Manus Rungtusanatham

York University · Schulich School of Business

Problem definition: Suppliers are increasingly involved in innovation activities that contribute to a firm’s product quality and introduce risks to firms’ quality control, leading to quality failures and recalls. This quality trade-off suggests the possibility of a nonlinear relationship between supplier innovation and product recalls, which is the...

R&D projects in small biotechnology firms frequently involve knowledge from multiple technical fields and research in different problem domains. An increase in project knowledge scope, defined as the number of technical fields an R&D project covers, can be challenging for resource‐constrained small firms. These firms often rely primarily on their p...

Purpose With asymmetric investments in exchange (i.e. sourcing) relationships, both sourcing firms and suppliers invest but one party invests more than the other. This paper aims to examine the associations between asymmetric (i.e. unequal) investments in exchange relationships and the tendency of the strategic supplier base to shirk as perceived b...

Purpose In this paper, the authors introduce supply disruption ambiguity as the inability of a sourcing firm to attach probability point estimates to the occurrence of and to the magnitude of loss from supply disruptions. The authors drew on the “ambiguity in decision-making” literature to define this concept formally, connected it to relevant supp...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and predictability of insights from the investment model (IM) in the context of strategic manufacturer–industrial supplier relationships. IM is a theoretical model in social psychology pertaining to interpersonal relationship discontinuity. This formal empirical test of IM in a different c...

Growth is one of the more important strategic priorities for top managers today and product innovation is a necessary strategy for achieving that goal. While product innovation is beneficial and necessary, it also introduces greater complexity and uncertainty in a firm’s operations. We focus in this study on an untested negative consequence of prod...

Historically, minority businesses have faced barriers to growth in mainstream U. S. markets. Institutional intermediaries have emerged as a low-cost solution. They help minority businesses access large, established corporate members. They provide training designed to improve long-term viability by enhancing internal management skills and processes...

Purpose This research seeks to identify the motivations, means and outcomes of supply chain integration (SCI) among firms in the middle market (i.e. those with annual revenues between US$10m and US$1bn). These firms often interface with larger, more powerful firms in the supply chain – both suppliers and customers. Understanding how these firms are...

The supply management literature assumes that supplier selection is devoid of emotions and unaffected by the history and experience associated with a previously-selected supplier. In this paper, we relax these assumptions. Specifically, we consider the following sourcing opportunity: a sourcing professional had (alternatively, had not) recommended...

Retail inventory shrinkage, resulting primarily from employee theft and shoplifting, costs retailers nearly $70 billion annually. With brick‐and‐mortar retailers today confronting increased competition and low future growth expectations, reducing inventory shrinkage is becoming even more critical to becoming profitable. This paper analyzes a unique...

Despite the criticality and expense of spare parts, many firms lack a coherent strategy for ensuring needed supply of spare parts. Moreover, scientific research regarding a comprehensive spare parts strategy is sparse in comparison with direct material. Our research identifies and tests three literature‐based, theoretically anchored attributes that...

How and why is the association between historical supplier performance and strategic relationship dissolution moderated by an unintentional but serious supplier error? Adopting Assimilation‐Contrast Theory, we propose that this moderation effect can be either negative or positive. As an empirical test, we collected and analyzed data from 256 sourci...

Accidents involving large commercial trucks kill over 3,000 motorists every year in the United States. A substantial number of these accidents stem from truck drivers operating their trucks while excessively fatigued. This concern has resulted in regulatory agencies establishing hours-of-service (HOS) rules that carriers must ensure their drivers a...

In the years following an initial public offering (IPO), firms have to manage portfolios of customers and suppliers in order to achieve growth goals during this particularly uncertain time in a firm's lifecycle. The current research sheds light on three key questions: (1) Do firms benefit from conducting a large portion of business with a large cus...

We analyze the direct and indirect effects of two critical-component supply-disruption attributes (CONTROLLABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY) on supplier non-retention post disruption. Using a scenario-based role-playing experiment with 253 purchasing professionals, we find that the likelihood that a recovery lead (i.e., the individual assigned to the dis...

