Operations Management Journals Research Articles

Qualitative case studies in operations management: Trends, research outcomes, and future research implications

Our study examines the state of qualitative case studies in operations management. Five main operations management journals are included for their impact on the field. They are in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, and Production and Operations Management. The qualitative case studies chosen were published between 1992 and 2007. With an increasing trend toward using more qualitative case studies, there have been meaningful and significant contributions to the field of operations management, especially in the area of theory building. However, in many of the qualitative case studies we reviewed, sufficient details in research design, data collection, and data analysis were missing. For instance, there are studies that do not offer sampling logic or a description of the analysis through which research out-comes are drawn. Further, research protocols for doing inductive case studies are much better developed compared to the research protocols for doing deductive case studies. Consequently, there is a lack of consistency in the way the case method has been applied. As qualitative researchers, we offer suggestions on how we can improve on what we have done and elevate the level of rigor and consistency.

The scholarly exchange of knowledge in Operations Management

A number of studies have investigated the quality of journals in Operations Management. This research steps back from these studies and investigates the exchange of ideas within Operations Management journals and between other management disciplines (Management, Marketing, and Finance) during the last decade (1998–2007). Journal citation metrics provide a measure for the exchange of scholarly ideas. Operations Management (OM) journals show a willingness to cross-pollinate ideas with other management disciplines. But, they also tend to have a higher level of self citations and lower level of within discipline citation exchanges when compared to other management disciplines. As a result, Operations Management journals may reflect methodological silos in the field that could potentially dampen scholarly exchange. In general, increasing the diversity of scholarly exchanges within Operations Management, and conducting more cross-disciplinary research with other management disciples should improve the scholarly development of Operations Management.

Considering connectivity in operations journals

PurposeThe 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/approachTwo 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.FindingsFindings 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/valueTo the best of one's knowledge no such study of this type or breadth has been previously conducted.

Winning the tournament for named professorships in management

We apply tournament theory to explain the process within which selection of named professorships takes place and a procedural justice test to justify winning the named professorship tournament. Specifically, we estimate the probability that management professors hold one of the highest rewards for academic research productivity, a named professorship, as a function of his or her research credentials, as measured by the number of articles published in a small core of elite management journals. Alphabetically, these are Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, Operations Research, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. Although each of the eight journals is positively related to the probability of attaining a named professorship, the Academy of Management Review and the Academy of Management Journal emerge as the two most influential management journals.

The use of manufacturing technologies–an external influence perspective

Given the generally positive relationship between technology utilisation and performance, why do some plants use installed technologies to a lesser extent than others? Literature suggests that the extent of use of technology, as a decision of choice, is influenced by a variety of factors. Organisational and individual influences include process type, plant size, perceived usefulness of the technology, and user demographics (Zhang, P., Aikman, S.N., and Heshan, S., 2008, Two types of attitudes in ICT acceptance and use. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 24 (7), 628–648; Swamidass, P.M. and Kotha, S., 1998, Explaining manufacturing technology use, firm size and performance using a multidimensional view of technology. Journal of Operations Management, 17 (1), 23–37; Davis, F., Bagozzi, R., and Warshaw, P., 1989, User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35 (8), 982–1003). External factors such as customer mandates and firm nationality have also been found to affect technology use (White, A., Johnson, M., and Wilson, H., 2008, RFID in the supply chain: lessons from European early adopters. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 38 (2), 88–107; Kotha, S. and Swamidass, P.M., 1998, Advanced manufacturing technology use: exploring the effect of the nationality variable. International Journal of Production Research, 36 (11), 3135–3146). In this stream of research, one external factor of potential influence–supply chain management–remains conspicuously absent. This study uses data from industry to (a) develop rationales for a relationship between the extent of use of manufacturing technologies and supply chain management; and (b) offer data-based verification and insights on the nature and management of this relationship. Results suggest that the extent of use of specific manufacturing technologies increases or declines depending on the specific supply chain management practice in use. The findings raise interesting implications for managers and scholars.

A ‘Sound Strategy’ for Intercontinental Hotels

is ITCA Chair of Production and Operations Management in the School of Management at the University of Surrey. He has researched productivity for a number of years as part of a research programme designed to understand and improve operational performance in the hospitality industry. Since 1981 he has written or edited 12 textbooks on operations management, published numerous articles in a wide range of operations management and hospitality journals, and presented over 90 conference papers throughout the world.

