The work of this dissertation is concerned with the study of the effectiveness ofparadigms of production flexibility to either improve system performance or mitigatesystem risk. A brief introduction to the concept of operational flexibility is provided inChapter I. In Chapter II, we consider a...

Managing commodity price uncertainty is an integral part of many firms' business process. Firms adopt a variety of operational strategies to manage this uncertainty, subject to operational constraints such as finite procurement and processing capacities. The availability of financial derivative...

Established in 1988, the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence recognises organisations in the USA, Mexico and Canada for the successful implementation of world-class practices. The Shingo Prize emphasises the improvement of operations and processes, the adoption of proven world-class...

Designed and implemented as a partnership between GM and the UAW, Saturn breaks new ground in firm governance,management and industrial relations. Through detailed study of Saturn?s partnership arrangements we have found that thelocal management and union leaders have not only implementedthe...