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This paper examined the effect of TQM on environmental performance (EP) and the mediating role of innovation (INN) in this relationship. We employed a quantitative research method and collected cross-sectional data from 320 SMEs in the food and beverages manufacturing industry OF Ghana. We further utilised PLS-SEM to analyse the data collected. The main results revealed that TQM has a favourable and substantial impact on EP (β = 0.812, p-value = 0.000) and on INN (β = 0.771, p-value = 0.000). Additionally, INN has a favourable and substantial impact on EP (β = 0.163, p-value = 0.000), and, finally, INN partially mediates the direct link between TQM and EP (β = 0.126, p-value = 0.000). However, this mediating effect was strongly influenced by continuous improvement, employee involvement and product innovation. Therefore, SMEs in the food and beverages manufacturing sector should consider investing more in continuous improvement and employee involvement initiatives. Also, pay close attention to and adapt to changes in taste and market trends related to their products.

This study seeks to examine the impact of quality control techniques on operational efficiency in manufacturing organisations, specifically identifying the most successful practices that foster long-term success. The research employs a twofold approach: it first analyses current literature on the incorporation of quality principles in diverse manufacturing companies, identifying shortcomings.  Secondly, employing quantitative methodologies through surveys directed at South African manufacturing experts. This study utilised a purposive sample method to choose participants from the available population.  Purposive sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique that involves gathering data from designated target groups or individuals according to a defined criterion. The results indicate that employee training, ongoing improvement, and internal audits are the paramount quality control techniques, substantially promoting a culture of quality and advancing operational development. Employee engagement, proactive strategies, and remedial actions are seen as essential components for maintaining enduring operational performance. The incorporation of supplier quality management and control charts improves decision-making and guarantees product uniformity. The research highlights that organisations can enhance competitiveness, operational efficiency, and customer happiness through the implementation of good quality control practices. These methods result in enhanced production, decreased operational expenses, and increased market sustainability. Organisations must prioritise staff training, ongoing enhancement, and supplier quality control to maintain a competitive edge. This study enhances the existing information by emphasising the essential quality control techniques that affect operational efficiency in manufacturing entities. It offers significant insights into the execution of quality control techniques and their influence on business performance, presenting pragmatic recommendations for managers aiming to enhance operational efficiency.

The sustainability of South African automotive component suppliers faces increasing pressure due to global supply chain disruptions and heightened buyer demands. Within this competitive environment, traditional differentiators such as price and product quality are largely prescribed by buyers, leaving suppliers with limited strategic levers. Relationship quality has therefore emerged as a crucial factor in building trust and securing long-term customer retention. The central research question is: What is the correlation between trust and relationship quality in buyer-supplier exchanges within the automotive supply chain? This article reports on a quantitative study that examined the relationship between supplier–buyer relationship quality and the development of trust. A directional linear relationship between these constructs was tested to determine the extent to which relational factors contribute to sustainable partnerships. The findings indicate a strong and significant correlation, suggesting that supplier actions during sourcing interactions can meaningfully influence levels of trust. Trust, in turn, enhances perceived customer value and contributes to customer retention in an industry where competitive advantages are narrow. The study underscores the need for South African automotive component suppliers to prioritise strategies that strengthen relationship quality with their buyers. By fostering trust through relational practices, suppliers may achieve more resilient business outcomes and sustain their market position within a challenging global supply chain environment.

This article investigates the impact of Supply Chain Relationship Management (SCRM) on operational efficiency, with a specific focus on the mediating role of information sharing. SCRM has been widely recognized for promoting collaboration and improving operational outcomes in supply chains. However, the effectiveness of SCRM practices is significantly enhanced when accompanied by robust information-sharing mechanisms. The study utilizes Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 108 supply chain professionals in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana. The results show that information sharing plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between SCRM and operational efficiency, highlighting its importance as a mechanism for facilitating better coordination, reducing operational costs, and improving lead times. These findings offer valuable insights into how inter-organizational collaboration and effective information exchange contribute to operational improvements in supply chains, particularly within the pharmaceutical sector in developing economies. The study contributes both theoretical and practical perspectives on supply chain management.  