Introduction to the Special Issue—Flexible and Distributed Information Systems Development: State of the Art and Research Challenges

Process flexibility and globally distributed develop-ment are two major current trends in software andinformation systems development (ISD). The questfor flexibility is very much evident in the recent devel-opment and increasing acceptance of various agilemethods, such as eXtreme Programming (Beck andAndres 2005) and Scrum (Schwaber and Beedle 2002).Agile development methods are examples of appar-ently major success stories that seem to have runcounter to the prevailing wisdom in information sys-tems (IS) and software engineering. However, ratherthan being antimethod, agile approaches operate onthe principle of “just enough method.” The quest forflexibility is also apparent in the currently increasinginterest in striking a balance between the rigor of tra-ditional approaches and the need for adaptation ofthose approaches to suit particular development situ-ations. Although suitable methods may exist, devel-opers struggle in practice when selecting methodsand tailoring them to suit their needs. Certainly,agile methods are not exempt from this problem asthey too need to be flexibly tailored to the devel-opment context at hand (Fitzgerald et al. 2006a).Distributed development recognizes that, more andmore, ISD takes place in globally distributed settings.This is perhaps most evident in the many cases ofoffshoring and outsourcing of software developmentto low-cost countries (King and Torkzadeh 2008). Dis-tributed development places new demands on thedevelopment process through the increased complex-ity related to communication, coordination, cooper-ation, control, and culture, as well as to technologyand tools. Interestingly, many of the difficulties facedin globally distributed ISD are the same issues sur-faced by agile methods and development flexibility ingeneral.It is something of an irony that the special issuebefore us appears on the bicentenary of Darwin’sbirth. Evolutionary theory suggests that success andsurvival are not the preserve of the strongest nor themost intelligent. Rather, the ability to adapt to chang-ing circumstances is the key trait. Flexibility, one ofthe twin primary points of focus for this special issue,addresses this trait directly. A further parallel is thatDarwin’s theory of evolution was best exemplified bydifferences across different spatial locations. This isalso inherent in the second focal point for the specialissue dual focus—distributed development.

E‐SCM: internet's impact on supply chain processes

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the interaction of two topics: supply chain management (SCM) and the internet. Merging these two fields is a key area of concern for contemporary managers and researchers. They have realised that the internet can enhance SCM by making real time information available and enabling collaboration between trading partners.Design/methodology/approachA literature review in prestigious academic journals in Operations Management and Logistics has been conducted for the period 1995‐2005. The objective is to collect, organise and synthesise existing knowledge relating to SCM and the internet.FindingsThe paper describes the impact that the internet has on the different processes that SCM embrace. The literature review undertaken on the topic has shown that e‐SCM has been acknowledged as an outstanding topic in the supply chain literature in the most prestigious operations management and logistics journals, especially after year 2000. The main topics have been e‐procurement, e‐fulfilment and information flows.Originality/valueThe value of this paper is to define e‐SCM, to analyse how research in this area has evolved during the period 1995‐2005 and to identify some lines of further research.

The product-relationship-matrix as framework for strategic supply chain design based on operations theory

The strategic design of supply chains can be analysed building on recent theory development in operations management. Schmenner and Swink [1998. On theory in operations management. Journal of Operations Management 17 (1), 97–113] have identified the theory of performance frontiers and the theory of swift, even flow, which integrate various concepts from operations strategy and management. Transferring these theories to the supply chain level allows five strategic decision fields in supply chain management to be outlined: Products and Services, Partners and Partnerships, Plants and Stocks, Processes and Planning and Control. These decision fields form the backbone of the product-relationship-matrix, a conceptual framework for supply chain management. This is built by combining a life-cycle dimension with a partnership dimension. The framework conceptualises both the content and process of such decisions. This is illustrated by five case studies from different industrial sectors.

The evolution of the intellectual structure of operations management—1980–2006: A citation/co-citation analysis

Citation analysis combined with a network analysis of co-citation data from three major operations management (OM) journals is used to reveal the evolution of the intellectual structure of the OM field between 1980 and 2006. This spans the entire time since the beginning of research journals specific to the field. Employing a bibliometric citation/co-citation analysis to investigate the foundations of the discipline enables a robust, quantitative approach to uncovering the evolution of research in OM. The study finds that the intellectual structure of the field made statistically significant changes between the 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s and evolved from a pre-occupation with narrow, tactical topics toward more strategic, macrotopics, including new research methods and techniques. A factor analysis identifies the 12 top knowledge groups in the field and how they change over the decades. Illustrations of the structure of the co-citations representing the field are generated from a spring-embedded algorithm that is an improvement over the standard multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) approach to illustrating the knowledge groups.

