Structure-Infrastructure Alignment: The Relationship Between TQM Orientation and the Adoption of Supplier-Facing Electronic Commerce Among Manufacturers (Total Quality Management‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Total Quality Management (TQM) is a critical component of manufacturing strategy for many companies. TQM strives for continuously improving products and processes by involving management, workforce, suppliers and customers, in order to meet and exceed customers' needs. It can be conceptualized as a collection of principles that reflect the values of TQM (Dean and Bowen 1994; Sitkin, Sutcliffe and Schroeder 1994; Hackman and Wageman 1995). Among them is the principle that guides supplier management: "co-makership" (Bessant 1990), which emphasizes the importance of developing close relationships with suppliers. This principle leads to numerous supply management practices and tools, such as supply base reduction and collaboration.