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To cope with the increasing challenges of globalisation, various manufacturing companies have established intra-company manufacturing networks. The purpose of this paper is to link the strategic network targets (i.e. accessibility, thriftiness represented by economies of scale and economies of scope, mobility, and learning) with the capabilities and characteristics of the constituting sites of the manufacturing network and thus facilitate the identification of mismatches and the discussion of possible development paths for the network.

The authors derive a conceptual framework from the literature which is tested with a single case; a manufacturing network consisting of eight manufacturing sites. Case data were collected based on 24 interviews with operations managers at network level and a standardised online survey among the sites’ management teams.

Results indicate that manufacturing network and site levels need to be related when striving for a fit between manufacturing strategy, network strategy, and site capabilities and characteristics.

Single case studies have only limited generalisability. Nevertheless, the case demonstrates the usefulness of several dimensions when analysing manufacturing networks on site and network level.

This paper represents the first attempt to link strategic targets of intra-company manufacturing networks with site capabilities and characteristics. Thereby, it provides a theoretical basis for future research on the relationship between strategic targets of manufacturing networks and their fulfilment. The developed manufacturing site portfolio, moreover, extends the site role typology discussion by a multi-dimensional perspective and represents a starting point for a multi-faceted discussion of site roles.

The purpose of this paper is to integrate the manufacturing site and network perspectives for the purposes of strategy fulfilment, which has rarely been jointly discussed. By doing this, the site and network perspectives are broken into their constituents and linked to one another.

The paper provides qualitative research; it conducts a comprehensive literature review and merges the results with the concept of the quality function deployment to link the relevant dimensions. The developed framework is discussed based on a single case study.

The proposed framework relates the network and site perspectives in different dimensions, which range from the strategic dimension to the network and site dimensions. The paper, furthermore, offers the groundwork of developing relationship maps of the site and network capabilities, network configuration and coordination, and the structural and infrastructural dimensions.

The paper contains a single case study and lacks foundation with a broader data set.

The results support the decision-making process of the manufacturing network managers who assess, design, and develop their manufacturing networks and attempt to gain transparency by using different levels of analysis.

The paper is the first attempt to show how the different network and site capabilities contribute to strategy fulfilment, to link the configuration and coordination dimensions of the manufacturing network level, and to link the structural and infrastructural dimensions on the site level. Thus, the authors add to multilevel research in operations management because the authors provide a combined framework for the network- and site-level analysis.

The purpose of this paper is to bridge the knowledge management (KM) and strategic business network literatures from the viewpoint of SMEs.

This paper presents a typology of KM and strategic business networks; thus the paper is based on a literature review and analysis.

The paper provides a typology of the strategic SME network types and their key KM challenges based on a synthesis of existing literature.

It is suggested that longitudinal case studies of KM practices in strategic SME networks should be conducted. An empirical multi‐case study has already been started.

The presented SME network typology can benefit SME managers facing networking and KM challenges. Besides, it is suggested that a common strategy should be developed for all types of networks to enable the creation of knowledge‐based competencies and capabilities.

Multinational companies have manufacturing operations in various countries; however, there is scarce evidence on how they assess performance of the network-based operations of their factories, called international manufacturing networks (IMN). The purpose of this paper is to propose a process model for the performance assessment of IMNs.

The IMN performance assessment process model was developed from the extant literature and was empirically verified in its congruency and usefulness via a multiple case research. For that, in each case the general process model was derived into a specific application that fit the type of IMN on focus. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the case companies’ reports, profiling forms and interviews, followed by within-case and cross-case analyses.

Evidence suggest that the process model, along with its derivations, is a valuable tool to describe and explain how IMN performance assessment unfolds in real organizational environments. Additionally, three propositions emerged: IMN performance assessment has distinct characteristics depending on the type of IMN adopted, which in turn depends on the company’s internationalization strategy; IMN performance assessment has more strategic value and importance for companies that are globally coordinated and adopt “rooted” manufacturing strategies; and companies design their IMN performance assessment on a trial-and-error basis.

As all case-based research, this paper has generalizability limitations. Thus, next steps may include a large-scale survey and an action research that will develop and implement a full-fledged IMN performance assessment.

The process model and descriptive insights provide a diagnostic tool and subsidies that may encourage managers to review and improve their current IMN performance assessment.

The process model contributes to addressing a 20-year gap concerning how to approach IMN performance assessment in a holistic and systematic manner.

In this paper, the authors empirically investigate under which conditions production network management is effective to improve manufacturers' financial performance. For this, the authors explore contingencies between production networks and the three key dimensions of organizational environment.

