PurposeThis paper seeks to report the empirical results examining potential synergetic effects between investments in environmental and quality/lean practices within the supply chain.Design/methodology/approachCross‐country survey data collected by the “Global Manufacturing Research Group” within Europe was utilized to test the hypotheses. Synergetic effects were conceptualized through interaction effects using ordinary least square regression (OLS) analysis.FindingsResults indicate that synergetic effects between traditional practices such as lean and quality and environmental practices are possible. More specifically, the impact of lean and quality practices on operational supply chain performance can be amplified through environmental practices such as ISO 14001, pollution prevention, recycling of materials and waste reduction.Originality/valueAlthough research on the performance impact of environmental practices within the supply chain context has matured over the past years, there is still a scarcity of research exploring their relationship with traditional manufacturing practices such as quality and lean. Underpinned through the resource based view and the concept of complementarity, this study addresses this shortcoming through exploring the impact of environmental practices on the efficacy of quality and lean practices within a supply chain context. This paper will thus be beneficial for supply chain managers developing a case for environmental investments and will further advance research on manufacturing practices within the supply chain context.

This study assesses the combined impact of multiple certifications (i.e., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001) on perceived performance dimensions related to quality, environmental and occupational health and safety. Using survey data collected from 59 Irish manufacturing plants in 2014 we employed MANCOVA and regression analysis to test our proposed hypothesis. The results suggest that companies that are simultaneously ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified are significantly better performers with regard to environmental and occupational health and safety compared to companies without multiple certifications. However, from a perceived quality performance perspective having these multiple certifications doesn't seem to be an effective performance improvement tool.

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CitationOnofrei, G., Prester, J., Fynes, B., Humphreys, P., and Wiengarten, F. (2019) 'The relationship between investments in lean practices and operational performance: Exploring the moderating effects of operational intellectual capital', The relationship between investments in lean practices and operational performance: exploring the moderating effects of operational intellectual capitalAbstract Purpose -Prior research has shown that operational intellectual capital (OIC) and investments in lean practices (ILP) lead to better operational performance. However, there has been no empirical studies on the synergetic effects between OIC components and ILP. More specifically, the question: can the efficacy of ILP be increased through OIC has not been studied. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to report the empirical results of potential synergetic effects between operational intellectual capital (OIC), as a knowledge-based resource, and ILP.Design/Methodology/approach -The empirical data used for this study was drawn from the fifth round of the Global Manufacturing Research Group (GMRG) survey project (with data collected from 528 manufacturing plants). The hypotheses are empirically tested using three ordinary least square (OLS) models. Findings-Our findings highlight the importance of leveraging a system of complementary knowledge based resources (OIC dimensions) and addresses the need for the reformulation of lean theory in terms of the emergent knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm. The results facilitate greater understanding of the complex relationship between ILP and operational performance. Building on the contribution of Menor et al. (2007), we argue that OIC represents a strategic knowledge based resource that is valuable, hard to imitate or substitute and when leveraged effectively, generates superior operational and competitive advantage.Practical implications -From a managerial standpoint, this study provides guidelines for managers on how to leverage OIC to enhance the efficacy of ILP. We argue that firms consider investing in OIC to increase the return from ILP, which in turn will enhance their operational performance and provide competitive advantage. Our findings provide strong evidence of the importance of human, social and structural capital to enhance the efficacy of ILP.Originality/value -This is the first research paper that extends the application of intellectual capital theory in lean literature, and argues that the operational intellectual capital contributes

Leveraging suppliers and customers, in order to build closer inter-organisational ties, is often highlighted as a competitive priority in global supply chains (SCs). The creation of relational capital (RC) within a firm is a well-researched concept; however, few studies investigated the customer/supplier leveraging mechanisms that build relational capital in SCs. In this study, we propose a model to examine the effects of supplier and customer leveraging on the creation of RC, which impacts innovation performance (IP). The empirical data for this study were drawn from the fifth round of the Global Manufacturing Research Group survey project (data collected from 557 manufacturing plants, in 10 countries). The hypotheses were empirically tested using structural equation modelling. The findings highlight the importance of SC leveraging towards building RC, in order to enhance innovation performance. The results show that supplier and customer leveraging positively impact the RC. In turn, the RC has a significant impact on IP. We found that the effect of SC leveraging directly and indirectly (partial mediated by RC) associates with the innovation performance. These findings are underpinned by the relational view, which argues that the relationships between firms are an important unit of analysis for understanding competitive advantage.