Doctor of Manufacturing Management, University of Toledo, 2007, Manufacturing Management

This research studies the impact of various supply chain management (SCM) practices - external to the organization - and modularity based manufacturing practices - within the organization - on supply chain responsiveness. The study, further investigates the dimensions of supply chain responsiveness through an extensive literature review. It develops a reliable and valid instrument for the supply chain responsiveness construct, which will be beneficial for both practitioners and academicians. The study also assesses the impact of supply chain responsiveness on the outcome variable - competitive advantage - of the firm. The large scale web-based survey yielded 294 responses from industry professionals in the manufacturing and supply chain area. The data collected was put through rigorous statistical analysis to test for content, construct, and criterion-related validity, as well as reliability analyses. Further a structural equation model was developed to test the relationships between SCM practices, modularity based manufacturing practices, supply chain responsiveness, and competitive advantage. In addition, rigorous regression analyses and MANOVA were performed to analyze the effects of various relationships at the sub-construct level as well as item level. The research findings supported the hypotheses that SCM practices positively impact supply chain responsiveness, modularity based manufacturing practices are positively associated with supply chain responsiveness, supply chain responsiveness positively impacts competitive advantage of a firm, and SCM practices are positively associated with competitive advantage of a firm. The research also uncovered the critical and specific practices (at the sub-construct and item level) that increase supply chain responsiveness. Furthermore, the study uncovered the specific SCM practices and supply chain responsiveness criteria that increase competitive advantage of a firm.

Committee: Subba Rao (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration, Management