and Development

This research uses structural equation modeling to analyze the effects of supplier assessment, Just-In-Time, and quality management strategies on new product design and development. A survey of senior managers who are members of the American Production and Inventory Control Society in the United States was used to test the relationships between the constructs in the model. In general, the survey results supported the proposed structural equation model. The data showed that supplier assessment and Just-In-Time strategies were correlated and affected the quality management strategy used, which in turn influenced the new product design and development strategy. The data also showed that the Just-In-Time strategy directly influenced the new product design and development strategy

A Framework of Supply Chain Management Literature

Over the past decade, the traditional purchasing and logistics functions have evolved into a broader strategic approach to materials and distribution management known as supply chain management. This research reviews the literature base and development of supply chain management from two separate paths that eventually merged into the modern era of a holistic and strategic approach to operations, materials and logistics management. In addition, this article attempts to clearly describe supply chain management since the literature is replete with buzzwords that address elements or stages of this new management philosophy. This article also discusses various supply chain management strategies and the conditions conducive to supply chain management

Minimizing Tardiness on a Single Processor with Sequence Dependent Setup Times: A Simulated Annealing Approach

In today\u27s fast-paced Just-In-Time and mass customization manufacturing in a sequence-dependent setup environment, the challenge of making production schedules to meet due-date requirements is becoming a more complex problem. Unfortunately, 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 minimizing tardiness, a common measure of due-date performance, in a sequence-dependent setup environment. Simulated annealing was used to solve the sequencing problem, and its performance was compared with random search. Our experimental results show that the algorithm can find a good solution fairly quickly, and thus can rework schedules frequently to react to variations in the schedule. The algorithm is invaluable for ‘on-line’ production scheduling and ‘last-minute’ changes to production schedule. The results of this research also suggest ways in which more complex and realistic job shop environments, such as multiple machines with a higher number of jobs in the sequence, and other scheduling objectives can be modeled. This research also investigates computational aspects of simulated annealing in solving complex scheduling problems

Supply Chain Management: Practices, Concerns and Performance Issues

The advent of information technology and intense global competition has enticed many world-class manufacturers and service providers into adopting an integrated strategic approach to supply chain management. Although many supply chain management efforts have failed to achieve the desired results, it has become a significant strategic tool for firms striving to achieve competitive success. Using a survey of senior supply and materials management professionals in the United States, this study investigates the contemporary practices and concerns of supply chain management. This study also relates the practices and concerns to firms\u27 performance by means of bivariate correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. A general conclusion is that all of the significant supply chain management practices positively impact performance