Sohel Ahmad and Roger G. Schroeder
Management literature discusses that the behavioral traits of employees can play an important role in the success of total quality management (TQM). However, little empirical…
Abstract
Management literature discusses that the behavioral traits of employees can play an important role in the success of total quality management (TQM). However, little empirical research exists in this regard. Using an international dataset, the present study investigates: the impact of quality management practices on plant competitiveness; and the moderating effect of an employee selection process on the relationship between quality management practices and plant competitiveness. Results show that quality management practices positively impact plant competitiveness. Furthermore, the behavioral traits of employees seem to have a significant impact on the effectiveness of quality management practices. This implies that managers should pay close attention to prospective employees’ behavioral traits and their fit with the TQM philosophy. Managers should not limit their attention to potential employees’ technical skills.
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Sohel Ahmad, Roger G. Schroeder and Debasish N. Mallick
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how product modularity (PM) is related to mass customization (MC) capability and plant competitiveness.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how product modularity (PM) is related to mass customization (MC) capability and plant competitiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper tests hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling with an international dataset.
Findings
PM is not directly related to plant competitiveness. Inter‐functional design coordination (IDC) is found to be critical in fostering plant competitiveness.
Practical implications
Managers need to put IDC mechanisms in place to foster MC capabilities and, thereby, enhance plant competitiveness.
Originality/value
While the existing literature mostly argues for a direct relationship between PM and competitiveness, the paper shows that IDC and MC capability are crucial intervening variables in this relationship.
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Sohel Ahmad and Roger G. Schroeder
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a learning‐based technology strategy along three dimensions: proactive technology posture, process adaptation and experimentation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a learning‐based technology strategy along three dimensions: proactive technology posture, process adaptation and experimentation, and collaborative technology sourcing; also to investigate their relationships with plant competitiveness (cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, and innovation).
Design/methodology/approach
Hypothesized relationships are tested from three perspectives – direct effects perspective, co‐alignment perspective, and mediation perspective – using structural equation modeling with an international dataset.
Findings
Results show that although the three dimensions of learning‐based technology strategy are not individually related to plant competitiveness (direct effects perspective), their co‐alignment strongly impacts plant competitiveness (co‐alignment perspective). Furthermore, this co‐alignment creates an environment in which employee suggestion and feedback can help make sense of novel situations, leading to superior plant competitiveness (mediation perspective).
Practical implications
Many plants develop some aspects of a learning‐based technology strategy while paying little or no attention to the rest. As the findings of the present study show, such an approach will contribute very little to achieving competitive advantage in the marketplace. More specifically, it is shown that three dimensions of learning‐based technology strategy, when used together, have a significant effect on plant competitiveness. Additionally, it is shown that employee suggestions for improvements drive a learning‐based approach to technology strategy. Therefore, managers should adopt a comprehensive approach to technology strategy using all three dimensions and engage their employees in the process of technology development and improvement.
Originality/value
The literature has stressed the need for proactive technology posture, process adaptation and experimentation, and collaborative technology sourcing to gain competitive advantage. However, little is known about their mutual interdependence and their combined impact on plant competitiveness. This paper attempts to fill in this gap in the literature.
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This study attempts to understand certain aspects of the online shopping experience from a consumer’s perspective. In particular, this study investigates the interaction between…
Abstract
This study attempts to understand certain aspects of the online shopping experience from a consumer’s perspective. In particular, this study investigates the interaction between service failure and online shops’ readiness for service recovery and the resulting impact on customer defection. The findings of the present study suggest that some online shops have severely breached a few fundamental business principles, resulting in lost customers. Specifically, this study finds that failure to institute adequate complaint management and service recovery systems contributed to customer defection. Hence, service recovery and customer retention need to be given due importance during the service design phase, and appropriate management decisions have to be made upfront rather than after service failures occur when it may be too late.
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Sohel Ahmad and Roger G. Schroeder
We undertake an empirical study of the well‐known product‐process matrix using data collected from 128 plants. Our analysis indicates that the relationship between product…
Abstract
We undertake an empirical study of the well‐known product‐process matrix using data collected from 128 plants. Our analysis indicates that the relationship between product structure and process structure is significant, but not strong. Furthermore, less than half of the plants operate near the diagonal of the matrix. We found that the off‐diagonal plants are using innovative initiatives to overcome the lack of product structure and process structure match. As a result, we propose that a third dimension be added to the product‐process matrix that measures how aggressively plants are implementing these innovative initiatives, thereby explaining their off‐diagonal behavior.
