Q#2

From the following literature develop constructs and propositions, the propositions developed needs to establish casual research design. Develop at least three propositions between different constructs?

The supply chain includes suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and customers. The customers are the main focus of the chain since the primary purpose of the existence of any supply chain is to satisfy customer needs, in the process generating profit for itself (Chopra and Meindl, 2001). SCM was initially related to the management of inventory within a supply chain. This concept was later broadened to include the management of all functions within a supply chain. According to Chopra and Meindl (2001), supply chain management involves the management of flows between and among stages in a supply chain to maximize total profitability. This definition suggests that SCM involves management of the flows of products, information, and funds upstream and downstream in the supply chain. SCM also entails making decisions about the locations of production facilities, which products to produce, how to produce them, and finally, how to distribute these products.

There are many potential benefits that can be obtained from SCM including reduction of costs, increases in customer satisfaction, revenues, profits (Poirier and Quinn, 2004), and competitiveness (Chan and Qi, 2003), streamlining of operations (Sethi et al., 2004), and so on. Thus, the management of quality within the supply chain becomes an important issue when the attainment of such a broad range of organizational goals is targeted. According to Ross (1998), important changes in the business environment shifted the focus to supply chain quality. In his opinion, there were three general trends causing these changes. First, TQM focused on the improvement of quality within individual organizations. Since companies received products or services from their upstream supply chain partners and delivered them to their downstream chain partners, it became obvious that companies had to expand their quality initiatives to other partners in the supply chain to realize the full potential of quality improvement. A second trend evolved out of the deregulation in the transportation sector. Companies that were simply producers or transportation specialists now recognized that they could serve a bigger market by offering value-added channel services. To take advantage of the new markets, these companies needed to have a better understanding of supply chains and focus on service quality. The last trend that led to an increased emphasis on supply chain quality was triggered by the decision of many organizations not only to focus on internal logistic activities but also to expand these activities outside their organizations. This expansion of logistics activities was necessary, because management concepts such as just-in-time (JIT) and supplier management or new technologies such as bar coding required active involvement of supply chain members (Ross, 1998).

Thus, all these trends had an influence on SCQM. Companies still have to focus on internal quality issues, but the external component of quality now has to be managed carefully as well. A first step in the direction of QM in supply chains can be seen in the way companies manage quality with direct partners in their supply chains. However, this practice must be expanded to include the entire supply chain. Thus, SCQM can be seen as the latest stage in the total quality movement (Ross, 1998). It can be defined as the participation of all members of a supply channel network in the continuous and synchronized improvement of all processes, products, services, and work cultures focused on generating sources of productivity and competitive differentiation through the active promotion of market winning product and service solutions that provide total customer value and satisfaction (Ross, 1998). This definition integrates the elements of quality management into SCM. Since a product flows from one supply chain member to another, its quality is influenced by all members in the chain. The supply chain members also affect the quality of the information flows and the quality of processes used along the chain. Note that, in this study, the term SCQM does not only refer to the management of quality in a pan-supply chain organization but to all quality improvement activities that take place within a supply chain.

Despite its importance and implications for supply chains, SCQM has not been sufficiently covered in the literature. In the QM literature, the focus has mainly been on the practices and performance of the producers of end products. The SCM literature, however, has mostly analyzed the relationship between supply chain integration and levels of inventory (Forker et al., 1997). Nonetheless, several previous studies were conducted that analyzed QM in supply chains. Using survey data from manufacturing companies, Forker et al. (1997) found that, when properly implemented in the upstream portion of the supply chain, QM had a very strong effect on supplier quality performance, indicating the importance of QM in the value chain. A study by Romano and Vinelli (2001) showed that downstream supply chain quality performance could also be improved by implementing QM practices across the chain. This study analyzed a textile and apparel manufacturer that operated in two different supply chains. One of the chains functioned traditionally with no formal integration, whereas the other network was more integrated and had more coordination in both upstream and downstream portions of the supply chain. The study found that the companys integrated supply chain was better able to meet the quality expectations of the end customers, since QM practices were implemented in coordination across the supply chain.

A study conducted by Bandyopadhyay and Sprague (2003) described how the implementation of TQM could help the manufacturing sector attain SCQM using the US automotive industry as a case example. The authors argued that making TQM an integral part of a supply chain could help manufacturing companies improve quality and make them more competitive. In another study involving manufacturing companies, Choi and Rungtusanatham (2001) compared the implementation of QM practices across three levels in the supply chain (i.e. final assemblers, top-tier suppliers, tertiary tier suppliers) and across several manufacturing industries. The study found no differences in QM practices across the three levels in the supply chain, suggesting that all levels were conscious of the importance of QM. The only difference across industries was the implementation of strategic planning.

Kuei et al. (2002) empirically identified the variables that were related to supply chain quality, technology management practices, and organizational performance. The authors argued that these variables could be deployed via quality function deployment (QFD) to increase the supply chains competitiveness. Recent studies also proposed that widely accepted quality management frameworks such as ISO 9000 (Romano, 2002), Six Sigma (Dasgupta, 2003), and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (Vokurka and Lummus, 2003) could be effectively implemented across the supply chain to improve supply chain performance. Overall, the analysis of quality in supply chains, especially using empirical research, is scant in the literature (Forker et al., 1997).

Q#3

Provide two different operational definition for each of the established constructs in Q2 (note: you can also search the net or other literature for definitions, however do not copy/paste any material rewrite the definitions in your own words). (8 marks)?

Q#4

Establish variables for the constructs that were developed in Q2, based on the operational definitions provided in Q3 (note: since two different operational definitions were developed therefore there will be 2 different sets of variables for each of the established constructs)? (8 marks)

Q#5

Recommend the type of scale that will be used for the developed variables in Q4 (note: mentions the name of the recommended scale against each variables along with your reasoning or justification for using the said scale)?(8 marks)

THIS QUESTION IS TAKEN FROM THE SUBJECT OF PHILOSOPHY OF RESEARCH?

THIS HAS TO SOLVED IN YOUR OWN WORDINGS?