Business function-specific standalone enterprise applications (SEAs) are displacing functionally integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, despite strong empirical support for the business benefits of the latter. This study explores the conditions under which it may be more effective to use a set of SEAs instead of a single-suite ERP s...

Supply chains are large, complex, and often unpredictable. Purchasing and supply managers and supply chain risk managers need methods and tools to enable them to quickly understand how unexpected disruptions in the supply chain start and grow and to what extent will they negatively impact the flow of goods and services. This paper introduces a meth...

The trucking industry is the lifeblood of supply chains. Truck driver turnover and motor carrier safety are two salient issues affecting this industry. While turnover by itself presents a challenge due to the cost of replacing drivers, it takes on additional urgency because turnover may affect motor carrier safety. However, driver turnover research...

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are moving their manufacturing operations from low-cost countries back to high-cost countries, reversing earlier offshoring decisions. These reshoring decisions cannot be completely explained by changing location-related costs. To better understand why SMEs are reshoring, we evaluate nine product-line decisi...

The dissolution of a buyer-supplier relationship can have significant implications for both firms. This paper adopts a process-based research approach to examine the buyer-supplier relationship dissolution process. Using the exemplar case of the Ford-Firestone breakup, we cull from newspaper stories, congressional hearing documents, and press relea...

Research suggests that flexible manufacturing resources, customer involvement, and product management tools contribute to a high level of mass customization capability. Conceptualizing these antecedents as resource types, we examine hypotheses about their direct and complementary effects on mass customization capability. Analyzing secondary survey...

That a manufacturer should align its implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) to the external environment it faces has been indirectly argued for long. Theoretical and empirical evidence for this argument has, unfortunately, been lacking. Our research remedies this knowledge gap. Borrowing structural contingency theory and the concept of fi...

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award has become one of the most prestigious and important honors in the United States. It is awarded to companies who consistently deliver high quality products and services to their customers, and have organizational structures, policies, and cultures to support such goals. The Award guidelines form a definit...

The existence of design generated operational glitches (DGOGs) of different severity is a periodical occurrence in many firms. DGOGs typically take the form of specification errors in bills of materials, executive drawings, production sequences and parts specifications. Understanding the workings of disruptions that fail to command the attention of...

Empirical research in Supply Chain Management is increasingly interested in complex models involving mediation effects. We support these endeavors by directing attention to the practices for the theorizing of, the testing for, and the drawing of conclusions about mediation effects. Our paper synthesizes diverse literature in other disciplines to pr...

To gain competitive advantage, original brand manufacturers (OBMs) need to understand how operations and marketing cooperate to achieve performance. Doing so can guide OBMs to make appropriate actions to develop their operational and marketing capability, and foster collaboration between the two functions. Using data collected from 560 Chinese OBMs...

Increasingly, companies find themselves being torn between fulfilling stakeholder demands and satisfying shareholder claims. How can they then effectively balance these divergent interests while being focused on the overarching “corporate objective” of creating firm value? Recent anecdotal evidence suggests that firms have been doing so through a c...

Operations Management and Supply Chain Management (OM/SCM), as a discipline, can benefit from proper theorizing to address persistent urgings for better and new theories. This paper hopes to inspire more theorizing engagements through the formal process of metaphorical transfer. Metaphorical transfer transforms casually-invoked metaphors in everyda...

To gain competitive advantage, original brand manufacturers (OBMs) need to understand how operations nd marketing cooperate to achieve performance. Doing so can guide OBMs to make appropriate actions to develop their operational and marketing capability, and foster collaboration between the two functions. Using data collected from 560 Chinese OBMs,...

The popular press has begun to pay attention to the phenomenon of “reshoring”. The task of supply chain management researchers with regard to this phenomenon should be to clarify what it is; to explore whether it is really a new phenomenon; and, paraphrasing (Simon, 1967; p. 1), to conduct research into the reshoring phenomenon so as to contribute...

