Integrated quality and supply chain management business diagnostics for organizational sustainability improvement.

Abstract

A growing number of organizations are integrating economic, ecologic and financial sustainability considerations into their management processes, driven by increased societal and stakeholder pressures. With a view to support organizations in this global challenge, this paper examines integration of sustainability into the two influential management approaches of quality management and supply chain management. To achieve this, a critical evaluation of the extant integrated models in the literature is undertaken, analyzing strengths and weaknesses and evidencing the limitations. Stemming from the gaps identified, a conceptual framework is formulated, holistically incorporating quality and supply chain management principles for organizational triple bottom line sustainable development. A road map for industrial practitioners is presented along with a business diagnostic tool that were constructed on the basis of novel, synergistic relationships established between the management principles of quality, supply chain integration and sustainability of organizations.