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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1991

Charles Scott and Roy Westbrook

Intense global competition has created a highly demanding customer.To serve his needs for highvariety, low cost, sound quality and easyavailability, organisations are looking…

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Abstract

Intense global competition has created a highly demanding customer. To serve his needs for highvariety, low cost, sound quality and easy availability, organisations are looking beyond their own boundaries to the management of their supply chains. In this they have been inspired by the typical Far Eastern, and the very best Western, practice. But supply chain management is still a hope not a reality for many companies. On the one hand there is an array of “panaceas” on offer for our “sick” businesses; new technology, computer integrated manufacturing, the Just‐in‐Time approach, total quality management, and more besides. On the other hand supply chain management has few specific tools of its own. To the manager busy holding on to his market share it is difficult to see where to start the process of making his operation more competitive. A three‐stage approach to help companies see just which actions are likely to get the supply chain into better competitive shape is proposed. Also introduced are two simple graphical tools to help management develop a strategy for enhanced supply chain effectiveness: the pipeline map and the supplier relationship grid.

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International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1999

Terry Hill, Alastair Nicholson and Roy Westbrook

There has been a growing call from within the operations management (OM) academic community for research of more managerial relevance. This has implied a greater emphasis on…

502

Abstract

There has been a growing call from within the operations management (OM) academic community for research of more managerial relevance. This has implied a greater emphasis on empirical research: surveys, cases, and action research. But in fact these types are quite different. However, the great majority of empirical OM work published is based on postal surveys and/or interviewing executives, where research method selection is made for reasons of practical convenience and academic expectation. Given the level of complexity involved in understanding the OM perspective of business issues then the emphasis should be placed on plant‐based research. Conducting research on‐site and investigation through the analysis of relevant data, issues, developments and events ensures relevance and a validity essential to making an impact on business practice. There are obstacles to increasing the amount of plant‐based research which is carried out, such as practical and personal difficulties, a mistaken concern over research rigour, and academic institutional inertia. Each of these needs to be overcome if OM research is to influence business practice more in the future than it has in the past.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 19 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1988

Roy Westbrook

The study of Japanese manufacture continues to focus on certain elements of the JIT/kanban approach. A recent study tour found that these elements might be broadened to include…

227

Abstract

The study of Japanese manufacture continues to focus on certain elements of the JIT/kanban approach. A recent study tour found that these elements might be broadened to include planning systems and people development initiatives, examples of which are described. The degree to which JIT is a system at all, or has been fully understood in the West, is considered and future research directions proposed.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1999

Pär Åhlström and Roy Westbrook

This paper reports the results of a survey conducted to explore issues surrounding mass customization and in particular its implications for operations management. The findings…

6665

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a survey conducted to explore issues surrounding mass customization and in particular its implications for operations management. The findings cover the market changes driving customization, the methods used to provide customized goods, the positive and negative effects of customization, and the difficulties of implementation. There are shown to be important implications for operations management in a strategy of mass customization, and thus substantial scope for further research by operations management academics.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 19 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1995

Roy Westbrook

Research on quality in Japan has emphasized technical issues, butthere is much to be learned from more organizational elements. Presentsmaterial from major Japanese corporations…

1550

Abstract

Research on quality in Japan has emphasized technical issues, but there is much to be learned from more organizational elements. Presents material from major Japanese corporations on the role of the centre in quality, the organizing of quality training, and long‐term planning for quality. The research was carried out over four visits to Japan between 1989 and 1992. Emphasizes that there are still quality lessons to be learned from Japan.

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International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 1995

Roy Westbrook

The continuing debate on production and operations management (POM)research has led to a new emphasis on empirical methods. Claims that,while surveys and case research are…

7791

Abstract

The continuing debate on production and operations management (POM) research has led to a new emphasis on empirical methods. Claims that, while surveys and case research are increasingly recommended to POM researchers, action research has been relatively neglected. The distinct characteristic of action research is the intervention by the researcher in the situation under study. The nature of the intervention, and of action research outputs, differs however from consulting or from the applications reported by APICS. Explains these differences and offers a simple model of action research. Action research is particularly valuable for theory building, as has been seen in the fields of organization behaviour (OB) and management information systems (MIS), where qualitative methods have often been employed rather than traditional scientific methods. POM researchers can learn from the experience of other disciplines and use action research to create new theory. Since many POM researchers will be unfamiliar with action research, explores some practical aspects of conducting such investigations with illustrations from the author′s own research experience. Concludes by showing that a properly conducted action research project can be as rigorous as other methods.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 15 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 1994

Roy Westbrook

Reports a series of action projects in UK manufacturing companies whichfound that formal planning and control activity was less evident thanthe management of priorities. The…

3179

Abstract

Reports a series of action projects in UK manufacturing companies which found that formal planning and control activity was less evident than the management of priorities. The reasons for this were found in the innate instability of these companies′ operations. This finding provokes a fresh look at two themes which formerly produced much literature: the relative failure of computers in production management; and the gap between OM academics and practitioners. A third theme, taken from the OB literature on the reactive nature of managerial work, throws light on both these issues. The instability of batch manufacturing operations can thus be seen as a norm, not a departure from a norm of stability. The assumption of a stable environment helps to explain why the formal MPC systems had often disappointed, and why the practitioners had made little use of OM academic work. Explores the nature of the instability as being principally concerned with the three dimensions of variety, variation and volume. Defines priority management, and positions it in relation to manufacturing strategy and to more technical approaches to OM. Develops a general theory of priority management which draws together various mid‐range theories and empirical studies.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 1997

Everett E. Adam, Lawrence M. Corbett, Benito E. Flores, Norma J. Harrison, T.S. Lee, Boo‐Ho Rho, Jaime Ribera, Danny Samson and Roy Westbrook

Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific…

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Abstract

Investigates what approaches to quality lead to best quality and financial performance across different regions of the world. Reports a survey of 977 firms in Asia/South Pacific, Europe, and North America. Fifty‐two items that suggest how a firm might improve quality were factor analysed and grouped into 11 factors, each factor a broader approach to quality improvement than any one item. Actual quality was measured eight different ways. Each approach to quality improvement (factor) was correlated to each quality measure, as well as to several financial measures. The results suggest that a company’s approach to quality correlates to actual quality and to a lesser extent to financial performance. The major factors found to influence actual quality were the organization’s knowledge of quality management, its degree of customer focus, and management involvement. When the task was to predict performance outcomes in any region, the specific factors that best predict performance were found to vary from region to region. That is, there were specific models within a region that better predicted performance than the model which predicted performance across all regions.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 17 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 6 February 2009

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2005

François Fulconis and Gilles Paché

The majority of studies on supply chain management (SCM) emphasize the importance of cooperative relationships for improving the integration of business processes into a supply…

108

Abstract

The majority of studies on supply chain management (SCM) emphasize the importance of cooperative relationships for improving the integration of business processes into a supply chain. It seems accepted that SCM will be a source of competitive advantage if, and only if, firms that participate in it formalize a strategic partnership between each other beforehand. This article questions whether this really is the case, given that the corporate cultures currently in place are largely founded on a tradition of adversarial relationships, the creation of large groups and the development of vertical concentrations. SCM could, in contrast, in such a case be the catalyst for powerful future strategic partnerships that could gently break arm’s‐length competition.

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Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

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