Operations strategy in perspective: the means for achieving superior performance

Manufacturing strategy has been widely studied and it is increasingly gaining attention. It has a fundamental role that is to translate the business strategy to the operations by developing the capabilities that are needed by the company in order to accomplish the desired performance. More precisely, manufacturing strategy comprises the decisions that managers take during a certain period of time in order to achieve a desire result. These decisions are related to which operational practices and resources are implemented. Our goal was to identify the relationship between these two decisions with operational performance. We based our arguments on the resource-based view for identifying sources of competitive advantage. Hence, we argued that operational practices and resources affect positively the operational performances. Additionally, we proposed that in the presence of some resources the implementation of operational practices would lead to a greater performance. We used previous scales for measuring operational practices and performance, and developed new constructs for resources. The data used is part of the High Performance Manufacturing project and the sample is composed by 291 plants. Through confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regressions we found that operational practices to a certain extant are positively related to operational performance. More specifically, the results show that JIT and customer orientation practices have a positive relationship with quality, delivery, flexibility, and cost performances. Moreover, we found that resources like technology and people explain a great variance of operational performance.

Cultural strategies: how do national cultures impact the operations strategy?

Through the assessment of the fourth round of the High Performance Manufacturing (HPM) project and the introduction of Hofstede’s Cultural Classification, the present work aims to deepen the comprehension of the impact of National Cultures on firms’ Operations Strategy. The ANOVA comparisons of four Operations Strategy elements in countries with different industrialization and development backgrounds (e.g. Germany, China, Brazil and South Korea) suggest that while Integrating Leadership and Implementation of Manufacturing Strategy are affected by the cultural levels of Power Distance, Individualism vs. Collectivism and Uncertainty Avoidance, the other two elements of Operations Strategy, Functional Integration and Formal Manufacturing Strategy, show effects of the degree of Individualism vs. Collectivism and Long-Term Orientation. The results of the study are expected to offer new perspectives on the planning and implementation of strategic and operations management for both practitioners and academics. More specifically, the analysis of cross-cultural influence over operations strategy may contribute to a better understanding of how cooperative behavior may lead firms to generate higher rents through the strengths and weaknesses of their relations, particularly in terms of global supply chains.

Operations strategy and supply chain management: A Brazilian case study

The objective of this study is to understand how an assembly company, that is considered a focal company in the chain of Brazilian white goods sector, can influence the supply chain management established with its first tier suppliers. This is an exploratory qualitative study in which the information was gathered through direct observations, documents' retention, and data from interviews held with management-level employees of the sales and product development areas of the focal company and of the production area of the suppliers' companies. This study indicates that the operations strategy of the focal company influences the supply chain management and that the common business processes shared by its suppliers are a way to verify the truth of such statement. The suppliers cooperate closely with the focal company when complementing their business processes and consequently supporting the company to pursue its operations strategy. A set of mechanisms to aid the comprehension of how the operations strategy can affect the business processes and therefore to achieve the result of this research were adopted. © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2012.

Alignment of operations strategy: Exploring the marketing interface

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that can help managers to overcome barriers to alignment of operations strategy at the interface with marketing. Design/methodology/approach - This objective required the application of a procedure based on strategic consensus and a deeper analysis, such that the delimitation of the study in a single case was mandatory. The strategic processes of interfacing involve managerial attributes that are subject to the influence of human aspects and, therefore, the research method used a qualitative approach. The protocol design included the following data sources: interviews, document reviews and researcher observations. The categorisation was made based on the theoretical references, the frequency of observations, common responses and information from documents. Findings - The balance between intra-functional trade-offs, joint research on the competitive context, reflections on the understanding of customer needs and operational performance, and understanding of inter-functional trade-offs were the main factors verified. They effectively support decisions associated with interface processes and promotes the integration of these processes. They can generate inputs that enable managers to achieve an appropriate balance among alternatives in light of various trade-offs. Practical implications - These factors make possible new connections between strategic processes in the context of operations and marketing functions. The formations of these strategies are aligned through a better understanding of both threats and opportunities by means of a joint analysis of the competitive context. The presented findings can be used to develop a clear definition of strategic objectives of operations and a more appropriate treatment of market needs. Originality/value - The findings from the research can be considered as new elements for promoting alignment in the formation process of the operations strategy. Little research to date has examined the operations-marketing strategic interface of companies in the context of strategic consensus. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Landing operations; strategy, psychology, tactics, politics, from antiquity to 1945.