Editorial: Introducing Operations Management Research: Advancing practice through theory

A couple of years ago, one of us was a co-author on a paper presenting the results of a nice little operations management (OM) research study. Although narrowly focused, it came to some important conclusions and insights regarding an important concept in our field, but we were at a loss about where to try to publish it. It wasn’t a massive study with multiple confounded variables that had to be teased out using sophisticated statistical techniques, nor did it present impressive, earth-shaking conclusions, so it seemed obvious that it wasn’t suitable for the top journals in our field. Nor, some editors informed us, was it appropriate for the engineering or math or management oriented, journals where OM researchers sometimes publish their work. It seemed we had run out of alternatives. Whereas the field of Finance has 46 or more journals that have the words Finance or Financial in their title, and somewhat the same is probably true for Marketing, Economics, and Management, in OM, there are only about five journals with the words Operations Management somewhere in their title. It thus seemed clear that there was a tremendous need, and opportunity, for additional journals in our field. Moreover, since the demise of the Production & Inventory Management Journal published by APICS (formerly, the American Production and Inventory Control Society) and the Notes section of the Journal of Operations Management, there has been no place for academic scholars to read about and publish small but high-quality OM research studies. Between just these two publications themselves, that means about 70 short OM research papers are not being published each year, or are perhaps being published but in less preferred or less appropriate journals. And since that time, the field has grown in both size and stature, while the pressure for publishing continues to increase. As a result, we decided to take matters into our own hands and initiate an OM journal dedicated to smaller, focused papers that held particular promise of advancing practice, since OM is basically an applied field. The journal would not compete with existing A-level journals in the field but would instead aspire to publish shorter, more sharply focused work that exhibited solid methodological rigor. The journal would entertain all OM topics and all forms of research: survey, math modeling, case, field, qualitative, simulation, ethnography, hermeneutics, metaanalyses, and other such reputable methodologies. However, total manuscript length would be limited to 20 pages (including figures and tables) and the turnaround time would be fast, with a target maximum of 8 weeks. We Oper Manag Res (2008) 1:1–5 DOI 10.1007/s12063-008-0009-8

The power of integrality: Linkages between product architecture, innovation, and industry structure

A substantial literature stream suggests that many products are becoming more modular over time, and that this development is often associated with a change in industry structure towards higher degrees of specialization. These developments can have strong implications for an industry's competition as the history of the PC industry illustrates. To add to our understanding of the linkages between product architecture, innovation, and industry structure we develop detailed product architecture measurements based on a previously proposed method [Fixson, S.K., 2005. Product architecture assessment: a tool to link product, process, and supply chain design decisions. Journal of Operations Management 23 (3/4), 345–369] and study an unusual case in which a firm – through decreasing its product modularity – turned its formerly competitive industry into a near-monopoly. Using this case study we explore how existing theories on modularity explain the observed phenomenon, and show that most consider technological change in rather long-term dimensions, and tend to focus on efficiency-related arguments to explain the resulting forces on competition. We add three critical aspects to the theory that connects technological change and industry dynamics. First, we suggest integrating as a new design operator to explain product architecture genesis. Second, we argue that a finer-grained analysis of the product architecture shows the existence of multiple linkages between product architecture and industry structure, and that these different linkages help explain the observed intra-industry heterogeneity across firms. Third, we propose that the firm boundary choice can also be a pre-condition of the origin of architectural innovation, not only an outcome of efficiency considerations.

Operations management research in the automotive sector

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to take a fresh look at some of the contemporary operations management (OM) research issues in the automotive sector in order to identify potential future research directions. It addresses the question of what remains to be investigated after so many decades of enquiry.Design/methodology/approachA review confined to recent articles published in some of the most mainstream OM journals, seeking to identify research gaps in the field.FindingsThe paper reviews some of the most prevalent misperceptions about Japanese production management (JPM) and the Toyota production system. It observes that much of contemporary OM research in the automotive industry still wrestles with the complexities of JPM approaches, whose richness of nuance and complexity appear to be always just beyond the authors' grasp. Argues for the use of alternative theoretical lenses to help uncover novel insights.Originality/valueThe paper reaffirms the author's overarching research mission which is to contribute to the improved practice of OM by conducting rigorous research in the field. It underscores the need for novel approaches to OM research in the automotive sector. This is particularly apposite at a time when the differences between production systems seem to be disappearing and when some recent empirical evidence suggests that lean management may only be skin deep in many companies which rely too heavily on consultants to the detriment of depth of knowledge and employee involvement.

Environmental management system and human resource practices: is there a link between them in four Brazilian companies?

