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IJQRM 27,3

Six Sigma quality: a structured review and implications for future research
Mohamed Gamal Aboelmaged
Management Department, College of Business Administration, Ajman University of Science and Technology, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
Purpose This paper aims to clarify emerging aspects and trends of Six Sigma literature over 17 years, from 1992 to 2008. Design/methodology/approach The literature on Six Sigma from 417 referred journal articles in business and management disciplines, information systems and computer science, engineering, healthcare, etc. were systematically analyzed based on a scheme that consists of four distinct dimensions: publication year and journal, major themes, research type, and application sector (i.e. manufacturing vs service). Findings A number of key ndings emerged: Six Sigma research is growing rapidly, covering various disciplines and domains with a great focus on Six Sigma tools and techniques; empirical research is dominant with more emphasis on case study approach; and the growing gap between manufacturing- and service-focused articles implies the return of Six Sigma to manufacturing as its initial base. Although a large volume of literature is available on Six Sigma, the topic is still under development and offers potential opportunities for further research and applications. Originality/value The paper provides both academics and practitioners with a useful framework for pursuing rigorous Six Sigma research through explaining the chronological growth of Six Sigma, challenging themes of Six Sigma research, dominating research types and application areas in Six Sigma, and the major sources of Six Sigma information. Keywords Six Sigma, Total quality management, Lean production, Supply chain management Paper type Literature review

268
Received March 2009 Revised September 2009 Accepted September 2009

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management Vol. 27 No. 3, 2010 pp. 268-317 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-671X DOI 10.1108/02656711011023294

Introduction Six Sigma has evolved from scientic management and continuous improvement theories by combining the nest elements of many former quality initiatives. Originally, Motorola was the rst to launch a Six Sigma program in the 1980s. In 1988, Motorola was the rst company awarded the Baldrige Award, which led other organizations to show an increased interest in adopting and modifying Six Sigma methodology. Companies such as Allied Signal, IBM, and General Electric adopted Six Sigma as a corporate requirement for strategic and tactical operations to produce high-level results, improve work processes, expand employees skills and change the culture. Now, Six Sigma is well established in almost every industry and many organizations worldwide have modied Six Sigma methodology and tools to t their own operations. For the term Six Sigma there appears to be little consensus on its denition. Proposing an emergent denition of Six Sigma based on a grounded theory approach, Schroeder et al. (2008) concluded that Six Sigma offers a new structure that promotes

both control and exploration in improvement efforts. They asserted that academics need to develop a deeper and richer knowledge of Six Sigma so that they do not over hype or quickly dismiss it. Table I shows examples of Six Sigma denitions that reect different perspectives. From a statistical perspective, Six Sigma is a metric of process measurement symbolized by the Greek letter s that represents the amount of variation with a normal data distribution. Fundamentally, Six Sigma quality level relates to 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO). The focus of Six Sigma is not on counting the defects in processes, but the number of opportunities within a process that could result in defects so that causes of quality problems can be eliminated before they are transformed into defects (Antony, 2006). From a business perspective, Six Sigma could be described as a process that allows companies to drastically focus on continuous and breakthrough improvements in everyday business activities to increase customer satisfaction (Andersson et al., 2006). In this paper, we classify the literature on Six Sigma research and present a comprehensive review of these studies. The review covers 417 journal articles
Andersson et al. (2006) Improvement program for reducing variation, which focuses on continuous and breakthrough improvements A business performance improvement strategy that aims to reduce the number of mistakes/defects to as low as 3.4 occasions per million opportunities A philosophy that employs a well-structured continuous improvement methodology to reduce process variability and drive out waste within the business processes using statistical tools and techniques The rating that signies best in class, with only 3.4 defects per million units or operations A strategic, company-wide, approach . . . focusing on variation reduction, projects have the potential of simultaneously reducing cost and increasing customer satisfaction A quality movement, a methodology, and a measurement. As a quality movement, Six Sigma is a major player in both manufacturing and service industries throughout the world. As a methodology, it is used to evaluate the capability of a process to perform defect-free, where a defect is dened as anything that results in customer dissatisfaction A quality improvement program with a goal of reducing the number of defects to as low as 3.4 parts per million opportunities or 0.0003 per cent A business strategy used to improve business protability, to improve the effectiveness and efciency of all operations to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations

Six Sigma quality

269

Antony (2002)

Banuelas and Antony (2002)

Behara et al. (1995) Bendell (2006)

Black and Revere (2006)

Chakrabarty and Tan (2007)

Kwak and Anbari (2006)

Table I. Examples of Six Sigma denitions

IJQRM 27,3

published between 1992 and 2008. The paper is divided into four remaining sections. First, the research methodology used in the study is described. This is followed by the classication framework in the second section. Third, Six Sigma articles are analyzed and the classication results are reported. Fourth, conclusions are presented and the implications of the study are discussed. Research methodology The research targeted peer-reviewed journal papers having more than two pages, as academics and practitioners alike most often use journals to obtain information and disseminate the highest level of research ndings, both in width and breadth research ndings. Therefore, editorials, news reports, book reviews, viewpoints, conference papers, masters and doctoral dissertations, textbooks, and unpublished working papers were excluded. The survey focused only on papers with Six Sigma as a part of their titles. The exceptions are those articles that are explicitly dealing with Six Sigma but for some reasons the authors decided to use one of Six Sigma methodologies, DMAIC or DFSS, in the title. Finally, to avoid never ending revision of the article, the end of 2008 was selected as the cut-off date. These criteria should allow a quality and comprehensive set of papers on Six Sigma by different elds. The compiling effort has been carried out over 19 months through extensive database search, internet search, reference checking, etc. However, it is possible that there exist an article that is not surveyed in this paper. Considering the nature of the research on Six Sigma, it would be difcult to group the literature under any specic disciplines. As a result, various online journal databases shown were selected and searched to provide a comprehensive bibliography on Six Sigma literature. The literature contributions were primarily of articles from research databases including Emerald, Science Direct (Elsevier), ProQuest Global, Interscience, Inderscience, ASQ, Springer and IEEE-Xplore. These databases provide online delivery systems with full text access to thousands of high quality articles and journals that cover a wide range of social and applied science titles including business and management disciplines, engineering, healthcare and computer science. The search yielded 417 Six Sigma articles from 147 journals. Each article was carefully reviewed and then the data was organized to produce a classication from several perspectives. Although this research is not exhaustive, it serves as a comprehensive base for an understanding of Six Sigma research. Classication framework The classication framework was based on the literature review, the nature of Six Sigma research, and the work of Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2006) and Brady and Allen (2006). The articles were reviewed, analyzed and classied based on four dimensions as follows: (1) Publication year and journal. (2) Major theme and subject. (3) Research type. (4) Application sector: manufacturing vs service.

270

This framework will provide guidelines for pursuing rigorous Six Sigma research by explaining the chronological growth of Six Sigma, challenging themes of Six Sigma research, dominating research types and application areas in Six Sigma and the major sources of Six Sigma information. Results and analysis of the classications Distribution by year of publication Figure 1 shows the distribution of 417 Six Sigma articles published over the period from 1992 to 2008. There appears to be limited research outputs before 2000. The blooming years for Six Sigma research were between 2000 and 2006 since the number of journal articles has increased signicantly over this period, and started to decline in 2007. However, the escalation in number of Six Sigma articles in 2008 is noteworthy. Distribution of articles by journal There were a total of 147 different journals from various business, engineering, statistics, information systems/technology and healthcare disciplines that published Six Sigma articles. Figure 2 demonstrates that the vast number of articles (122 articles, 53 percent) is published in 14 journals, while 196 articles (47 percent) were published in 133 journals, among them 91 journals published one article only and 42 journals published 2 to 4 articles each. Among the leading journals, International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage had by far the largest number of articles per journal (72 articles, 17.3 percent). Since 2004, the journal is devoted to advancing the understanding and practice of Six Sigma research. To reect the close relationship between total quality management and Six Sigma research, total quality management journals had the second largest percentages of Six Sigma articles. This includes Total Quality Management and Business Excellence and The TQM Journal (previously, The TQM Magazine which share the second position (27 articles, 6.5 percent each). Besides, the engineering perspective to

Six Sigma quality

271

Figure 1. Distribution of Six Sigma articles by year (1992-2008)

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272

Figure 2. Distribution of Six Sigma articles by journals

quality deployment is noticeable in Six Sigma articles since the third and fourth largest percentages of Six Sigma articles are in Quality Engineering (23 articles, 5.5 percent) and Quality and Reliability Engineering International (18 articles, 4.3 percent). International Journal of Product Development (eight articles, 1.9 percent) had the fth position. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management and International Journal of Production Research share the sixth position (seven articles, 1.67 percent each). The seventh position is shared by The Quality Management Journal and The Journal of

