Operations Strategy

This research sets out to test some yet unanswered questions from the literature on cumulative capabilities, as well as addressing some of the shortcomings in prior research on cumulative capabilities. Multiple regression analysis is used to test hypotheses using an existing data set of 165 plants in five countries and three industries. The findings indicate substantial differences in patterns of cumulative capabilities between countries and limited evidence of industry differences. Cumulative capabilities were found to be related to plant performance, with no difference in this relationship by industry. Support for sequential progression of cumulative capabilities was not evident, leading to the notion that development of cumulative capabilities is a complex endeavor, affected by many interrelated contingencies, not limited to sequence of development. A sequence of strategic initiative development was proposed and tested, finding support for a common foundation of practices related to cumulative capabilities, with limited support for the relationship between specific strategic initiatives and higher-level cumulative capabilities.

In much of the current literature on supply chain management, supply networks are recognized as a system. In this paper, we take this observation to the next level by arguing the need to recognize supply networks as a complex adaptive system (CAS). We propose that many supply networks emerge rather than result from purposeful design by a singular entity. Most supply chain management literature emphasizes negative feedback for purposes of control; however, the emergent patterns in a supply network can much better be managed through positive feedback, which allows for autonomous action. Imposing too much control detracts from innovation and flexibility; conversely, allowing too much emergence can undermine managerial predictability and work routines. Therefore, when managing supply networks, managers must appropriately balance how much to control and how much to let emerge.

The TerraSAR-L system is currently being designed in a Phase B definition study. The platform is optimized for and built around the 11 m x 2.9 m active phased array antenna of the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR). The L-SAR features, on top of standard Stripmap and ScanSAR operations, full polarimetric capabilities, repeat-pass ScanSAR interferometry and a Wave Mode. Besides a major contribution to applications in areas of climate change and oceanography, the TerraSAR-L design responds specifically to requirements from interferometric applications. Being conceived as operational, the mission scenario is aiming at maximizing the exploitation of this SAR system. One key element of the TerraSAR-L operations strategy is a long-term systematic and repetitive acquisition scenario to ensure consistent data archives. The other important factor is a systematic processing of all acquired data to Single-look Slant-range Complex (SSC) products to facilitate higher-level product generatio...

Ž . This research examines the relationship between product customization a key aspect of flexibility and organizational Ž structure. Four aspects of organizational 'structure' are considered. They are formal control encompassing the measurement . of competitive, internal, and supplier performance and three key dimensions of organizational design: decentralization, layers, and spans of control. A contingency approach is taken by simultaneously examining the main and moderating effects of environmental uncertainty and firm size. LISREL results show that customization associates with more formal control, fewer layers, and narrower spans of control. Subgroup analysis revealed that these main effects are, for the most part, not moderated by size or environmental uncertainty. Additional analyses reveal the reductions in layers and spans of control that occur as companies make the transition from standardization to customization. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

We study a firm selling two products/services, which are differentiated solely in their prices and delivery times, to two different customer segments in a capacitated environment. From a demand perspective, when both products are available to all customers, they act as substitutes, affecting each other’s demand. Customized products for each segment, on the other hand, result in independent demand for

Companies attempt to companies are attempting to find ways to improve their flexibility and responsiveness and in turn competitiveness by changing their operations strategy, methods and technologies that include the implementation of Supply Chain Management (SCM) paradigm. Hence, Information Technology (IT) can enhance the agility of SCM. The aspects, however, which IT impact on SCM are not equal. In this paper, we specify the areas that IT affects on supply chain and evaluate it. Since the judgments of Iranians automobile industry are qualitative, the evaluation has been done by fuzzy ranking method.

A taxonomy not only provides a parsimonious description of strategic groups that is useful in discussion and research, but also aids theory building. However, taxonomic studies in the operations strategy literature are scarce. Major studies that use North American or European data to develop taxonomies of manufacturing strategies contend that the applicability of their identified taxonomies to other countries remains unclear. Furthermore, the construction of theory is not complete without regular verification and replication to account for competitive paradigm shifts and new environmental imperatives. In our study, we replicated the wellacknowledged taxonomy of manufacturing strategies of [Miller, J.G., Roth, A.V., 1994. A taxonomy of manufacturing strategies, Management Science 40 (3), 285-304] using data from one of the world's fastest growing economies-China. A taxonomy of manufacturing strategies is identified and is found to be different from the strategic clusters of Caretakers, Marketeers and Innovators in Miller and Roth. The underlying dimensions that defined our clusters are also different from those in Miller and Roth. Our study also derived an interesting insight that a taxonomy that is based on realized strength rather than emphasis on competitive capabilities can better explain a company's financial performance. #

Purpose -This study aims to investigate differences among Chinese manufacturers-cum-suppliers in their logistics services provided to different local and foreign customers and assess the management areas that they must address in order to satisfy the logistics requirements of their customers. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire-based survey was conducted amongst managers of manufacturing firms in four industries, automotive, telecommunication and computer, household appliance, and electronics, located in the Shanghai region of China. A five-point Likert scale (1 -least important, 5 -most important) was used to measure the importance of services provided, and assess customer satisfaction level, impact on management of manufacturers, and difficulties and challenges faced by the manufacturers. Findings -The results indicate that foreign customers place significant emphasis on different services from those of their local counterparts. Results also indicate that many challenges need to be addressed by the manufacturers with respect to HR, customer service, and IT integration. A significant difference between manufacturers' satisfaction levels with local and foreign customers is also noticeable. Practical implications -Since third-party logistics (3PL) industry in China is still in its infancy. Most of the Chinese manufacturing firms have to provide major logistics services to their customers. Hence further growth of the Chinese economy depends to a large extent on the ability of the manufacturing firms to provide efficient and effective logistics services. The findings of this study demonstrate that in order for the outsourced manufacturers in China to provide logistics services to local and foreign customers, they are required to restructure their organizations and adjust their operation strategies. Originality/value -This study is a rare attempt to discuss outsourced manufacturers in China in adjusting their logistics strategies and operations to meet the demands from both local and foreign customers after China's admission to the World Trade Organization.

