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Many authors have suggested that disruption and associated costs result from poor quality performance in manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to define and quantify the disruption costs associated with a simple manufacturing scenario using a simulation approach.

A manufacturing cell incorporating inspection and rework was simulated, and a validation exercise carried out. Using results from the simulation study, the authors then formulate the concept of a cost category for disruption cost, which is compatible with the traditional prevention‐appraisal‐failure (PAF) model for quality costs.

Comparative graphs of disruption costs and PAF costs elements are presented. The simulated disruption cost is compared with these traditional costs categories, and found to represent a significant additional cost at higher levels of non‐conformance.

The results presented in this paper are derived from a discrete‐event simulation exercise, using a model of a simplified generic manufacturing cell. They are believed to be indicative of costs that would occur in practical situations, but are not validated with empirical data. Further work would include such validation.

This is a theoretical paper, which attempts to extend a useful and well established cost model that has been widely accepted in industry.

The originality of this paper lies in the definition of the concept of disruption cost, as a separate category of quality cost. The simulation work indicates the potential size and behaviour of the disruption cost, compared with the traditional PAF costs categories.

Total quality management (TQM) has been applied widely in developed countries, and now appears to many as a precursor of the broader concept of business excellence. By contrast, in developing countries ISO 9000 series standards have been the focus of quality management development, and TQM is a new and challenging concept. TQM companies are rare, and with few exceptions are subsidiaries of larger multinational organisations. Examines the progress of four Thai SMEs attempting to implement TQM over a two‐year period, assisted by a facilitator and a “model company”. Relevant literature is briefly reviewed and issues of particular relevance to SMEs discussed. The efforts, problems, barriers and progress of the companies are described. The relative success of the companies was found to be related in large part to management and information issues, which are discussed.

A PROGRESSIVE increase in the standard of living is now widely accepted as both possible and desirable, even if the notion that it can be doubled within the next 25 years is dismissed as an optimistic flight of Butlerian fancy. The prerequisite is a substantial upsurge in the country's production. This was expressed succinctly by Mr. Victor Feather four years ago when, as Assistant Secretary to the Trades Union Congress, he told the Institute of Directors that ‘what can be done by any Government by way of social improvement depends on what Industry can produce and sell. About half the strikes that take place have nothing to do with hours or wages or conditions, but have a great deal to do with human relations. That field is one in which there must be patience, tolerance, concentration and great endeavour, but the rate of progress can and should be accelerated.’

The primary objective of this research is to explore whether total quality management (TQM) firms execute various quality management practices significantly differently from non‐TQM firms in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) automotive supply chain. The study also aims to analyze differences between different tiers of this supply chain and to examine the relationship between the implementation of quality management systems and adoption of TQM.

A total of 165 datasets collected from ASEAN automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and their tier 1 and 2 suppliers in five ASEAN countries were tested by using cross‐tabulation analysis and ANOVA with post hoc test.

The results show that firms that have successfully implemented the concept of work standardization or process‐approach through quality management systems (QMS) certification have tended to pursue TQM as the subsequent stage in their quality journey. In addition, the study found that all seven TQM practices – leadership; strategy and planning; customer focus; information and analysis; people management; process management; and supplier involvement – were significantly higher in TQM firms than in non‐TQM firms. Finally, the study found that tier 3 suppliers were less likely to implement TQM practices compared with higher tiers (1 and 2), except in supplier involvement.

The study presents an insight into TQM constructs evolution in the ASEAN region, which has gained increased prominence and world impact as a result of international outsourcing. It therefore addresses a significant gap in the literature about how quality management is deployed in this important region of the world.

When James Conant visited Australia in 1951 he unwittingly entered an existing, lengthy debate about the value of university‐based knowledge in Australia. The Second World War, with its significant reliance on academic expertise, had suggested that if knowledge could win wars, the labour of academic staff could be considered to normally have social and economic value to the nation. In 1951 Conant had no way of foreseeing that steps made, in this light, at Federal level during and after the war, would culminate in the 1957 Review of Universities in Australia, chaired by Sir Keith Murray, and the injection of a large amount of funding into the university system. Conant’s confidential report to the Carnegie Corporation does show that he saw the system in desperate need of funding, which wasa reality that everyone agreed upon.1 The long debate included options for university funding and the potential change to the character of universities if the community, rather than the cloister, was to determine the purpose and character of knowledge. Conant’s report reflects this debate, centring (as many other participants did as well) on the value universities would gain if they were more obviously useful and relevant to industry and if their reputation was less stained by elitism and arrogance. Conant could not gather sufficient data in his visit to identify the nuances of this long discussion nor could he see the depth and spread of its influence over the decade or so preceding his visit. As a result, his particular agenda seems to obscure the perception of the threat that change provoked to some of the traditional values associated with academic work. To consider the debate and the character of academic work in the university scene that Conant fleetingly visited, we need to look back just a few years to another, but very different, visitor to the Australian system.