Validation Technology (six articles, 1.43 each). Four journals including Measuring Business Excellence, Journal of Organizational Excellence, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, and Journal of Healthcare Management share the eighth largest percentages of Six Sigma articles (ve articles, 1.2 percent each). Surprisingly, these 14 journals represent the main disciplines that construct Six Sigma research; business, engineering, and healthcare. A comprehensive list of all contributing journals is illustrated in the Appendix. Distribution of articles by themes Table II provides a comprehensive list containing the themes and their classied references for each theme. It is unavoidable to have an article that is relevant to more than one theme, so listing an article under more than one theme was allowed. For example, an article may address critical success factors for Six Sigma implementation but provide information on Six Sigma tools and techniques. In such a case, a more weighted theme is chosen to classify the article according to the authors judgment. A total of 13 themes were identied in Six Sigma articles. The most heavily published theme is in Six Sigma tools and techniques (169 articles). The two major Six Sigma methodologies, DMAIC and DFSS, made up the second largest proportion within Six Sigma themes (87 articles). DAMIC (54 articles) and DFSS, design for Six Sigma (33 articles). The conventional relationship between Six Sigma and other quality approaches, TQM and continuous improvement in particular, had the third largest number of articles (48 articles), while the human structure of Six Sigma in terms of the Belt system had the fourth position (37 articles) (Figure 3). This is followed by the relationship between Six Sigma and lean production in the fth position (34 articles). Success factors for Six Sigma implementation is the sixth largest proportion within Six Sigma themes (33 articles). Evaluating Six Sigma in terms of challenges and benets is in the seventh and eighth positions with 31 and 29 articles continuously. Selection of Six Sigma project is in the ninth position (16 articles). Themes that link Six Sigma with management disciplines are also present. This involves organizational change in the tenth position (14 articles), supply chain in the 11th position (13 articles) and organizational learning in the 13th position (seven articles). Surprisingly, there are relatively fewer articles on Six Sigma education in the 12th position (11 articles). An elaboration of the cited themes is presented in the following subsections. Six Sigma tools and techniques. The great deal of Six Sigma literature has focused on Six Sigma tools and techniques. They can be described as practical methods and skills employed by Six Sigma project teams to tackle quality related problems for fostering performance improvement. While Six Sigma tool has a specic role and is often narrow in focus, Six Sigma technique has a wider application and requires specic skills, creativity and training (Antony, 2006). Examples of Six Sigma tools include Pareto analysis, root cause analysis, process mapping or process ow chart, Gantt chart, afnity diagrams, run charts, histograms, quality function deployment (QFD), Kano model, brainstorming, etc. Examples of Six Sigma techniques include statistical process control (SPC), process capability analysis, suppliers-input-process-output-customer (SIPOC), SERVQUAL, benchmarking, etc. Moreover, a Six Sigma technique can utilize various tools. For example, statistical process control (SPC) is a technique that utilizes various tools such as control charts, histograms, root cause analysis, etc.

Six Sigma quality

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IJQRM 27,3

Theme Tools and techniques

References

Total

274

Table II. Classication of Six Sigma articles by themes

Adams et al. (2004); Al-Aomar (2006); Al-Aomar and Youssef (2006); 169 Antony (2006); Antony (2007a); Antony and Fergusson (2004); Antony et al. (2001); Antony et al. (2005); Antony et al. (2007a); Antony et al. (2007c); Banuelas and Antony (2003); Banuelas et al. (2005); Basu (2004); Beard (2008); Bellows (2004); Benedetto (2003); Bhatnagar and Pandey (2005); Biedry (2001); Biehl (2004); Bigio et al. (2004); Box and Luceno (2000); Brewer and Eighme (2005); Bunce et al. (2008); Card (2000); Carrigan and Kujawa (2006); Caulcutt (2001); Chan et al. (2005); Chang and Su (2007); Chang and Wang (2008); Chatterjee (2003); Chen et al. (2007); Chen et al. (2005a, b); Cheng (2007b, c); Cheng et al. (2008); Cook et al. (2005); Cupryk et al. (2007); Das and Hughes (2006); De Koning and De Mast (2006); De Vore (2008); Doble (2005); Does et al. (2002); Drenckpohl et al. (2007); Echempati and White (2000); Ehie and Sheu (2005); Elberfeld et al. (2007); Eldridge et al. (2006); Erlandson (2006); Fairbanks (2007); Flott (2000); Frank (2003); Frankel et al. (2005); Fuller (2000b); Gack and Robison (2003); Glower (2006); Goh (2002b); Goh and Xie (2003); Goh and Xie (2004); Goh et al. (2003); Graves (2002); Hahn (2005); Hahn et al. (1999); Han and Lee (2002); Hare (2005); Harjac et al. (2008); Harrington and Trusko (2005); Henderson and Evans (2000); Hendricks and Kelbaugh (1998); Holtz and Campbell (2004); Hong and Goh (2003); Hsu et al. (2005, 2008); Huq (2006); Hutchins (2000); Hwang (2006); Ingram (2000a, b, c); Isaacson (2008); Johnston et al. (2008); Johnstone et al. (2003); Juras et al. (2007); Kanji (2008); Kapur and Feng (2005); Kaushik et al. (2008); Knowles et al. (2004); Krishna and Dangayach (2007); Krishna et al. (2008); Kumi and Morrow (2006); Ladani et al. (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2006, 2007); Li et al. (2006); Lin et al. (2008); Lipscomb and Lewis (2004); Little (2003); Lloyd (2006); Lucier and Seshadri (2001); McAdam and Lafferty (2004); Mahanti (2005); Mahanti and Antony (2005, 2006); Mahesh et al. (2006); Maleyeff and Kaminsky (2002); Maleyeff and Krayenvenger (2004); Malhan and Rao (2005); Malliga and Srinivasan (2007); Manikandan et al. (2008); Manual (2006); Markarian (2004a, b); Miles (2006); Montgomery and Woodall (2008); Moorman (2005); Morgan and Cooper (2004); Mukhopadhyay and Ray (2006); Murugappan and Keeni (2003); Neagu and Hoerl (2005); Ng et al. (2005); Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2008); ONeill (2005); Pan and Cheng (2008); Pandey (2007); Patterson et al. (2005); Perng et al. (2008); Perry and Barker (2006); Pheng and Hui (2004); Raisinghani et al. (2005); Rajagopalan et al. (2004); Ravichandran (2006, 2007, 2008); Revere et al. (2004); Sadagopan et al. n (2006); Schroeder et al. (2005); Sahoo et al. (2008); Sarkar (2007a); Scho (2008); Sehwail and De Yong (2003); Sekhar and Mahanti (2006); Setijono (2008); Smith (1993); Snee (2004); Stewart and Spencer (2006); Su et al. (2005); Sudhahar et al. (2008); Taner et al. (2007); Tannock et al. (2007); Thakkar et al. (2006); Thiele et al. (2008); Thomas and Barton (2006); Thomas and Lewis (2007); Thompson et al. (2008); Ung et al. (2007); Van Den Heuvel et al. (2005); Van Iwaarden et al. (2008); Vaughan (1998); Vote and Huston (2005); Woodall (2001); Woodard (2005, 2006); Wright and Basu (2008); Xue-Liang et al. (2007); Yang (2004); Zaroukian and Sierra (2006); Zhan (2008) (continued )

Theme Methodology DAMIC

References

Total 87

Six Sigma quality

DFSS

Antony (2006); Antony et al. (2007c); Bandyopadhyay and Jenicke (2007); Bandyopadhyay and Lichtman (2007); Banuelas et al. (2005); Brewer and Eighme (2005); Chen et al. (2005, 2008); Cronemyr (2007); De Koning and De Mast (2005); Dedhia (2005); Dreachslin and Lee (2007); Drenckpohl et al. (2007); Edgeman and Dugan (2008); Edgeman et al. (2005); Friday-Stroud and Suttereld (2007); Hamza (2008); Henderson and Evans (2000); Ho and Chuang (2006); Holtz and Campbell (2004); Hu et al. (2005); Jenicke et al. (2008); Kaushik and Khanduja (2008); Kuei and Madu (2003); Kumar et al. (2008a, b); Kumi and Morrow (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2007); Li and Al-Refaie (2008); Li et al. (2008); Lipscomb and Lewis (2004); Lloyd (2006); McCarty and Fisher (2007); Mahanti and Antony (2005, 2006); Mahesh et al. (2006); Man (2002); Miles (2006); Neri et al. (2008); Sanders and Hild (2000c); Schroeder et al. (2008); Sehwail and De Yong (2003); Szeto and Tsang (2005); Taghaboni-Dutta and Moreland (2004); Taner et al. (2007); Tang et al. (2007); Thawani (2004); Thomas and Barton (2006); Thomas and Lewis (2007); Tong et al. (2004); Vote and Huston (2005); Wyper and Harrison (2000); Yeh (2007); Yeh et al. (2007) Amer et al. (2008); Anand et al. (2007); Antony (2002); Banuelas and Antony (2003, 2004); Bayle et al. (2001); Chang and Su (2007); Chung et al. (2008); De Feo and Bar-El (2002); Erlandson (2006); Ferryanto (2007); Gerhorst et al. (2006); Goh (2001); Gremyr (2005); Hasenkamp and Olme (2008); Hu and Antony (2007); Hu and Pieprzak (2005); Johnson et al. (2006a); Kalamdani and Khalaf (2006); Khalaf and Yang (2006); Kovach (2007); Kovach and Cho (2006); Liu et al. (2008); Mekki (2006); Rajagopal and Castillo (2007); Savage (2007); Savage and Son (2008); Shahin (2008); Sokovic et al. (2005); Thomas and Singh (2006); Yang (2005)

275

54

33

Quality approaches Aggogeri and Gentili (2008); Al-Mishari and Suliman (2008); Andersson et al. (2006); Antony (2002); Black and McGlashan (2006); Camgoz-Akdag (2007); Cheng (2007c); Cheng (2008); Craven et al. (2006); Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park (2006); Davison and Al-Shaghana (2007); Delsanter (1992); Ehie and Sheu (2005); Ferng and Price (2005); Foster (2007); Freiesleben (2007); Furterer and Elshennawy (2005); Goeke and Offodile (2005); Green (2006b); Hagemeyer et al. (2006); Haikonen et al. (2004); Hild et al. (2000); Hoerl (1998); Hong and Goh (2004); Jeffery (2005); et al. (2001); Knowles et al. (2004); Krishna Klefsjo et al. (2006); Klefsjo et al. (2008); Lupan et al. (2005); Pfeifer et al. (2004); Revere and Black (2003); Ribardo and Allen (2003); Ricondo and Viles (2005); Sadagopan et al. (2005); Sarkar (2007b); Savolainen and Haikonen (2007); Schroeder et al. (2008); Stewart and Spencer (2006); Thirunavukkarasu et al. (2008); Thomas et al. (2008a); Walters (2005); Wessel and Burcher (2004); Yang (2004); Yang and Yeh (2007); Yeung, S. (2007); Zhang and Xu (2008); Zu et al. (2008) 48 (continued )

Table II.

