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This paper presents the findings from the first phase of a two-phase project that examines integrated supply chain management (ISCM) in Australian and Malaysian businesses. Phase 1 in Australia involved detailed in-company research to document, in the form of case studies, how suppliers have adopted the supply chain management strategy and practices, the specific benefits achieved and the problems/challenges faced. In Malaysia, Phase 1 took the form of a focus group discussion session involving representatives from five organisations. Phase 2 of the project will involve a large questionnaire survey of organisations in both countries. This paper presents the key findings from Phase 1 of the project. For the Australian suppliers, the cases indicate that there are significant benefits derived when implementation has been strategic rather than reactive. These include 1) lead time and inventory reductions, 2) improved data accuracy and customer service, 3) better demand forecasting and revenue increases coupled with cost reductions. Limitations recorded included 1) an increased level of complication in despatching processes, 2) problems with system compatibility, 3) some added complications in marketing practices and 4) greater vulnerability to sudden changes in demand (ie through operating more streamlined systems. The Malaysian focus group discussion results identified Malaysian retailers to be lagging behind their Australian counterparts in the adoption of ISCM. Many MNCs operating in Malaysia are well ahead of their local counterparts in the implementation of the elements of ISCM. The current approach taken by Malaysian companies appears to be "Reactive" or "Tactical" with barcoding and some EDI being the main technologies being adopted. However, companies interviewed showed interest and enthusiasm to apply this technology in the future.

This paper reports on a cross-sectional study in which the extent of implementation of quality management practices with customers and suppliers, and the links between specific practices and performance outcomes are considered. The sample for the study (N=141) is drawn from small to medium sized Australian service organisations. Key findings are that quality management practices are not widely implemented with customers and suppliers, and that organisations perceive only a moderate effect from such implementation on performance outcomes. When the relationship between specific quality practices with customers and suppliers, and performance outcomes are explored by regression analysis, the most significant predictor of improved systems, improved responsiveness, increased quality of service, and improved competitive advantage is the involvement of suppliers in system change and improvement. Other significant factors include the use of customer satisfaction surveys, and the existence of strategic alliances. These findings give a clear message to about the potential of quality practices to managers in service organisations who are seeking more value from their customer/supplier interface.

Many organisations have found it difficult to implement an effective quality management strategy. One of the prime reasons for this is that organisations do not have credible evidence in terms of which quality management practices contribute to organisational performance, and why and how they contribute to this performance. This generally causes misunderstandings and disagreements about expected benefits. A review of the literature revealed a major gap in research in this area of quality/operations management. The purpose of this study was to test the strength of the relationship of different quality-based strategy types with several parameters of organisational performance. Based on a cross-sectional study of manufacturing firms in Australia and New Zealand, the paper tests several hypotheses involving ISO 9000, TQM and organisational performance. Four strategy types are developed as part of a Quality Management Strategy Grid. The central finding is that an Integrated Quality Strategy involving TQM and ISO 9000 certification is the most effective competitive strategy in terms of sustaining organisational performance, particularly for large firms (100 or more employees). The findings of this study have significant implications for practicing managers. The Quality Management Strategy Grid can be used by managers to formulate fiiture strategic action for continuous improvement.

In the last decade business practitioners have been bombarded with new tools and techniques to improve business performance. Business process reengineering (BPR) was one of a number of these tools. However, Holland and Kumar (1995) noted that 60-80 per cent of reengineering programs have been unsuccessful. A review of existing BPR literature in the Australian Financial sector has uncovered a relative absence of empirical research that characterises successful reengineering efforts. Attempts to describe successful BPR have manifested themselves as either case studies (Caron et. al, 1994), highly criticised by Cole (1994), or as conceptual frameworks (Lockamy III and Smith, 1997). The aim of our study, therefore, was to examine the relationship between strategic factors of the reengineering concept as postulated by the Lockamy III and Smith (1997) model and performance outcomes identified from the literature as benefits of BPR programs. This paper reports on a study based on a survey questionnaire and five mini-case studies. 156 questionnaires were sent to 52 organisations selected from the Dunn & Bradstreet Top 500 Companies. A questionnaire was sent to three separate Strategic Business Units (SBUs) within each organisation. A response rate of 32.3% was obtained. The central finding is that the proactive implementation of BPR as part of the organisation's strategy, coupled with focusing redesign efforts on core customer business processes are the most significant predictors of BPR success, explaining more than 30 per cent of the variance in organisational performance. The paper concludes that BPR in the Australian financial sector is playing a key role in business performance improvement.

This article discusses the use of continuous improvement process teams (CIP Teams) and Corrective Action Teams (CATs) at Varian Australia, a manufacturing organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. The company manufactures high-technology instruments that are largely exported to the USA and Europe. The paper describes the experiences of the company with CIP Teams and CATs in the 1990s. The article discusses the reasons for the slow down of the process improvement program and the appropriate changes that were made to relaunch the continuous improvement strategy at Varian Australia. Based on the qualitative analysis in this article, a number of interesting lessons can be learned. The main lesson is that voluntary, cross-functional teams are more effective than compulsory membership as team members are motivated to work towards their goals and better understand the processes. Team members found that by working together the result of their combined effort was much greater than the combined results of their individual efforts. This approach reduced the product development cycle on Varian projects by up to fifty percent.

This paper is based on a doctoral research study which analysed a large data base consisting of 962 responses from Australian manufacturing firms and 379 responses from New Zealand manufacturing firms. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to explore the differences between manufacturing firms grouped according to their level of organisational performance. The study concluded that high performing organisations focus on the * softer' quality practices such as breaking down barriers between departments and continuous improvement, while low performing organisations tended to focus on the 'harder' quality practices such as ISO 9000 certification, and benchmarking.

This paper examines some of the characteristics of "excellent" and "visionary " companies. Based on secondary research data a multiple cross company analysis has been conducted to identify some of the common themes in successful organisations. In a dynamic business environment organisations built around their core competence with flexible structures are critical factors leading to organisational success. However, the driving force of most companies seems to be in the area of customer satisfaction. Other success factors include, entrepreneurship, a home grown management team and people centered organisations. In consideration of the above, certain implications for managers have been appropriately identified.

Organisations in the new millennium are faced with significant challenges to compete in a globalised system that involves the integration of free markets. In order to successfully compete in the global market, organisations in transitional economies have to develop the organisational culture that espouses employee's contribution to the organisational effectiveness. Human resources management plays a key role in the development of organisational culture. This in turn has an affect on the employee's commitment to the company through the process of recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, reward systems, training and development. In companies where human resources management is in its infancy, the organisational culture affects the employee's commitment to the company primarily through the reward systems. In this paper we focus on identifying theoretical concepts, principles, and methods in human resources management (HRM) for transitional companies. We conclude that transitional companies need to focus on the development of an organisational culture based on core values of rewarding excellent performance and increasing the opportunities and challenges for their employees.