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Article
Publication date: 7 October 2014

Kawal Kapoor, Yogesh Dwivedi, Niall C. Piercy, Banita Lal and Vishanth Weerakkody

The available literature suggest that the research on radio frequency identification (RFID)-related issues is largely concentrated on technical, organizational and implementation…

2327

Abstract

Purpose

The available literature suggest that the research on radio frequency identification (RFID)-related issues is largely concentrated on technical, organizational and implementation aspects, and comparatively lesser attention has been invested in understanding the use aspect of such library management systems. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding into the factors that influence the use of RFID systems in the library context by empirically testing the relevant constructs from the extended technology acceptance model (TAM).

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire-based survey approach was employed for collecting the relevant data from 197 respondents. The respondents were the active users of a RFID-based library system.

Findings

Findings from this study suggested that perceived usefulness and system quality positively influence the user attitude, and user attitude and system quality significantly influence the use of the RFID services. The paper concludes with outlining the salient points, limitations, and future research directions.

Originality/value

The paper evaluates the role of a set of innovation attributes on the acceptance of RFID integrated systems in libraries. Owing to the scant literature availability in empirical investigations on adoption of RFID systems in libraries, the findings from this paper add value to the existing literature in this field, and also to the literature on the TAM model, with the empirical findings being of use to the aspirant libraries looking toward integrating RFID enabled systems.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Alistair Brandon‐Jones, Niall Piercy and Nigel Slack

The aim of this review and of the papers in this special issue is to critically examine different approaches to teaching operations management (OM) in order to provoke and…

3660

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this review and of the papers in this special issue is to critically examine different approaches to teaching operations management (OM) in order to provoke and stimulate educators within the discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

The papers within this special issue include empirical assessments of a problem‐based learning enterprise resource planning (ERP) simulation; a computer‐based learning tool for material requirements planning (MRP); a simulation of assembly operations; an operations strategy innovation game; an extension of the production dice game; an experiential teaching method in different class settings; and problem‐based assessment methods in OM. A variety of data are used to support these empirical studies, including survey, interview, and observational data.

Findings

The papers within the special issue support the argument that OM is well‐suited to more applied methods of teaching focusing on the application of subject knowledge to real‐life situations through a variety of techniques.

Practical implications

It is hoped that this review and the papers within this special issue act to stimulate educators to re‐evaluate their approaches to teaching OM and encourage them to consider adopting experiential teaching methods, business simulations, role‐plays, group exercises, live cases, and virtual learning environments, instead of, or in addition to, the more conventional lectures that typically dominate many OM modules around the world.

Originality/value

A special issue on teaching OM appears timely given the significant changes to both the university landscape and to the nature of the discipline that we have witnessed over the last quarter of a century.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 32 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Niall Piercy, Alistair Brandon‐Jones, Emma Brandon‐Jones and Colin Campbell

This paper aims to examine the preferences of students towards different teaching methods and the perceived effectiveness of experiential teaching methods in different operations…

1997

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the preferences of students towards different teaching methods and the perceived effectiveness of experiential teaching methods in different operations management (OM) modules.

Design/methodology/approach

Student perceptions of different teaching methods and various aspects of an experiential teaching method, in the form of a business simulation game, are examined using survey data from 274 respondents in four small post‐experience and two large pre‐experience OM modules.

Findings

The paper's analysis suggests that traditional and experiential teaching methods are both popular with OM students, whilst independent teaching methods are less well liked. Analysis also shows that students on both kinds of OM modules perceive most aspects of the experiential teaching method used in this study (The Operations Game) very positively.

Research limitations/implications

This research study was confined to a particular type of experiential teaching method – a business simulation game. There is a need for further research to investigate the perceived effectiveness of other experiential teaching methods, such as role‐plays and live cases. Furthermore, the paper does not examine the use of experiential teaching methods that do not require the physical presence of students.

Practical implications

For OM educators, the paper clarifies how they might incorporate experiential teaching methods in different class settings. Whilst experiential teaching methods are typically used for small post‐experience modules, these data indicate that the method can also be used on larger pre‐experience modules with great success. The paper also notes a number of challenges involved in using experiential teaching methods on both kinds of module.

Originality/value

This is the first known study to directly examine the perceived effectiveness of an experiential teaching method in both small post‐experience and larger pre‐experience OM modules.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 32 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 2 February 2015

Niall Piercy and Nick Rich

The adoption of lean operational practices and independently the uptake of business practices related to sustainability and corporate social responsibility continues to grow. Past…

15541

Abstract

Purpose

The adoption of lean operational practices and independently the uptake of business practices related to sustainability and corporate social responsibility continues to grow. Past research has hinted at relationships between these two areas – suggesting that “lean is green” (e.g. Florida, 1996). The lean mantra of waste reduction and “doing more with less” is immediately apparent as delivering environmental benefits and has formed the basis of past research (e.g. Hughes, 2012). Almost all research linking lean operations or lean supply chains to sustainability issues have focused exclusively on environmental impact. The purpose of this paper is to explore the broader sustainability benefits of lean operations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a longitudinal multi-year (up to four years observation), multi-case analysis (n=5).

