While the quality literature abounds with prescriptions for how quality should be managed, no one has proposed an organization-theory explanation for how quality is managed in organizations. This paper proposes a system-structural model of quality management that relates organizational quality context, actual quality management, ideal quality management, and quality performance. The relationships between organizational quality context and actual and ideal quality management are investigated using data collected from 152 managers from 77 business units of 20 manufacturing and service companies. A previously reported instrument is used to measure managers' perceptions of ideal and actual quality management in terms of eight critical factors including product/service design, training, employee relations, and top management leadership. Several measures are used to characterize organizational quality context including company type, company size, degree of competition, and corporate support for quality. The results indicate that organizational quality context influences managers' perceptions of both ideal and actual quality management. This suggests that knowledge of organizational quality context is useful for explaining and predicting quality management practice. Important contextual variables are corporate support for quality, past quality performance, managerial knowledge, and the extent of external quality demands.

The effects of organizational context on quality management: An empirical investigation

Consumer decision-making in omnichannel retailing: Literature review and future research agenda

In vertical relationships the potential for scale economy in manufacturing often calls for specialization and outsourcing. Specialization, however, depends critically on the stability of the task and contractual environment. In a highly uncertain environment the need for frequent mutual adjustments favors integration instead of outsourcing. To evaluate vertical relationships in value chains where one stage competes on product variety under great uncertainty and the other stage competes on scale, we compare operations data at about 300 distribution centers within a major soft-drink bottler before and after it was integrated into an upstream firm. We find that vertical integration improved coordination for the integrated firm by aligning incentives and reducing strategic information asymmetry, but it worsened coordination for upstream rivals who shared the same downstream facilities.

Product Variety and Vertical Integration

http://scientiairanica.sharif.edu/article_21774_2ad2e2fe5bdf12a145651cb4fcac9a03.pdf

A Combined Benders Decomposition and Lagrangian Relaxation Algorithm for Optimizing a Multi-Product, Multi-Level Omni-Channel Distribution System

PurposeSupply chain integration (SCI) is key to implementing omni-channel retailing (OCR) strategy. In this paper, the authors explore the role of digitalization as a driver of SCI, as well the role of human capital (HC) in digitalization, using a knowledge management (KM) perspective.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was conducted using survey research. A sample of 188 omni-channel retailers in the Chinese market was analyzed using factor analysis and structured equation modeling (SEM) to examine the hypotheses presented in the conceptual model.FindingsThis study reveals that HC is positively related to the level of a firm's digitalization in OCR, and that digitalization is positively related to the retailer's SCI. Moreover, the authors found that employees' capital has a greater impact on digitalization than managers' capital, while digitalization has a stronger driving effect on internal and customer integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggest that although digitalization requires retailers to accept the long-term investment challenges, it has a significant positive effect on the key of OCR strategy implementation, i.e. SCI. The findings also provide evidence for the application of KM in OCR, as this theoretical lens enriches our understanding of the phenomena of SCI in OCR and provides explanation to our results by linking digitalization and HC.Originality/valueDigitalization is quantified and examined in OCR. Moreover, this study reveals the importance of HC on the implementation of digitalization and the different effects of digitalization on each dimension of SCI.

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Linking digitalization and human capital to shape supply chain integration in omni-channel retailing

The purpose of this paper is to apply the dynamic capability view to identify relationships between human capital (HC), supply chain integration (SCI) and firm’s performance. It also examines the moderating effect of product variety (PV) on these relationships in the context of omni-channel retailing (OCR).,An empirical study was conducted based on survey research. In total, 230 retailers in China’s market adopting omni-channel strategy were surveyed to examine the hypotheses proposed in our conceptual model using statistical techniques.,This study reveals that HC has a positive impact on SCI, and the impact of employees’ capital is greater on the success of SCI than that of managers’ capital. Moreover, the results confirm that SCI facilitates the achievement of superior performance. Organization integration contributes the most to performance improvement in OCR. Additionally, this study identifies the positive moderating effect of PV on the relationship between HC and SCI, while the moderating effect is insignificant to the influence of SCI on performance.,We obtained valuable insights for both academicians and practitioners. On the one hand, this could be an early attempt as an interdisciplinary study to empirically analyze supply chain management in OCR from human resource perspective. It reveals the importance of human resource management (HRM) and the contribution of SCI to OC retailers. Therefore, this study fills current research gaps. On the other hand, this study provides several practical insights to top management: the importance of improving an individual’s competency to sustain a retailer’s dynamic capability; and the importance of strengthening the organization’s integration to better achieve effective SCI in OCR. Additionally, this study proposes future research based on its limitations.,SCI is investigated in the context of OCR from the HRM perspective. Moreover, this study reveals the importance of HRM and discusses the moderator’s effect in OCR.

Shaohua Song

Papers

Linking digitalization and human capital to shape supply chain integration in omni-channel retailing

Supply chain integration in omni-channel retailing: a human resource management perspective