Artificial neural networks (ANNs), which represent computational models simulating the biological neural systems, have become a dominant paradigm for solving complex analytical problems. ANN applications have been employed in various disciplines such as psychology, computer science, mathematics, engineering, medicine, manufacturing, and business studies. Academic research on ANNs is witnessing considerable publication activity, and there exists a need to track the intellectual structure of the existing research for a better comprehension of the domain. The current study uses a bibliometric approach to ANN business literature extracted from the Web of Science database. The study also performs a chronological review using science mapping and examines the evolution trajectory to determine research areas relevant to future research. The authors suggest that researchers focus on ANN deep learning models as the bibliometric results predict an expeditious growth of the research topic in the upcoming years. The findings reveal that business research on ANNs is flourishing and suggest further work on domains, such as back-propagation neural networks, support vector machines, and predictive modeling. By providing a systematic and dynamic understanding of ANN business research, the current study enhances the readers' understanding of existing reviews and complements the domain knowledge.

As the process of standardisation in all aspects of business management has accelerated in recent years in an environment characterised by economic globalisation and integration, two series of standards issued by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) stand out: the ISO 9000 series, related to the implementation of quality systems; and the ISO 14000 series, related to the implementation of environmental management systems. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the evolution of both standards in the leading countries in these certifications.

It is noteworthy that the same few nations consistently occupy the highest rankings in both the number of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series certifications. These countries are also those with highest growth rates in certifications. The present study examines these phenomena in terms of: a proposed new index for measuring the “certification intensity”; and a proposed model to analyse how standards are disseminated in a given country.

The leading nations in ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series certifications have a common spreading pattern. All of them are increasing in both standards, not only in absolute number of certifications, but also in its certification intensity. On the other hand, the logistic curve is a good pattern to forecast the trend of these intensities.

The paper concludes with some forecasts and trends for the immediate future in the most successful countries. Some suggestions are also made for future research.

Although supply chain management is now an established field, the distinction between supply chains and supply networks is relatively immature and requires further investigation. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the distinction between supply chains and supply networks.

Based on a review of the literature and assisted by input from academic experts during a relevant supply chain management workshop, this paper critiques seminal and extant theoretical developments in the field of supply chain management.

The main contribution of this paper is the development of an outline classification of relevant dimensions where the concepts of supply chain and supply network are compared and their distinctive features are highlighted. The paper identifies strategic opportunities emanating from considering both the supply chain and supply network, and the associated levels of engagement with active and inactive members in terms of, inter alia, complexity, members’ interdependencies and risk resilience.

The paper highlights many theoretical and practical implications following a detailed analysis of an engagement-based portfolio of relationships within complex supply systems. The systematic clarification of these two concepts and their boundaries result in the provision of original insights which will assist the future research agenda of the academic community.

The maquiladora industry is a manufacturing system that utilizes the Mexican workforce and foreign investment and technology on the border region between the USA and Mexico. This study seeks to explore managerial support and employee involvement as well as quality processes (internal enablers) and supplier selection criteria (external factors) in the maquiladora industry with respect to ISO 9000 certification.

The enablers of ISO certification were studied through a survey instrument and extensive field interviews with experts of maquiladora plants in El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. Based on a 78 percent response rate (171 usable questionnaires) and 11 in‐depth interviews of quality experts in eight industries, statistical analyses including reliability and validity analyses, factor analyses, tests of hypothesis, and ANOVA were performed.

The four hypotheses developed were verified. Based on the analyses, ISO‐certified companies exemplified better and longer‐term relationships with main/core suppliers, greater top managerial support and employee involvement and communication, and more effective quality processes than those of non ISO‐certified companies.

The results of the study could assist maquiladoras to improve their internal and external enablers in order to have a better chance of achieving ISO certification. Likewise, the headquarters of the maquiladoras could benefit from the identification and recognition of these internal and external enablers.

The quality of products manufactured in maquiladoras should be congruent with the parts and products produced in their headquarters. The paper addresses the role and importance of ISO certification for both maquiladoras and their headquarters. The headquarters could provide the necessary support and resources for achievement or ISO certification in maquiladoras.