A scenario-based role-playing experiment is well suited for research seeking to understand how and why operations and supply chain managers, when dealing with complex issues, form their judgments and preferences or make the decisions that they do. As a method for data collection, a scenario-based role-playing experiment deploys varying versions of...

Form postponement means delaying the commitment of inventory to the final configuration of a product as long as possible. Many firms today are striving to redesign their products and/or their manufacturing and supply chain processes to implement form postponement. Opportunities for form postponement, however, are sometimes lost in the companies’ pr...

We formally review the Author Affiliation Index (AAI) method as originally conceived by David Harless and Robert J. Reilly from the Economics Department at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business and as subsequently developed and interpreted by Gorman and Kanet in their 2005 article. Through this formal review, we first highlight an...

A growing number of studies and evidence from industries suggest that, besides managing the relationship with its suppliers, a buyer needs to proactively manage the relationships between those suppliers. In a buyer–supplier–supplier relationship triad, the buyer, as the contracting entity, influences the suppliers’ behaviors and the relationship be...

Research on Mass Customization has largely overlooked the issue of organizational change associated with the Mass Production-to-Mass Customization (MP-to-MC) transition. To address this gap in the literature, we conduct a quasi-longitudinal case study of a manufacturing facility belonging to a division of a Fortune 1000 discrete manufacturing firm...

The product platform concept represents a powerful approach for manufacturers to compete cost-effectively in a global market that requires diverse product range, quick time to market, and rapid responses to supply sources. A key challenge is how to strike a balance between platform commonality and modularity. When a manufacturer outsources its raw...

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between Internet retailer margins and retailer promises regarding product distribution service. We focus particularly on Internet retailing in a drop-ship context, because this model provides a purer separation of these activities and the related costs and constitutes a critical context for the empiric...

Survey research is often deployed in the study of situational issues facing organizations and functions within organizations. One particular survey research approach can be described as follows: (1) survey questionnaires involving perceptual questions about a situational issue are administered to key informants, one key informant per unit of analys...

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the factors enabling or hindering the simultaneous pursuit of volume flexibility and mix flexibility within a supply chain through the lens of a manufacturing plant seeking to implement a build‐to‐order (BTO) strategy. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish this empirical investigation, an in‐depth case st...

Despite the impact that Deming and his 14 Points have had on the practice of quality management, empirical support for the effectiveness of the Deming Management Method has not advanced beyond the presentation of anecdotal, case-study evidence. In part, this is because theory to guide the conduct of empirical research has not been available. Only r...

Supply chain disruptions and the associated operational and financial risks represent the most pressing concern facing firms that compete in today's global marketplace. Extant research has not only confirmed the costly nature of supply chain disruptions but has also contributed relevant insights on such related issues as supply chain risks, vulnera...

Purpose Manufacturing firm reaction to a supply failure is important because buyer dissatisfaction may induce related development or switching costs. The purpose of this paper is to ask: what is the impact of a supply failure and recovery on manufacturing firm dissatisfaction with the supplier? Design/methodology/approach A case study approach is...

This paper undertakes two related tasks to augment current understanding regarding vendor-owned inventory management (VOIM) arrangements implemented in the retail industry. The first task formally juxtaposes three prevalent forms of VOIM arrangements (i.e., Consignment, Pay-On-Scan, and Scan-Based Trading) to one another and identifies three dimens...

Over the past dozen years or so, the widespread adoption of the Internet has ushered in truly dramatic changes to many aspects of business. Given the Web's enormous and growing influence, it's more important than ever to stay attuned to its continuing evolution. In this special report, noted experts explore a wide range of topics pivotal to the Web...

Over the past dozen years or so, the widespread adoption of the Internet has ushered in truly dramatic changes to many aspects of business. Given the Web's enormous and growing influence, its more important than ever to stay attuned to its continuing evolution. In this special report, noted experts explore a wide range of topics pivotal to the Web'...

