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The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of integrating ISO 9000 and total quality management (TQM) on operational performance of manufacturing organizations and their journey toward achieving world-class manufacturing (WCM) status.

The authors used a conceptual model and its empirical validation based on a sample of 2,961 responses from one developing and three developed economies. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test five main hypotheses.

Plants that integrate ISO 9000 and TQM progressed faster toward achieving WCM status and have better operational performance in terms of quality management, inventory management, time-based performance, and competitiveness.

The sample from the developing economy includes only 254 responses, while the one from the three developed economies includes 2,907 responses.

Findings of this study have many implications for both academic and practitioners. These findings encourage practitioners to consider ISO 9000 and TQM as complementary, not substitutes.

Developing economies should follow the footsteps of developed economies in considering quality as a competitive advantage in global markets.

The paper addresses in a unique and unprecedented way the synergistic impact of ISO 9000 and TQM on operational performance. The study is the first in its kind to include responses from both developing and developed economies. The development of the synergy index was never addressed before.

This study is justified by the economic importance of information on greenhouse gases, as well as the interest in the question of governance structure after the adoption of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda. The problem is also explained by the lack of research that has investigated the relationship between the best governance structure that contributes to achieving sustainability goals, including climate actions (SDG13) and clean energy adoption (SDG7) as part of the 2030 Agenda.

The level of disclosure is measured on the basis of the carbon disclosure score calculated by the carbon disclosure project (CDP). The study sample consists of 387 US companies that voluntarily participated in the CDP survey from 2011 to 2018. The authors use panel data analysis based on multiple regression models.

The results confirm the influential role of board size, director independence, the presence of women on the board and the presence of an environmental committee on carbon disclosure. In terms of carbon disclosure, the results suggest that a better governance structure is likely to reduce carbon emissions and improve carbon performance practices. Similarly, the analyses show a different representation of the role of corporate governance in high-carbon sectors compared to low-carbon sectors.

This study has some limitations. First, the sample is only interested in US companies that responded to the CDP questionnaire during the period 2011–2018. Thus, the results cannot be generalized to countries with different governance structures. Second, the data from this study on carbon disclosure, specifically focuses on CDP reporting to determine the carbon disclosure score. In this sense, the findings on information disclosed do not necessarily address disclosures through other media, such as a company’s website or a press release.

Sustainability and commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are more likely to exist in companies that have good governance and, in particular, a better board. The research is inspired by the SDGs. The study aims to examine the relationship between carbon disclosure and corporate governance in the context of SDGs. Indeed, this research work contributes to achieving sustainability goals, including climate actions (SDG13) and clean energy adoption (SDG7).

The performance of flexible manufacturing systems, (FMS) has been one of the major topics that has attracted the attention of production and operations management (POM) researchers for the last two decades. In this paper we study the relationship between the degree of machine flexibility and the level of system performance. A machine loading and routing model is developed and used to investigate the effect of changing machine flexibility on the performance measures of an FMS. The measures used in this paper include makespan, routing flexibility, capacity flexibility, and inventory effects. The results indicate that changes in the machine flexibility affect some measures more than others. The results also show that, for a decrease of 24 per cent in the degree of machine flexibility, makespan increases by 17 per cent, routing flexibility decreases by as much as 13 per cent, and capacity flexibility decreases by as much as 38 per cent, and the inventory decreases by as much as 26 per cent. Furthermore, as the workload on the FMS increases, the differences in the performance between two FMSs (with different degrees of machine flexibility) increase.

The purpose of the paper is to showcase the significant achievements of Egypt's scientists in the 20th century across various fields of study such as medicine, physics, chemistry, biology, math, geology, astronomy and engineering. The paper highlights the struggles and successes of these scientists, as well as the cultural, social and political factors that influenced their lives and work. The aim is to inspire young people to pursue careers in science and make their own contributions to society by presenting these scientists as role models for hard work and dedication. Ultimately, the paper seeks to promote the importance of science and its impact on society.

The purpose of this review is to present the scientific biographies of Egypt's most distinguished scientists, primarily in the field of Natural Sciences, in a balanced and comprehensive manner. The work is objective, honest and abstract, avoiding any bias or exaggeration. The author provides a clear and concise methodology, including a brief introduction to the scientist and their field of study, an explanation of their major contributions, the impact of their work on society, any challenges or obstacles faced during their career and their lasting legacy. The aim is to showcase the important achievements of these scientists, their impact on their respective fields and to inspire future generations to pursue scientific careers.

The group of outstanding scientists in 20th century Egypt were shaped by various factors, including familial upbringing, education, society, political and cultural atmosphere and state support for scientific research. These scientists made significant contributions to various academic disciplines, including medicine, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering. Their impact on their communities and cultures has received international acclaim, making them role models for future generations of scientists and researchers. The history of these scientists highlights the importance of educational investments and supporting scientific research to foster innovation and social progress. The encyclopedia serves as a useful tool for students, instructors and education professionals, preserving Egypt's scientific heritage and honouring the scientists' outstanding accomplishments.

The encyclopedia preserves Egypt's scientific heritage, which has been overlooked for political or other reasons. It is a useful tool for a variety of readers, including students, instructors and education professionals, and it offers insights into universally relevant scientific success factors as well as scientific research methodologies. The encyclopedia honours the outstanding scientific accomplishments of Egyptian researchers and their contributions to the world's scientific community.

