Prakash J. Singh

Supply chain management: a structured literature review and implications for future research

Purpose – The field of supply chain management (SCM) has historically been informed by knowledge from narrow functional areas. While some effort towards producing a broader organizational perspective has been made, nonetheless, SCM continues to be largely eclectic with little consensus on its conceptualization and research methodological bases. This paper seeks to clarify aspects of this emerging perspective.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 100 randomly selected refereed journal articles were systematically analyzed.Findings – A number of key findings emerged: the field is a relatively “new” one; several disciplines claim ownership of the field; consensus is lacking on the definition of the term; contextual focus is mostly on the manufacturing industry; predominantly “process” conceptual framing prevails; research methods employed are mostly analytical conceptual, empirical surveys or case studies; the positivist research paradigmatic stance is prevalent; and theories related to transaction cost e...

Relationship between TQM and innovation: an empirical study

It is generally acknowledged that organisations need to be innovative in order to survive and prosper. Some advocates of total quality management (TQM) have suggested that it provides the necessary platform for inculcating innovation in organisations. Intuitively, TQM components involving sound and effective practices on leadership, customer focus, relations with suppliers, employee inter‐relationships, information/communication systems and management of processes and products do appear to enable organisations develop culture of innovation. A robust TQM‐innovation relationship appears to be conceptually plausible, but little empirical evidence has so far been offered to support this proposition. In this paper, this relationship is explored. Empirical data were taken from a survey of 418 Australian manufacturing organisations. Structural equation modelling technique was used for statistical analysis. Results show that there is insufficient statistical evidence to suggest that TQM is related to innovation. There could well be a more complex relationship between these concepts.

The nature and effectiveness of collaboration between firms, their customers and suppliers: a supply chain perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate a model of collaboration based on the notion of firms having strong working relationships with their suppliers and customers. Whilst issues associated with collaborative relationships between firms and their trading partners are a key theme currently being addressed in the supply chain management literature, there appears to be a lack of clear guidelines as to how such capability can be developed in a practical sense.Design/methodology/approach – Data from 418 Australian manufacturing plants are used to test the model. Two key constructs, customer relationship and supplier involvement, are developed. For predictive validity purposes, these constructs are regressed against firm performance construct.Findings – Results of structural equation modeling analysis show, inter alia, that there is some support for this collaboration model, with both collaboration‐based constructs influencing performance.Originality/value – The results provide an insight into ho...

ISO 9000 series of standards: comparison of manufacturing and service organisations

Purpose – While manufacturing organisations were early adopters of ISO 9000, lately, many service sector organisations have also pursued adoption. The aim of this paper is to compare the experiences with the standard of the two sectors.Design/methodology/approach – The research collected data from 149 service and 160 manufacturing organisations using a common survey measurement instrument.Findings – Results show that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of time and cost of obtaining registration. Also, there are only small points of differences in motivation for registration and difficulties faced. There are greater differences between the groups in terms of benefits gained and management practices associated with the standard.Originality/value – These results provide interesting insights into how the two groups perceive and engage with the standard, how cross‐industry diffusion could be taking place, and the veracity of the claims made about the universal app...

Readiness factors for lean implementation in healthcare settings – a literature review

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to determine the readiness factors that are critical to the application and success of lean operating principles in healthcare organizations through a review of relevant literature. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH A comprehensive review of literature focussing on lean and lean healthcare was conducted. FINDINGS Leadership, organizational culture, communication, training, measurement, and reward systems are all commonly attributed readiness factors throughout general change management and lean literature. However, directly related to the successful implementation of lean in healthcare is that a setting is able to authorize a decentralized management style and undertake an end-to-end process view. These can be particularly difficult initiatives for complex organizations such as healthcare settings. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS The readiness factors identified are based on a review of the published literature. The external validity of the findings could be enhanced if tested using an empirical study. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The readiness factors identified will enable healthcare practitioners to be better prepared as they begin their lean journeys. Sustainability of the lean initiative will be at stake if these readiness factors are not addressed. ORIGINALITY/VALUE To the best of the knowledge, this is the first paper that provides a consolidated list of key lean readiness factors that can guide practice, as well as future theory and empirical research.