A survey with senior managers was conducted for this research. The authors used a hierarchical regression analysis to test interaction effects and draw on follow-up interviews with chief operating officers (COOs) and senior managers to elaborate and explain the found associations.

Results indicate that manufacturers' financial performance is only associated with their network capability level if they operate in hostile competitive environments. In moderate competitive environments, improvements in the network capability level are not associated with greater financial performance. In particularly munificent environments, such production network upgrades are even associated with the opposite effect.

Results highlight in which organizational contexts upgrading production networks has positive performance implications and under which circumstances it is ineffective or even counterproductive.

The authors draw on unique survey data to add quantitative evidence to the predominantly conceptual and qualitative literature on global production networks. This is also one of the first studies to connect the topics of production networks and organizational environment.

This study aims to systematically review the literature on operations strategy to understand its role in fostering competitive advantage. The literature on operations strategy was summarized using bibliometric analysis, network analysis and content analysis techniques. The bibliometric approaches analyzed 1,070 articles published between January 2013 and December 2023. Additionally, it is supplemented through content analysis by analyzing 60 selected articles in depth. The review identified six major research themes in operations strategy: impact of supply chain integration on operational performance, outsourcing and resource-based view, lean strategy, service operations strategy, operations capabilities and responsive supply chain strategy. The review offers a comprehensive overview of current research and highlights potential areas for future exploration, providing valuable guidance for scholars and practitioners in operations strategy. Also, the review provides insights for operations managers that can be applied to develop effective strategies across various industrial contexts.

The main objective of a literature review is to analyze the body of existing knowledge, identify possible research gaps and propose future research avenues (Tranfield et al., 2003). Searching for relevant keywords, discovering pertinent information and then completing the analysis are expected in systematic literature reviews. Tranfield et al. (2003) have provided the guidelines to conduct the literature review in a systematic way, which scholars in the business and management domains increasingly adopt. It consists of three stages as follows: planning the review; conducting the review; and reporting and dissemination. The present study uses these guidelines to organize the literature on operations strategy.

This work provides several theoretical and managerial implications by offering a thorough and methodical understanding of the area. It contributes to the corpus of knowledge that provides a frame of reference based on an insightful synthesis of the prior study. It aims to identify future research avenues in the domain of operations strategy. Several research avenues are identified by carefully analyzing the available literature and conducting a robust bibliometric approach combined with network and content analysis techniques. Thus, the current study will be a valuable resource for future scholars interested in learning about and examining this area.

Continuous research for improvement in the existing system or practice has been the fundamental nature of human beings. Hence, it is pertinent to identify future research avenues for the researchers interested in the area. Despite the extensive studies on operations strategy, certain areas require more investigation. As per the analysis of the literature search of 1,070 articles published in the area, the author suggests future scholars explore the following research avenues: need for conceptual and mixed–method studies; cross-country comparison and generalization; integration with Industry 4.0 technologies; integration with the triple bottom line; and aligning with circular economy.

A need is created to generate a pathway of aligning operations strategy with the principles of circular economy, requiring future research to address its fundamentals. Potential research questions that could be explored are as follows: How can companies align operations strategy with circular economy principles to minimize waste and improve resource efficiency? How does adopting circular economy practices impact supply chain design and operations strategy? What role do innovation and technology play in integrating circular economy principles into operations strategy?

The proposed research avenues will provide adequate information to operations managers about areas of attention that would fully leverage operations strategy and provide the firm with a competitive advantage. Moreover, integrating their outcomes with Industry 4.0 technologies, particularly emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and the Internet of Things can provide a new direction for operations managers. Furthermore, operations performance can make or break the organization. Performance is not a simple or easy concern; it is multi-faceted in the sense that a single measure can never comprehensively represent it. Several measures will always be needed to evaluate the holistic performance of a firm.

This work provides several theoretical and managerial implications by offering a thorough and methodical understanding of the area. It contributes to the corpus of knowledge that provides a frame of reference based on an insightful synthesis of the prior study. It aims to identify future research avenues in the domain of operations strategy. Several research avenues are identified by carefully analyzing the available literature and conducting a robust bibliometric approach combined with network and content analysis techniques. Thus, the current study will be a valuable resource for future scholars interested in learning about and examining this area.

The purpose of this paper is to compare measures of socio-economic status (Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage values (ICSEA)), school performance, school funding and school readiness in terms of their impact on student performance. In this respect, the paper tests the proposition – given research that suggests the teacher is the important ingredient in improved student learning performance – that a school principal who has strategical worked to “ready” their teachers for a whole of school teaching improvement agenda will generate increased student learning results than those who have not and further this improvement will occur irrespective of the circumstance of the socio-economic circumstance of the school.

