Peter K.C. Lee

The implementation and performance outcomes of ISO 9000 in service organizations : an empirical taxonomy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the patterns with which ISO 9000:2000 was implemented in service organizations, and to examine the performance outcomes and contextual factors which are associated with different ISO 9000:2000 implementation patterns.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review of quality management practice, a questionnaire was developed based on quality management principles of ISO 9000:2000 and three propositions. The propositions were tested using responses from managers or executives in 45 service organizations.Findings – Cluster analysis shows that there are two markedly different ISO 9000:2000 implementation patterns among sample organizations. The analysis results also indicate that organizations with different ISO 9000:2000 implementation patterns performed differently in the two outcomes analysed.Research limitations/implications – Managers in service organizations must realize that ISO 9000:2000 is capable of generating a competitive advantage only...

ISO 9001:2000 implementation in the public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the implementation of ISO 9001:2000 in the public sector, using data obtained from a small‐scale and service‐oriented economy – i.e. Macao SAR, the Peoples Republic of China.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review on ISO 9001 development, a measurement instrument was established using the management principles of ISO 9001:2000 and hypotheses were developed to test the applicability and effectiveness of ISO 9001:2000. The instrument and hypotheses were tested using responses from managers and executives in public organizations.Findings – The results show that ISO 9001:2000 is useful in enhancing organizational performance in public organizations.Research implications – Mangers in public organizations must realize that simply adopting and maintaining the ISO 9001:2000 certificate is not enough. More resources and commitment are needed to achieve better organizational performance.Originality/value – The paper contributes to the literature by...

Benefits of implementing management system standards : a case study of certified companies in the Pearl River Delta, China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of implementing management system standards among ISO (and other) certified companies in the Pearl River Delta and its effect on the perceived benefits.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional survey of certified companies was carried out using a self‐administrated questionnaire. A total of 157 companies participated in the study.Findings – It was found that the majority of the responding companies implement more than one standardized management system, mostly adopting the quality management, environmental management, and occupational health and safety management systems (i.e. ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS18001). Results show that companies certified to ISO9001 and ISO14001 gain more benefits than the others.Research limitations/implications – The study shows that companies implementing multiple management systems can have better corporate performance, product quality, and marketing edges than the others. The results indicate that differen...

Quality management framework for public management decision making

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the practice of quality management framework as a strategic tool for public management.Design/methodology/approach – The paper starts with a basic process‐based model; it then enhances the model with the quality management principles for continuous improvement. With identification of concerned factors from the literature, it examines their usefulness in the quality management system.Findings – An empirical analysis on the framework identifies eight factors: factual approach to decision making, use of quality tools, customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, mutually beneficial supplier partnership and internal results. The framework shows that leadership and customer focus are much more important than previously anticipated for successful implementation of quality management system.Research limitations/implications – Managers in public organizations must realize that all high performance organizations, whether private or public, are by princip...

Market competitiveness and quality performance in high‐contact service industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore conceptually and examine empirically the impact of market competitiveness on employee satisfaction, service quality, and customer satisfaction in high‐contact service industries.Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study was conducted in high‐contact service shops in Hong Kong. Dyadic data were collected from 210 high‐contact service shops and were analysed using structural equation modelling.Findings – The results confirm that market competitiveness has a direct impact on service quality, not employee satisfaction. The findings also reveal that service quality affects customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to employee satisfaction, forming a “quality‐customer satisfaction‐employee satisfaction cycle”.Practical implications – The results recommend that firms take a long‐term perspective towards investment in understanding the competitiveness of the market. Such an understanding helps managers identify and implement appropriate quality‐improvement...

The Effectiveness of Supply Chain Risk Information Processing Capability: An Information Processing Perspective

To mitigate and respond to supply chain risks, previous research usually views supply chain risk management as the management of various activities concerning risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and responses. While supply chain risk information plays a crucial role in the implementation and decisions of many of these activities, the importance of a firms information processing capability to its supply chain risk management effort has received very little attention in the literature. Using information processing theory as the theoretical lens, we argue that a firms capability in processing supply chain risk information, which comprises supply chain risk information sharing and supply chain risk information analysis, can improve operational performance, and this capabilitys effectiveness in improving performance is contingent on product-specific uncertainty characteristics (i.e., product complexity and product customization) and environment-related uncertainty characteristics (i.e., technology turbulence and market turbulence). We test the proposed theoretical model using data collected from 350 manufacturing firms in China. The results support that supply chain risk information processing capability comprises two constituent elements and has a positive effect on operational performance. The results also suggest that except for product complexity, all the other posited product-specific and environment-related uncertainty characteristics positively moderate the relationship between supply chain risk information capability and operational performance. We contribute to the literature by developing a theory-driven empirical model that integrates the core concepts of supply chain risk management and information processing theory to generate research findings with theoretical and managerial implications.

Employee learning in high-contact service industries

Employee learning is imperative in the dynamic service environment; yet, much is still unknown about its strategic importance. The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of learning by focusing on the strategic importance of learning goal orientation (LGO) in customer-contact employees in service industries characterized with high customer contact.,This paper adopts the multi-method approach by conducting two studies in the high-contact service sector. Study 1 is a large-scale, multiple-respondent survey that investigates the associations between LGO and its antecedents and performance outcomes. To supplement study 1, study 2 embraces case studies that identify the managerial supportive practices and outcomes of customer-contact employees’ learning behaviors.,The results of study 1 demonstrate that employees’ affective organizational commitment does not yield higher-quality services unless the service employees are learning oriented. The findings of study 1 also indicate that management commitment to service quality has positive effects on both LGO and affective organizational commitment. In study 2, the results reveal the practical methods that managers can employ to effectively promote such activities.,This research offers novel insights into research on learning by showing the strategic importance of LGO to enhancing high-contact service firms’ performance and the practical means of fostering LGO in customer-contact employees.

Adopting an Open Innovation Program with Supply Chain Management in China: A Case Study

Abstract This study examines how an open innovation program can be implemented in practice by a foreign company operating in China with due consideration of traditional supply chain management practices. A case study of an open innovation initiative in a renowned global electrical appliance company in China is explored. The study has found that supply chain managers can play an important role in innovation sourcing, provided an open innovation perspective is adopted. In addition, an open innovation framework complemented by an open innovation funnel is presented. The framework provides new practical insights for engineering managers seeking to implement open innovation programs. The study bridges the gap between academic studies and industrial practice regarding the roles of different functional units in an environment of open innovation.