V. Arumugam, Maneesh Kumar, Manisha Kumar and Nicholas Rich
To investigate the factors affecting innovation in Six Sigma improvement teams. Based on Activation Theory, this study explores the possibility of an inverted U-shaped association…
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the factors affecting innovation in Six Sigma improvement teams. Based on Activation Theory, this study explores the possibility of an inverted U-shaped association between psychological safety and innovation and examines how intrinsic motivation moderates this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Moderated regression analysis is carried out to test the curvilinear relationship, using data collected from 324 members of 102 Six Sigma improvement teams from two European manufacturing firms.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the beneficial effect of psychological safety reaches an inflection point, after which its relations with innovation cease to be linear and positive; this gives the relationship a curvilinear pattern (inverted U-shaped). Further, intrinsic motivation has a supportive effect in enhancing the beneficial impact of psychological safety on innovation, and in shifting the inflection points to a higher level; this demonstrates their synergetic influence on innovation.
Originality/value
The impact of psychological safety on innovation is examined from the new perspective of a curvilinear relationship. This is one of the first studies to investigate the combined effects of individual (intrinsic motivation) and team-level antecedents (psychological safety) on innovation in Six Sigma teams. The study provides insights into how Six Sigma enhances innovation and offers some valid inputs to the current academic debate on this topic.
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Vivek Anand A., Arumugam V., Jayalakshmi S. and Arvind Singh R.
The failure of structures and components made of SS304 steel because of corrosion in the presence of saline water environment is still an unsolved issue across the globe…
Abstract
Purpose
The failure of structures and components made of SS304 steel because of corrosion in the presence of saline water environment is still an unsolved issue across the globe. Conventionally, coatings and inhibitors are used to mitigate corrosion. The purpose of this study is to propose a novel method to tackle corrosion by means of micro-patterning on the surface and to explore the relation between surface morphology, corrosion and wetting nature of micro-patterned SS304 Steel.
Design/methodology/approach
Groove-shaped micro-patterns were created on SS304 steel surface with varying ridge and channel widths. Wettability studies conducted on flat and micro-patterned steel surfaces using high speed camera. Corrosion tests carried out in saline water using an electrochemical test set-up to quantify the performance of micro-patterned surface over flat surface and scanning electron microscopic analysis to visualize the severity of corrosion on the surfaces of SS304 steel.
Findings
Wettability studies showed that the micro-patterned steel surfaces were hydrophobic. Corrosion rates of the micro-patterned steel surfaces were lower by more than an order of magnitude compared to that of the flat steel surface. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that the micro-patterned steel surfaces had less surface damage compared to the flat surface.
Originality/value
The author shows that the remarkable corrosion resistance shown by the micro-patterned steel surfaces is attributed to their hydrophobicity, which reduced the contact between the surfaces and the corrosive liquid media. Results from the investigation indicate that micro-patterning of SS304 steel surfaces is an effective route to decrease corrosion.
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Lee Heng Wei, Ong Chuan Huat and Prakash V. Arumugam
The purpose of this study is to analyse user-generated content and firm-generated content on perceived quality and brand trust, and eventually how it impacted brand loyalty with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse user-generated content and firm-generated content on perceived quality and brand trust, and eventually how it impacted brand loyalty with pandemic fear as the moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed an online survey questionnaire method in the Facebook online shopping groups to collect the data. The filter question technique was adopted to verify the respondent's validity. A total of 434 samples was collected using purposive sampling. The data were then analysed using SmartPLS 3.0.
Findings
The analysis showed that firm-generated content appeared to have a stronger positive relationship on perceived quality and brand trust than on user-generated content. Brand trust and perceived quality are found to influence brand loyalty positively. However, pandemic fears only moderate the relationship between firm-generated content and brand trust and perceived quality. This study revealed that the main components in social media communication do not influence perceived quality and brand trust to the same extent.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the knowledge of social media communication during the pandemic period that has not been studied empirically in the Malaysian context. The main components in social media communication were delineated and the impact of pandemic fears on how they would possibly affect the established relationships in the literature were examined. This study enables the researchers and practitioners to take a closer look at how the pandemic crisis could provide a shift on what has been understood so far.