IJQRM 27,3

Theme Belt system

References Andersson et al. (2006); Antony (2004b); Antony et al. (2001, 2005, 2007b, c); Banuelas et al. (2006); Bendell (2006); Black and McGlashan (2006); Black and Revere (2006); Buch and Tolentino (2006a, b); Gowen (2005); Green (2006a); Green et al. (2006); Hagemeyer et al. (2006); Haikonen et al. (2004); Henderson and Evans (2000); Ho et al. (2008); Hoerl et al. (2001); Ingle and et al. (2001); Kwak and Anbari Roe (2001); Johnson et al. (2006b, c); Klefsjo (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2006); Linderman et al. (2003, 2006); Mitra (2004); Motwani et al. (2004); Pandey (2007); Pfeifer et al. (2004); Rasis et al. (2002a, b); Sadagopan et al. (2005); Savolainen and Haikonen (2007); Schroeder et al. (2008) Al-Aomar (2006); Andersson et al. (2006); Bendell (2006); Bonilla et al. (2008); Brett and Queen (2005); Byrne et al. (2007); Chang and Su (2007); Cupryk et al. (2007); Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park (2006); De Koning et al. (2006, 2008a, b); Fairbanks (2007); Ferng and Price (2005); Furterer and Elshennawy (2005); Gibbons (2006); Hu et al. (2008); Jin et al. (2008); Khalaf and Yang (2006); Kumar et al. (2006); Marti (2005); Mazzola et al. (2007); Morgan and Cooper (2004); Naslund (2008); Pickrell et al. (2005); Pojasek (2003); Proudlove et al. (2008); Ricondo and Viles (2005); Shah et al. (2008); Shahin and Alinavaz (2008); Sharma (2003); Su et al. (2006); Thomas et al. (2008b); Van Den Heuvel et al. (2006) Antony (2004a, 2006, 2008a); Antony and Banuelas (2002); Antony and Fergusson (2004); Antony et al. (2005, 2007a, 2008); Buch and Tolentino (2006a, b); Byrne (2003); Chakrabarty and Tan (2007); Cheng (2007a, 2008); Chung et al. (2008); Coronado and Antony (2002); Feng and Manuel (2008); Frings and Grant (2005); Gowen (2005); Hilton et al. (2008); Ho et al. (2008); Jenicke et al. (2008); Kumar (2007); Laosirihongthong et al. (2006); Linderman et al. (2003, 2006); McAdam and Evans (2004b); Knowles et al. (2005); Sanders and Hild (2000a); Shanmugam (2007); Szeto and Tsang (2005); Wessel and Burcher (2004); Yang et al. (2008) Antony (2004b, 2006, 2007b, 2008a, b); Antony et al. (2001, 2008); Cheng (2007a); Feld and Stone (2002); Gijo and Rao (2005); Goh and Xie (2004); Goh et al. (2006); Hammer (2002); Ho et al. (2006); Hoerl (1998); Kumar (2007); Kumar et al. (2008); Kwak and Anbari (2006); Lee and Choi (2006); Liu et al. (2008); McAdam and Evans (2004a, b); McAdam and Lafferty (2004); McAdam et al. (2005); McClusky (2006); Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2006); Sanders and Hild (2000b); Senapati (2004); Shahabuddin (2008); Van Den Heuvel et al. (2004); Yeung, S. (2007)

Total

276

37

Lean production

34

Success factors

33

Challenges

31

Benets

Table II.

Agarwal and Bajaj (2008); Aggogeri and Gentili (2008); Antony (2004b, 2006); Antony et al. (2001, 2005, 2007c); Behara et al. (1995); Carnell and Lambert (2000); Chen et al. (2005); Das et al. (2006); De Mast (2006); Desai (2006, 2008); Douglas and Erwin (2000); Feld and Stone (2002); Freiesleben (2006); Ganesh (2004); Goh et al. (2006); Hutchins (2000); Johnson (2002, 2006); Johnson and Swisher (2003); Kuei and Madu (2003); Kumar et al. (2007); Kwak and Anbari (2006); McClusky (2006); Sahoo et al. (2008); Snee (2004) 29 (continued )

Theme Project selection

References Antony (2004a, b, 2006); Antony et al. (2001, 2005, 2007c); Banuelas et al. (2006); Bonilla et al. (2008); Hu et al. (2008); Jung and Lim (2007); Kumar et al. (2007, 2008); Kumi and Morrow (2006); Kwak and Anbari (2006); Savolainen and Haikonen (2007); Su and Chou (2008) Brewer (2004); Carnell and Lambert (2000); Craven et al. (2006); Davison and Al-Shaghana (2007); De Feo and Bar-El (2002); Fazzari and Levitt (2008); ns-Montes and Molina (2006); Lok et al. (2008); Immaneni et al. (2007); Llore Motwani et al. (2004); Rajamanoharan and Collier (2006); Sadagopan et al. (2005); Schroeder et al. (2008); Thawani (2004) Antony et al. (2006); Bandyopadhyay and Jenicke (2007); Chan et al. (2006); Chappell and Peck (2006); Das (2005); Dasgupta (2003); Garg et al. (2004); Gowen (2005); Knowles et al. (2005); Wang et al. (2004); Yang et al. (2007); Yeh et al. (2007) Anderson-Cook et al. (2005); Cook et al. (2005); Edgeman and Dugan (2008); Ho et al. (2006); Maleyeff and Kaminsky (2002); Man (2002); Mitra (2004); Montgomery et al. (2005); Rao and Rao (2007); Stevenson and Mergen (2006); Weinstein et al. (2008) Box (2006); Jeffery (2005); Lin et al. (2008); Motwani et al. (2004); Ricondo and Viles (2005); Savolainen and Haikonen (2007); Wiklund and Wiklund (2002)

Total

Six Sigma quality

16

Organizational change

277

14

Supply chain

13

Six Sigma education

11 7

Org. learning

Table II.

Figure 3. Distribution of Six Sigma articles by themes

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Six Sigma methodologies (DMAIC and DFSS). The second largest part of Six Sigma literature deals with the theorization and application of Six Sigma methodologies. There are two major improvement methodologies in Six Sigma. The rst methodology, DMAIC, is used to improve already existing processes and can be divided into ve phases; dene, measure, analyze, improve and control. Several studies have shown successful cases of DMAIC application in a variety of contexts such as healthcare (Dreachslin and Lee, 2007), thermal power plants (Kaushik and Khanduja, 2008), retailing (Kumar et al., 2008a), nancial services (Kumar et al., 2008b) and manufacturing process (Li et al., 2008; Tong et al., 2004). In contrast, the second methodology, design for Six Sigma (DFSS), is used for new processes or when the existing processes are unable to achieve business objectives such as customer satisfaction (Andersson et al., 2006). DFSS methodology can also be divided into ve phases (DMADV); dene, measure, analyze, design and verify (Banuelas and Antony, 2003). Antony (2002) refers to DFSS as a powerful approach to design products and processes in a cost effective and simple manner. Applications of DFSS are also varied from high-tech manufacturing (Chung et al., 2008) to designing new housing (Johnson et al., 2006a). Six Sigma belt system. A part of Six Sigma structure is the role of Six Sigma leaders who initiate, support and review improvement projects. Most Six Sigma organizations adopt the hierarchical level of black belt and green belt systems. A black belt is a full-time team leader dedicated to the Six Sigma initiative. Black belts are equipped with expertise in using the Six Sigma methodology and statistical analysis techniques for process improvement. Individuals at the highest level of expertise in Six Sigma methodologies are called master black belts. They teach, coach and mentor the lower-level black belts and green belts. About 5 percent of employees in Six Sigma organization will be black belts, while the rest are trained to be green belts. Green belts are project leaders and/or process experts who integrate Six Sigma into their daily job duties. They are trained in the use the Six Sigma methodology and dedicating approximately 30 percent of their time toward Six Sigma initiatives. Most of the literature on Six Sigma belt system focuses mainly on belts training and attributes. For example, Ingle and Roe (2001) contrasted the Six Sigma black belt programs used in both Motorola and General Electric (GE). They concluded that GE has a more structured approach to training black belts than does Motorola. The program in GE is more intensive, takes a shorter time and therefore results in a greater number of accredited black belts. The authors also warn about the dangers of focusing on the metric rather than the mission in black belt training since some people were only becoming black belts in order to be promoted, and those that could not become black belts were resentful and disillusioned. With regard to black belts attributes, Antony et al. (2007b) and Black and McGlashan (2006) found that several characteristics were more essential than others in considering potential black belt candidates. The key attributes of Six Sigma black belts in manufacturing companies include effective communicators, change agents, customer advocators, team builders, results-driven mindset personnel and positive thinkers. With regard to green belts, Green (2006a) and Green et al. (2006) uses case studies to examine the nature of their training, work and the projects in which they were involved. Selection of Six Sigma projects. Selection of Six Sigma projects has received substantial attention from authors (e.g. Antony, 2004a; Banuelas et al., 2006; Hu et al.,

