Title: A structural equation model for measuring the JIT intensity and its impact on manufacturing flexibility

Authors: Mohamed A. Youssef; Eyad M. Youssef; Jaideep G. Motwani

Addresses: College of Business Administration, University of Dubai, P.O. Box 14143, Dubai, UAE ' College of Business Administration, Delta State University, DSU Box 3275, 1003 West Sunflower Road, Cleveland, MS 38732, USA ' Department of Management, Seidman School of Business, Grand Valley State University, 401 West Fulton Street, Room 409 C, Grand Rapid, MI 49504, USA

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the intensity level of just-in-time practices, on the flexibility dimension of the manufacturing competitive priorities. The paper simply postulates that there is a strong positive association between the intensity level of JIT practices and manufacturing flexibility. The analyses in this paper are based on empirical data collected from more than 212 manufacturing firms in three industrial sectors in the USA. Our findings confirm our hypothesis and further show that firms with higher JIT intensity levels: a) introduce products and production processes more often than their competitors; b) their products have a wider range of product features and verities; c) they are aggressive in their research and development (R&D) efforts. These finding are congruent with prior research on manufacturing flexibility and strategy and have implications for academics and practitioners. The implications are discussed in detail in the concluding segment of this paper.

Keywords: just-in-time; JIT; manufacturing flexibility; structural equation modelling; SEM; empirical study; flexible manufacturing; manufacturing strategy; USA; United States.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2015.069148

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2015 Vol.8 No.3, pp.324 - 356

Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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