Unveiling Excellence: Unifying Quality Across the Global Supply Chain

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of supply chain quality management (SCQM), examining its theorizing and application at both intra- and inter-firm levels. It extends theorizing of quality beyond the functional silos of quality assurance and procurement/delivery (supply chain), encompassing cross-border operations and global implications for managing quality across the supply chain. Drawing upon the notion of organisation as a total system or systems theory that views organisations as an open, complex and adaptive systems with interdependent and interconnected subsystems (functions), the review suggests that despite their distinct practices, processes, and underlying assumptions, these two domains are interconnected, and it is their synergy that contributes to efficient operations management of both manufacturing and service firms - especially in the context of global operations.