Lagging behind versus advancing too fast? identifying gaps research in supply chain

The objective of our work is to analyze the evolution and actual trends of research in Supply Chain Management (SCM). We pretend to show how the different topics have been methodologically studied, and to determine how the advent of the so-called 'New Economy' has influenced SCM research. To get this objective, we carry out a literature review of twelve refereed journals in the Operations Management (OM) area for the period 1995-2001. Statistical tools are used to analyze the obtained information

Environmental operations strategies: European approaches and research challenges

Since the environment has very recently emerged as a strategic issue, work has only begun to investigate the conceptual linkages between strategic management and the environment. A thoroughly revision of both academic and professional literature evidences that such scarcity of research doubles, or even trebles, when the scenery of the European Operations Management Strategies is considered. The main objective of this paper is, therefore, to discuss the impact of the design of the environmental management strategy on the formulation of the Operations Strategy and its implementation. Since the majority of the literature has neglected to focus the European approaches to such formulation, we will try to overcome this gap by analysing a sample of 2882 European companies

An integrated typology of green manufacturing profiles

This article proposes a typology to classify the Environmental Operations Strategies that the European Companies develop in order to adapt themselves to the requests of their green stakeholders. First, main research lines in Environmental Operations Management are analyzed; second, a typology based on the coherency of different variables that have been considered separately by other authors is presented and validated for a sample of 3051 European manufacturing companies. The results show that European manufacturers have not achieved yet similar levels of integration of the environmental concern into all managerial functions with the aim of reaching a sustainable balance between economic and ecological performance of the firm. Consequently, conventional typologies looking at different environmental criteria in a piecemeal fashion seem to be no longer valid for explanatory and/or decision making purposes

La dirección de operaciones: ¿qué es?, ¿de dónde viene?, ¿a dónde va?

During the last decade it has established a re/ation between the competitiveness of the industrial enterprise and of services and the emphasis granted to the management deal. The problems of competitiveness and fa// productívity ít were due, according to this relation to an inadequate guidance of the investigation andan overmuch conservative training of the branch. One of the problems that appears at the moment of the empírica/ test of this relation is the ignorance more or /ess generalizes of what it is nowadays the Management Oeal, What are its programmes of investigation and what training is providing to the Managers of the time to come. The present work try to bring to light these questions from a carefully revisíon of the economic literature and the utilization of the contents of the "lnvestigation Programme for the eighties" as a conceptual trame of reference. The obtained resultas allow to identify the possíble areas that cover the main interest nowadays, the subjects declining and some fragilities in the field of activitiesOurant les dix dernieres années il s'est établi une relation entre la compétivité des entreprises industrie/les et de services et l'emphase concédée a la Direction des Opérations. Les problemes de la compétitivité et d'une faible productivité sont dOs, selon cette relation, a une inadéquate orientation de la recherche et a un enseignement de la discipline beaucoup trap conservateur.Un des problemes qui apparait quand on compare de forme empirique cette relation est un probleme de méconnaissance de ce que la Direction des Opérations représente actuel/ement, quels sont ses programmes de recherche et que/le formation elle apporte aux futurs cadres. Cette étude essaie de donner une réponse a toutes ces questions en prennant comme référence /'"Agenda d'lnvestigation des années 80". Les résultats obtenus permettent d'identifier les points importants, les thémes en récession et certaines faiblesses de la discipline

Capital budgeting and flexible manufacturing

The lack of measurement and evaluation of flexible manufacturing possibilities seriously handicaps the appraisal and justification of investments in flexible technologies. It is the goal of this paper to formulate a comprehensive definition of manufacturing flexibility which can be explicitly translated into economic and financial variables. Further translation is based upon the financial instruments of cash budgeting and capital budgeting. The sensitivity of the economic and financial variables to shifts in manufacturing/operational flexibility will be discussed from a theoretical point of view. It is concluded that operative variables for flexible technologies can become indicators of economic and financial aspects

Long and short-term effects of customisation on the service operations strategy.

This study has a twofold objectivc. First, we attempt to promote an understanding of the relationship between the design of Service Operations Strategics and their implementation, as they are driven by the customisation efforts. Seeond, we study the extent to which such service orientation may have two different forms, depending upon whether a company focuses on services that may have long-term or short-term effects on the customer nature. Consequently, a company aiming at raising its quality levels, and therefore its performance, should design and implement its Service Operations Strategy, mirroring the scrvicc oricntation of the firm. We suggest four dimensions (Time, Space, Scale and Scope), which contribute towards explaining the two mentioned approaches. This may address the process of implementation of the Serviee Operations Strategy.service operations; operations strategy; new service development process; marketing / operations interface; service-positioning matrix; customisation; service quality;

Buyer-supplier relationships influence on traceability implementation in the vegetable industry

The increasing importance of food safety has made traceability a crucial issue in the agri-business industry. In this article, we have analysed the factors that shape the buyer-supplier relationships, and how they influence the traceability of raw materials. In order to do so, first, we have made a literature review to develop an analytical framework. Next, we have carried out four case studies on vegetable firms with the purpose of uncovering the variables that characterise buyer-supplier relationships, and its influence on traceability in this sector. Finally, we have compared the observed links with the conceptual framework derived from the literature in order to build and improved model

Performance Measurement Systems, Competitive Priorities, and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies: Some Evidence from the Aeronautical Sector

Purpose – When acquiring advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT), the greatest caution should be taken regarding the performance measurement system to be used: the decision regarding new investments should not be conditioned by the excessive use of financial indicators to the detriment of the strategic objectives that motivated the investments. It is intended to analyze the aeronautical sector, for which the purchase of AMT is qualifying criteria, with two intentions: first, to identify the performance measurement systems that are used, and second, to test their correspondence with the objectives that motivated the investments. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of the 20 plants in the population was conducted via a postal questionnaire plus a structured interview. The unit of analysis has been maintained through the triangulation of data sources. Findings – The findings suggest that both financial and non-financial indicators are used, with the latter gaining predominance over the former on some occasions, even though there is no clear correspondence between strategy and the measurement of performance. In the light of the findings, the question of what inspires a company’s performance measurement system is still open, especially in those cases where there is no explicit strategy. With regard to practical implications, what seems to be indispensable is an improvement in the determination of the critical variables that should be used to measure performance. Research limitations/implications – Being valuable for academics and practitioners, this contribution relies, rather, on the possibility of a logical extrapolation to circumstances where the findings might apply, and researchers can judge whether the particular findings would be valid. Originality/value – Provides new evidence on the adaptation of the make-up and combination of the type of performance measures currently used by plants in the aeronautical industry, one of the sectors in which technological innovation is of the utmost importance.Publicad