The literature in operations management has not kept up with the growing complexity of and opportunities offered by global production networks. Managers need new tools to cope with this complexity. We propose one that is based on a model that delayers the global plant network into a set of...

In this paper, we postulate that a firm's sourcing knowledge can be a strategic resource for the firm, and explore how firms can capture and build on their sourcing knowledge. We examine the sourcing experiences of four firms in four different countries in the automotive industry, who are in the...

Today, to improve productivity in manufacturing, one has a large variety of improvement programmes at one′s disposal. Zero defects, value analysis, just‐in‐time, manufacturing lead time reduction are just a few of a long list of potential action programmes. Their real impact is not always...

The integration of information systems within manufacturing, and between manufacturing and other functions, is a growing concern. A survey of 560 manufacturing companies in Europe, North America and Japan reveals that management is paying increasing attention to this issue, though it is given...

Purpose – Globalization of management education seems to have become the natural way to go for management and business schools. Almost every week one can find in the specialized press another announcement about an overseas campus, a new international partnership or a major research tie up. But...

Purpose – Doctoral education in business administration needs to change in order to cope with the fast growing demand for PhD holders, who can teach and perform research at a high quality level. Additionally, society has a rapidly growing need for knowledge workers who have a doctoral...