Customers’ demand for printing industry to be more productive and compete globally in relation to delivery, cost, quality and use of technological factors is one of the factors which have a possible impact on productivity. Printing establishments through the South African printing industry have a major role to play in the country’s economy. Printing industry is characterised by overloading, inefficiency and ineffectiveness affecting overall organisational performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing productivity improvement practices and develop productivity improvement model to improve printing division. This study follows a qualitative research approach as it is an exploratory research technique used to understand the underlying reasons, perceptions and motivations of individuals in solving a problem. A sample of Government Printing Works’ (GPW) employees directly involved in the printing, finishing and packaging of Higher Education and Training examination question papers located in Pretoria, City of Tshwane municipality participated in this study. A number of critical success and barriers to productivity improvement practices are identified.  Barriers factors include poorly designed process; poorly designed layout; poor quality materials; lack of effective maintenance plans; unsatisfactory planning; supplier inefficiencies and customer inefficiencies were the major causes of low productivity in the GPW. This comprehensive and holistic framework can assist government printing employees’ and lean practioners’ in their lean manufacturing implementation journey systematically and improve the organisation’s performance.

The performance of productivity has garnered significant interest among economists, with a prevalent discussion affirming the crucial role of productivity enhancement in fostering and sustaining growth. This necessitates businesses to recognise manufacturing excellence in their operations.  Manufacturing excellence is a non-prescriptive paradigm for organisational management aimed at enhancing competitiveness.  The processes established for consistent delivery must yield products with minimal variance and no flaws.  This study investigates the impact of manufacturing excellence strategy on workforce productivity in South African automobile parts manufacturing firms.  The study employed a quantitative methodology to investigate production and associated experiences within an automobile parts manufacturing organisation that implemented a manufacturing excellence strategy for enhancing productivity.  The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model, employing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), was utilised for data analysis.  The corporation functions within the eThekwini Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.  The study was conducted by gathering pre- and post-quarterly data on absenteeism, spoilage, and labour productivity.  The findings demonstrate that manufacturing excellence affects labour productivity.  Nonetheless, neither absenteeism nor spoilage correlates with worker productivity following the introduction of manufacturing excellence.  This study reveals the strengths and shortcomings of manufacturing excellence and its impact on workforce productivity in automobile parts manufacturing firms in South Africa. 

The first objective of this study is to analyze the effect of external supply chain flexibility (inbound supplier flexibility and outbound logistics flexibility) on product innovation performance. The second objective is to analyze the effect of external supply chain flexibility on product innovation performance with the lead supplier influence and normative integration as moderating variables. There are six hypotheses in this study: 1) the inbound supplier flexibility affects the product innovation performance, 2) the outbound logistics flexibility affects the product innovation performance, 3) the lead supplier influence moderates the relationship between the inbound supplier flexibility and the product innovation performance, 4) the lead supplier influence moderates the relationship between the outbound logistics flexibility and the product innovation performance, 5) the normative integration moderates the relationship between the inbound supplier flexibility and the product innovation performance, and 6) the normative integration moderates the relationship between the outbound logistics flexibility and product innovation performance. The sample of this study is one hundred fashion SMEs in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This study uses census as the sampling method. This study uses primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires to the respondents. The researchers analyzed the data with PLS. The results show that inbound supplier flexibility and outbound logistics flexibility positively affect product innovation performance. The lead supplier influence negatively moderates the effect of inbound supplier flexibility on product innovation performance in fashion. The lead supplier influence does not moderate the effect of outbound logistics flexibility on product innovation performance. Normative integration does not moderate the relationship among the variables of the study.

This study aims to review values congruence in supply chain management. Values congruence, commonly described by researchers as the sameness of object, idea, and people, are challenging to identify, measure and prove because values are inherent intangibles in people and only seen in one’s behaviour. As an exploratory study, this paper concentrated on the supply chain management process critical path identified as specifications, sourcing, evaluation, adjudication, contract management, and administration. The study also aims to investigate the extent of values congruence at every supply chain management critical path stage.  The data were coded, organized, and analyzed by applying the principles of the content analysis method. The main findings in this study revealed that Value congruence increased performance and projected profits, the environment, and society on the one hand. On the other hand, values incongruence contributed to poor organizational performance, malpractices, corruption, bankruptcy, and liquidations.