In total, 22 Government schools from a single school district in Australia participated in the study, after having been involved in a system sponsored “teaching improvement program”. A survey, consisting of 30 seven-point Likert-style scale items, was administered to all teachers and school leaders in the school district. The survey was designed to rate levels of staff perceived alignment, capability and engagement to the programme as it was implemented by the Head in each school. The information regarding each school’s ICSEA value, funding per student and student learning performance, was obtained from the database provided by the relevant authority (ACARA). All statistical analysis was completed using SPSS Version 22.

The findings of this study indicate that high levels of organisational readiness, as defined by the alignment, capability and engagement (ACE) approach, are associated with effective teaching and improvement in student outcomes. In turn, the authors interpret this to mean that the internal organisation of a school has important effects on student achievement that are independent to external factors such as school funding or even the socio-educational positioning of the school.

The findings of this study indicate that high levels of organisational readiness, as defined by the ACE approach, are associated with effective teaching and improvement in student outcomes. The implications are that the ACE provides a framework for what the school leader needs to focus on when whole of school teaching improvement is the goal. The study did not investigate what the school leader did in each school to ready their staff.

These findings indicate the importance of leadership in a school and provide an insight into what the school leader needs to focus on when whole of school teaching improvement is the intended goal. This focus can thus be understood as the leader working to ensure all staff members are ACE to the improvement agenda.

The improvement of educational outcomes is a global goal of governments. In this respect, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) school systems in particular have linked education system performance and international competitiveness in ways that place pressure on the “black box” of individual schools. Reports, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment and local testing regimes testify that governments and communities are interested in the academic performance of students within and across schooling systems. The benefits of high performing schools contribute to the standard of living of citizens and the well-being of a society more generally. This paper investigates propositions that focus the work of the school leader to achieving such inherent goals.

The paper introduces the concept of school readiness. The premise is considered important to the current research because it represents the ability of schools to participate in reform agendas that are characteristic of government policy positions. The “school readiness” approach lies outside the education literature, motivated by the idea that the literature on turning around failing organisations in sectors outside of education provides clear guidelines for reforming schools. The implications for turnaround leadership are particularly encouraging and important particular organisational factors, in common with sectors outside of education, are of significant importance in enhancing teacher motivation, teacher learning and consequential improvements in student outcomes. This paper seeks to add empirical evidence in support of these approaches by adopting what the authors refer as organisational “readiness” for reform developed by Schiemann (2014).

General theories have been criticized for their inability to explore the mechanics of more specific domain knowledge and understand how, when and where general theory applies to and extends domain knowledge in supply chain management (SCM). Middle-range theorizing (MRT) is a potential solution to this limitation. This paper aims to assist researchers in understanding the relationship between MRT and general theorizing (GT) and connecting MRT research findings to general theory.

This research provides a structured literature review of 518 articles, from eight journals in logistics, SCM and operations management. Theoretically based articles are analyzed by primary domain and SCM context.

There are frameworks for conducting MRT; however, the literature does not sufficiently assist researchers in understanding how middle-range (MR) theory should relate to general theory. Findings include a better understanding of underserved areas in SCM, guideline frameworks for understanding when to apply MRT, when to apply GT and how MRT knowledge can be connected to SCM domain knowledge.

This study provides a timely and appropriate compilation of theory research in SCM, including significant implications for both theory and practice, by helping to articulate the evolving philosophy of science in SCM.

The purpose of this paper is to establish a methodological framework to address key issues in electricity distribution network development. The paper defines subtasks in the strategy process and presents key elements in the strategy work and long‐term network planning. The results are illustrated by a case network.

The paper describes the methodology for cost and reliability analyses in the strategy work. The focus is on techno‐economic feasibility of certain network development technologies in the network strategy and the surveys are linked to economic regulation, specifically to reliability of supply and allowed return. The study addresses the stages of strategic decision making and compilation of investment strategies.

The strategic planning concept and methods are applicable in practice; the results have proven valuable in the long‐term business development and in discussions with the company owners. Outage costs are an essential element in the economic regulation of the business, reliability being a key driver in network planning.

There is no universal solution to strategic decision making, but each development task is highly case specific. This is due to diverging operating environments and targets set by the company owners; these issues strongly influence the strategy process.

The work illustrates strategic planning in an actual distribution company and shows how the methodology can be applied to the strategic network development. Nevertheless, the results cannot be generalised as such, but each network has to be considered individually.

The proposed concept can be applied to the long‐term development of distribution networks. The results are internationally applicable, yet diverging regulatory models call for specific methodology in each country.