The practical implications of this paper are several. First, it highlights the importance of education, family upbringing and societal support for scientific research in fostering innovation and social progress. Second, it underscores the need for continued funding and support for scientific research to maintain and build upon the accomplishments of past generations of scientists. Third, it encourages young people to pursue scientific careers and make their own contributions to society. Fourth, it preserves the scientific heritage of Egypt and honors the contributions of its outstanding scientists. Finally, it serves as a useful tool for students, instructors and education professionals seeking to understand the factors underlying scientific success and research methodologies.

The social implications of the paper include promoting national pride and cultural identity, raising awareness of the importance of education and scientific research in driving social progress, inspiring future generations of scientists and researchers, reducing socioeconomic disparities and emphasizing the role of society, politics and culture in shaping scientific researchers' personalities and interests.

The paper's originality/value lies in its comprehensive documentation of the scientific biographies of Egypt's most prominent scientists in the 20th century, providing unique insights into the factors that contributed to their development and their impact across various academic disciplines. It preserves Egypt's scientific heritage and inspires future generations of scientists and researchers through the promotion of educational investments and scientific research. The encyclopedia serves as a useful tool for education professionals seeking to understand scientific success factors and research methodologies, emphasizing the importance of supportive and inclusive environments for scientific development.

Sustainability development goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without a concerted effort from businesses and other organisations, being the corporate level is one of the keys to the achievement of SDGs. This study aims to explore the relationship between firms' adoption of SDG reporting in China and two main corporate-level factors, namely, board characteristics and ownership factors. Also, this study aims to determine which set of drivers – those related to board or ownership factors – exerts a greater influence on this reporting.

This research examines the impact of ownership and board-level factors on the SDG reporting of Chinese firms in the period 2016–2018, with a final sample of 455 firm-year observations operating in 11 activity sectors.

The results support the following: firstly, that board independence and size and the existence of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee favours firms addressing SDGs in their sustainability reporting while greater levels of foreign or institutional ownership are negatively related to a company's adoption of SDG reporting; secondly, two-stage logit regression results revealed that board-level factors exert greater explanatory power in the prediction of this reporting and have bigger weights in affecting the SDGs reporting.

This study focuses on assessing the drivers of SDGs; namely, what internal factors will facilitate companies' better implementation of SDG reporting to bridge the gap in this field, not only extending the investigation of corporate governance factors affecting SDGs but also examining the impact of corporate ownership on SDG reporting.

This study enriches and provides support for previous studies examining the drivers of SDGs in the private sector. In academia, addressing SDGs in business is still an emerging research stream that is still in an embryonic state; the reporting of SDGs in business is quite under-investigated in the sustainability literature. Moreover, literature on the drivers that promote better implementation of SDGs in business is even more scarce and incomplete. Some previous studies have ignored the impact of board size and the CSR committee. At the same time, there is no research to date on the impact of ownership on companies' SDGs reporting, which has been proved to play a large role in firms sustainability reporting.

Provides two definitions of TQM which address TQM critical factors. Also examines a number of self‐assessment frameworks and explains the role they play in determining the TQM critical factors.

Examines the impact of the intensity level of Just‐in‐time (JIT) on quality. The intensity level of JIT is operationalized as a function of four variables: the existence of JIT as a timebased technology; the utilization of JIT to a certain extent; the integration of JIT with other time‐based technologies such as Group Technology (GT), Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Total Quality Management (TQM); and the percentage of facilities that has been converted to using JIT. The term “quality” in this study is a composite construct of product quality, manufacturing workmanship, design and engineering quality, and vendor quality. This study was based on empirical data collected from 165 manufacturing firms in three industry groups in the USA: industrial machinery equipment, electronic and electric machinery equipment, and transport equipment. The two digit Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC) for these industry groups are 35, 36 and 37 respectively. The analysis of the results suggests that statistically significant differences in quality exist among firms with different intensity levels of JIT. The study has many implications for both academicians and practitioners.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the country in which a manufacturing plant is located on its ability to achieve one or more of the ISO certifications, and the extent to which six other quality management practices have been implemented. It also examines the impact of achieving world class manufacturing status (WCM) on product quality. Product quality was measured by finished‐product first‐pass yield, scrap and rework costs, and warranty costs as percentages of sales.

The analyses are based on empirical data collected from more than 2900 manufacturing plants in the USA Canada, and Mexico.

The results show that there are significant differences in the plants' efforts to achieve quality certifications. Significant differences were also found in the extent to which six other quality management techniques are implemented. More important, our results show that there are significant differences in product quality performance among plants with different levels of progress toward achieving WCM status.

The findings of this study have many implications for both academic and practitioners who are interested in studying the impact of ISO 9000 and Quality Management practices.

Continues the series of book reviews begun in Benchmarking for Quality Management & Technology, Vol. 2 No. 1. Reviews two further publications on benchmarking. Outlines their content and shows how they are valuable to both practitioners and academics.

Under production economies of scale, the trade‐off between production and transportation costs will create a tendency towards a decentralized decision‐making process. First, reviews previous approaches suggested in the literature for solving the production‐ distribution problem. Then offers a non‐linear programming model of the transportation problem under production economies of scale to illustrate the computational complexity of the problem. Discusses and proves the convergence of the “tangent line approximation procedure”. Finally, introduces and solves a numerical example.