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A model for an e‐business infrastructure that can be used to support supply chain activities in construction is proposed. A virtual network structure that acts as a value‐added component of an e‐business infrastructure is used to improve communication and coordination, and encourage the mutual sharing of inter‐organisational resources and competencies. The e‐business infrastructure used to support the proposed network structure and the human, organisational and cultural barriers that may be encountered are presented and discussed. It is proffered that the proposed e‐business model not only will be of benefit to those organisations which operate in the construction supply chain, but also may be fit for other types of business‐to‐business e‐commerce when cooperation between business partners is necessary to improve organisational performance and gain a competitive advantage

Supply chain management is an increasingly important organizational concern, and proper management of supplier relationships constitutes one essential element of supply chain success. However, there is little empirical research that has tested the effect of supplier development on performance. The main objective is to analyze the effect of supplier development practices with different levels of implementation complexity on the firm's purchasing performance.

Three supplier development constructs were defined: basic supplier development, moderate supplier development, and advanced supplier development. Three structural models were hypothesized and tested using structural equation modeling through field research on a sample of 306 manufacturing companies in Spain.

Identified important interrelationships among the various supplier development practices, basic, moderate, and advanced. Also indicated that the implementation of supplier development practices significantly contributes to the prediction of purchasing performance.

The use of a single key informant could be seen as a potential limitation of the study. The study was a cross‐sectional and descriptive sample of the manufacturing industry at a given point in time. A more stringent test of the relationships between the different levels of supplier development and performance requires a longitudinal study, or field experiment.

This study focused on supplier development practices and revealed how involving suppliers in supplier development activities is important and may help buyers to increase their purchasing performance. The findings from the structural analysis should provide practicing managers with insights on how these practices and their benefits are related in terms of purchasing performance, thus affecting their ability to make better sourcing decisions.

Fills an important gap in the purchasing literature with respect to the area of supplier development. While there is much written about supplier development based on conceptual and case study research, this study is unique in that it is the first attempt to empirically model the relationships between different levels of supplier development and their impact on purchasing performance using a comprehensive set of practices.

There exists an association between Supply Chain Quality Management (SCQM) and supply chain competence. To verify such claims, data was collected from Hong Kong based firms. The data showed in most cases an association could be established between SCQM initiatives and the supply chain competence. Some fi rms with SCQM initiatives tend to perform better in terms of customer service or product quality. Supply chains managers may therefore, perform better when their managerial foci are consistent with recognized dimensions of supply chain quality and excellence. In today’s global economy supply chain management is crucial in achieving organizational effectiveness.

The aim of this paper is to investigate to what extent buying companies use quality management (QM) practices for their externally sourced business services (BS) and if differences between manufacturing and service as well as between large and small companies exist regarding their usage and effects.

The researcher collected data from a total of 252 companies using an online survey. Significant differences in the data were identified using the Mann‐Whitney‐U test.

The results show that significant differences exist in the adoption of QM practices for services and their effects on performance between manufacturing and service as well as large and small companies. Only minor differences could be detected, however, regarding barriers to QM implementation and its determinants.

The findings cast doubt on the notion of universal applicability of QM and suggest taking contextual factors into account when examining QM.

The study indicates that QM for externally sourced BSs can have positive effects on the performance of the buying company. In contrast to QM for goods, manufacturers can learn from service providers in order to improve their QM for services.

This study fills a theoretical gap as previous literature has predominantly adopted the perspective of a goods or service provider and did not specifically address quality management for externally sourced services. The findings provide more insights into how manufacturing, service, large and small companies implement QM for externally purchased services. The results imply that the implementation of QM for these services without adjusting to contingent factors is fraught with risk.

A considerable amount of resources are being deployed by organisations of all sizes and types towards implementing Total Quality Management and other improvement strategies. However, little is known about the impact these practices are having on organisational performance, particularly for small‐ and medium‐sized businesses. This paper examines the relationship between quality management practices and performance in small businesses. Over the past decade a number of empirical studies has been conducted that examine the link between quality management practices and organisational performance; however, most of these have focused on larger organisations. This study uses data collected from 62 small business in Australia and uses the Australian Quality Awards framework to determine the link between quality management practices and business performance.

The purpose of this paper is to describe different ways in which a buyer and supplier can be embedded in a dyadic relationship and how these differences influence patterns of inter-firm innovation activities and outcomes. Specifically, to address the relative paucity of theoretical work on how dyadic configurations influence parties’ joint innovation behavior, this study examines how different buyer-supplier embeddedness (BSE) configurations change the four choices that pertain to the levels of involvement buyers and suppliers exhibit in inter-firm innovation activities. These choices concern the processes buyers use to engage suppliers; the scope of efforts in each party; the locus of effects determining the beneficiaries; and the extent to which parties disclose private innovations within the relationship.

Drawing on social embeddedness literature, the authors conceptualize dyad level, BSE in two dimensions: relational and structural. The relational dimension describes the quality of relationship, while the structural dimension describes the intensity of exchanges between the parties. Together these dimensions allow the authors to map the differences in BSE configurations and provide a basis for exploring their links to inter-firm innovation patterns.

The authors demonstrate the configurational approach to the innovation patterns in inter-organizational setting. That is, the authors conclude that different configurations of BSE are likely to produce distinctive patterns of choices for inter-firm innovation activities.

This study applies social embeddedness perspective to conceptualize dyadic BSE. Adoption of this concept allows dimensionalizing the dyadic relationships into two distinct dyadic elements, relational, and structural dimensions. Also, the concept has rich implications for how partner firms interact and share information. The dyad’s innovation potential and patterns are considered based on the configurations of dyadic embeddedness.

To study the strategic implications of TQM and TPM in an Indian manufacturing set‐up and to detail literature reviews to highlight gap areas. To examine the relationship between factors influencing the implementation of TQM and TPM and business performance for the following three approaches in an Indian context: TQM alone; TPM alone; both TQM and TPM together. This is done to extract significant factors for the above three approaches.

Empirical survey‐based research on a sample size of 108 manufacturing companies. Uses bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis techniques to extract significant factors using SPSS.

The research identifies two sets of factors which are critical for the effectiveness of TQM and TPM: universally significant factors for all the three approaches like leadership, process management and strategic planning; and approach‐specific factors like equipment management and focus on customer satisfaction. The study also highlights the complexities involved in implementing TQM and TPM together.

The emphasis on extracted factors will help companies in realizing greater benefits through TQM and TPM. This study is equally important in a global context also, as companies across the globe are striving to achieve synergy of TQM and TPM.

The preparedness/status of Indian manufacturing industry for TQM and TPM implementation, as India is becoming a major sourcing base for the world and there is a paucity of such studies. The study of TQM and TPM in all the three modes simultaneously has not been investigated in the context of developing countries. Such studies are equally important in a global context.

This paper examines the competitive dimensions of quality for first tier suppliers in the automotive industry. A theoretically relevant set of quality variables is identified from the literature. The results of a factor analysis show that quality is a two dimensional construct in the automotive supply industry. The core dimensions of quality are: product quality, which is primarily focused on design superiority and performance of the physical product; and service quality, which comprises both pre‐ and post‐sale service. The study reveals that both product quality and service quality are related to overall firm performance, regardless of whether asset based, investment based, or market based measures are used.