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J. Muraliraj, Suhaiza Zailani, S. Kuppusamy and C. Santha
Literature reviews are a pervasive aspect in research. An ever mounting field such as Lean Six Sigma requires a perpetual touch on the subject to accentuate insights that can be…
Abstract
Purpose
Literature reviews are a pervasive aspect in research. An ever mounting field such as Lean Six Sigma requires a perpetual touch on the subject to accentuate insights that can be researched about. The purpose of this paper is to address the published literatures in the field of Lean Six Sigma through multiple criterion for an enhanced understanding of the subject matter through summarizing its current trends, uncovering existing literature gaps and revealing opportunities for future research in the field.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature review on Lean Six Sigma field spans around 17 years that includes peer-reviewed journals from management, business, engineering, healthcare, manufacturing, military among the many disciplines. The study uses a content analysis approach in which several dimensions of the literature were analysed: purpose or focus of study, years of publication, journal name or publications, methodologies, theories used, country of study, industry sub-sectors, active authors in the field, critical success factors, barriers and challenges and the most contribution of Lean Six Sigma papers by universities.
Findings
Eleven important findings from the analysis were summarized among them; the field of Lean Six Sigma had begun to grow significantly since the new millennium particularly after the 2004-2007 or 2008 period; standalone concepts of Lean and Six Sigma are highly researched compared to the integrated concepts; large proportion of perspective, conceptual and descriptive based studies; lack of empirical validity on the fusion between Lean and Six Sigma; lack of theoretical based studies, etc.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to 102 journals in commonly searched databases in the subject matter which produced 261 journal papers. This study seeks to broaden the summary of studies done under the keyword “Lean Six Sigma”.
Originality/value
The review analysis uses a content analysis approach in search of valuable gaps in existing research. The study found 261 papers from 102 journals that were published over the past seventeen years (2000-2016). This paper provides scholars, practitioners and managers with insights on the present trends and focus of Lean Six Sigma in addition to what else are lacking in the subject matter, which could pave the way for future research and practical endeavours.
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– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm value and the influence of financing constraints on this relationship.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm value and the influence of financing constraints on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 192 firms spanning a period of ten years (1999-2008) are used for this purpose and analyzed using the ordinary least squares regression technique.
Findings
The study finds that improvements in working capital efficiency through reduction in working capital investment results in higher firm value. However, this relationship is influenced by the financing constraints faced by a firm. For financially constrained firms, working capital efficiency significantly increases firm value but it is found to be insignificant for unconstrained firms.
Originality/value
To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study on the value of working capital in Malaysia or in any emerging market. Most studies on working capital valuation concentrate on developed countries and that too are only a handful. Hence this study contributes to the scarce literature on the valuation of working capital. This study also uses the model by Fama and French (1998) to evaluate the relationship between working capital and firm value, which has hardly been used in studies on working capital valuation.
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The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze and identify key factors affecting working capital behavior of companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze and identify key factors affecting working capital behavior of companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange.
Design/methodology/approach
Working capital requirement and cash conversion cycle were used to proxy working capital behavior. The study explored nine main factors widely discussed in previous research to explain working capital behavior: operating cash flow, growth opportunities, performance, firm value, age, size, leverage, economic conditions and industry type. The study employed a panel data analysis for 68 listed Egyptian industrial firms for the period 2000–2010. Different techniques of the generalized method of moments were used to test the validity of the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that working capital behavior is affected by various factors related to firm characteristics, economic conditions and industry type.
Originality/value
This study provides financial managers with a better understanding of the impact of different internal and macroeconomic factors on working capital behavior in an emerging market, such as Egypt’s.
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The management of liquidity has always been seen as a critical but often ignored issue in finance. Despite the abundance of studies on liquidity management, these studies mainly…
Abstract
Purpose
The management of liquidity has always been seen as a critical but often ignored issue in finance. Despite the abundance of studies on liquidity management, these studies mainly focus on developed countries and on large firms. Liquidity is critical for the small firm but studies on liquidity management in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are lacking. The purpose of this paper is to examine the firm-level determinants of liquidity of SMEs in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected for a total of 986 small firms in Malaysia from 2011 to 2014, resulting in a total of 2,683 observations. Firm-specific variables and the effect of the economy are considered as the possible determinants of liquidity. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis with standard errors adjusted for firm-level clustering and quantile regression analysis are used for this purpose.
Findings
Analysis using OLS regression technique indicates that a firm’s profitability, its growth, asset tangibility, size, age and firm status are significant factors in influencing its liquidity decision. Leverage and economic condition are not found to have any significant influence on liquidity. However, quantile regression analysis provides a different picture especially for SMEs with liquidity at the quantile levels of θ=0.10 and 0.90. At θ=0.10, only profitability, tangibility and firm status are significant, while at θ=0.90, tangibility, size, firm status and, to some extent, age are significant in influencing liquidity levels.
Originality/value
To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study analyzing the liquidity decision of SMEs in an emerging market such as Malaysia. Most studies on liquidity management of SMEs are focused on developed countries due to data availability but these studies are also only a handful. Additionally, this study uses quantile regression analysis which highlights the need to analyze financial decisions at different levels rather than at the aggregate level as done in OLS regression analysis.