Findings

The paper reports that lean operations meet a wide range of sustainability outcomes beyond environmental benefits (including supply monitoring, transparency, workforce treatment, and community engagement). The paper specifies the internal and external policies, procedures, tools, and strategies for implementation of lean and sustainable operations management (OM). This is encapsulated in the development of a stage-based theoretical model of lean-sustainability. Further, it is proposed that lean implementation and sustainability performance are in fact interlinked.

Originality/value

Past research on the role of lean operations in improving sustainably has focused almost exclusively on environmental benefits accruing from toolkit/workplace level waste reduction. This paper demonstrates that lean provides more than a toolkit (a philosophy and strategic direction) and that this meets a wide range of sustainable outcomes. This finding makes major contributions to conceptualising how lean operations influence sustainability outcomes. The paper develops the first integrative stage-based model of lean and sustainable OM.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 18 September 2009

Niall Piercy, Nigel Caldwell and Nick Rich

The purpose of this paper is to examine the coverage of identified topics that represent three key themes of change in management practice. These themes, focused on the new…

975

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the coverage of identified topics that represent three key themes of change in management practice. These themes, focused on the new interconnected modern business operation, consist of: cross‐functional or process‐based working, supply networks, and systems thinking. The paper seeks to examine the coverage of these themes in operations journals as a proxy to determine how well the academic operations community is adapting to the interconnected business world.

Design/methodology/approach

Two separate lists compiled to rank the quality of operations journals (one based in the UK, the other in the USA) are used to structure a search for keywords representing the identified connectivity themes in the identified “top” leading operations journals to determine how well the different topics are covered. The term “operations” is intended to refer to the related specialities of both operations management and operations research.

Findings

Findings indicate overall very weak coverage of the three connectivity topics. Systems thinking was best represented. However, this representation was not in operations management journals but predominantly operations research sources. Both supply network and cross‐functional working were poorly represented as topics more generally. The implication of the findings is that the operations literature has yet to embrace key issues of connectivity and greater attention should therefore be paid to these areas to better inform business practice.

Originality/value

To the best of one's knowledge no such study of this type or breadth has been previously conducted.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 58 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Francisco J. Arenas‐Márquez, José A.D. Machuca and Carmen Medina‐López

The purpose of this paper is to describe a computer‐assisted learning experience in operations management (OM) higher education that entailed the development of interactive…

2466

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a computer‐assisted learning experience in operations management (OM) higher education that entailed the development of interactive learning software, its evaluation in an experimental environment and the formal analysis of the teaching method's influence on student perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

The software design follows the constructivist focus based on widely‐accepted educational technology principles. Objective tests of knowledge and subjective appraisal of the learning process were used in the experiment to compare two educational scenarios (computer‐assisted learning and on‐site class). Students' perceptions of the software's technical and teaching features are also analyzed.

Findings

The study shows that the teaching method can significantly affect students' perceptions of the learning process. The findings also confirm the pedagogical effectiveness of the software that was designed and that information communication technologies (ICT)‐based methods are an alternative to traditional methods used in OM education.

Research limitations/implications

The experiment involved strict control over various potential threats to validity. From a statistical point‐of‐view, the conclusions can only be generalized in the population analyzed. Nevertheless, the features of the software and the student profile allow the main conclusions to be generalized to other OM environments.

Practical implications

The use and evaluation of interactive software in OM educational environments are reflected on, with emphasis on the influence that the teaching methodology has on students' attitudes to the learning process. It is of interest for researchers interested in improving teaching through the use of ICT.

Originality/value

There are very few studies on interactive self‐learning software for OM and its effects on student perceptions. This paper is a new contribution to this field.

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Article
Publication date: 27 January 2012

Niall Piercy

Purchasing behaviour across traditional retail and internet routes to market is becoming increasingly integrated. The positive and negative consequences of such behaviour for…

4189

Abstract

Purpose

Purchasing behaviour across traditional retail and internet routes to market is becoming increasingly integrated. The positive and negative consequences of such behaviour for multi‐channel businesses have not been thoroughly examined – while an offline retail presence may reassure customers purchasing from an online channel, poor service online may negatively influence customer usage of an offline channel. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey of the online customers of four companies is employed and structural equation modelling used to investigate influences of demographic and behavioural variables (purchase involvement, loyalty, experience with the internet, company and product‐type) on positive and negative cross‐channel behaviour (CCB).