The aim of this article is to analyze the theoretical model proposed by [Jabbour CJC, Santos FCA. Relationships between human resource dimensions and environmental management in companies: proposal of a model. Journal of Cleaner Production 2008;16(1):51–8.] based on the data collected in four Brazilian companies. This model investigates how the phases of the environmental management system can be linked to human resource practices in order to attain continuous improvement of a company's environmental performance. Our aim is to contribute to a field, which has little empirical evidence. Although the interaction between the phases of the environmental management system and human resource practices is recommended by the specialized literature [Daily BF, Huang S. Achieving sustainability through attention to human resource factors in environmental management. International Journal of Operations and Production Management 2001;21(12):1539–52.], the results indicate that most of the theoretical assumptions could not be confirmed in these Brazilian companies.

A Note on the Growth of Research in Service Operations Management

We present an empirical assessment of the productivity of individuals and institutions in terms of service operations management (SOM) research. We reviewed five mainstream operations management journals over a 17‐year time period to generate a sample of 463 articles related to service operations. The results indicate that SOM research has been growing and key contributions are being made by an array of researchers and institutions.

STATE OF INDUCTIVE CASE STUDIES IN OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT.

We evaluated inductive case research in leading operations management (OM) journals. Despite increasing numbers of case publications, the ratio to total publications remains low. We detected areas where authors have followed the extant literature on how to conduct case research as well as areas where improvements need to be made.

How to organise operations: Focusing or splitting?

The concept of focus has been proposed as a method for operations to achieve superior performance by concentrating its resources on accomplishing one strategic task. Since its development by Skinner [1974. The focused factory. Harvard Business Review May–June, 113–121], it has become a key element within the operations strategy field. Despite the high level of adoption and investigation into the subject, there still seems to be little empirical support for the focus concept [Vokurka, R.J., Davis, R.A., 2000. Focused factories: empirical study of structural and performance differences. Production and Inventory Management Journal 41(1), 44–55] and a feeling that we still do not adequately understand its application in industry [Ketokivi, M., Jokinen, M., 2006. Strategy, uncertainty and the focused factory in international process manufacturing. Journal of Operations Management 24(3), 250–270]. This case-study-based research paper examines three organisations, that have organised their operations using four different approaches, to understand the advantages and disadvantages they bring. The findings show that some approaches (process and product/market) do not fully reduce the level of complexity within operations, whilst others do (market order-winner and qualifier/performance objectives). It is therefore proposed that some approaches should be re-classified as “splitting” rather than “focusing.”

A replication and extension of quality management into the supply chain

As competition moves beyond a single firm into the supply chain, researchers are beginning to explore quality management (QM) in a supply chain context. The literature suggests that supply chain management (SCM) consists of internal practices, which are contained within a firm, and external practices, which cross organizational boundaries integrating a firm with its customers and suppliers. Supplier quality management and customer focus are two QM practices that are also clearly in the domain of SCM. In this study we investigate how these two supply chain management-related quality practices lead to improved performance and examine the practices that precede and mediate those relationships. In doing so, we replicate and extend the relationships among the QM practices and their effects on firm performance suggested in Kaynak [Kaynak, H., 2003. The relationship between total quality management practices and their effects on firm performance. Journal of Operations Management 21, 405–435] using survey data gathered from firms operating in the U.S. The inclusion of customer focus and supplier quality management in the QM model supports the importance of internal and external integration for quality performance. Implications of the results for researchers and practitioners are discussed, and further research implications are suggested.

A review on evolution of production scheduling with neural networks

The production scheduling problem allocates limited resources to tasks over time and determines the sequence of operations so that the constraints of the system are met and the performance criteria are optimized. One approach to this problem is the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) stand alone or in conjunction with other methods. Artificial neural networks are computational structures that implement simplified models of biological processes, and are preferred for their robustness, massive parallelism, and learning ability. In this paper, we give a comprehensive overview on ANN approaches for solution of production scheduling problems, discuss both theoretical developments and practical experiences, and identify research trends. More than 50 major production and operations management journals published in years 1988-2005 have been reviewed. Existing approaches are classified into four groups, and additionally a historical progression in this field was emphasized. Finally, recommendations for future research are suggested in this paper.

Evolution of the field of operations management

This Special Issue of the Journal of Operations Management consists of 16 articles by 26 authors covering Operations Managements (OM) topics and issues from the 16th century to the 21st with predictions for the future. While it does not pretend to be comprehensive, it is representative of the types of subjects of inquiry through out this historical period in what could be considered OM. This introduction attempts to put the papers in context, and concludes with comments about what might be considered fundamental concepts which, taken as a set, can be seen as the foundations of Operations Management today.