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Faisal Talib, Zillur Rahman and M.N. Qureshi
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and quality performance in Indian service companies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and quality performance in Indian service companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical data was collected using a self‐administered instrument that was distributed to 600 Indian service companies. Of the 600 instrument e‐mailed, 172 usable instrument were returned, yielding a response rate of 28.6 per cent. A stratified sampling procedure was utilized to obtain the minimum sample size of 600 from the four chosen service industries (i.e. Healthcare, Banking, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Hospitality). The data was analyzed using factor, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analyses.
Findings
The findings revealed that TQM practices were found to be partially correlated with quality performance of the Indian service companies. It was also found that quality culture was perceived as the dominant TQM practice in quality performance. The other practices such as quality systems, training and education, teamwork, and benchmarking showed a positive relationship with quality performance.
Research limitations/implications
The research paper was limited by including only four industries in the selection of service companies in India, making this a possibly biased selection and it may not be adequate to generalize the results for the entire Indian service companies.
Originality/value
The study has contributed to the TQM literature with a better understanding of the 17 TQM practices and their association with a company's quality performance that will provide valuable knowledge to top‐management of service companies, to refine their current TQM practices and subsequently improve quality performance.
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Tarek Eldomiaty, Marwa Anwar and Ahmed Ayman
The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential benefits of an optimal vs observed working capital; the latter being measured by cash conversion cycle (CCC). Optimal CCC is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential benefits of an optimal vs observed working capital; the latter being measured by cash conversion cycle (CCC). Optimal CCC is defined and measured as the CCC that maximizes sales in the last four quarters. The initial exploratory results show that optimal CCC has been shorter than the observed. In addition, shorter CCC is accompanied by higher return on investment.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use various statistical tools to analyze the differences between determinants of observed and optimal CCC. These statistical tools include Johansen cointegration test, linearity, normality tests, cointegration regression and Granger causality. The authors also use the benefits of discriminant analysis in order to reach a Z-score model that can be used for monitoring the move from an observed to optimal working capital.
Findings
The results show that: significant association exists between volatility of sales and CCC; sales volatility and lagged growth of sales carry relatively the highest weights when a firm moves from observed to optimal CCC; shorter CCC is associated significantly with higher profitability; the observed CCC adjusts to an optimal level; as inflation rises causing potential rise in cost of goods sold, firms prefer staying away from optimal levels of working capital; as economic growth slows down, firms stay at the current level of observed working capital; the results are subject to industry and size effects; and the DJIA and NASDAQ listed firms adjust observed CCC to optimal level slowly.
Originality/value
This paper offers three advances in the literature. The first advance is that the paper determines an optimal level of working capital empirically. To the best of the authors’ knowledge up to the date of submission, other related studies did not include an empirical solution to determine optimal working capital. The second advance is that the paper develops an empirical discriminant model that can be used for monitoring firms’ move from an observed to optimal working capital. The third advance is that optimal working capital shows the empirical integration between short-term and long-term investments that results in an improvement to firm’s liquidity and profitability.
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Mohammed A. Al-Hakimi, Majid M. Goaill, Hamood Mohammed Al-Hattami, Mohsen Ali Murshid, Moad Hamod Saleh and Sami Abdulkareem Mohammed Moghalles
Although understanding how different resources are interconnected within firms is important, there are few studies that have focused on this area. This study aims to explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
Although understanding how different resources are interconnected within firms is important, there are few studies that have focused on this area. This study aims to explore the unique and interactive effects of technical lean practices (TLPs) and human lean practices (TLPs) on the operational performance (OP) of manufacturing SMEs in Yemen, a less developed country (LDC).
Design/methodology/approach
Depending on data collected from 318 manufacturing SMEs in Yemen, the relationships in the proposed model were tested using hierarchical regression analysis via PROCESS Macro V. 3.5 in SPSS.
Findings
The results show that both TLPs and HLPs have unique effects on OP of SMEs. More importantly, both TLPs and HLPs have synergistic effects on OP.
Practical implications
The study would be of interest to Lean practitioners, as the results of this study can be used in firms to put a focus on how TLPs and HLPs have to interact when it comes to the successful implementation of lean manufacturing (LM).
Originality/value
Although research interest in LM is increasing, the interactive effects of TLPs and HLPs remain to be understood. This study provides an initial empirical evidence for performance outcomes from the interaction between TLPs and HLPs of SMEs in LDCs such as Yemen. Most of the previous studies on lean practices have focused on SMEs in developed countries, which may not fully apply to LDCs such as Yemen. This is helpful for SMEs' managers in the context of LDCs to understand how TLPs can further improve OP when interacting with HLPs.