Includes bibliography.

Towards an operations strategy for product-centric servitization

Purpose – This paper aims to present a framework that will help manufacturing firms to configure their internal production and support operations to enable effective and efficient delivery of products and their closely associated services. Design/methodology/approach – First, the key definitions and literature sources directly associated with servitization of manufacturing are established. Then, a theoretical framework that categorises the key characteristics of a manufacturer's operations strategy is developed and this is populated using both evidence from the extant literature and empirical data. Findings – The framework captures a set of operations principles, structures and processes that can guide a manufacturer in the delivery of product-centric servitized offering. These are illustrated and contrasted against operations that deliver purely product (production operations) and those which deliver purely services (services operations). Research limitations/implications – The work is based on a review of the literature supported by data collected from an exploratory case study. Whilst it provides an essential platform, further research will be needed to validate the framework. Originality/value – The principal contribution of this paper is a framework that captures the key characteristics of operations for product-centric servitized manufacture.

Towards an operations strategy for the infusion of product-centric services into manufacturing:service systems implementation

The work in this chapter is concerned with product-centric servitization. This is where a portfolio of services are formed and integrated to support product availability and use. Such servitization can be a valuable source of revenue for a manufacturer, yet little attention has been given to the configuration of the wider operations strategy that needs to be in place to deliver integrated products and services successfully. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to put forward a generic set of characteristics for such operations. Our intention is that these characteristics will be valuable to practitioners contemplating sophisticated forms of servitization, as they suggest the likely and significant changes that will be needed to the operations strategy of a conventional manufacturing organisation.

Building a competitive advantage through sustainable operations strategy

This paper addresses an important gap in sustainability and technology management studies: the strategies for sustainable operations. Based on analysis of cases from automotive, textile, chemical, and food processing industries, the authors discuss the responses companies take to environmental and social pressures when aiming at increasing profitability. Our findings show that adaptations of traditional operations strategy frameworks can be useful when developing and assessing sustainability strategy for operations. Lastly, we also offer definitions for ‘sustainable operations strategy’ and ‘sustainable technology’ as those are not yet established in the literature. We consider the contribution of this article to be linked to the development and evaluation of sustainable operations strategies, which will invariably include the choice and use of technologies.

Green operations strategy of a luxury car manufacturer

This paper investigates the strategic environmental decisions of a luxury car manufacturer. Through case study research, the investigation sheds light on why and how the company is adopting green technologies. Being pressured by different stakeholders to become greener, luxury car manufacturers carry significant opportunities for environmental improvement given the nature of their manufacturing processes and products. Because of their low-volume production, manufacturers may be able to increase output and still reduce overall emissions when compared to high-volume manufacturers. In the case study company this was found to be possible only because of new ideas brought by a change in ownership. Luxury manufacturers may also be a test-bed for the development and experimentation of green technologies as part of a strategic approach to environmental initiatives. This paper contributes to the fields of green technology adoption and operations strategy in automotive manufacturing groups.

A válság hatása a termelési tevékenységre (The impact of crisis on operations strategy and practices)

A tanulmány fő célja a gazdasági világválság termelésre gyakorolt hatásainak bemutatása volt a versenyképesség-kutatás adatainak elemzésével. Mivel a vállalatokra a válság különbözőképpen hat, ezért érintettségük alapján a szerzők három csoportba sorolták őket. Az irodalom felhasználásával megfogalmazták a termelési stratégiára és a termelés működési következményeire vonatkozó hipotéziseiket. Eredményeik alapján a válsággal leginkább érintett vállalatok rendelkeznek a legstabilabb termelési stratégiával és gyakorlattal. Ugyanakkor a válság következtében az ár és a szolgáltatások stratégiai szerepe minden vállalatnál erősödött, az innovációé viszont visszaesett. A válság egyik vállalatcsoportnál sem eredményezte a megmaradó munkaerő fejlesztésének ugrásszerű növekedését. A folyamatfejlesztés erősödése, illetve a globális irányba mozdulás csak a legkevésbé érintett csoportnál volt jellemző. ___________________ The objective of this article is to describe the impact of the world economic crisis on operations using the data of the competitiveness survey. Since the crisis affects companies differently, the authors classified them into three groups: the most affected, the moderately affected and the least affected group, accordingly. Relying on the literature they formed hypotheses about the impact of crisis on operations strategy and its everyday operational consequences. Based on the authors’ results the most affected companies have the most stable operations strategy and practices. Nevertheless, due to the crisis the importance of prices and services increased, while the importance of innovation decreased in each group. At the level of everyday practice the crisis has not led to extraordinary increase in work force development. Process improvement and turning to globalization became stronger only in the least affected group.