This paper undertakes two related tasks to augment current understanding regarding vendor-owned inventory management (VOIM) arrangements implemented in the retail industry. The first task formally juxtaposes three prevalent forms of VOIM arrangements (i.e., Consignment, Pay-On-Scan, and Scan-Based Trading) to one another and identifies three dimens...

Purpose How should a firm decide which of four choices – i.e. inventory speculation, inventory postponement, inventory consignment, and reverse inventory consignment – is most appropriate to adopt for a given purchased item in a particular context? This paper seeks to identify and explain the critical factors that drive this decision. Design/metho...

This article reports the findings of an exploratory study that compares the quality management practices of manufacturing firms at different levels of the supply chain and across different industries. Firms are first separated into three levels in the supply chain — final assemblers, top-tier suppliers, and tertiary-tier suppliers. The study also s...

We test two hypotheses reflecting answers to the following questions: (1) Do manufacturing firms adopt advanced manufacturing initiatives and supply chain management initiatives in a complementary manner, consistent with a given set of product and process characteristics? and (2) If the adoptions of various advanced manufacturing initiatives and va...

This case examines a set of expansion options for a successful Internet luggage retailer, with a particular emphasis on the operational complexities.

Despite the undeniable appeal and importance of coordinating decisions across products design, manufacturing process design, and supply chain design to both science and practice, we know very little about how to do so to maximize operational, supply chain, and firm performance. This special issue on Coordinating Product Design, Process Design, and...

Complementing Part A which appeared in an earlier issue, Coordinating product design, process design, and supply chain design decisions. Part B. coordinating approaches, tradeoffs, and future research directions introduces four additional papers that belong to this special issue. These four papers seek to provide answers to the following two questi...

We provide conceptual clarity and new empirical findings for the question of whether or not TQM is universal in its applicability. At the conceptual level, we reposition and reframe the “universality of TQM” question in light of two conflicting theoretical perspectives in the international business literature – one that supports the universal appli...

Many diverse forces are motivating institutions of higher education, particularly business schools, to develop and deliver education via the Internet. As higher education institutions explore this opportunity, the question of how courses and degree programs should be designed for effective online delivery via the Internet is a nontrivial concern an...

Much of the research on mass customization strategy implementation reflects a functional focus, considering product design, marketing, manufacturing or sourcing, individually. This paper takes a step towards integrating these perspectives into a more systemic view of mass customization strategy implementation. More precisely, the paper explores how...

In order to improve performance at the operational level, more and more firms are developing explicit linkages with suppliers and with customers. While the question of “what beneficial impact do linkages with suppliers and with customers have for a firm” has been addressed in numerous studies, the equally important question of “why” this beneficial...

The Deming management method, which encompasses the breadth of W. Edwards Deming's approach to quality management, has had significant impact on the practice and scholarship of quality management. In this paper we present a scholarly introspection and discussion on scientific research related to the Deming management method, the contributions of su...

Our paper provides a comprehensive assessment of 285 survey research articles in operations management (OM), published between 1980 and 2000. Six OM journals are included in this study; they are, in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences (DS), International Journal of Operations & Production Management (IJOPM), International Journal of Production Re...

Our paper provides a comprehensive assessment of 285 survey research articles in operations management (OM), published between 1980 and 2000. Six OM journals are included in this study; they are, in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences (DS), International Journal of Operations & Production Management (IJOPM), International Journal of Production Re...

Research in operations management suggests that firms can mitigate the negative impact of product variety on operational performance by deliberately pursuing modularity in the design of product family architectures. However, modularity is not a dichotomous property of a product, as different types of modularity can be embedded into a product family...

Research in operations management suggests that firms can mitigate the negative impact of product variety on operational performance by deliberately pursuing modularity in the design of product family architectures. However, modularity is not a dichotomous property of a product, as different types of modularity can be embedded into a product family...

