Operations strategy processes: how significant are they?

Ongoing challenges associated with the implementation of formally developed strategies call for studying the functional level strategy processes from fresh perspectives. This paper presents evidence drawn from the Canadian oil and gas industry towards establishing the statistical significance of alternative operations strategy processes and organisational contextual factors. The analysis discerned four strategy process configurations representing singular and multiple combinations of three strategy process modes identified in previous qualitative studies. The findings will help advance the understanding of operations strategy processes and may contribute to theory building, as the evidence was drawn from a relatively large sample of data representing an industry sector that has not been previously reported

Operations strategy processes and performance: insights from the contract apparel manufacturing industry

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the significance and dynamics of alternativeoperations strategy (OS) processes towards developing a more complete picture of the strategy process-context-performance nexus. The findings are based on the statistical analysis of empirical evidence drawn from the contract apparel manufacturing industry in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach - Using a structured questionnaire and the key-informant approach data were collected from 109 contract apparel manufacturing firms in Sri Lanka. Cluster analysis was used to identify alternative configurations of strategy process modes. Findings - The analyses confirmed that the existence of alternative forms of OS development is statistically significant and that the alternative configurations of strategy process modes tested can all lead to superior performance, under certain circumstances. Research limitations/implications - The generalizability of these findings to other industry sectors within developing countries should be treated with caution, mainly due to the fact that the vast majority organizations selected for this study were subsidiaries of large international companies or comparable local counterparts. In order to better understand the linkages between OS and performance, data should be collected from multiple countries preferably using mixed-methods approaches. Originality/value - The findings are expected to contribute to operations management theory as they corroborate, with statistical evidence, the findings of recent qualitative studies. The results also confirm the existence of OS processes in developing countries that are consistent with the conceptual understanding developed in the context of developed countries

An integrated framework for ERP system implementation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative integrated approach based on the stage-gate method to implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems which will enhance the effectiveness of ERP projects. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted on ERP system implementation and its effectiveness. The need for improving implementation approaches and methodologies was examined. Based on the insights gained, a conceptual framework for ERP system implementation is presented by combining the state-gate approach with the pre-implementation roadmap. Findings – The proposed framework aims to enhance the overall ERP implementation outcomes, ensuring critical success factors and eliminating common causes of failures. A pre-implementation roadmap is identified as a key element for eliminating many causes of failure including lack of organisations’ readiness for ERP. The post-implementation stage can be used for further improvements to the system through internal research and development. Research limitations/implications – The development of the framework is an attempt to contribute to improving ERP implementation. This research is expected to motivate researchers to work in this area, and it will be beneficial to practicing managers in the identification of opportunities for improvements in ERP systems. Case studies will be valuable to refine and validate the proposed model. Originality/value – This paper explores research in a needy area and offers a framework to help researchers and practitioners in improving ERP implementation. This framework is expected to reduce the implementation project duration, strengthen critical success factors and minimise common problems of ERP implementation projects

Alternative operations strategy processes: do they matter?

With the increasing significance of business model innovation, and due to the ongoing difficulties encountered in executing formally developed strategies, there is a strong case for studying the functional-level strategy processes from fresh perspectives. This paper examines the significance of alternative operations strategy (OS) processes and organisational context and explores how they relate to operations performance. The empirical evidence was drawn based on the statistical analysis of data collected through 242 survey responses from the senior management staff of the Canadian oil and gas industry. The evidence drawn from the empirical study confirmed that alternative forms of OS development do indeed exist in practice and that certain organisational factors have a direct influence on OS processes. The analysis discerned four strategy process configurations representing singular and multiple combinations of the three process modes identified through the literature review. The results explain the differences between these process configurations in terms of certain contextual factors and operations performance. The findings of this study help advance the understanding of OS processes and may contribute to theory building, particularly what is known as \u27mid-range\u27 theory, as the evidence was built through the analysis of a relatively large sample of data drawn from an industry sector that has not been reported on in previous studies

Abstract: INTEGRATION OF GREEN INITIATIVES IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY: AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

Over the past decade there has been a significant increase in public awareness of the negative impacts of greenhouse gas emissions. Companies are being held accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions and are under pressure to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Using sustainable technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is becoming a critical aspect of operational growth. The transportation industry is often scrutinized for its heavy environmental impact. Currently the trucking industry in Canada is responsible for 27 % of the Canadian transportation sector greenhouse gases emissions. Being responsible for almost one third of the countries greenhouse gas emissions, it is understandable why the transportation industry is under pressure to reduce its negative impact on the environment. Many trucking companies are finding it necessary to strategically integrate green practices for their survival and growth. Research has shown that integrating green practices ca

A stage-gate approach to ERP system implementation

This paper presents an integrated approach to planning, control and execution of ERP system implementation projects, from technology transfer perspective. It constitutes three main stages: pre-implementation roadmap (system options, selection methods an