2008; Jung and Lim, 2007; Kumar et al., 2007; Su and Chou, 2008) given that the right selection of Six Sigma projects is one of the most critical factors for the effective deployment of a Six Sigma program. Antony (2004a) has indicated some project selection criteria when a service organization wants to implement Six Sigma programs. Those criteria include nancing, customer satisfaction, cost, risks and alignment of strategic business goals and objectives. If project selection is systematically sloppy, the entire Six Sigma effort could fail. Based on the results of a survey study, Banuelas et al. (2006) have pointed to project selection criteria employed in UK organizations. These criteria include customer satisfaction, nancial benets, top management commitment and the integration with the companys strategy. Moreover, Su and Chou (2008) employed three main steps for selecting Six Sigma projects. Those steps are understanding and analyzing the voice of customers (VOCs), drawing up the organizations business strategic policies and deploying the possible Six Sigma projects based on the organizations business policies and the voice of customers. They suggest that Six Sigma projects can be prioritized based on evaluating benets and risks of each project. However, the prioritization of projects in many organizations is still based on pure subjective judgment and very few powerful tools are available for prioritizing projects (Su and Chou, 2008). Cost benet analysis, cause and effect matrix, brainstorming and Pareto analysis are among these tools and techniques which can be employed to identify and prioritize such projects (Banuelas et al., 2006). Six Sigma and quality approaches. Six Sigma literature has linked Six Sigma to quality approaches through two pivotal perspectives. The rst perspective links Six Sigma to TQM, while the second treats Six Sigma as a continuous improvement approach. Within the rst perspective, Six Sigma authors (e.g. Andersson et al., 2006; Black and Revere, 2006; Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park, 2006; Ferng and Price, 2005; Furterer and Elshennawy, 2005; Green, 2006a; Ricondo and Viles, 2005) asserted that Six Sigma is not an alternative to TQM. Even though most Six Sigma tools and techniques are already being applied in the TQM eld and both approaches preach that continuous improvement of quality is essential to business success, there is a vital distinction between them. Hence, the impression raised by some researchers (e.g. Thirunavukkarasu et al., 2008) that Six Sigma could be easily implemented in a company that implements TQM is still debatable. While authors regard TQM as a mushy management system consisting of values, methodologies and tools that aims to improve customer satisfaction, they consider Six Sigma as a more structured methodology that fosters product and process improvement so that the defects are never produced in the rst place. Contrary to TQM, Six Sigma allows organizations to measure process capability and improvement efforts internally and externally. Schroeder et al. (2008) have identied four core advantages of Six Sigma over TQM. These advantages involve the focus on nancial and business results, use of a structured method for process improvement or new product introduction, use of specic metrics such as DPMO, critical-to-quality (CTQ), and use of a signicant number of full-time improvement specialists. According to Antony and Banuelas (2002), Ford found that Six Sigma is more prot orientated, while TQM focuses on xing the quality problem regardless of the cost. The above mentioned differences afrm the necessity of critical ingredients related to Six Sigma training, structure and focus to ensure successful transformation from TQM to Six Sigma in an organization.

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On the other hand, Six Sigma has gained popularity as a continuous improvement strategy aimed at reducing process-variations (Antony, 2002; Ehie and Sheu, 2005; Haikonen et al., 2004; Savolainen and Haikonen, 2007; Stewart and Spencer, 2006). This view is triggered through the link between the DMAIC-structure described above and the Demings plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle. The idea in both procedural practices forms a continuum over time for dynamic continuous improvement structure to sustain business performance and bottom-line (Savolainen and Haikonen, 2007). Operationally, continuous improvement should be guided by Six Sigma tools and techniques for dening specic process to be improved, analyzing root causes and designing actions for making improvement (Ehie and Sheu, 2005). Six Sigma and lean production. Recent Six Sigma studies have focused on the relationship between Six Sigma and lean production (e.g. Andersson et al., 2006; Arnheiter and Maleyeff, 2005; Bendell, 2006; Chang and Su, 2007; Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park, 2006; Ferng and Price, 2005; Naslund, 2008; Pickrell et al., 2005) or on the implementation of the new labeled concept Lean Six Sigma (e.g. Bonilla et al., 2008; Byrne et al., 2007; Cupryk et al., 2007; De Koning et al., 2006, 2008a, b; Furterer and Elshennawy, 2005; Gibbons, 2006; Marti, 2005). The authors arrived at a conclusion that lean and Six Sigma complement each other and represent a powerful framework for eliminating process waste and variation when used together. Lean production is primarily concerned with eliminating waste and reducing cycle time in processes, but cannot reduce variation alone. Six Sigma can reduce variation and improve process by applying a problem-solving approach using statistical tools, but alone does not reduce waste or cycle time. Another distinction between the two approaches is related to the scope. Whereas lean production encompasses the entire organization value chain, Six Sigma concentrates more narrowly on specic project or process within an organization. Despite these differences, both approaches share common features that may combined together to develop the Lean Six Sigma concept as an improvement methodology that maximizes shareholder value and improves customer satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed and invested capital by reducing variation and eliminating waste in an organization (Byrne et al., 2007). Typically, some of lean Six Sigma cases that have been reported in the literature are applied in service settings including nancial service (De Koning et al., 2008a, b), healthcare (De Koning et al., 2006), and local government (Furterer and Elshennawy, 2005). Six Sigma success factors. Key factors for success or failure during Six Sigma implementation have always been subject to intensive literature (e.g. Antony, 2004b, 2006; Antony and Fergusson, 2004; Antony and Banuelas, 2002; Antony et al., 2005; Buch and Tolentino, 2006b; Chakrabarty and Tan, 2007; Coronado and Antony, 2002; Kumar, 2007; Kwak and Anbari, 2006; McAdam and Evans, 2004a; Revere et al., 2006; Szeto and Tsang, 2005; Wessel and Burcher, 2004). The most cited success factors in Six Sigma literature include the following: . Strong top management involvement and commitment. . Selection of Six Sigma projects. . Changing organizational culture. . Aligning Six Sigma projects to corporate business objectives. . Cross-functional team working.

. . . . . . . .

Effective communication. Infrastructure (both organizational and IT infrastructure). Training. Linking Six Sigma to business strategy, customer, HRM, suppliers. Measurement. Accountability. Understanding tools and techniques within Six Sigma. Project management skills.

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Benets of Six Sigma. When Six Sigma is implemented successfully, it will offer a disciplined approach for improving effectiveness and efciency in a broad range of businesses. The most cited benet of Six Sigma in the literature is customer satisfaction (e.g. Behara et al., 1995; Chen et al., 2005; Das et al., 2006; Desai, 2006; Douglas and Erwin, 2000; Ganesh, 2004; Kuei and Madu, 2003; Kumar et al., 2007; Rylander and Provost, 2006). Freiesleben (2006) suggested that successful application of Six Sigma quality is positively correlated with better nancial performance and prot generation. In the manufacturing context, Six Sigma benets are related to various areas such as reduction in process variability, reduction in in-process defect levels, reduction in maintenance inspection time, improving capacity cycle time, improving inventory on-time delivery, increasing savings in capital expenditures, increase in protability, reduction of operational costs, reduction in the cost of poor quality (COPQ), increase in productivity, reduction of cycle time, reduction of customer complaints, improved sales and reduced inspection (Antony et al., 2005, 2007a; Kwak and Anbari, 2006). Service organizations adopting Six Sigma strategy, on the other hand, will have various benets. According to Antony (2006, 2004a), Antony et al. (2007c), and Kwak and Anbari (2006), Six Sigma benets for service organizations may involve improved accuracy of resources allocation, improving accuracy of reporting, reduced documentary defects, improving timely and accurate claims reimbursement, streamlining the process of service delivery, reduced inventory of equipment, reduced service preparation times, improved customer satisfaction, reduced defect rate in service processes, reduced variability of key service processes, transformation of organizational culture from re-ghting mode to re-prevention mode with the attitude of continuous improvement of service process performance, reduced process cycle time and hence achieve faster service delivery, reduced service operational costs, increased market share, improved cross-functional teamwork across the entire organization, increased employee morale, reduced number of non-value added steps in critical business processes through systematic elimination, leading to faster delivery of service, reduced cost of poor quality (COPQ) (costs associated with late delivery, customer complaints, costs associated with misdirected problem solving, etc.), increased awareness of various problem solving tools and techniques, leading to greater job satisfaction for employees, improved consistency level of service through systematic reduction of process variability and effective management decisions due to reliance on data and facts rather than assumptions and gut-feelings. Six Sigma challenges. Bridging the gap between the theory and practice in Six Sigma research has been given more attention by Six Sigma researchers (e.g. Antony, 2004b, 2007b, 2008b; Chakrabarty and Tan, 2007; Goh and Xie, 2004; McAdam et al.,