Collaborative management of inventory in Australian hospital supply chains: practices and issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the nature of collaborative arrangements that partners in Australian hospital supply chains use to manage inventories.Design/methodology/approach – A case study involving a supply chain network of ten healthcare organisations (three pharmaceutical manufacturers, two wholesalers/distributors and five public hospitals) was studied. Data included 40 semi‐structured interviews, site visits and examination of documents.Findings – This study highlights the existence of a variety of collaborative arrangements amongst supply chain partners such as the “Ward Box” system (a variant of the vender managed inventory system) between wholesalers/distributors and hospitals. The materials management departments were more willing than their pharmacy counterparts to participate in a variety of partial and complete outsourcing arrangements with wholesalers/distributors and other hospitals. Several contingent factors were identified that influenced developm...

A proposed integrated framework for analysing supply chains

Purpose – Organisations need to have a profound level of understanding of their supply chains if they are to successfully find sources of competitive advantage within them. Current methodologies for analysing supply chains, such as the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, are not sufficiently comprehensive, particularly when it comes to understanding the complex social and political factors that are an integral part of any supply chain. This paper aims to use a case study of a supply chain from the public utility industry sector in Australia to develop an integrated framework for analysing supply chains within a multi‐disciplinary and multi‐method research paradigm.Design/methodology/approach – The case study supply chain was mapped with the SCOR modelling tool which provided insights into the physical characteristics and value points along the supply chain.Findings – Analysis of the SCOR model map also helped identify 31 key “actors” in the chain, who were then interviewed in depth. These inte...

An empirically validated quality management measurement instrument

Purpose – To develop a quality management (QM) measurement instrument that has sound psychometric properties and recognizes a key feature of the field, i.e. QM is currently characterized by three competing approaches: standards‐based; prize‐criteria; and, elemental implementation approaches.Design/methodology/approach – The three disparate approaches were analyzed to identify sets of key constructs and associated items. The assembled instrument was empirically validated through a survey of 418 Australian manufacturing organizations. A full set of reliability and validity tests were performed. Wherever applicable, confirmatory approach using structural equation modeling was used.Findings – The results of psychometric tests suggest that the constructs of the three approaches have good empirical support. In the manner in which the instrument is presented, it is possible to separately measure constructs related to each of the three approaches.Research limitations/implications – The measurement instrument has ...

Strategic supply chain management issues in the automotive industry : An Australian perspective

The automotive manufacturing industry is an extremely competitive one. Many companies are focusing on their supply chains for sources of competitive advantage. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study that examined contemporary issues related to supply chains in the Australian automotive manufacturing industry. Data from interviews with managers from vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers, peak industry bodies and government agencies enabled the articulation of 10 key issues. These issues were validated as being relevant to the industry by another group of managers from the industry. Review of these 10 issues showed that the relationships between the parties in supply chains are complex, and despite the success of the industry, there are a number of structural weaknesses. These issues, when taken individually, pose significant risks to the industry. When considered collectively, these risks are magnified several fold. This paper also presents research questions in the form of formal propositions associated with the 10 issues that need to be rigorously tested in order to assess the long-term viability and success of the industry. The issues that are raised can also be relevant to other industries with similar supply chain dynamics.

ISO 9000 in the public sector: a successful case from Australia

Purpose – Public sector organisations have been relatively late in adopting ISO 9000 quality management standards in comparison with those from the private sector. While the standards have the potential to provide many benefits, they could also reinforce certain detrimental orthodoxies. How suitable ISO 9000 is to public sector organisations is not clear. This paper aims to assess the suitability of ISO 9000 through the experiences of a public sector organisation.Design/methodology/approach – The organisation is a prominent Australian federal government agency operating in the maritime safety area. The experiences of this organisation were captured through interviews with key personnel and publicly available data. Specific issues analysed included the motivation for implementation, the registration process involved, the difficulties faced and the benefits derived.Findings – Overall, it is clear that ISO 9000 has been a success in this organisation. It had the “right” attitude in terms of its motivation fo...