Purpose -The purpose of this article is to focus on dyadic buyer-supplier relationship as part of supply chain management (SCM) and to relate implementation of supplier management practices to intra-firm implementation of quality management (QM) practices. The aim is to identify possible relationships between the two sets of management practices. Design/methodology/approach -A survey was conducted in the Greek manufacturing industry, with the use of questionnaires, examining the relationship between supplier management in the SCM context and intra-firm QM implementation. Findings -Research findings, which represent buyers' point-of-view, reveal a positive correlation between supplier management practices and QM practices, providing an empirical support to the basic research hypothesis.Research limitations/implications -There was only one respondent in each buyer company. Also, only a mail survey was used as a research technique and only buyers' perspective was reflected in the data. Future research can be based on both buyers' and suppliers' perspective, asking more than one person and using case studies and phone or face-to-face interviews. Practical implications -The study aims to encourage firms to adopt a QM philosophy and implement QM practices in their way to SCM implementation. Quality practices are widely accepted to result in intra-firm coordination and integration. Given that internal integration is a prerequisite for thorough SCM implementation, QM can serve as a strong base for SCM implementation. Originality/value -The research verifies that intra-firm adoption of the quality philosophy can lead firms to better supplier management in the SCM context. Managers should focus on QM in their way to SCM implementation.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to identify the effect of time on ISO 9000's contribution to total quality management and performance improvement. Design/methodology/approach -Initial empirical research was conducted in Greek certified companies to evaluate their motives for certification and the benefits gained from it across eight basic total quality management (TQM) categories. The results of the survey verify the hypothesis that ISO 9000 certification can serve as a good first step towards TQM, since performance improvement is statistically significant in all TQM-related issues. However, in order for ISO 9000 certification to serve as a good first step towards TQM, performance improvement should continue to grow even after certification. For this reason, a second survey was carried out in the same companies after a three-year period. Findings -The results prove that although the standard's implementation helps companies to achieve an initial improvement in their quality performance, it cannot guarantee that this improvement will continue after certification. Research limitations/implications -Future research should focus on the contribution of the new ISO 9000:2000 series and its ability to re-boost performance improvement in certified organisations. Practical implications -The paper shows that ISO 9000 certification can be used as the "first" but not the "last" step towards quality improvement. Although the standard's implementation helps companies to achieve an initial improvement in their quality performance, it cannot guarantee that this improvement continues after certification. Originality/value -The paper provides a longitudinal study of ISO 9000's contribution to TQM and operational performance improvement.

This paper describes the results of a research conducted in Greek public hospitals betweenMay and October 1998. According to secondary data, Greek hospitals do not seem to follow the world-wide trend of implementing quality principles and management systems, facing a wide range of problems which serve as an obstacle to their productive and normal function. The research aims to investigate the organized and scienti® c implementation of quality management systems in Greek public hospitals. Research ® ndings reveal a rare implementation of quality management systems in Greek hospitals and stress the need for the introduction of quality management into Greek health care. Leadership, which plays the more basic role in supporting quality programmes, lacks basic education in quality issues. In most cases, the implementation of quality programmes depends on employees' initiatives and does not stem from an organized, central plan. Finally, although Greek hospitals have to face many problems, these problems are not exclusively due to the lack of quality programmes.

This article presents the results of an empirical survey aimed at the following: (1) providing data for a factor analysis of the various barriers to the development and implementation of close supplier-buyer relationships and (2) detecting the degree to which the development of a quality system according to the ISO 9000 series of standards can help companies to overcome these barriers. The survey was carried out in Greek manufacturing organisations. The analysis of the results led to the detection of five critical factors, sorted in descending order of criticality. The results also showed that certified companies face less difficulty in dealing with the possible barriers to the development of close relationships with their suppliers.

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to provide a relatively integrated perspective on the role of market orientation, strategic flexibility and technological capability as multiple organizational capabilities and their potential effectiveness in promoting business model innovation (BMI) and business performance.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve this objective, an empirical survey was conducted among 379 firms in Greece. Initially, exploratory factor analysis and then confirmatory factor analysis were applied. Finally, the structural relationships among the latent factors were determined through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results show the positive effect of market orientation on strategic flexibility and technological capability. Strategic flexibility drives firms to BMI and then business performance. Furthermore, it is essential that firms build up technological capability to be effective in BMI and business performance.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected at only one point in time from one country, Greece. This might pose limitations on the generalizability of our results. Future research could also explore how organizations develop strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities in different environmental contexts and organizational structures.Practical implicationsThis study sends the message that companies focusing on market orientation and technological capability can led to higher strategic flexibility and BMI capabilities, which in turn act as a catalyst for business improvement.Originality/valueThe proposed model provides plausible guidelines that advance the research on multiple organizational capabilities in companies.