An important issue for suppliers, producers, and retailers who want to compete in a competitive environment is continuous performance improvement in a dynamic supply chain. Literature review on supply chain puts more emphasis on quantitative factors than other factors. In this research, we focus on quantitative factors which affect competitive advantages creation and investigation. Our goal is ...

Technological innovation capability (TIC) is defined as a comprehensive set of characteristics of a firm that facilities and supports its technological innovation strategies. An audit to evaluate the TICs of a firm may trigger improvement in its future practices. Such an audit can be used by the firm for self assessment or third-party independent assessment to identify problems of its capabilit...

This study examines the link between Kaizen practices and different culture dimensions in Vietnamese manufacturing companies. The study follows the cultural framework suggested by House et al. (2004) and three typical Kaizen practices implemented in Vietnam such as Small Group Problem Solving, Process Control and Employee’s Suggestion. Statistical techniques such as path analysis and regression...

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by a wide range of molds involved mainly in apple spoilage and is a health concern primarily in fresh apple juice and cider. Patulin can lead to acute, but more commonly, chronic condition when consumed at levels greater than 50 ppb that is a current regulatory standard. The toxicity and high occurrence of patulin in apple cider/juice promoted to establish tolera...

This paper explores whether defense contractors’ manufacturing technology advantages over purely commercial firms might be associated with differences in their workforce and organizational practices. I use unique original data collected specifically to test workforce and organizational complementarities in implementation of advanced manufacturing technology in small manufacturers. I find that d...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) was extracted from 84 rice samples and rice products by using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and analysed with liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection. Samples were collected from rice cultivars, local markets and supermarkets; 64 were of non-organic and 20 of organic production. 7.8% of non-organic samples had OTA levels from 4.3 to 27.3 microg/kg and...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of best manufacturing practices in Malaysian ISO 9000 certified small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a survey on 270 ISO 9000 certified manufacturing SMEs. Based on an extensive search of literature on performance requirements, eight areas were identified. Thus, the question...

ABSTRAKUKM Nur Wahid adalah produsen makanan lokal/tradisional sejak tahun 2010 yang berlokasi di Kelurahan Banyuanyar, Kota Surakarta, Jawa Tengah. Berdasarkan hasil observasi telah dilakukan, fasilitas produksi digunakan UKM cenderung belum memenuhi standar GMP atau dapat dikatakan layak dan rawan menimbulkan permasalahan keamanan pangan. Ketidaklayakan kondisi tempat serta peralatan sudah mu...

Manufacturing firms are facing an environment where success depends on quick response to customer demands. Despite important contributions by Blackburn (1991) and Stalk and Hout (1990), we lack large-scale, empirical evidence that time-based manufacturing practices can reduce throughput time. More importantly, we lack an understanding of which practices are vital in achieving throughput time re...