Search results

Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.

The “resource‐based view” (RBV) of firms considers that major operational and organisational advantages are created in the internal environment of a firm. The implementation of lean manufacturing represents the potential for strategic advantage over competitors, especially in craft‐based industries in developing regions of the world. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the adoption of lean manufacturing and market share and value creation of companies in the agricultural machinery and implements sector in Brazil.

The paper is based on data collected in a survey conducted across 37 firms in the agricultural machinery and implements industry in Brazil. The data were used within a model for assessing the degree of leanness to test three hypotheses using correlation, regression, analysis of variance and cluster statistical methods.

Brazilian firms and managers in this sector that have supported a transition towards the adoption (and adaptation) of lean manufacturing practices have shown a significant improvement in their business performance.

The paper presents an empirical study where lean manufacturing is investigated and tested from a “RBV” perspective. It demonstrates the application of an emergent model for measuring the degree of leanness and the extent of business improvement. The study and the model are applied to smaller, craft‐based industries and so is applicable in developing countries and regions, in comparison with most literature on lean production in advanced economies. It provides a useful perspective for firms to corroborate and understand the potential benefits that lean manufacturing can bring if adopted.

Clarifies the concept of lean manufacturing and what it comprises. Commences with a review of the lean production literature and, specifically, existing models that identify the variables and component elements of lean production firms. Presents a research instrument for measuring the degree of leanness possessed by manufacturing firms. Research questions were developed and incorporated into structured survey questionnaires for both manufacturing directors and managing directors that enabled a quantitative assessment to be made for the various components of leanness. The survey was completed by over 30 firms in the UK ceramics tableware industry and so represents a comprehensive overview of the state of play in that sector. The figures derived allowed for hypotheses testing and a quantitative analysis. Presents selected results and conclusions from the current survey to illustrate the application and usefulness of the instrument. Argues that, though developed specifically for the tableware industry, the research instrument can be adapted for use in other industries.

In the past few years a considerable amount of research knowledge regarding organizational change and concurrent engineering (CE) has been accumulated. Suggests that organizational growth provides a framework for the emergence of CE techniques. Organizational growth demands CE and it is important to consider how changes to the organizational structure can best enhance the implementation of CE principles.

Organisational change, as a general topic, has been extensively researched since the 1950s, as evidenced by the proliferation of papers in the last five decades. As a research topic within operations management, it offers fascinating insights into the way manufacturing organisations function and adapt in reality. This paper evaluates what has worked, and what has not been effective, within a UK‐based manufacturing company, tracking multiple change initiatives over several years across two company sites. The core research focused on the implementation of change initiatives based on common constructs, such as planned change, as defined by management writers and consultants. From the research it emerged that a realistic interpretation of the change process had to take into account multiple and varied forces, such as: customers and suppliers; the economic environment; national and international legislation; the history of the organisation; etc. The research underpinning this paper enabled an identification of the specific influences on changes in the organisation and the way these interacted over time. A model of organisational change, developed from the research, is presented. The contribution of this paper lies mainly in deepening operations managers’ understanding of organisational change. It also uncovers the underlying rationales that steer change initiatives (planned or emergent) and identifies the key influences on organisational change. It provides and renews the necessary vocabulary, allowing managers to understand better and act on the multiple dimensions of organisational change. Furthermore, the provision of key learning points through a number of management “guidelines”, provides specific advice on how to effect sustainable change within organisations.

Reviews the wide range of perspectives on the nature, scope and implications of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). Presents the main deliverable of a three‐year programme of research conducted by the Keele Advanced Manufacturing Group. Entitled CIMple (Computer Integrated Manufacturing Programmed Learning Environment), it comprises a hypermedia‐based and business‐oriented design methodology to assist the user in the analysis, design and implementation of CIM systems. Presents both the underlying models within the methodology and information on how CIMple is used in practice.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of layout configurations in a hospital on the implementation of lean management initiatives, to include different units of care. The research concentrated on the impact, the physical distance between dependent units could have on staff perception, use of staff time, time spent in the system by patients, and performance.

The research examined the relationship between clinical units allocated within Northampton General Hospital and their internal providers. In addition, an adapted version of the SERVPERF questionnaire was used to measure the quality perception of staff.

The transit distances from each clinical unit to their internal providers have: a negative relationship with the staff quality provision of care; a positive relationship with the time the patient spends in the system; and no discernable direct correlation with performance.

These findings will help hospital managers to understand the impact of the layout of a hospital on the implementation of service improvement activities, and will assist them in planning improved relocation of clinical units. This facilitates future service improvements whilst optimising the use of available and constrained resources within the present hospital facilities.

The ideas and results presented in this study are original and valuable to the study of hospital layouts, services improvements and the implementation of lean operation initiatives and quality improvement programmes in hospitals. The study also successfully tested the application of SERVPERF in a hospital setting.

Continuous process flow is a prerequisite of lean systems as it helps to reduce throughput times, improve quality, minimize operational costs, and shorten delivery times. The purpose of this paper is to empirically demonstrate the application of a methodology that combines a time‐based study, discrete‐event simulation and the trial and error method to enable a leaner process through more efficient line balancing and more effective flow for a park homes production process. This method is replicable across other contexts and industry settings.

The paper reviews the UK park homes production industry and, specifically, a major factory that builds these homes. It compares the factory method to traditional on‐site construction methods. An empirical study of production times was carried out to collect data in order to analyse the current workload distribution and the process flow performance of the park homes production process. Finally, seven discrete‐event simulation models were developed in order to test different scenarios and define the optimum line balance for every section of the production process.

By combining time study, discrete‐event simulation and trial and error methods, the workload distribution and process flow performance of the park homes production line were analysed and improved. A reduction of between 1.82 and 36.32 percent in balancing losses in some sections of the process was achieved.

This paper supports current knowledge on process flow improvement and line balancing by exploring and analysing these issues in a real‐life context. It can be used to guide production management practitioners in their selection of methods and demonstrates how they are exploited when seeking to improve process flow, efficiency and line balancing of production operations.

The study uses a real industrial application to demonstrate how the methodological combination and deployment of process flow improvement strategies, such as time study, simulation, and trial and error, can help organisations achieve process flow improvements and, as a consequence, a leaner production process.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.