Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the case of the multi‐period optimisation problem where decisions are obtained from a finite horizon model and will be implemented in a situation in which the system will operate indefinitely. Design/methodology/approach – The production planning...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the formation mechanism of the “One Case One Meeting” system in rural China, which is an institutional arrangement to voluntarily provide public goods to villagers. The survey data are used to test the applicability of the “One Case One...

Purpose – To explore the extent to which consumers' ethical concerns impact upon apparel purchase decisions and highlight the value of The Gap's corporate code of conduct in meeting these concerns. Design/methodology/approach – Face‐to‐face questionnaires were conducted with Scottish...

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether there is evidence of pioneering advantage in long‐term survival terms in the particular context of franchising. Design/methodology/approach – Data covering 188 franchise chains for an eight‐year period (from 1995 to 2003), operating in...

Purpose – This paper focuses on assembly line performance of an automotive body shop that builds body‐in‐white (BIW) assembly utilizing about 700+ process robots. These robots perform various operations such as welding, sealing, part handling, stud welding and inspection. There is no...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the extent to which they are prepared to meet SCM challenges through the use of modern planning and control methods. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a cross‐sectional survey...

Purpose – To publicise the little known work of Eli Devons (1950) as a source of practical operations management “know how”, collated by an economist but of direct interest to wider academe. Design/methodology/approach – Evaluation of World War II UK aircraft production procedures...

Purpose: Although firms try to shorten time-to-market, the duration of product development projects might anyway jeopardize the assumptions made at the beginning of the design process. This includes the definition of product attributes for ensuring customer satisfaction, thus forecasting...