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Total Quality Management and Supplier Partnerships: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Stuart F. Ian,
Mueller P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of purchasing and materials management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.75
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1745-493X
pISSN - 1055-6001
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-493x.1994.tb00262.x
Subject(s) - general partnership , productivity , purchasing , business , quality (philosophy) , marketing , product (mathematics) , perspective (graphical) , supplier relationship management , quality management , service (business) , operations management , process management , industrial organization , supply chain management , economics , supply chain , computer science , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , finance , epistemology , macroeconomics , artificial intelligence
Many North American firms have established partnering arrangements with their suppliers for the purpose of improving the quality of their product or service offerings. Prior partnership research has emphasized implementation and results in the auto sector and has relied on either questionnaire survey data or anecdotal evidence to draw conclusions. Such a research methodology has produced some concern regarding supplier partnering applicability in other industry sectors—and also a perception that benefits achieved from such approaches may not mirror reality. Using a longitudinal field study, the results of one firm's use of supplier partnerships is examined from the perspective of continuous improvement in quality and productivity. The case study is unusual because both partnering and nonpartnering approaches were employed during the course of the study, providing data for contrasting statistical analysis. The study shows the actual benefits achieved in productivity and quality from the firm's supplier partnering activities. The implications for management, along with the difficulties encountered in relating to traditional purchasing philosophies, are discussed.