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While there is substantial research surrounding manufacturing and design-related product hazards, little has been written about supply chain product hazards and how they impact supply chain quality management. Filling this need, Global Supply Chain Quality Management: Product Recalls and Their Impact draws together key insights and research findings from a global research project on product safety and recalls. The book presents detailed case studies of six extended global supply chains within three industries: toys, food, and pharmaceuticals. These case studies cover U.S. companies with supply chains that extend into China and provide the perspectives of both U.S. and Chinese executives. It includes coverage of several highly publicized product recalls, including Ford Pinto, Extra Strength Tylenol, melamine-tainted milk, Mattel, and Toyota. Presenting detailed examples of both poor and best practices, the text supplies firsthand accounts from key players in well-known product recalls. It outlines an event study methodology that can help readers determine the true financial impact of a product recall announcement. It also describes how to conduct controlled experiments to determine the effect of various recall strategies on consumers. The book describes how alternative product recall strategies can influence consumers' perception of your organization's corporate social legitimacy as well as their future purchasing behaviors. Although the text focuses on product quality within the supply chain, it also sheds light on other sources of product hazards-sharing a wide-ranging perspectives and current methodologies.

Investment in information systems and technology is often justified as a necessary strategy for coping with the increased complexity and information needs of today/s manufacturing environments. However, the world class manufacturing paradigm suggests that increased complexity is not always necessary to meet the needs of markets and customers. Galbraith/s (1973, 1977) seminal information‐processing model is applied to a manufacturing environment, supported by the world class manufacturing paradigm, to test the role of various information‐processing alternatives for coping with increased environmental complexity. Moderated regression and multiple discriminant analysis are used to test hypotheses in a sample of 164 manufacturing plants. Environmental complexity was found to be related to manufacturing performance for each of the five dependent variables. This relationship was moderated by at least one information‐processing alternative for each dependent variable, including self‐contained tasks, lateral relations, and environmental management strategies for reducing manufacturing, supplier, and goal diversity. Investments in information systems and reduction of labor and customer diversity did not moderate this relationship. Practices that were found to be particularly effective in moderating this relationship included the use of multifunctional employees, communication of manufacturing strategy, coordination of decision making, product design simplicity, reduction of parts counts, supervisory interaction facilitation, recruiting and selection for flexible employees, JIT practices, blanket purchase orders, and strong customer relationships.

ABSTRACTThis study compares different strategies for arranging machines in a facility. Computer simulation of two different machine shops was used to compare process layout (the arrangement of groups of machines where the machines within a group are interchangeable) to cellular layout designed using group technology concepts (the use of manufacturing cells where each cell contains different types of machines dedicated to the production of similar parts). Four layout strategies, including process layout, cellular layout, and two hybrid layouts, were compared in two machine‐shop models. The shops that used cellular layouts had shorter setup times, lower machine utilization, and shorter distances traveled, on average. The shops with process layout, however, had better performance on queue‐related statistics such as work‐in‐process inventory level and average flow time. This suggests that a well‐organized traditional job shop may be able to achieve overall performance that at least is comparable to that of the same shop using cellular (group technology) layout.

ABSTRACTWe develop a theoretical definition of operational capabilities, based on the strategic management and operations management literature, and differentiate this construct from the related constructs of resources and operational practices, drawing upon the resource‐based view of the firm as our foundation. We illustrate the key features of operational capabilities using the illustration of a restaurant kitchen. Because the traits of operational capabilities are distinct, they create a barrier to imitation, making them a potential source of competitive advantage. However, operational capabilities are particularly challenging to measure, because they emerge gradually and are tacit, embedded, and manifested differently across firms. In solving this measurement conundrum, we draw upon similar situations experienced by Schein (2004) and Eisenhardt and Martin (2000) in operationalizing organizational culture and dynamic capabilities. A taxonomy of six emergent operational capabilities is developed: operational improvement, operational innovation, operational customization, operational cooperation, operational responsiveness, and operational reconfiguration. A set of measurement scales is developed, in order to measure each of the operational capabilities, and validated using two different datasets. This allows replication of the psychometric properties of the multi‐item scales and helps to ensure the validity of the resulting measures.

ABSTRACTAs China becomes increasingly important to the global economy, it is critical to conduct high‐quality research on important decision sciences issues there. This article provides an extensive review and critique of the extant China‐based literature on supply chain management, logistics, and quality management, based on the foundation established by Zhao, Flynn, and Roth (2006). In general, decision sciences research in China is in its infancy. Although there have been some very interesting and well‐executed articles, the majority are descriptive and focus on status updates. We provide a set of propositions to guide future research in logistics, supply chain management, and quality management in China, as well as guidelines for dealing with some of the unique challenges of conducting empirical research in China.

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on decision sciences research in China, providing an overview of current research and developing a foundation for future China‐based research. China provides a unique research opportunity for decision sciences researchers, owing to its recent history, rapid economic development, and strong national culture. We examine recent economic reforms and their impact on the development of research questions in the decision sciences, as well as discuss characteristics of the diverse regions in China and their potential as sites for various types of research. We provide a brief overview of recent China‐based research on decision sciences issues relating to national culture, supply chain management, quality management, production planning and control, operations strategy, and new product development and discuss some of the unique methodological challenges inherent in China‐based research. We conclude by looking forward to emerging research opportunities in China.

As decision makers become more involved in implementing Total Quality Management, questions are raised about which management practices should be emphasized. In this exploratory investigation of the relationship of specific quality management practices to quality performance, a framework was constructed. It focuses on both core quality management practices and on the infrastructure that creates an environment supportive of their use. In addition, it incorporates two measures of quality performance and their role in establishing and sustaining a competitive advantage.Path analysis was used to test the proposed model, with multiple regression analysis determining the path coefficients, which were decomposed into their various effects. Weak linkages were eliminated. The trimmed model indicated that perceived quality market outcomes were primarily related to statistical control/feedback and the product design process, while the internal measure of percent that passed final inspection without requiring rework was strongly related to process flow management and to statistical control/feedback, to a lesser extent. Both measures of quality performance were related to competitive advantage. Important infrastructure components included top management support and workforce management. Supplier relationships and work attitudes were also related to some of the core quality practices and quality performance measures.The results were interpreted in light of Hill's concept of order winners and order qualifiers and Garvin's eight dimensions of quality. They indicate that different core quality management practices lead to success in different dimensions of quality, and that those dimensions function differently as order winners and order qualifiers.

A number of authors have used terms such as "world‐class manufacturing", "high performance manufacturing" and others to describe comprehensive approaches to manufacturing performance improvement. They have broken new ground by introducing the notion of broad, organization‐wide improvement approaches, involving many complex interrelationships. However, testing the associated relationships is just beginning. The WCM Project seeks to articulate the practices which are associated with world‐class manufacturing and their interrelationships. In this attempt, a number of studies have been conducted, using the comprehensive database developed for the project. Provides a detailed examination of the development and verification of the database, which contains perceptual and objective information about quality, JIT, technology, strategy, organization characteristics and human resource management practices of 42 plants in the machinery, electronics and transportation components industries. It also provides a brief overview of three of the studies conducted as part of this project, dealing with: manufacturing process innovation; the relationship between quality practices and performance; and the relationship between TQM and JIT. Each of these highlights specific practices which are related to performance, as well as relevant infrastructure characteristics.