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The need to make a “theoretical contribution” is a presumed mandate that permeates any researcher’s career in the Social Sciences, yet all too often this remains a source of confusion and frustration. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on, and further develops, the principal themes discussed in the “OM Theory” workshop in Dublin in 2011 and the special sessions at the 2011 and the 2013 EurOMA Conferences in Cambridge and Dublin.

This paper presents six short essays that explore the role and use of theory in management research, and specifically ask what is a good or meaningful contribution to theory. The authors comment on the current state of theory in Operations Management (OM) (Harry Boer), the type of theories the authors have in OM (Chris Voss), the role of theory in increasing the general understanding of OM problems (Roger Schmenner), whether the authors can borrow theories from other fields or actually have theory “of our own” (Matthias Holweg), the different ways in which a contribution to theory can be made (Martin Kilduff), and how to construct a theoretical argument (Mark Pagell).

The authors argue that theory is fundamental to OM research, but that it is not the inevitable starting point; discovery and observation are equally important and often neglected avenues to contributing to theory. Also, there is no one right way to making a contribution, yet consistency between ontology, epistemology, and claimed contribution is what matters. The authors further argue that the choice of theory is critical, as a common mistake is trying to contribute to high-level theories borrowed from other fields. Finally, the authors recommend using theory parsimoniously, yet with confidence.

The paper presents a collection of viewpoints of senior scholars on the need for, and use of, theory in OM research.

For the plant manager there are many suggested remedies for increased plant productivity. Detailed survey data from 555 factories, principally in the US, Europe and Korea, are used to examine the factors that contribute to productivity. Regression analysis is employed with five distinct measures of productivity and productivity gain and the results indicate a number of key variables are responsible. Many similarities are reported across the three samples analysed, but three factors stand out: improved flow of materials; investment in new technology; and human resource initiatives.

The purpose of this paper is to explain why the historical integration of manufacturing with service was quickly seen as advantageous in some circumstances, but not so in others.

The paper reviews the history of manufacturing companies in the USA during the last half of the nineteenth century, categorizes them, and ties them to theory.

The bundling of manufactured goods to downstream‐available services was led by companies with new products but with no great manufacturing strengths, as a way to establish barriers to entry. Companies with significant manufacturing capabilities were not as quick or as complete in their integration of manufacturing and service.

This paper shows that servitization has antecedents that go back 150 years.

Using survey returns from 926 service operations of all types from five states of the American Midwest, provides insight on what drives their location choices. The location decision is considered a two‐stage process: a general area decision followed by a particular site decision. No matter how the “general area” is defined (more locally‐oriented versus more regionally‐oriented), the most important influences are good infrastructure, proximity to customers, and the ability to attract qualified labour. The rank orders of influences are much the same for both locally‐ and regionally‐oriented firms. Identifies three different partitions of the sample in order to capture any local versus regional distinctions, but finds no substantial distinctions to be evident in the location decision making of the different types of firms. When considering a “particular site”, the most important influences are parking, an attractive building, an attractive cost or rent, and the ability to meet specialized space needs. Differences across industries, for both the general area and particular site decisions, are generally as expected. Hospitals, utilities and construction were largely immune to location influences, while more wholesale‐and retail‐oriented services were much more sensitive to such influences.

The purpose of this paper is to document the extent to which the relative performance of plants varies over an extended period of time, with some plants performing persistently well and sister plants performing persistently poorly. It examines why this phenomenon occurs.

It does so through interviews and surveys of senior manufacturing executives who oversee multiple plants.

The interview and survey results are consistent with one another and point to the importance of the “mentality” of a plant's management and workforce: how they think about the factory and its operations. The nature of that mentality is explored.

This paper captures what the “grey hairs” of manufacturing think of factory performance and how to pursue it.

To provide an update on a paper published in 1987 in IJOPM.

Provides an assessment and update of “An agenda for research on the flexibility of manufacturing processes”.

Gerwin's seminal work added welcome rigor to a concept, manufacturing flexibility, which had gained prominence during the previous decade. Finds that many of Gerwin's insights have stood the test of time. A number of things have changed since that time, but others have remained much as they were. Machines have become more capable and computer‐based controls have improved machine and process flexibility, but the character of that flexibility has remained very much the same.

Revisits Gerwin's conceptualization of manufacturing process flexibility and subsequent progress in understanding it.

Using a two‐round Delphi process among 92 manufacturing managers from around the world, assesses the appropriateness of a variety of performance measures. The Delphi process used a survey technique that was pioneered by Dixon, Nanni, and Vollmann to highlight gaps (high perceived importance to the company but low weight in the performance measurement system) and false alarms (low perceived importance to the company but high weight in the performance measurement system). Direct cost reduction, machine efficiency, and labour efficiency are almost universally seen as false alarms. On the other hand, new product introduction, customer satisfaction, and employee involvement are frequently revealed to be gaps, although with less consistency. Cross‐industry comparisons are a distinctive feature of this research.

This article is based on the author’s experience as head of a leading international business school, with strong embedded values in providing the highest level of quality business education within a global perspective. The scope of the article is one of focusing on a global business school, i.e. one which is able to draw on professors and students to come together for teaching and learning in a “global meeting‐place” from all over the world. The article provides the following results, conclusions and recommendations: first, a distinction is made between local business schools, serving typically a national market, regional business schools, typically serving a number of national markets, but within the same language area, and global business schools, typically serving the entire world community. Then the content of a global curriculum is reviewed, and five items are being identified: a strategic competence, a partnership competence, a staffing competence, a learning competence, and an organizational competence. In order to pursue global growth and to develop the capabilities for this, a conceptual model by Chakravarthy and Lorange is then being introduced, where one’s strength will be the starting‐point/basis for further global expansion, either by leveraging one’s capability vis‐à‐vis new markets, or by building a new business by adding new competences to the existing ones, or as a next step by combining the two leveraging and building dimensions into a transform strategy. Four managerial challenges are then being reviewed for the leading global business school, namely the issue of language, the mix of the student body, the degree of internationalization of the teaching and administrative staff, as well as the global marketing challenge. The article concludes with a discussion regarding an optimal location for the global business school. It is argued that perhaps many of today’s leading business schools, being located in major markets, will not have an optimal location, due to the fact that these major markets can more or less explicitly lead to a nationally based bias of the teaching and research being undertaken, i.e. obstructing the globality focus of the business school. A small country location might therefore be preferable.

This paper highlights the evolvement of international business curricula during the 1990s, with an emphasis on occurrences at IU. Because business students are increasingly entering universities with more international experience and international learning expectations than in the past, business schools must respond with course content changes; however, not all professors feel comfortable in adding substantial international content to their courses. Business schools have responded in three organizational ways – separation, infusion, and diffusion – none of which has been without problems. During the 1990s, IU followed a combination of the first two.

Assesses institutional and individual research productivity in the area of international operations management (IOM) by reviewing publications in 21 leading operations management (OM) journals over the 12‐year period from 1986 through 1997. Also assesses the IOM research output of the journals and the relative contributions of academicians and practitioners to IOM research appearing in these journals. Among the journals examined for the 12‐year period of this study, based on annual output and quality of published IOM research, Production and Operations Management, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and European Journal of Operational Research served as the leading outlets for IOM research. The 21 journals published a total of 550 IOM articles over the 12‐year period with academicians authoring approximately 86 percent and practitioners 14 percent of this IOM research. The study provides insights on the IOM research productivity and quality of institutions and individuals and offers suggestions for furthering the cause of IOM research.