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Competitiveness is one of the most misunderstood concepts of the 1990s. It has drawn substantial attention from the government and business communities during the last 25 years. Morrisson et al. (1988) noted that between 1983 and 1987, the term competitiveness appeared more than 5700 times in the titles of newspapers and magazine articles. The growth of importance and interest can also be observed from the increase in the bibliographical entries in ABI/Inform database. From 1981 to 1986, the topic “international competitiveness” increased by about 26 listings per year (a total of 159 in 6 years) and the rate increased to 45 listings per year from 1987 to 1993. Academic interest in the area has also increased and as a result, new developments contemplating conceptualization and understanding of competitiveness are taking place. However, to no one's surprise, writers from different disciplines offer a variation in perspective when describing the concept, understanding, and postulation of competitiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to update an article written by the author in the Harvard Business Review almost 50 years ago.

The paper evaluates the present status of the phenomena of modularity (for both product and service components). This is done by reviewing all existing literature on multitudinous facets of the subject and discussing applications with practitioners.

Modularity remains a splintered concept, perhaps because so many different types of application exist. Heterogeneity stymies systemization. Nevertheless, successful applications exist. This International Journal of Operations & Production Management, dedicated to modularity, testifies to significant facets of accomplishment and continued challenges (e.g. optimum shoe sizing and modular construction). Also, production managers have not become boardroom planners (as was expected 45 years ago). Potential cost savings of modularity do not occur because off‐shoring provided another way to dramatically lower production costs – albeit at the expense of quality problems.

All management functions participate in modularity issues. Though marketing does not thrive in a commodity‐environment, it has not advocated modularity as a way to offset commoditization nor as a means of improving quality. Finance has been the cheer leader for off‐shore decisions, but a tipping point may be in sight (i.e. recognizing the hidden costs of off‐shore seduction).

If mass customization, using modularity, develops economic clout, it is likely that production will switch from overseas to domestic bases. The impact on domestic economies will be significant.

The link between modularity and off‐shoring needs to be recognized, researched, and discussed.

The ultimate goal of competitiveness is the well being of the citizens of a country. From this perspective, this study investigates the contribution of international competitiveness on per capita income, human development, and inequality in 45 countries of the world. Correlation and regression analysis were conducted to determine the relationships. The results indicate that international competitiveness positively influences per capita income and human development. Competitiveness also influences the reduction of inequality in a country. Longitudinal studies with more country data needs to be conducted to further the relationships established through cross‐sectional research.

Before introducing the articles in this special issue, and taking the First World Conference on Operations Management as an example, the author proposes a new‐conference product, an innovation in service design and implementation. He describes nine key factors which need to be taken into account in order to achieve outstanding success in this kind of service.

Can operations management impact significantly the profitability of consumer‐based businesses on the Internet (called B2C)? During the past two years, Internet retailers have not provided satisfactory financial results. Whereas, leading in‐store retailers have been profitable using traditional modes for selling and delivering goods to customers. The research underlying this paper focused on analyzing the costs of doing business which are affected by operations management decisions. We wanted to determine if the criteria for best practice normally used by operations managers applied to firms engaged in e‐tailing (Internet B2C). To do this we singled out a well‐known dot.com retail failure, Webvan. Cost data were studied from startup (1998) to bankruptcy (2001). It was found that operating costs were way out of line with (even) good practice. Under in‐store retailing circumstances, the inability to reach breakeven would not have been tolerated. While concentrating on Webvan, this paper uses information about other firms to provide additional insights.

Sport is acknowledged for fostering positive competencies, behaviours and attitudes contributing to individuals' social and physical well-being and development. However, recent research suggests that athletes may face adverse effects on their health, safety and well-being due to violence against them. Numerous studies highlight that athletes across various sports endure physical, sexual and emotional violence. Given the pervasive nature and severity of such violence, understanding athletes' widespread tolerance for these experiences is crucial. This chapter employs figurational sociology to analyse violence against athletes, specifically exploring how violence and abuse in sport tends to become normalised. By placing a strong emphasis on the interdependence of individuals and their actions within social networks, figurational sociology highlights how abuse in sport is influenced by the relationships and interactions between athletes, coaches and other actors, such as medical staff, peers and parents. Moreover, through the analysis of dynamic power relations across various actors and the role of habitus, this sociological perspective offers valuable insights into the dynamics of abuse in sport.

Inventory service levels are a concern of every inventory system. Poor service levels may result in loss of customers and sales, whereas excessive service levels result in loss of money due to large inventories. Although inventory service levels have been discussed widely in the professional literature, the emphasis has been on service levels during replenishment lead times. Overall service levels, which are much more relevant to customers, have received little attention, and the results presented are often mistaken. This article reviews measures of inventory service levels both for single and multiple items, relates single item measures during lead times to their overall counterparts, and shows that overall measures are not only more relevant to customers, but also require lower safety stock from the provider of the goods.

Successful management practice is, to many, an area of mystery. The incredible complexity involved in successful decision making is too often taken for granted. Kotler, a leading authority in the marketing field, has described his discipline as follows: