The mediation effect of inventory management practices on operational performance in public university

Abstract

Purchasing and inventory managements are essential in both public and private organizations, especially in public higher education institutions and universities since they can they affect achievement of the country mission and fully respond to needs of the people. The objectives of this research are to study the effects of purchasing strategies (PUF) and inventory management practices (INV) on operational performance (OPE), as well as the mediation effect of INV on the effect of PUF on OPE. The study used quantitative method. The sample was 293 staff involved in purchasing and inventory managements in the public university in Thailand, arisen from convenience sampling. The instruments used in the research were questionnaires. The statistics used for data analysis were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, confirmative factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that PUF and INV had a direct positive effect on OPE and INV mediated the effect of PUF on OPE. For practical recommendation, such findings can be a guideline for public higher education institutions to improve their logistics management, especially in purchasing and inventory managements