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2005; McAdam and Evans, 2004a, b; Nonthaleerak and Hendry, 2007; Senapati, 2004; Shahabuddin, 2008). Although its powerful strategy and impact on industry and service sectors, Six Sigma still lacks a theoretical underpinning with other management theory (Antony, 2008b). However, Linderman et al. (2003, 2006) attempt to enhance the underlying theory by linking Six Sigma to goal theory. They develop a set of propositions that need further empirical verication. McAdam and Evans (2004a, b) have claimed that the Six Sigma program is weak in understanding customer needs and transforming these needs into products. Other Six Sigma limitations are related to its application. These challenges and limitations as illustrated by Antony (2004b, 2007b, 2008b) are as follows: . The 1.5 sigma shift resulting in a 3.4 DPMO does not make sense in service processes. . The impact of leadership styles on Six Sigma success needs more research. . No unied standards have been accepted regarding the contents of belt training. . The relationship between the cost of poor quality (COPQ) and the sigma quality level (SQL) is based on experience not empirical research. . The relationship between COPQ and its nancial impact in SMEs needs further research since SMEs are hardly considering quality costs. . Availability of quality data is still a great challenge in Six Sigma projects. . In some cases, the solutions driven by Six Sigma are expensive and only a small part of the solution is implemented at the end. . Six Sigma project selection in many organizations is based on subjective judgment. . The calculation of defect rates is based on the assumption of normality, while the calculation of defect rates for non-normal situations is not yet properly addressed. . Owing to dynamic market demands, critical-to-quality characteristics (CTQs) should be critically examined at all times and rened as necessary. . Training programs usually do not address forecasting and time series methods. . Six Sigma research needs to investigate the validity of 5 sigma approach assumption in design for Six Sigma (DFSS). . There is no standard curriculum for Six Sigma in many top schools. Six Sigma education. A series of Six Sigma papers have pointed to the entry of Six Sigma program in an educational context. Edgeman and Dugan (2008) have argued that the pragmatic and intellectual focus of Six Sigma combined with tools and strategies from engineering and business, develops a magnet curriculum that attract many students. They have suggested two deployment approaches for its academic instruction. The rst approach is via central control at the unit, departmental, or college level for their own students and to attract students from other elds, while the other approach is via a radiant instructional model with core courses and elective courses in discipline specic areas that match students needs. Moreover, Antony (2008b), Ho et al. (2006), Mitra (2004), and Rao and Rao (2007) believe that a Six Sigma framework provides an excellent platform for integrating statistical, management and

technical tools and skills into the curricula of engineering and business schools to help students tackle business problems in organizations. Further, Rao and Rao (2007) suggested that all students of management must leave the institution as certied black belts. Maleyeff and Kaminsky (2002) and Cook et al. (2005) have revealed a positive feedback from students regarding a course on Six Sigma taught at US universities. However, successful academic adoption of Six Sigma curricula require not only ne content, but also its organization and supporting culture that rely in part on intellectual and practical experiences from external contributors such as Six Sigma black belts (Edgeman and Dugan, 2008). Six Sigma and organizational change. Many authors have seen Six Sigma as an organizational change vehicle that possesses a culture of accountability, quality, and innovation (Brewer, 2004; Carnell and Lambert, 2000; Craven et al., 2006; Davison and Al-Shaghana, 2007; Immaneni et al., 2007; Lok et al., 2008). Schroeder et al. (2008) suggested that Six Sigma should be viewed as an organization change process. The view will improve Six Sigma implementation through identifying what needs to be changed and boost change management process itself. Thawani (2004) revealed that Six Sigma has been deployed strategically to change the culture of organization through inculcating process control discipline in business context. The main issue is that organizations need to know when and how changes can be made to deploy Six Sigma tools. Sadagopan et al. (2005) suggested three Six Sigma transitions (i.e. physical, psychological, and mindset) which are required for successful implementation of Six Sigma program. These transitions ensure changes in resources, employees and management to facilitate the implementation of alternative processes that achieve 3.4 DPMO in organizational performance. In the same vein, ns-Montes and Molina (2006) suggested that the implementation of a Six Sigma Llore program needs successful change management of behavioral and work processes to achieving planned aspirations. Moreover, Rajamanoharan and Collier (2006) used change management model as a framework to explore Six Sigma implementation issues. They indicated that successful change management can be facilitated by leadership support, learning capacity and IT leveragability while a low level of cultural readiness and an inadequate knowledge-sharing capability inhibits successful change. A success story of organizational transformation process to implement Six Sigma in Dow Chemicals has been reported by Motwani et al. (2004). Six Sigma and supply chain. Several studies have investigated how Six Sigma methodology can effectively be employed in supply chain management (SCM) to measure, monitor and improve the performance of the whole supply network. For example, Dasgupta (2003) called for the application of Six Sigma metrics as a comprehensive and exible framework for evaluating and benchmarking the performance of a supply chain and its entities against world-class standards. Wang et al. (2004) developed an application guideline for the assessment, improvement and control of quality in SCM in Taiwan using Six-Sigma improvement methodology. They advocated that improvements in the quality of all supply chain processes lead to cost reductions as well as service enhancements. Although they demonstrated that Six Sigma has not been successfully adapted to deliver similar benets across supply chains, Knowles et al. (2005) concluded that Six Sigma does have something novel to offer organizations over the contribution of existing approaches to supply chain improvement. They proposed a conceptual model that integrates the Balanced Scorecard, SCOR model (Supply Chain Reference model) and Six Sigma DMAIC

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methodology in a strategic- and operational-level cycles. Chappell and Peck (2006) concluded that Six Sigma can be applied to supply chains by following the DMAIC framework and employing a mixture of quantitative and qualitative tools. However, they also suggest that it is difcult to implement Six Sigma methodology throughout the supply chain under some circumstances related to stock holding policies and levels of demand. Furthermore, Antony et al. (2006) proposed a Six Sigma constrained genetic algorithm (GA) based heuristic to optimize supply chain performance through the synchronization of the business processes. The suggested model aimed at minimizing the total cost and ensuring very high delivery probability within the customer specied delivery window. In the same scene, Garg et al. (2004) introduced Six Sigma supply chains as a new notion to describe and quantify supply chains with sharp and timely deliveries. Using inventory optimization (IOPT) problem, they show that the design of Six Sigma supply chains can deliver products within a customer specied delivery window, with at most 3.4 missed deliveries per million. Presenting a real industry case about Six Sigma methodology for the SCM, Yang et al. (2007) argued how the black belt program in Samsung has produced highly qualied and talented SCM specialists, who are currently training the methodology to members in their organizations and leading SCM projects. As a result, SCM projects in Samsung are prepared and conducted in a more disciplined way and their outcomes are continuously monitored and shared through the companys repository. Six Sigma and organizational learning. Few studies have looked at the link between Six Sigma and organizational learning from a perspective that Six Sigma methodologies are mature enough to be integrated with different learning approaches. Wiklund and Wiklund (2002) discussed Six Sigma as a company-wide approach for organizational improvement incorporating organizational learning. The authors covered the factors that are essential for improving organizational learning and for stimulating the competence, development and motivation among personnel. Further, Ricondo and Viles (2005) considered Six Sigma as an improvement program that can be linked to organizational learning under certain conditions depending on their problem-solving capabilities. Savolainen and Haikonen (2007) examined the dynamics of organizational learning in the context of Six Sigma implementation in organizations. They suggested that learning in Six Sigma implementation is a single-loop and incremental type where the learning process is characterized by measurement, detection and correction of errors and cost reduction. Consequently, continuous improvement occurs through procedural practices like in the DMAIC-cycle that forms a structure for sustained learning process. Distribution of articles by research method. The distribution of articles by research method is shown in Table III. About 63 percent of the articles (263 articles) were classied as empirical articles using either surveys or case studies, while about 37 percent of the articles (154 articles) were theoretical articles that usually employ extensive literature review to focus on the development of concepts, propositions, models, or theory building. Also, it is clear that case study is the most dominant research method in Six Sigma articles (231 articles, 55.4 percent). Figure 4 shows the growing gap over the years between case study method and other research methods, particularly survey research. Case study method is used to document and analyze Six Sigma implementation in particular contexts; industry, service, process or phase of a specic project. Examples of Six Sigma case study research include Desai (2006) concerning applying Six Sigma approach to improve customer service in an Indian small scale industry, Echempati and White (2000) regarding analyzing hinge