A válság hatása a termelési tevékenységre – több nézőpontú közelítés = The impact of crisis on operations strategy and practices

Műhelytanulmányunk fő célja a gazdasági világválság termelésre gyakorolt hatásainak bemutatása a versenyképesség kutatás adatainak elemzésével. Mivel a vállalatokra a válság különbözőképpen hat, ezért érintettségük alapján három csoportba soroltuk őket. Az irodalom felhasználásával megfogalmaztuk a termelési stratégiára és a termelés működési következményeire vonatkozó hipotéziseinket. Eredményeink alapján a válsággal leginkább érintett vállalatok rendelkeznek a legstabilabb termelési stratégiával és gyakorlattal. Ugyanakkor a válság következtében az ár és a szolgáltatások stratégiai szerepe minden vállalatnál erősödött, az innovációé viszont visszaesett. A gyakorlatok szintjén a válság egyik vállalatcsoportnál sem eredményezte a megmaradó munkaerő fejlesztésének ugrásszerű növekedését. A folyamatfejlesztés erősödése, illetve a globális irányba mozdulás csak a legkevésbé érintett csoportnál volt jellemző. Eredményeink alapján a válság általi érintettség és a termelési stratégia, illetve gyakorlat területén bekövetkezett hangsúlyeltolódások között nem nagyon van összefüggés. ________ The objective of this study is to describe the impact of the world economic crisis on operations using the data of the competitiveness survey. Since the crisis affects companies differently, we classified them into three groups: the most affected, the moderately affected and the least affected group, accordingly. Relying on the literature we formed hypotheses about the impact of crisis on operations strategy and its everyday operational consequences. Based on our results the most affected companies have the most stable operations strategy and practices. Nevertheless, due to the crisis the importance of prices and services increased, while the importance of innovation decreased in each group. At the level of everyday practice the crisis has not led to extraordinary increase in work force development. Process improvement and turning to globalization became stronger only in the least affected group. According to our results, there is no direct link between the perceived impact of crisis and the changes in operations strategies and practices.

Understanding service experience in non-profit performing arts: Implications for operations and service management

Recent research in the non-profit performing arts has shown that marketing efforts designed to increase revenue from ticket sales are not achieving the results required to sustain the performing arts. This paper applies operations management analytical techniques to the non-profit performing arts to increase understanding of operational issues and inform service management strategy. The paper takes a two-study idiographic approach. Implementing a modified version of service transaction analysis (STA), Study One describes a performing arts service from provider and customer perspectives, identifies service gaps and develops an elaborated service description incorporating both perspectives. In Study Two, building on the elaborated service description and extant research, in-depth interviews are conducted to gather thick descriptions of predictors of satisfaction, value and service quality as they relate to repurchase intention (RI). Technical, functional and critical factors required to improve organizational performance are identified. Implications for operational strategy, service design and service management theory for this context are discussed. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Operations management

Operations management deals with the management of the creation of goods and the delivery of services to the customer. It plays an essential role in the success of any organization. In this book, Andrew Greasley provides a clear and accessible introduction to this important area of study, focusing on all key areas of operations in both manufacturing and service industries. Operations Management, Second Edition covers the main areas of operations strategy, the design of the operations system and the management of operations over time. Yet, its concise nature of the text means students are not overwhelmed by the amount of material presented. This new edition also features: New content in such areas such as the quality gap model, enterprise systems and business process management. Expanded case studies, to include more global and European cases and longer cases at the end of each chapter. Greater clarity in chapter material organization. Worked Examples providing a step–by–step guide to the procedure to solve quantitative problems. Visual redesign in full colour. More support material for students and lecturers, including an interactive WileyPLUS course. All lecturers can access supporting resources on the companion website at www.wiley.com/college/greasley including an Instructor’s Manual with suggested solutions for all case study questions and end of chapter exercises, a Test Bank and PowerPoint slides for each chapter. Students will find multiple–choice test quizzes, web–links and an online glossary. Operations Management is essential reading for all students studying operations management, whether on undergraduate, postgraduate or continuing professional development courses.