Findings

Strong evidence for both positive and negative customer CCB is found. Females, higher purchase involvement, higher loyalty and those with more experience of the company were more likely to display positive CCB; higher education, experience with the product type and online channel negatively influenced positive CCB. Increased age, education, occupation/class and purchase involvement lead to more negative CCB; product and company experience lead to reduced levels of negative CCB.

Research limitations/implications

As a first step towards understanding of customer CCB the research generates many insights; however, more research is required to explore in more depth each of the constructs discussed and measured.

Practical implications

Understanding how different customer groups display different tendencies for CCB can help companies shape fulfilment and delivery strategies across different channels to market.

Originality/value

The study makes contributions to customer cross‐channel customer behaviour, developing implications for future research as well as management practice.

Details

Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-4503

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Article
Publication date: 13 November 2009

Niall Piercy and Nick Rich

There are two objectives of this paper: first, to examine the application of lean production improvement techniques to the pure‐service context; and, second, to evaluate the…

7787

Abstract

Purpose

There are two objectives of this paper: first, to examine the application of lean production improvement techniques to the pure‐service context; and, second, to evaluate the contribution of lean production techniques to services marketing improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

Three case companies from the UK financial services sector are tracked through the process of lean improvement. Analysis of management change of a common process within each company forms the basis of the investigation.

Findings

Research findings highlight that, through the adoption of lean service tools, service call centres can serve the traditionally competing priorities both of operational cost reduction and of increased customer service quality. The lean approach is validated in the service context and proposed as a valuable addition to traditional service marketing approaches to services improvement.

Practical implications

The techniques described are easily replicable by academics, practitioners and managers and can be applied to a wide range of service centres or service businesses. In the contemporary marketplace, the difficulty of delivering quality service at any costs suggests that there is a great opportunity for the business that can deliver better service at a reduced cost of operation.

Originality/value

Lean transformation in the manufacturing sector is well established. However, the use of lean improvement tools to improve the quality of service delivery within the service sector is relatively new, with limited understanding of approaches and benefits in the academic or managerial arenas. In addition, coverage of lean tools is still rare in the marketing literature.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 43 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Marc Lambrecht, Stefan Creemers, Robert Boute and Roel Leus

The production dice game is a powerful learning exercise focusing on the impact of variability and dependency on throughput and work‐in‐process inventory of flow lines. This paper…

984

Abstract

Purpose

The production dice game is a powerful learning exercise focusing on the impact of variability and dependency on throughput and work‐in‐process inventory of flow lines. This paper seeks to extend the basic dice game along the following lines. First, it will allow operations to take place concurrently as opposed to sequentially, which works better in a classroom setting. Second, it will allow both starvation and blocking of the line. Third, it will consider balanced lines with workstations characterized by different degrees of variability. Finally, it aims to use different sets of dice in order to represent a wide range of variation coefficients of the production line. The obtained insights can be extended to a supply chain context as well. The developed game can be played on‐line and the software is freely downloadable.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper extends the dice game and offers an easy‐to‐use simulation tool.

Findings

The key aspect of students' learning experience is the understanding of the relationship between variability and throughput in an environment with dependent workstations and limited buffers.

Originality/value

A rather complicated research question is transformed into an easy‐to‐use simulation tool that in no time can be used by practitioners and students.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 32 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 9 November 2012

Luciano Costa Santos, Cláudia Fabiana Gohr and Milton Vieira Junior

The paper aims to present a hands‐on activity for operations management (OM) education that simulates assembly operations common in industrial settings using polyvinyl chloride…

960

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to present a hands‐on activity for operations management (OM) education that simulates assembly operations common in industrial settings using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) threadable fittings utilised in water pipes as interchangeable parts for easy manual assembly.

Design/methodology/approach

The teaching method followed the philosophy of active learning and was applied in an action research approach; the proposed activity was tested and improved during applications in the classroom.

Findings

The applicability of the method was proven during in‐class exercises. The results were confirmed with positive feedback from the students involved in the exercises, which was obtained through a survey conducted after a set of applications.

Research limitations/implications

Although the proposed activity may have several possibilities for application, this paper focuses specifically on teaching the topics of work measurement and assembly line balancing, thus limiting the generalisability of these findings to other OM techniques. Therefore, it is important that the activity is further adapted to teach other OM topics.

Practical implications

The activity performed with pipe fittings represents a practical exercise that contributes to reduction of the gap between theory and practice in OM education. Using simple and low cost materials, the students are involved in creating a real process from a fictional product.

Originality/value

This paper presents an experiential learning exercise applied using an innovative approach, using pipe fittings as interchangeable parts assembled in a production line.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 32 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

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