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This paper explores the application of total quality management (TQM) to public sector organisations. The examination of the operating characteristics of these organisations has been made against ten dimensions of TQM (e.g. supplier relationships and workforce management) identified and defined by the authors using the academic literature. From the examination TQM is found to be of benefit to public sector organisations but particular characteristics of their operation, in particular, the lack of understanding of customer satisfaction issues, the contentment of managers and staff to work to rules and regulations and observe precedent, and the lack of internal drive and motivation to improve processes, make the TQM intervention more difficult. It is also observed that regulatory bodies can provide the incentive to improve, acting in the same role as demanding customers in a competitive situation.

As businesses worked towards Y2000 compliancy and checked their sources of supply, the mechanisms and nature of relationships in the supply chain were exposed. A multi‐case study methodology of four UK‐based SMEs and one large multinational company was undertaken to exploit this time‐window. Although the Y2000 problem was to some extent unique, it is only one of many potential environmental changes that organisations, particularly businesses, have to respond to in the rapidly changing future. Thus any lessons that can be learned from studying this event could provide useful information for future significant environmental changes; changes to trading and market environments; changes to employment law. Whilst the terms “supply chain” and “supply chain management” are universally adopted, their meaning and actual application is less certain. This paper explores the limited but diverse multidisciplinary literature and the “theory/practice” gap in the area of supply chain management and the impact on the supply chain of preparing for the Year 2000.

Business innovation, that is, the adaptation of management systems to the changing conditions of the environment, is a key factor for organisations if they wish to survive and grow. Total quality management (TQM) has demonstrated its potential to be a successful way for organisations to elimintate costs, improve productivity and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. However, are TQM and business innovation compatible? The advantages and disadvantages to TQM as a means of developing and facilitating business innovations are discussed in this paper. It is argued that TQM does not hinder business innovation and some of its dimensions can assist an organsation to be more innovative. The compatibility of reengineering, which is a form of business innovation, with TQM is also considered in the paper, along with the effects of TQM on the successful implementation of information technologies.

To provide insights into current IT and total quality management (TQM) theory and practice on operational and quality performance, in particular the use of IT in supporting TQM policies and practices.

Hypotheses derived from the key features of TQM and IT presented by previous authors are tested using structural equation modelling through field research on a sample of 234 manufacturing companies in Spain.

The results indicate that the sampled firms make considerable use of IT to support their TQM initiatives and that overall such efforts generate significant positive gains on operational and quality performance. The few exceptions to this are noted and discussed.

The implications and limitations of the survey together with suggestions for further research are fully discussed.

A survey of IT in support of TQM initiatives on operational and quality performance in manufacturing suggests how firms and other organisations should focus their IT investments to improve performance.

Both information technology and TQM have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on most organizations. Although each paradigm has been widely researched there is little empirical research on the relationship between the two and how they both relate to business performance.

Many organisations, particularly SMEs, are reluctant to invest time and money in models to support decision making. Such reluctance could be overcome if a model could be used for several purposes rather than using a traditional “single perspective” model. This requires the development of a “general enterprise model” (GEM), which can be applied to a wide range of problem domains with unlimited scope. Current enterprise modelling frameworks only deal effectively with non‐dynamic modelling issues whilst dynamic modelling issues have traditionally only been addressed at the operational level. Although the majority of research in this area relates to manufacturing companies, the framework for a GEM must be equally applicable to service and public sector organisations. This paper identifies five key design issues that need to be considered when constructing a GEM. A framework for such a GEM is presented based on a “plug and play” methodology and demonstrated by a simple case study.

The focus of this paper is to trace the origins of the term TQM and clarify the different definitions employed by academics and practitioners. Feigenbaum and Ishikawa are perhaps the greatest contributors to the development of the term. The other recognised quality management gurus such as Crosby, Deming and Juran have shaped the dimensions, practices and mechanism which underpin the concept, but it is noted that none of these three actually uses the TQM term. TQM started to be used in the mid‐1980s and only became a recognised part of the quality‐related language in the late 1980s. The paper also analyses the key dimensions of TQM and traces their origins.

Presents a complete and comprehensive review of the literature concerning the relationship between information technologies (IT) and total quality management (TQM) and examines the key issues. The examination is made against a number of dimensions of TQM including customer and supplier relationships, workforce management, process flow management and quality data and reporting. Issues concerning the impact that IT is having on these TQM dimensions are highlighted and future potential issues are raised.

The performance of manufacturing systems needs to be continuously reviewed in response to increasingly evolving market conditions. In recent years, a large volume of research has concentrated on improving manufacturing performance. Some research has been directed at senior management emphasising the strategic need for change and how to initiate change; other research has been directed at shop floor level and the provision of tools for continuous improvement; whilst more recent research has focused on business process re‐engineering and supporting methodologies. However, there is a very limited set of tools available for middle managers to encapsulate the aspirations of senior management (e.g. the strategic objectives of a company) and translate these into shop floor actions. This paper proposes a methodology to support management of the introduction of new processes, products and systems and to improve the performance of manufacturing systems. The paper presents a case and methodology for an integrated system for strategic, tactical, operational and project planning. The proposed methodology is based on structured systems analysis and simulation of a manufacturing plant. Feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through application to two small to medium‐sized enterprises.

The environment provided by an organisation to facilitate learning and create knowledge has been defined as the shared organisational context. The value to an organisation of knowledge created by the shared organisational context is called intellectual capital, of which one key component is relational capital. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the aspect of learning concerned with challenging the basic beliefs or processes that companies take for granted, which is embodied in the concept of unlearning.

This paper reviews the literature to identify relevant measures and present a structural equation model, which is validated through an empirical investigation of 139 small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Spanish optometry sector.

The results indicate that companies need to support unlearning as a prior step, otherwise unlearning does not have any significant effect on the creation of relational capital.

Few, if any, studies of the shared organisational context have considered the relationship between unlearning and the creation of intellectual capital.

Previous studies, particularly in knowledge management, have focussed on knowledge management systems in large world‐class organisations rather than the underlying learning process in SMEs.

This study examines three key constituents of the shared organisational context (the individual context, management and teamwork) and their effects on the process of unlearning.

Information technology (IT) and total quality management (TQM) have significantly impacted on most organizations and each has been widely researched. However, there is little well‐founded empirical research on the relationship between the two, particularly on the way in which TQM is influenced by IT. This paper presents an initial investigation of such relationships through an interview survey of 14 companies based in Spain. The cases indicate that there is a framework underpinning this relationship. The paper concludes with a proposal for this framework and an instrument for testing the conjectured linkages within the framework.