44 Int. J. Services and Operations Management, Vol. 32, No. 1, 2019
Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Managing quality within existing supply chains:
case studies from Jordan
Randa Mazzawi and Mohammad Alawamleh*
Business Administration Department,
American University of Madaba,
P.O. Box 2882, 11821 Amman, Jordan
Email: randa_mazzawi@yahoo.com
Email: M.alawamleh@aum.edu.jo
*Corresponding author
Abstract: In the globalised economy supply chains are of paramount
importance to international organisations, thus supply chain management has
been intensively studied throughout the recent decades to understand the
product cycle from the supplier to end customer and within organisations.
However, there is a gap in the literature concerning the management of
particular parameters such as quality within supply chains. This research
investigates methods of measuring quality within existing supply chains using
two companies from Jordan as case studies. Two different methodologies were
applied in order to be able to conduct this research: direct observation and
complete participation. It was noted that quality within the manufacturing
supply chain was defined differently than in the service supply chain, thus
requiring different actions to be used to measure it.
Keywords: supply chain; supply chain management; SCM; quality; quality
tools; service; manufacturing; SERVQUAL; fishbone diagrams; Jordan.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Mazzawi, R. and
Alawamleh, M. (2019) ‘Managing quality within existing supply chains:
case studies from Jordan’, Int. J. Services and Operations Management,
Vol. 32, No. 1, pp.44–66.
Biographical notes: Randa Mazzawi is a supply chain and ERP trainer. She
obtained her BSc in Industrial Engineering from University of Jordan and MSc
in International Business from University of Lincoln, UK. Her research interest
includes supply chain management and ERP.
Mohammad Alawamleh is a Doctor of Business Administration at the
American University of Madaba. He obtained his BSc in Computer
Engineering, MSc in Digital Communication Systems from Loughborough
University, UK and PhD in Engineering Management from Coventry
University. His research interest includes managerial and technical solution for
collaboration between enterprises, virtual organisation, and risk management
processes. He published more than ten refereed journal articles and conference
proceedings.