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P.N. SubbaNarasimha, Sohel Ahmad and Sudhirkumar N. Mallya
How efficient are firms at utilizing their technological knowledge stocks? In this paper we focus on a firm's breadth and depth of technological knowledge and investigate their…
Abstract
How efficient are firms at utilizing their technological knowledge stocks? In this paper we focus on a firm's breadth and depth of technological knowledge and investigate their differential effects on two performance measures: return on capital and sales growth. Using a sample of 29 pharmaceutical firms we conduct data envelopment analysis (DEA) to determine those firms that are the most efficient converters of breadth and depth of technological knowledge into performance, and the knowledge dimension that the inefficient firms ought to focus upon to improve their performance.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
In a clever twist on the phrase “Shop till you drop”, Tesco, probably the UK's best‐known retailer, is using the slogan “You shop. We drop” on its fleet of vans which deliver the orders of its increasing number of online shoppers.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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Babul Hossain, Md Nazirul Islam Sarker, Guoqing Shi and Md. Salman Sohel
Pakistan is one of the most climate change and natural disaster-affected countries in the globe, where the lives and livelihoods of people are repeatedly affected due to these…
Abstract
Pakistan is one of the most climate change and natural disaster-affected countries in the globe, where the lives and livelihoods of people are repeatedly affected due to these natural disasters. Over the past few decades, the country has been impacted by numerous devastating floods, droughts, and storms. As a result, households face enormous complications, particularly those dwelling in disaster-prone areas. Therefore, this study intends to explore the status of household vulnerability and resilience practices of hazard-prone communities in Pakistan from existing literature. This study has identified the 17 most relevant documents. It argues that household vulnerability is increasing consistently with the increasing rate of disaster intensity. Frequent flooding, landslide, erosion, and crop loss are the leading causes of household vulnerability. This study reveals five types of household vulnerability components which look into several livelihood vulnerability indicators of Pakistani households. Moreover, the study unfolds that the main causes of disaster vulnerability are widespread crop loss, a lack of water, loss of soil fertility, and low socioeconomic situations. The major vulnerability components of dwellers are exposure (increasing summer duration, the rapid increase of population house build-up in the riparian areas, and increasing occurrence of hailstorms), sensitivity, low access to education facilities, human loss, diseases infestation, food insecurity, and social conflict), and less adaptive capacity (social networks, migration, poor emergency services, multiple income sources, and less access to the health facility). To address the household vulnerability, this study has also identified four key aspects of resilience, like social resilience, economic resilience, institutional resilience, and physical resilience. The findings will effectively help to understand the dynamics of household vulnerability and resilience and its measurement and management strategy from developed indicators.
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Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured…
Abstract
Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured supply chain practices, lack of awareness of the implications of the sustainability concept and failure to recycle poultry wastes. The current research thus attempts to develop an integrated supply chain model in the context of poultry industry in Bangladesh. The study considers both sustainability and supply chain issues in order to incorporate them in the poultry supply chain. By placing the forward and reverse supply chains in a single framework, existing problems can be resolved to gain economic, social and environmental benefits, which will be more sustainable than the present practices.
The theoretical underpinning of this research is ‘sustainability’ and the ‘supply chain processes’ in order to examine possible improvements in the poultry production process along with waste management. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and ‘design science’ methods with the support of system dynamics (SD) and the case study methods. Initially, a mental model is developed followed by the causal loop diagram based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation techniques. The causal model helps to understand the linkages between the associated variables for each issue. Finally, the causal loop diagram is transformed into a stock and flow (quantitative) model, which is a prerequisite for SD-based simulation modelling. A decision support system (DSS) is then developed to analyse the complex decision-making process along the supply chains.
The findings reveal that integration of the supply chain can bring economic, social and environmental sustainability along with a structured production process. It is also observed that the poultry industry can apply the model outcomes in the real-life practices with minor adjustments. This present research has both theoretical and practical implications. The proposed model’s unique characteristics in mitigating the existing problems are supported by the sustainability and supply chain theories. As for practical implications, the poultry industry in Bangladesh can follow the proposed supply chain structure (as par the research model) and test various policies via simulation prior to its application. Positive outcomes of the simulation study may provide enough confidence to implement the desired changes within the industry and their supply chain networks.