Total Method Case-focused articles References Adams et al. (2004); Agarwal and Bajaj (2008); Al-Aomar (2006); Al-Mishari and Suliman (2008); Amer et al. (2007, 2008); Anand et al. (2007); Antony and Fergusson (2004); Antony et al. (2007c); Arul and Kohli (2004); Bandyopadhyay and Jenicke (2007); Bandyopadhyay and Lichtman (2007); Banuelas and Antony (2003); Banuelas et al. (2005); Bayle et al. (2001); Beard (2008); Behara et al. (1995); Benedetto (2003); Bigio et al. (2004); Bonilla et al. (2008); Box (2006); Brett and Queen (2005); Brewer (2004); Brewer and Eighme (2005); Bunce et al. (2008); Byrne (2003); Camgoz-Akdag (2007); Chan et al. (2005); Chang and Su (2007); Chappell and Peck (2006); Chatterjee (2003); Chen et al. (2005a, b, 2007, 2008); Cheng et al. (2008a); Craven et al. (2006); Cupryk et al. (2007); Das (2005); Das and Hughes (2006); Dasgupta (2003); Davison and Al-Shaghana (2007); De Koning et al. (2006, 2008a, b); De Vore (2008); Desai (2006, 2008); Doble (2005); Does et al. (2002); Douglas and Erwin (2000); Dreachslin and Lee (2007); Drenckpohl et al. (2007); Echempati and White (2000); Edgeman et al. (2005); Ehie and Sheu (2005); Elberfeld et al. (2007); Eldridge et al. (2006); Erlandson (2006); Ferng and Price (2005); Frank (2003); Frankel et al. (2005); Furterer and Elshennawy (2005); Garg et al. (2004); Gerhorst et al. (2006); Gibbons (2006); Gijo and Rao (2005); Goel and Chen (2008); Goh (2001, 2002b); Goh et al. (2003); Gowen (2008); Green (2006a); Green et al. (2006); Hagemeyer et al. (2006); Haikonen et al. (2004); Hamza (2008); Han and Lee (2002); Harjac et al. (2008); Harrington and Trusko (2005); Hasenkamp and Olme (2008); Henderson and Evans (2000); Hendricks and Kelbaugh (1998); Hensley and Dobie (2005); Hild et al. (2000); Hilton et al. (2008); Ho and Chuang (2006); Ho et al. (2006, 2008); Holtz and Campbell (2004); Hong and Goh (2003, 2004); Hsu et al. (2008); Hu and Antony (2007); Hu and Pieprzak (2005); Hwang (2006); Immaneni et al. (2007); Ingle and Roe (2001); Isaacson (2008); Jenicke et al. (2008); Jin et al. (2008); Johnson (2002, 2006); Johnson and Swisher (2003); Johnson et al. (2006a, b, c); Johnston et al. (2008); Johnstone et al. (2003a, b); Jung and Lim (2007); Juras et al. (2007); Kalamdani and Khalaf (2006); Kapur and Feng (2005); Kaushik and Khanduja (2008); Kaushik et al. (2008); Khalaf and Yang (2006); Knowles et al. (2004); Kovach (2007); Kovach and Cho (2006); Krishna and Dangayach (2007); Krishna et al. (2008); Kumar (2007); Kumar et al. (2006, 2007, 2008a, b); Kumi and Morrow (2006); Ladani et al. (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2006, 2007); Li and Al-Refaie (2008); Li et al. (2006, 2008); Lin et al. (2008); Lipscomb and Lewis (2004); Liu et al. (2008); Lloyd (2006); Lok et al. (2008); Lucier and Seshadri (2001); McAdam and Lafferty (2004); Mahanti and Antony (2005, 2006); Mahesh et al. (2006); Malhan and Rao (2005); Malliga and Srinivasan (2007); Manikandan et al. (2008); Markarian (2004a, b); Marti (2005); Martin et al. (2006); Mazzola et al. (2007); Mekki (2006); Miles (2006); Morgan and Cooper (2004); Morusca and Cupryk (2005); Motwani et al. (2004); Mukhopadhyay and Ray (2006); Murugappan and Keeni (2003); Neagu and Hoerl (2005); Neri et al. (2008); Ng et al. (2005); Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2008); ONeill (2005); Pan and Cheng (2008); Pandey (2007); Patterson et al. (2005); Perng et al. (2008); Perry and Barker (2006); Pheng and Hui (2004); Pickrell et al. (2005); Proudlove et al. (2008); Rajagopal and Castillo (2007); Rajagopalan et al. (2004); Rasis et al. (2002a); Rasis et al. (2002b); Ravichandran (2006, 2008); Revere and Black (2003); Revere et al. (2004); Sadagopan et al. (2005); Sahoo et al. (2008); Sarkar (2007a, b); Savage (2007); Savage and Son (2008); Savolainen and Haikonen (2007); Sehwail and De Yong (2003); Sekhar and Mahanti (2006); Setijono (2008); Shahin (2008); Sharma (2003); Smith (1993); Sokovic et al. (2005); Stewart and Spencer (2006); Su and Chou (2008); Su et al. (2006); Su et al. (2005); Sudhahar et al. (2008); Taghaboni-Dutta and Moreland (2004); Tang et al. (2007); Tannock et al. (2007); Thakkar et al. (2006); Thiele et al. (2008); Thomas and Barton (2006); Thomas and Lewis (2007); Thomas et al. (2008a, b); Thomas and Singh (2006); Thompson et al. (2008); Tong et al. (2004); Ung et al. (2007); Van Den Heuvel et al. (2004, 2005, 2006); Van Iwaarden et al. (2008); Vaughan (1998); Vote and Huston (2005); Wang et al. (2004); Woodall (2001); Woodard (2005, 2006); Wright and Basu (2008); Wyper and Harrison (2000); Xue-Liang et al. (2007); Yang and Yeh (2007); Yang et al. (2007); Yeh (2007); Yeung, V. (2007); Zaroukian and Sierra (2006); Zhan (2008); Zhang and Xu (2008) n %

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231 55.4 (continued )

Table III. Classication of Six Sigma articles by research method

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Total Method Review-focused articles References Aggogeri and Gentili (2008); Al-Aomar and Youssef (2006); Anderson-Cook et al. (2005); Andersson et al. (2006); Antony (2002, 2004b, 2006, 2007a, b, 2008b); Antony and Banuelas (2002); Antony et al. (2006); Arnheiter and Maleyeff (2005); Banuelas and Antony (2004); Basu (2004); Bellows (2004); Bendell (2006); Biedry (2001); Biehl (2004); Bisgaard and Freiesleben (2000); Black and McGlashan (2006); Box and Luceno (2000); Brady and Allen (2006); Brewer and Bagranoff (2004); Byrne et al. (2007); Card (2000); Carnell and Lambert (2000); Carrigan and Kujawa (2006); Caulcutt (2001); Chan et al. (2006); Cook et al. (2005); Coronado and Antony (2002); Cronemyr (2007); Dahlgaard and Dahlgaard-Park (2006); Das et al. (2006); De Feo (2000); De Feo and Bar-El (2002); De Koning and De Mast (2005, 2006); De Mast (2006, 2007); Dedhia (2005); Delsanter (1992); Edgeman and Dugan (2008); Fairbanks (2007); Fazzari and Levitt (2008); Feld and Stone (2002); Ferryanto (2007); Flott (2000); Foster (2007); Freiesleben (2006, 2007); Friday-Stroud and Suttereld (2007); Fuller (2000a, b); Gack and Robison (2003); Ganesh (2004); Garg et al. (2004); Glower (2006); Goeke and Offodile (2005); Goh (2002a); Goh and Xie (2003, 2004); Goh et al. (2006); Graves (2002); Green (2006b); Gremyr (2005); Hahn (2005); Hahn et al. (1999, 2000); Hammer (2002); Hare (2005); Hoerl (1998, 2004); Hoerl et al. (2001); Hsieh et al. (2007); Hu et al. (2005, 2008); Huq (2006); Hutchins (2000); Ingram (2000a, b, c); Jeffery (2005); Johnson (2006); Kanji (2008); Kleasen (2007); Klefsjo et al. (2001, 2006); Knowles et al. (2005); Kuei and Madu (2003); Kumar, M. et al. (2008); Kumar, U. et al. (2008); Kwak and Anbari (2006); Lanyon (2003); Lee and Choi (2006); Linderman et al. ns-Montes and Molina (2006); Linderman et al. (2003); Little (2003); Llore (2006); Lupan et al. (2005); McAdam et al. (2005); McCarty and Fisher (2007); McClusky (2006); Mahanti (2005); Maleyeff and Kaminsky (2002); Maleyeff and Krayenvenger (2004); Man (2002); Manual (2006); Markarian (2004a, b); Mitra (2004); Montgomery et al. (2005); Moorman (2005); Naslund (2008); Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2006, 2007); Pfeifer et al. (2004); Pojasek (2003); Prabhushankar et al. (2008); Raisinghani et al. (2005); Rajamanoharan and Collier (2006); Rao and Rao (2007); Ravichandran (2007); Ribardo and Allen (2003); Ricondo and Viles (2005); Rudisill and Clary (2004); Rylander and Provost (2006); Sanders and Hild (2000a, b, c); Schroeder et al. (2008); Senapati (2004); Shah et al. (2008); Shahabuddin (2008); Shahin and Alinavaz (2008); Shanmugam (2007); Smith and Phadke (2005); Snee (2004); Sodhi and Sodhi (2005); Stevenson and Mergen (2006); Thawani (2004); Thirunavukkarasu et al. (2008); Treville et al. (2008); Vestal (2004); Walters (2005); Weinstein et al. (2008); Wiklund and Wiklund (2002); Yang, C. (2004); Yang, K. (2004, 2005); Yeung (2007); Yilmaz and Chatterjee (2000); Zu et al. (2008) Antony (2004a, 2008a); Antony et al. (2001, 2005, 2007a, b, 2008); Banuelas et al. (2006); Bhatnagar and Pandey (2005); Black and Revere (2006); Buch and Tolentino (2006a, b); Chakrabarty and Tan (2007); Chang and Wang (2008); Cheng (2007a, b, c, 2008); Chung et al. (2008); Feng and Manuel (2008); Frings and Grant (2005); Gowen (2005); Kumar et al. (2007); Laosirihongthong et al. (2006); McAdam and Evans (2004a, b); Revere et al. n (2006); Szeto and Tsang (2005); Taner et al. (2007); Wessel and (2006); Scho Burcher (2004); Yang et al. (2008) n %

286

154

36.9

Survey-focused articles

Table III.

