Total Quality Management and Supply Chain Relationships

The popularity of the supply chain concept emanates because of quality management. Quality management practices in supply chain contribute to quality offerings, overall firm performance, cost reduction and ultimately for competitive advantage. The paper empirically and analytically investigates the relationship between total quality management and supply chain performance. The primary data for the study were collected from 44 managers of small manufacturing firms, 74 wholesalers and 120 retailers in district Udhampur of JandK State. The data after purification and validation through factor analysis were subjected to multivariate tools. The results of Chi-square test, hierarchal regression model and correlation matrix revealed positive association between total quality management and supply chain operational efficiency, overall supply chain performance as predictor of quality management and existence of direct relationship between TQM and supply chain performance. The study emphasized that proper implementation of TQM programs could play a major role in developing an integrated organisation through teamwork, cordial relationship, training and education, cultural change and customer focus across the supply chain.