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Article
Publication date: 29 May 2019

Sarah Jinhui Wu

Quality management (QM) practices have long been suggested as a package to improve the quality performance of a company. Yet, empirical studies offered little support of this…

882

Abstract

Purpose

Quality management (QM) practices have long been suggested as a package to improve the quality performance of a company. Yet, empirical studies offered little support of this perspective as only a small set of QM practices were found to be conductive to quality improvement. By taking a new approach, the purpose of this paper is simultaneously evaluate the individual and synergistic effects of several key quality practices on operations performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected and used to test the proposed hypotheses. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to assess the magnitude of synergistic effects and individual effects.

Findings

It is found in this study that the synergistic effects across QM practices are substantial in enhancing all operations performance dimensions whereas individual effect varies for different performance goals.

Originality/value

This study makes theoretical contributes to the field of QM by providing empirical support of the interdependence assumption of QM practices and resolving the inconsistent findings. Practically, the results suggest that in-depth implementation of various QM practices simultaneously can be highly effective to achieve performance improvement on all accounts. In addition, the positive additional individual effects also open up a firm’s strategic choices of where to focus the resource investment in the adoption process as long as the strategic focus can justify its contribution toward the desired performance goals.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 69 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 3 February 2012

Sarah Jinhui Wu, Steven A. Melnyk and Morgan Swink

Operational practices and operational capabilities are critical yet distinct elements in operations strategy. The purpose of this paper is to examine their conceptual differences…

2059

Abstract

Purpose

Operational practices and operational capabilities are critical yet distinct elements in operations strategy. The purpose of this paper is to examine their conceptual differences and explore how they are developed in a portfolio, considering the potential for practices and capabilities to be either compensatory or additive in nature.

Design/methodology/approach

The compensatory model argues that the lack of investments in certain practices or capabilities can be offset by higher level of investments in other practices or capabilities. In contrast, the additive model argues that the firm must invest in certain practices or capabilities and that trade‐offs are impossible. The authors examine evidence for these two competing models using an approach borrowed from studies of multi‐attribute consumer preference models and statistical comparisons of non‐nested models.

Findings

Data for the study were collected from operations managers who were members of a large professional organization. The findings indicate that the effects of operational practices are additive for some operational outcomes and compensatory for others. However, the combinatorial nature of operational capabilities is purely compensatory.

Practical implications

The results imply that adequate investment in a wide range of operational practices is necessary to enhance operations performance. However, operations units appear to have more flexibility in choosing to develop a distinctive operational capability set.

Originality/value

The study clarifies the different orientation of operational practices and operational capabilities as they contribute to operations strategy. The findings provide guidelines regarding the combinatorial natures of operational practices and operational capabilities. These guidelines have critical strategic implications for resource allocation schemes and how these schemes affect operational performance.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 15 March 2011

Sarah Jinhui Wu, Dongli Zhang and Roger G. Schroeder

This study aims to investigate how firms should customize quality practices to obtain or maintain quality advantage with the development of quality culture. The paper seeks to…

6309

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how firms should customize quality practices to obtain or maintain quality advantage with the development of quality culture. The paper seeks to adopt March's learning framework and to differentiate quality management practices into two bundles: exploitation and exploration.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey dataset, including 238 manufacturing plants located in eight countries and three industries was used to test the hypotheses. The total sample was classified into two groups depending on the maturity of quality culture, and regression analysis was conducted in each of the groups for comparison.

Findings

Data analysis results show that quality exploitation practices are highly related to performance outcome when quality culture has not become a prevailing organization culture. In contrast, quality exploration practices are significantly associated with operations performance after quality culture plays a critical role in organizational culture.

Research limitations/implications

The findings encourage future research on customization of quality management practices.

Practical implications

The findings suggest when it is more appropriate to adopt explorative‐ oriented quality practices and when to adopt exploitative‐oriented quality practices to make quality management programs more effective.

Originality/value

This paper advances the understanding of quality management practices from the context‐dependent perspective. Particularly, the study suggests the selective adoption of certain quality management practices based on the evolvement of quality culture.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 28 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 22 May 2009

Sarah Jinhui Wu and David J. Closs

The purpose of this research is to apply a simulation experiment to investigate the impact of new components purchasing and used components recovery strategies on multiple…

1622

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to apply a simulation experiment to investigate the impact of new components purchasing and used components recovery strategies on multiple performance measures. The research compares the effectiveness of these strategies, given different levels of uncertainty for the return flow from the contingency perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The experimental design is implemented using an ARENA simulation model. Simulation results are used to test the proposed research model. Multivariate analysis of variance is used for data analysis.

Findings

The results demonstrate that while a proactive purchasing strategy reduces total system cost, it also negatively affects service level. While there are some general conclusions, it is equally important to make decisions under specific business contexts.

Practical implications

The primary implication is that a firm has to align its purchasing strategy and recovery strategy with its business strategy. Given the tradeoff on multiple performance dimensions, the business strategy guides the selection of the appropriate purchasing and recovery strategy.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates that using multiple performance measures is necessary to accurately assess cost and service trade‐offs related to a proactive purchasing strategy. Considering a wide range of circumstances, this paper suggests that the contingency perspective is a valid approach for investigating closed‐loop supply chains.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 6 February 2009

2187

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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