32

7.7

alignment problems using six-sigma quality, Furterer and Elshennawy (2005) on implementing TQM and lean Six Sigma tools in local government, Gerhorst et al. (2006) about using DFSS in product development at Ford Motor Company and Knowles et al. (2004) on Six Sigma application at a UK food manufacturer. The analysis is typically narrow, in-depth and provides a thorough examination of a limited Six Sigma area. Some case study articles represent anecdotal examples of Six Sigma practices, without exploring practice in any rigorous or in-depth manner. On the contrary, surveys represent the least dominant research method in Six Sigma articles (32 articles, 7.7 percent) where typical wide perspective or supercial generalization are employed to a

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Figure 4. Distribution of Six Sigma articles by research method (1992-2008)

large number of cases. Examples of Six Sigma survey research involve Feng and Manuel (2008) who conducted a national survey of Six Sigma programs in US healthcare organizations, Antony (2004a) regarding Six Sigma application in UK service organizations, Antony et al. (2005) concerning Six Sigma implementation in manufacturing SMEs in the UK, and Black and McGlashan (2006) on essential characteristics of Six Sigma black belt candidates in US companies. Distribution of articles by sector: manufacturing vs service According to this distribution, empirical Six Sigma articles (263 articles, 63.3 percent) are broken down into two major sectors; manufacturing and service. Table IV shows that the majority of empirical articles are deemed to be manufacturing-focused (169 articles, 64.3 percent). This category comprises articles examining Six Sigma within manufacturing contexts such as semiconductor (e.g. Su and Chou, 2008; Su et al., 2005), automotive (e.g. Chen et al., 2005; Krishna et al., 2008; Kumar et al., 2007), aerospace (e.g. Maleyeff and Krayenvenger, 2004), chemical (e.g. Motwani et al., 2004; Doble, 2005), software (e.g. Antony and Fergusson, 2004; Hong and Goh, 2003, 2004; Mahanti, 2005; Mahanti and Antony, 2005, 2006), pharmaceutical (e.g. Cupryk et al., 2007; Morusca and Cupryk, 2005), steel (e.g. Sarkar, 2007a, b) and aluminum (e.g. Das and Hughes, 2006) industries. On the contrary, service-focused articles constitute the least published empirical articles in Six Sigma (52 articles, 34 percent). Healthcare context, however, is the most dominant setting in the service category. Examples of Six Sigma articles in healthcare include Antony et al. (2007c), De Koning et al. (2006), Dreachslin and Lee (2007), Feng and Manuel (2008), Harrington and Trusko (2005), Jin et al. (2008), Johnstone et al. (2003a), Lloyd and Holsenbach (2006), Proudlove et al. (2008), and Taner et al. (2007). Other service contexts may include government (e.g. Furterer and Elshennawy, 2005; Ho and Chuang, 2006), banking (e.g. Immaneni et al., 2007), and education (e.g. Thakkar et al., 2006; Weinstein et al., 2008). Table IV provides a comprehensive list containing classied references for each of Six Sigma application

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Sector Manufacturingfocused

References

Total n %

288

Table IV. Classication of Six Sigma articles by application sector

Agarwal and Bajaj (2008); Al-Mishari and Suliman (2008); Amer et al. (2007, 2008); Anand et al. (2007); Antony (2008a); Antony and Fergusson (2004); Antony et al. (2005, 2007a, b, 2008); Arul and Kohli (2004); Bandyopadhyay and Jenicke (2007); Banuelas and Antony (2003); Banuelas et al. (2005, 2006); Bayle et al. (2001); Bhatnagar and Pandey (2005); Black and Revere (2006); Brewer (2004); Buch and Tolentino (2006a, b); Bunce et al. (2008); Byrne (2003); Camgoz-Akdag (2007); Chang and Wang (2008); Chatterjee (2003); Chen et al. (2005, 2007); Cheng (2007a, b, c); Cheng et al. (2008a); Chung et al. (2008b); Cupryk et al. (2007); Das (2005); Das and Hughes (2006); Dasgupta (2003); Davison and Al-Shaghana (2007); De Vore (2008); Desai (2006); Doble (2005); Echempati and White (2000); Ehie and Sheu (2005); Erlandson (2006); Gerhorst et al. (2006); Gibbons (2006); Gijo and Rao (2005); Goel and Chen (2008); Goh (2001); Goh (2002b); Gowen (2005); Green (2006a); Green et al. (2006); Hagemeyer et al. (2006); Haikonen et al. (2004); Hamza (2008); Han and Lee (2002); Harjac et al. (2008); Hasenkamp and Olme (2008); Henderson and Evans (2000); Hendricks and Kelbaugh (1998); Hild et al. (2000); Ho et al. (2008); Holtz and Campbell (2004); Hong and Goh (2003, 2004); Hsu et al. (2008); Hu and Antony (2007); Hu and Pieprzak (2005); Hwang (2006); Ingle and Roe (2001); Johnson (2002); Johnson and Swisher (2003); Johnson et al. (2006b, c); Johnston et al. (2008); Jung and Lim (2007); Kalamdani and Khalaf (2006); Kapur and Feng (2005); Kaushik and Khanduja (2008); Kaushik et al. (2008); Khalaf and Yang (2006); Knowles et al. (2004); Kovach and Cho (2006); Krishna and Dangayach (2007); Krishna et al. (2008); Kumar (2007); Kumar, M et al. (2006, 2007); Kumar, U. et al. (2007); Ladani et al. (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2006); Lee-Mortimer (2007); Li et al. (2008); Li and Al-Refaie (2008); Li et al. (2006); Lin et al. (2008); Liu et al. (2008); Lok et al. (2008); Lucier and Seshadri (2001); McAdam and Evans (2004a, b); McAdam and Lafferty (2004); Mahanti and Antony (2005); Mekki (2006); Mahanti and Antony (2006); Mahesh et al. (2006); Maleyeff and Kaminsky (2002); Manikandan et al. (2008); Markarian (2004a, b); Mazzola et al. (2007); Miles (2006); Morusca and Cupryk (2005); Motwani et al. (2004); Mukhopadhyay and Ray (2006); Murugappan and Keeni (2003); Neagu and Hoerl (2005); Nonthaleerak and Hendry (2008); Pan and Cheng (2008); Pandey (2007); Patterson et al. (2005); Perng et al. (2008); Pickrell et al. (2005); Rajagopal and Castillo (2007); Rajagopalan et al. (2004); Rasis et al. (2002a, b); Ravichandran (2008); Revere et al. (2006); Sadagopan et al. (2005); Sahoo et al. (2008); Sarkar (2007a, b); Savage (2007); Savage and Son (2008); Savolainen and n (2006); Sekhar and Mahanti (2006); Setijono Haikonen (2007); Scho (2008); Shahin (2008); Sharma (2003); Smith (1993); Sokovic et al. (2005); Su and Chou (2008); Su et al. (2005); Sudhahar et al. (2008); Szeto and Tsang (2005); Tang et al. (2007); Tannock et al. (2007); Thomas and Barton (2006); Thomas and Lewis (2007); Thomas et al. (2008a, b); Thomas and Singh (2006); Tong et al. (2004); Ung et al. (2007); Van Iwaarden et al. (2008); Vaughan (1998); Wang et al. (2004); Wessel and Burcher (2004); Wright and Basu (2008); Wyper and Harrison (2000); Yang and Yeh (2007); Yang et al. (2007, 2008); Yeh (2007); Yeh et al. (2007); Zhan (2008) 169 64.3 (continued )

Sector Service-focused

References Adams et al. (2004); Al-Aomar (2006); Antony (2004a); Antony et al. (2001, 2007c); Bandyopadhyay and Lichtman (2007); Beard (2008); Behara et al. (1995); Benedetto (2003); Bigio et al. (2004); Bonilla et al. (2008); Box (2006); Brett and Queen (2005); Brewer and Eighme (2005); Chakrabarty and Tan (2007); Chan et al. (2005); Chang and Su (2007); Chappell and Peck (2006); Chen et al. (2005, 2008); Cheng (2008); Craven et al. (2006); De Koning et al. (2006, 2008a, b); Desai (2008); Does et al. (2002); Douglas and Erwin (2000); Dreachslin and Lee (2007); Drenckpohl et al. (2007); Edgeman et al. (2005); Elberfeld et al. (2007); Eldridge et al. (2006); Feng and Manuel (2008); Ferng and Price (2005); Frank (2003); Frankel et al. (2005); Frings and Grant (2005); Furterer and Elshennawy (2005); Garg et al. (2004); Goh et al. (2003); Gowen (2008); Harrington and Trusko (2005); Hensley and Dobie (2005); Hilton et al. (2008); Ho and Chuang (2006); Ho et al. (2006); Immaneni et al. (2007); Isaacson (2008); Jenicke et al. (2008); Jin et al. (2008); Johnson et al. (2006a); Johnstone et al. (2003a, b); Juras et al. (2007); Kovach (2007); Kumar et al. (2008a, b); Kumi and Morrow (2006); Lipscomb and Lewis (2004); Lloyd (2006); Malhan and Rao (2005); Malliga and Srinivasan (2007); Marti (2005); Martin et al. (2006); Morgan and Cooper (2004); Neri et al. (2008); Ng et al. (2005); ONeill (2005); Perry and Barker (2006); Pheng and Hui (2004); Proudlove et al. (2008); Ravichandran (2006); Revere and Black (2003); Revere et al. (2004); Sehwail and De Yong (2003); Stewart and Spencer (2006); Snee (2004); Taghaboni-Dutta and Moreland (2004); Taner et al. (2007); Thakkar et al. (2006); Thiele et al. (2008); Thompson et al. (2008); Van Den Heuvel et al. (2004, 2005, 2006); Vote and Huston (2005); Woodall (2001); Woodard (2005, 2006); Wright and Basu (2008); Yeh (2007); Yeung (2007); Zaroukian and Sierra (2006)

Total n %

Six Sigma quality

289

94

35.7

Table IV.

