Integrating the supply chain management and continuous quality improvement approaches for organizational effectiveness: Case study at the Hoxworth Blood Center, University of Cincinnati, Ohio

The present study is an attempt to integrate the methods of supply chain management and continuous improvement for organizational effectiveness. In this study, it is demonstrated that the supply chain is made of connecting channel members that are exchanging feedforward flow of materials and feed back flow of information through the channel members. This situation prompted the possibility of developing a structural analysis of the supply chain, based on (1) the relationship between channel members and (2) the attitude of each channel member toward individual quality issues. The developed Integrated Supply Chain Structural Analysis (ISCSA) method not only allows the identification of weak links and possible problematic area in the Supply Chain, but also the development of a continuous quality improvement activities across the supply chain rather than local processes.