Purpose: Recently, blockchain technology (BT) has resolved healthcare data management challenges. It helps healthcare providers automate medical records and mining to aid in data sharing and making more accurate diagnoses. This paper attempts to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for successfully implementing BT in healthcare.Design/methodology/approach: The paper is methodologically structured in four phases. The first phase leads to identifying success factors by reviewing the extant literature. In the second phase, expert opinions were solicited to authenticate the critical success factors required to implement BT in the healthcare sector. Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was employed to find the cause-and-effect relationship among the third phase’s critical success factors. In phase 4, the authors resort to validating the final results and findings.Findings: Based on the analysis, 21 CSFs were identified and grouped under six dimensions. After applying the DEMATEL technique, nine factors belong to the causal group, and the remaining 12 factors fall under the effect group. The top three influencing factors of blockchain technology implementation in the healthcare ecosystem are data transparency, track and traceability and government support, whereas; implementation cost was the least influential.Originality/value: This study provides a roadmap and may facilitate healthcare professionals to overcome contemporary challenges with the help of BT.

One of the most effective tools for evaluating the success of a quality management programme is the measurement of quality costs (prevention, appraisal and failure costs). The application of the concept of quality costs originated in the early 1950s. A systematic approach is needed for measuring quality costs. This paper describes a case study to capture quality costs in a manufacturing company. An appropriate framework is proposed for capturing quality costs and statistical analysis is carried out to characterise trends and relationships between various components. In this paper, we have demonstrated that quality cost should not be seen as solving a problem with a unique definition, but rather that there exists a whole space of reasonable notions of quality improvements, and that these notions can be seen as actionable guidelines to successfully implement a TQM programme.

Risk analysis for Cost of Quality (CoQ) in supply chain has not been adequately researched as evidenced in the literature. This paper attempts to analyse risk involved in estimating elements of CoQ in the internal supply chain of an integrated aluminium manufacturing company. We have applied grounded theory methodology on accounting codes of the case company primarily to bring out various elements of CoQ in its internal supply chain. They are categorized as ‘cost of prevention’, ‘cost of defective inputs’, ‘cost of defect in process’, and ‘cost of defect in output’. These elements are considered to be risky due to availability of partial information in past records of accounts while applying grounded theory methodology. In order to estimate the range and probabilities of all possible outcomes of various categories CoQ in the supply chain, Monte Carlo simulation has been used. The results have facilitated decision makers in strategic total quality management.

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to study the significant enablers for a competitive supply chain and analyze the relationships among them by using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. The supply chain (SC) managers will get better insights from the models of this study to design their SCs that are more competitive for competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach: After an extensive review of literature followed by experts' opinions, 21 significant enablers for a competitive SC (CSC) were selected for structural modeling using MCDM techniques of total interpretive structural modeling (TISM), Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC), followed by decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach.Findings: Top management commitment is the most prominent causing enabler of a CSC; customer satisfaction is the topmost effect enabler; the operational performance of individual firms in the supply chain is a crucial enabler of a CSC.Practical implications: The results and findings of this study would provide better insights to SC professionals and practitioners to comprehend the significant enablers of a CSC for designing and executing SC operations more competitively to achieve better customer satisfaction and sustainable business performance.Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a foremost study focusing on the significant enablers of a CSC by utilizing the TISM along with MICMAC and DEMATEL methods. It is expected that this research will offer useful guidance for assessing and considering the SC enablers for achieving a CSC and facilitate new research in this area with more thrust.