In-Depth Critique: Supply Chain Quality Integration Article 2014

This essay presents a critique of the article "Supply Chain Quality Integration: Antecedents and Consequences" by Baofeng Huo, Xiande Zhao, and Fujun Lai, which explores quality management from a supply chain perspective. The critique summarizes the article's main points, including the concept of Supply Chain Quality Integration (SCQI), the model developed to specify relationships between competitive hostility, organizational approach to quality, types of SCQI, and quality-related performance. It assesses the article's strengths, such as its clear structure, large sample size, and detailed hypotheses, while also noting weaknesses like the limited literature review and focus on manufacturing industries. The essay concludes by commenting on the article's overall usefulness and significance to the field of quality management, highlighting its unique approach to quality enhancement through SCQI and its insights for managers on adopting organizational approaches to improve quality-based performance.

Running head: ARTICLE CRITIQUE
ARTICLE CRITIQUE
Name of Student
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Author Note

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Introduction
The article that is to be reviewed in this paper is Supply Chain Quality Integration:
Antecedents and Consequences that has been compiled by Baofeng Huo, Xiande Zhao and
Fujun Lai. The article aims at providing a perspective on quality management from the view
of an individual company to the view of a supply chain. The article focuses on providing a
supply chain quality integration concept (SCQI) comprising customer, supplier and internal
integration for the enhancement of quality. The authors of the article also focus on forming a
model that can determine the inter-relationships of SCQI, quality and performance related to
quality. The main argument of the article is that the various SCQI forms are associated with
performance related to quality, which highlights the internal integration of quality as an
important strategic source for the enhancement of quality. There are a few strong points of
the article. First, the paper is written in a clear and coherent structure. Second, the sample size
used by the authors is large which accounts for the authenticity of the data. However, despite
the strengths of the article, it has certain weaknesses as well. The first weak point of the
article is that the literature review is not sufficiently extensive. The second weak point is that
the authors focus only on manufacture industries and leave out a wide range of service
industries that reduces the variability of perspectives.
Summary
The authors of the article present a wide discussion on quality management through
the concept of SCQI. After a careful consideration on the topic, the authors form a conceptual
model on the framework of dynamic organizational capability in association with the theory
of resource-based view (RBV). Relating to this model, the authors have formed the
hypotheses of the study. The hypotheses of the study determine the relation between
organizational approach and competitive hostility, the impact of competitive hostility and

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organizational approach on SCQI, and the relation between the variations of the SCQI. The
authors had obtained data from 291 manufacturing plants placed over ten countries
representing three particular industries –transportation components, electronics and
machinery. The data was collected through a questionnaire that was translated into English.
The data was analyzed using the software of partial least squares (PLS) Graph 3.0. The data
was measured using the method of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to determine the
reliability and validity. The reliability if the data was within a range of 0.798 to 0. 960 that is
above the threshold range. By the end of the research, the authors find that there is a positive
impact of competitive hostility on the organizational approach to quality, which are positively
associated with SCQI. Moreover, integration of internal quality improves the integration of
external quality for both the customers and the suppliers. Integration of internal quality
enhances all of the aspects related to performance that is associated with quality as well as
integration of customer and supplier quality enhances cost performance. Delivery
performance is improved by integration of customer quality, quality performance is improved
by integration of supplier quality and flexibility performance is improved by integration of
internal quality.
Assessment
The article in context has certain important strengths. First, the article is structured in
a clear and coherent manner. The article has used a large sample size that covers ten countries
and therefore, provides a perspective operating on the global level. The authors have prepared
the hypotheses in a detailed manner and have appropriately explained each step and each
finding with extensive clarity and minute details. Therefore, it is not an overstatement to say
that the article is quite informative. The authors have also used the aid of diagrams and tables
that make the article and its crucial findings comprehensive. The language used is simple and
yet standard. The topic of the article is also unique and therefore, serves an interesting factor.

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However, there are certain weaknesses in the article. The first weakness is that the
authors have not conducted a sufficiently extensive literature review adhering to insufficiency
of evidence-based research. Second, the authors do not cover all the fields within the scope of
the research argument. That is to say, that the authors limit their research only to the field of
competitive hostility and organizational approach to the management of quality where they
could have explored other fields related to business as well including organizational structure,
dynamism and uncertainty. Third, the authors limit their research only to the manufacture
industry barring them from getting a perspective from the service industries.
It must be noted in this context that most research done earlier on this subject limits
the agenda of quality enhancement within a boundary that is organizational. However, the
authors of the present article have endeavored to provide a new take on quality enhancement
where the concept of SCQI is broadened indicating all suppliers to collaborate for the
management of quality-based performance. The authors have provided a holistic approach for
quality management. The concept is unique and can help the managers of organization to
gain a view on the significance of integrating the external and the internal resources for
gaining competitive advantage in the strategic domain of the business. The outlook of the
authors regarding the concept of RBV is enlightening since not much research has been done
on the concept of quality management from the perspective of the supply chain integration
with the application of. Therefore, the authors have been able to highlight and explain a new
domain that recognizes the external setting of the organization and the internal organizational
strategy as important enablers of SCQI and that in the face of competitive hostility in the
business world, companies are forced to apply an organizational approach for the
enhancement of quality that leads to the improvement of SCQI and finally improves quality
performance.

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Conclusion
In conclusion, the subject of the article under review is unique and has not been
widely researched before. The study provides a definition of the SCQI from the perspective
of integration in the supply chain and the management of quality. Moreover, the findings of
the study provides valuable insights to the managers of organizations on ways for adopting
organizational approaches towards quality and on the various types of SCQI for improving
quality-based performance in the face of competitive hostility.

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Bibliography
Huo, B., Zhao, X., & Lai, F. (2014). Supply chain quality integration: antecedents and
consequences. IEEE Transactions on engineering management, 61(1), 38-51.