The interdependencies of product, process, and supply chain design need to be carefully considered if the goal of mass customization is to be met. But suggested solutions for addressing this problem seem oversimplified, or univocal. A mass customization strategy can be pursued with differing "intensity" as competitive environment and company aspect...

The deployment of statistical process control (SPC) in manufacturing environments is a prominent global phenomenon. Managers have frequently justified investments in SPC by citing and/or demonstrating the improvements in quality and costs from the effective implementation and practice of SPC. This paper complements this rationalization by presentin...

The deployment of statistical process control (SPC) in manufacturing environments is a prominent global phenomenon. Managers have frequently justified investments in SPC by citing and/or demonstrating the improvements in quality and costs from the effective implementation and practice of SPC. This paper complements this rationalization by presentin...

In much of the current literature on supply chain management, supply networks are recognized as a system. In this paper, we take this observation to the next level by arguing the need to recognize supply networks as a complex adaptive system (CAS). We propose that many supply networks emerge rather than result from purposeful design by a singular e...

In much of the current literature on supply chain management, supply networks are recognized as a system. In this paper, we take this observation to the next level by arguing the need to recognize supply networks as a complex adaptive system (CAS). We propose that many supply networks emerge rather than result from purposeful design by a singular e...

Many studies claim that when an organization interacts with suppliers and with customers across the supply chain, the organization would achieve improved time performances. This claim, however, has undergone limited theoretical development, as well as subsequent systematic empirical testing. As a result, we still have incomplete understanding of th...

Describes the process and outcomes of operationalizing the 14 dimensions underlying the SPC implementation/practice construct. Employs a standard procedure to create a measurement instrument comprising 14 measurement scales, with the number of constituent measurement items ranging from one to four, that correspond to the 14 dimensions underlying th...

A common conviction among quality practitioners is that the implementation and practice of Statistical Process Control (SPC) within the production environment would lead to improvements in output quality. How and why this conviction might be valid, on the other hand, has not been well conceptualized in the scientific domain. Furthermore, besides im...

We present research that contributes to the debate on the universal applicability of quality management, and in doing so, subject the `one size fits all' assumption underlying quality management to an empirical examination. Specifically, with the exception of enhancements in instrumentation, we attempted to replicate, as closely as possible, Anders...

Current widespread implementation and practice of statistical process control (SPC) attest to the potential of SPC to contribute to continuous quality improvement efforts. While much has been written about SPC- related topics, a more fundamental question — “What does the implementation and practice of SPC entail?” — has yet to merit a detailed conc...

Cl may not be as fashionable as, say, reengineering. But it is a low-cost way to Improve quality and productivity, once you get past the six critical milestones.

We provide a comment on 'Comparing the effects of cellular and functional manufacturing on employees' perceptions and attitudes' by Shafer, Tepper, Meredith, and Marsh (Journal of Operations Management, 1995, 12, 63-74). We identify and explicate three conceptual concerns related to their description of the Job Characteristics Model, as well as two...

We provide a comment on ‘Comparing the effects of cellular and functional manufacturing on employees' perceptions and attitudes’ by Shafer, Tepper, Meredith, and Marsh (Journal of Operations Management, 1995, 12, 63–74). We identify and explicate three conceptual concerns related to their description of the Job Characteristics Model, as well as two...

Training and education provides employees with an orientation to the organization and give them the skills needed to fulfill their responsibilities. This paper explores the content of training and education needed for continuous improvement, draws conclusions from a study of training and education programs and suggests a structure that can serve as...

In its current form, the Deming management method contains a prescriptive set of 14 points that serve as guidelines for appropriate organizational behavior and practice regarding quality management. Despite the apparent effect of these 14 points on both the industrial world and the practice of management theory around the world, there is little evi...

This study is one of the first empirical attempts to address the conceptualization and operationalization of co-alignment or 'fit' between Environmental Uncertainty (EU) and Quality Management (QM). Fit is an important organizing concept in organizational research but is only indirectly and implicitly implied in previous studies. Moreover, the defi...