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Purpose Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have now become an important part of economy for not only developed nations but also for emerging economies. Irrespective of the benefits that can be derived, SMEs in emerging economies still lack the will to implement quality management (QM) practices. Using a comparative study, the purpose of this paper is to understand the status of QM practices in SMEs of emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach A survey-based approach was adopted to understand the established QM practices in the SMEs. A survey instrument was designed by reviewing the literature on QM initiatives in SMEs. A sample of 270 SMEs across Southern India and 189 SMEs in Namibia was selected through stratified random sampling technique. Findings The overall response rate was 19.52 percent for India and 26.46 percent for Namibia, respectively. There were similarities and differences in responses from SMEs in both countries. Similarities are in terms of limited implementation of QM practices, and also less use of tools and techniques. Reasons for not implementing include unknown to the authors, and the high cost of training. Differences emerged in the type of market (Indian SMEs catering to one major customer), CSFs and business performance indicators. It was interesting to find that management commitment and involvement do not have a major influence as CSF for SMEs in both the countries. Originality/value The research is the first attempt in bringing a comparative study about QM practices in SMEs from developing countries. The insights will help emerging economies to develop policies for education and training, and thus facilitate implementation of QM practices in SMEs.

Purpose: The objective of this research is to explore the empirical green supply chain activities found in literature, and to develop a taxonomic framework that can be used for formulating appropriate strategies for green supply chains, based on characteristic dimensions for the green supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach: The taxonomic framework is developed through (i) analysis of green supply chain activities found in existing empirical work or case studies recorded in literature, (ii) identification of key dimensions that influence green supply chain management strategies, and (iii) development of a taxonomic scheme for selecting or developing green strategies.

Findings: The paper finds that this study yielded: a set of three characteristic dimensions that influence strategic green supply chain management, and a guided structured approach selecting appropriate green strategies, providing managerial insights.

Research limitations/implications: This paper shows that future work includes development of specific performance management indices according to the taxonomy of green strategies developed in this study.

Practical implications: This research provided a practical guided approach that enhances appropriate formulation of green strategies for green supply chain management, while providing sound managerial insights for the supply chain decision maker. The choice of supply chain strategy directly impacts the overall environmental, economic and operations performance of the supply chain.

Originality/value: This study presents to supply chain decision makers a new taxonomic framework that simplifies and enhances the formulation of green strategies, and to researchers a comparative understanding of various strategies applicable to green supply chains.

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in AbstractAs 'green' issues continue to become a global concern in the manufacturing supply chain, developing appropriate performance measurement systems for specific supply chains is imperative. Various green supply chain management strategies have been proposed in different contexts. On the other hand, a number of performance management systems (PMS) have been proposed. However, given the variations in the contexts of the available green strategies and the performance measurement approaches, selecting or developing suitable performance measures and the ensuing PMS under a given supply chain context is not trivial. The purpose of this study is to develop a structured taxonomic approach to developing PMS under various green supply chain conditions, contexts, and business objectives. Therefore, we (i) explore extant empirical studies on green supply chain activities and environmental management, (ii) develop a taxonomy of green supply chain strategies, (iii) derive a structured approach to developing green performance management systems, and (iv) provide a taxonomic performance measurement framework consisting of environmental, economic, and social performance metrics. Unlike past studies, the taxonomic framework forms a practical platform to assist decision makers when developing a suitable set of performance measures and the ultimate PMS while considering the particular context of specific green strategies under which the PMS is supposed to operate.