A replication and extension of quality management into the supply chain Hale Kaynak a, * , Janet L. Hartley b,1 a The University of Texas–Pan American, Department of Management, Marketing, & International Business, College of Business Administration, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539-2999, United States b Bowling Green State University, Department of Management, College of Business Administration, Bowling Green, OH 43551, United States Available online 22 June 2007 Abstract As competition moves beyond a single firm into the supply chain, researchers are beginning to explore quality management (QM) in a supply chain context. The literature suggests that supply chain management (SCM) consists of internal practices, which are contained within a firm, and external practices, which cross organizational boundaries integrating a firm with its customers and suppliers. Supplier quality management and customer focus are two QM practices that are also clearly in the domain of SCM. In this study we investigate how these two supply chain management-related quality practices lead to improved performance and examine the practices that precede and mediate those relationships. In doing so, we replicate and extend the relationships among the QM practices and their effects on firm performance suggested in Kaynak [Kaynak, H., 2003. The relationship between total quality management practices and their effects on firm performance. Journal of Operations Management 21, 405–435] using survey data gathered from firms operating in the U.S. The inclusion of customer focus and supplier quality management in the QM model supports the importance of internal and external integration for quality performance. Implications of the results for researchers and practitioners are discussed, and further research implications are suggested. # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Quality management; Supply chain management; Replication research 1. Introduction Empirical quality management (QM) research has evolved over the last 20 years. Empirical research has defined and measured QM practices (e.g., Ahire et al., 1996; Flynn et al., 1994; Nair, 2006; Saraph et al., 1989; Sila and Ebrahimpour, 2005). Numerous studies have investigated the relationships among QM practices and various aspects of a firm’s performance (e.g., Adam et al., 1997; Ahire and O’Shaughnessy, 1998; Dow et al., 1999; Kaynak, 2003; Samson and Terziovski, 1999). As competition moves beyond a single firm into the supply chain, focus is shifting from management of internal practices alone. Instead, quality managers must integrate their firms’ practices with those of customers and suppliers (e.g., Flynn and Flynn, 2005; Kannan and Tan, 2005; Robinson and Malhotra, 2005; Sila et al., 2006). Integrating QM and supply chain management (SCM) will be important for future competitiveness (Flynn and Flynn, 2005; Matthews, 2006; Robinson and Mal- hotra, 2005). www.elsevier.com/locate/jom Journal of Operations Management 26 (2008) 468–489 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 956 381 3380; fax: +1 956 384 5065. E-mail addresses: hkaynak@panam.edu (H. Kaynak), jhartle@cba.bgsu.edu (J.L. Hartley). 1 Tel.: +419 372 8645; fax: +1 419 372 6057. 0272-6963/$ – see front matter # 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jom.2007.06.002