Figure 5. Distribution of Six Sigma articles by application sector (1992-2008)

IJQRM 27,3

contexts. Figure 5 demonstrates the growing gap between manufacturing and service focused Six Sigma research over years. Conclusions and future research directions Our conclusions are based on the analysis of 417 Six Sigma articles that were published in 147 journals over a 17-year period from 1992 to 2008. Overall, we have observed that Six Sigma research has attracted the attention of both practitioners and academics. In particular, research activities on Six Sigma have increased signicantly after 1999. The trend implies that more than 98 percent of Six Sigma articles were published between 2000 and 2008. Clearly Six Sigma research is difcult to conne to specic discipline since it is scattered across various journals from various domains and elds. The review has observed that Six Sigma research is empirical in nature which reinforces the use of real-world data. Case study was the dominant approach in Six Sigma research and this is may be due to the fact that quality problems in manufacturing and service contexts are usually treated as a case in terms of documentation and analysis. In addition, the lack of implementing Six Sigma tools and methodologies across a wide range of processes or organizations makes the use of survey approach impractical. Although modications have been made in the Six Sigma framework to extend its application from manufacturing to service context, the increasing gap between the numbers of manufacturing and service focused Six Sigma articles since 2005 implies the return of Six Sigma to manufacturing as its initial base. Although this review does not claim to be exhaustive, it does provide reasonable insights into the state of the art in Six Sigma research. One of the most signicant ndings from our analysis has been the great empirical focus on Six Sigma tools and techniques. There is very little room for clarifying the confusion in the literature as to what constitutes Six Sigma theory and how does it integrate with other improvement strategies. We would argue that theoretical development is critical to the development of Six Sigma studies. Based on the literature review presented in this paper, we identify below a number of research implications and directions for future research as follows: . There is no doubt that Six Sigma research will grow rapidly in future covering various disciplines and domains. Hence, there is a need to construct and clearly present the application of Six Sigma within each domain in a proposed framework or generic model. . It is not surprising that a large portion of the reviewed articles in this study were related to Six Sigma tools, techniques, and methodologies. This reects the researchers concern of the core nature of Six Sigma as a more structured quality approach compared to TQM. Detailed analysis of these tools and methodologies within manufacturing and service contexts is required. . We expect more research to be conducted on user experiences reecting Six Sigma pros and cons in such context. . While researchers try to develop new Six Sigma applications, the capabilities of user infrastructure need to be considered. . More theory based empirical research is needed to enhance the construction of Six Sigma theory.

290

There is a great potential for practicable application of survey approach in Six Sigma research as a wide range of processes or organizations adopt Six Sigma tools and methodologies. Since the combined use of analytical and empirical research techniques has the potential to offer greater insights into research, it is desirable to see more papers apply triangulation approach in Six Sigma research through the use of multiple data collection methods. Researchers are encouraged to map the efforts of Six Sigma research in manufacturing and service organizations to a proposed framework and then provide a through analysis on each framework. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to propose a standard Six Sigma curriculum design with multidisciplinary orientation. Managing Six Sigma risks and crises is a new attractive topic for researchers.

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Chan, W., Chiu, W-T., Chen, W-M., Lin, M.-F. and Chu, B. (2005), Applying Six Sigma methodology to maximise magnetic resonance imaging capacity in a hospital, International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, Vol. 6 No. 3, pp. 321-30. Chang, C.-M. and Su, C.-T. (2007), Service process design and/or redesign by fusing the powers of design for Six Sigma and lean, International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 171-91. Chang, K. and Wang, F. (2008), Applying Six Sigma methodology to collaborative forecasting, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 39 Nos 9/10, pp. 1033-44. Chappell, A. and Peck, H. (2006), Risk management in military supply chains: is there a role for Six Sigma?, International Journal of Logistics, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 253-67. Chatterjee, A. (2003), Innovating growth through Six Sigma: a strategic approach for combining robustness with exibility, Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 33-7. Chen, K., Hsu, C. and Ouyang, L. (2007), Applied product capability analysis chart in measure step of Six Sigma, Quality and Quantity, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 387-400. Chen, K., Lin, C. and Chen, S. (2008), Applying Six-Sigma methodology in constructing the quick response of a case reporting system, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 381-98. Chen, K., Lin, J. and Chang, C. (2005a), Taiwan: improving radiography through application of Six Sigma techniques, Journal for Healthcare Quality, Vol. 27 No. 3, pp. 44-52. Chen, S., Chen, K. and Hsia, T. (2005b), Promoting customer satisfaction by applying Six Sigma: an example from the automobile industry, The Quality Management Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 21-33. Cheng, J.-L. (2007a), Comparative study of local and transnational enterprises in Taiwan and their implementation of Six Sigma, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 793-806. Cheng, J.-L. (2007b), Six Sigma business strategy in Taiwan: an empirical study, International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, Vol. 3 No. 1, pp. 1-12. Cheng, J.-L. (2007c), Six Sigma and TQM in Taiwan: an empirical study, The Quality Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 7-19. Cheng, J.-L. (2008), Implementing Six Sigma via TQM improvement: an empirical study in Taiwan, The TQM Journal, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 182-95. Cheng, Y.-C., Hsu, Y.-W. and Ten, T.-M. (2008), Using the Six Sigma system approach to reduce core process times at a manufacturing plant, International Journal of Management, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 431-8. Chung, Y.-C., Hsu, Y.-W. and Tsai, C.-H. (2008), An empirical study on the correlation between critical DFSS success factors, DFSS implementation activity levels and business competitive advantages in Taiwans high-tech manufacturers, Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, Vol. 19 No. 6, pp. 595-607. Cook, A., Patterson, A. and Hoerl, R. (2005), A structured problem-solving course for graduate students: exposing students to Six Sigma as part of their university training, Quality and Reliability Engineering International, Vol. 21, pp. 249-56. Coronado, R. and Antony, J. (2002), Critical success factors for the successful implementation of Six Sigma projects in organisations, The TQM Magazine, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 92-9.

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Appendix

Journal International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage The TQM Journal (Previously, The TQM Magazine) Total Quality Management & Business Excellence Quality Engineering Quality and Reliability Engineering International International Journal of Product Development International Journal of Production Research International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management Journal of Validation Technology The Quality Management Journal Journal of Healthcare Management Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Journal of Organizational Excellence Measuring Business Excellence International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management Journal of Operations Management Research Technology Management Strategic Finance Assembly Automation Business Process Management Journal IEEE Engineering Management Review IEEE Software International Journal of Management International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management Journal for Healthcare Quality Journal for Quality and Participation Managerial Auditing Journal Managing Service Quality The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Asia Pacic Management Review Benchmarking: An International Journal Global Business and Organizational Excellence IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering IEEE Transactions on Electronics Packaging Manufacturing International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology International Journal of Logistics International Journal of Operations & Production Management International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking International Journal of Production Economics International Journal of Services Technology and Management Journal of American Academy of Business Journal of Change Management Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance Journal of Facilities Management Journal of Materials Processing Technology Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering Journal of the Operational Research Society

No. of articles 72 27 27 23 18 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 (continued )

314

Table AI. List of reviewed journals for Six Sigma articles

Journal Leadership in Health Services Organization Development Journal Production and Inventory Management journal Project Management Journal Quality Management in Health Care SAM Advanced Management Journal Software Quality Professional Work Study Academy of Health Care Management Journal Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal American Journal of Surgery Annual Reviews in Control AORN Applied Soft Computing Best Practice and Research Clinical Anaesthesiology Construction Management and Economics Customer Management Education Training Employment Relations Today Engineering Failure Analysis Environmental Quality Management European Journal of Operational Research Expert Systems with Applications Filtration and Separation Gen. Intern. Med. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management Harvard Business Review Home Healthcare Nurse Human Resource Development Quarterly IEEE Control Systems Magazine IEEE Spectrum IEEE Transactions on Magnetics Industrial and Commercial Training Industrial Management & Data Systems Information Management Journal International Journal of Agile Systems and Management International Journal of Applied Management Science International Journal of Business and Systems Research International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management International Journal of Management Science and Engineering Management International Journal of Manufacturing Research International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management International Journal of Organizational Analysis International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management International Journal of Services and Operations Management International Journal of Technology Management

No. of articles 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (continued )

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Table AI.

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Journal International Statistical Review JOM Journal of Air Transport Management Journal of Applied Statistics Journal of Computer Information Systems Journal of Construction Engineering and Management Journal of Corporate Real Estate Journal of Education for Business Journal of European Industrial Training Journal of Hazardous Materials Journal of Healthcare Information Management Journal of High Technology Management Research Journal of Infection Control Journal of Marketing Management Journal of Nursing Administration Journal of Organizational Change Management Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis Journal of Quality Technology Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management Journal of Scientic and Industrial Research Journal of Statistics and Management Systems Journal of the American College of Surgeons Knowledge Management Review Leadership & Organization Development Journal Management and Labour Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal Managing Information Metal Finishing Neonatal Network Nurse Leader Nursing Management Operations Management Research Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Performance Improvement Plastics, Additives and Compounding Production Planning and Control Program: Electronic Library & Information Systems Public Money & Management Quality and Quantity Quality Assurance Journal Quality Management & Business Excellence Reinforced Plastics Risk Management Software Quality Journal Strategy & Leadership Supply Chain Management: An International Journal Technovation The American Statistician The Health Care Manager Notes: Total number of journals 147; Total number of articles 417

No. of articles 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

316

Table AI.

About the author M.G. Aboelmaged is an Associate Professor of Business Administration in Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt and Ajman University of Science and Technology, United Arab Emirates. He has a PhD in Management Science from Lancaster University, UK, and an MA in Public Policy and Administration from Institute of Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, The Netherlands. His research interests include the adoption and implementation of information technologies, enterprise systems, quality systems, e-business, and supply chain management information quality. His work has been published in international conference proceedings including IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology, Information Quality Conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), British Academy of Management Annual Conference, The Operational Research Society Annual Conference, Annual Global Information Technology Management World Conference, and the Annual Conference on Crisis and Disaster Management. He has also published in Economic and Business Review Journal, International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management and International Journal of Enterprise Network Management. M.G. Aboelmaged can be contacted at: gaboelmaged@yahoo.com

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