Purpose -During the last decades, different quality management concepts, including total quality management (TQM), six sigma and lean, have been applied by many different organisations. Although much important work has been documented regarding TQM, six sigma and lean, a number of questions remain concerning the applicability of these concepts in various organisations and contexts. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to describe the similarities and differences between the concepts, including an evaluation and criticism of each concept. Design/methodology/approach -Within a case study, a literature review and face-to-face interviews in typical TQM, six sigma and lean organisations have been carried out. Findings -While TQM, six sigma and lean have many similarities, especially concerning origin, methodologies, tools and effects, they differ in some areas, in particular concerning the main theory, approach and the main criticism. The lean concept is slightly different from TQM and six sigma. However, there is a lot to gain if organisations are able to combine these three concepts, as they are complementary. Six sigma and lean are excellent road-maps, which could be used one by one or combined, together with the values in TQM. Originality/value -The paper provides guidance to organisations regarding the applicability and properties of quality concepts. Organisations need to work continuously with customer-orientated activities in order to survive; irrespective of how these activities are labelled. The paper will also serve as a basis for further research in this area, focusing on practical experience of these concepts.

Purpose-Concurrent designing of products, processes and supply chains (3-DCE) has proved to be beneficial in rendering holistic, market-responsive architecture to organizations through linkages created by dynamic capability development and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the promises of 3-DCE in synthesizing and sustaining critical success factors (CSFs) for organizations, and also underpin the existing gap between its offerings in devising the CSFs and the 'real solutions' essential in a dynamic system's perspective. Design/methodology/approach-The paper adopts an intermediary approach combining both explanatory and exploratory researches. The conceptual framework of the paper is based on a matrix for organizational mapping of TCF firms prepared through content analysis. This is followed by an extensive semi-structured survey. The selection of firms was based on contacting TEKO and Europages. Usable responses were obtained from 42 firms for detailed analysis, making the response rate around 15 percent. Findings-The results were manifold. It showed that most of the key success factors are synthesized and sustained through 3-DCE designing. The paper also highlights the necessity to incorporate intangible value propositions of culture, leadership and governance, knowledge, image and relationship into the 3-DCE model to generate an 'extended 3-DCE' framework for mediating operational performance and hence organizational success. Such a model required in a dynamic environment is argued to show a fit to represent a design for resilience perspective, requiring further research. Practical implications-The findings from the paper can be beneficial for organizations to understand the key areas in which to invest and how to invest their resources and time, as CSF identification is largely qualitative and can result in differing opinions in pinpointing them. It is thus recommended to synthesize or identify them from the 3-DCE perspective. Research limitations-Firstly, the selection of sample size of organizations was small and arguments regarding its representation of the Swedish TCF firms' population could be raised. So the claims and propositions of the paper cannot be widely generalized. Secondly, the responses to the survey were based on judgments of the company top management and could vary if intra-organizational responses were considered. Originality/value-The paper is original in realizing how 3-DCE can be instrumental in devising critical success factors in organizations and also what factors needs to be incorporated into its 'extended' framework to match the requirements for organizations in a dynamic environment.

This paper aims to contribute to the resilience development of the textile sector in a transitional economy, based on a case study of the Kyrgyz Republic, where the transition to a free market system generated broken supply chains, low diversification, a high open economy level of the textile sector and dependence on international trade regulations. The approach used is based on theories of organisational resilience, literature studies and fieldwork. Scenarios are developed and analysed by event tree and SWOT analysis, to identify resilience properties of the textile sector. Findings focus on the implications of future membership or non-membership, respectively, in the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia, where both supportive and adverse effects have been identified. The results contribute to the knowledge of the transitional economy conditions and serve as a guideline for stakeholders about enhancing resilience, both at the industrial and organisational levels, of the Kyrgyz textile sector.Keywords: organisational resilience; supply chain risk; regionalisation; Customs Union; transitional economy; Kyrgyzstan; textiles and apparel.Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Abylaev, M., Pal, R. and Torstensson, H. (2014) 'Resilience challenges for textile enterprises in a transitional economy and regional trade perspective -a study of Kyrgyz conditions', Int.

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