Wastewater collection and treatment is quite important for sustainable management. It would be uneconomical and impractical to provide sewer systems and separate wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for small communities. The decision process in wastewater planning is rather important in terms of comparing the alternatives considered. The two important points in the management of wastewater at rural areas not connected to a sewer system are to develop an optimized operation strategy and to make sure that the complete system is environmentally and economically sustainable. In some regions, package treatment could be an alternative solution. However, in cases where there is an existing large WWTP, a cluster system, where sewage generated by small communities could be transported via conveyors to a centralized WWTP, could be employed. In this study, the wastewater treatment and disposal problems in small communities were addressed and an alternative wastewater handling scenario was proposed. Additionally, three wastewater handling scenarios were compared. As a case study, Gebze villages were selected. q

The supernatant from mesophilic anaerobic digestion of piggery wastewater is characterised by a high amount of COD (4.1 g COD L À1 ), ammonium (2.3 g NH þ 4 -N L À1 ) and suspended solids (2.5 g SS L À1 ). This effluent can be efficiently treated by means of a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) strategy for biological COD, SS and nitrogen removal including a Coagulation/Flocculation step. Total COD and SS reduction yields higher than 66% and 74%, respectively, and a total nitrogen removal (via nitrite) of more than 98% were reached when working with HRT 2.7 days, SRT 12 days, temperature 32°C, three aerobic/anoxic periods, without external control of pH and under limited aeration flow. The inhibition of nitrite oxidizing biomass was achieved by the working free ammonia concentration and the restricted air supply (dissolved oxygen concentration below 1 mg O 2 L À1 ). Since a part of the total COD was colloidal and/or refractory, a Coagulation/Flocculation step was implemented inside the SBR operating strategy to meet a suitable effluent quality to be discharged. Several Jar-Tests demonstrated that the optimal concentration of FeCl 3 was 800 mg L À1 . A respirometric assay showed that this coagulant dosage did not affect the biological activity of nitrifying/denitrifying biomass.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle technology holds much promise for reducing the demand for petroleum in the transportation sector. Its potential impact is highly dependent on the system design and in particular, the energy storage system. This paper discusses the design options including power, energy, and operating strategy as they relate to the energy storage system. Expansion of the usable state-of-charge window will dramatically reduce cost but will likely be limited by battery life requirements. Increasing the power capability of the battery provides the ability to run all-electrically more often but increases the incremental cost. Increasing the energy capacity from 20-40 miles of electric range capability provides an extra 15% reduction in fuel consumption but also nearly doubles the incremental cost. U.S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161

This paper presents a sizing methodology and optimal operating strategy for a battery energy storage system (BESS) to provide a peak load shaving. The sizing methodology is used to maximize a customer's economic benefit by reducing the power demand payment with a BESS of a minimum capacity, i.e. a system with a lowest cost. The BESS optimal operating strategy is based on dynamic programming and is aimed to minimize the energy cost while satisfying battery physical constraints.

Introduction This paper's purpose is to illustrate the relationship of profitability to intermediate, customer-related outcomes that managers can influence directly. It is predominantly a general management discussion, consistent with the Nordic School's view that services are highly interdisciplinary, requiring a "service management" approach (see Grönroos, 1984, 1991). Its findings support the theory that customer satisfaction is related to customer loyalty, which in turn is related to profitability (Heskett et al., 1994, and discussed in Storbacka et al., 1994). While this theory has been advocated for service firms as a class, this paper presents an empirical analysis of one retail bank, limiting the findings' generalizability. The service profit chain (Heskett et al., 1994) hypothesizes that: Customer satisfaction-> customer loyalty-> profitability. The research presented here, while unable to demonstrate causality because of its reliance on OLS regression of cross-sectional data, does illustrate that customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability are related to one another. Thus: Customer satisfaction <-> customer loyalty <-> profitability. To this end, this research examined two hypotheses: H1: Customer satisfaction is related to customer loyalty. H2: Customer loyalty is related to profitability. This research intentionally focuses at a relatively high level of abstraction in an effort to contribute to the growing body of theoretical and empirical knowledge on the relationships among customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability (see

In recent years, numerous approaches have been proposed to improve operations performance. Three in particular, just in time, supply chain management, and quality management, have received considerable attention. While the three are sometimes viewed and implemented as if they were independent and distinct, they can also be used as three prongs of an integrated operations strategy. This study empirically examines the extent to which just in time, supply chain management, and quality management are correlated, and how they impact business performance. Results demonstrate that at both strategic and operational levels, linkages exist between how just in time, total quality management, and supply chain management are viewed by organizations as part of their operations strategy. Results also indicate that a commitment to quality and an understanding of supply chain dynamics have the greatest e ect on performance.

Some extant theoretical studies and different empirical results have demonstrated that firms' behaviour explains several notable competitiveness microeconomic foundations, based on a wide bundle of elements. Firms can directly control most of these elements; in this paper, we will focus on those related to operations management. So, products, processes, technology, equipments or quality control systems will centre our attention. These ones and some additional elements constitute decisions within operations management area that must be included in the content of operations strategy. Operations strategy can be conceptualized as a set of decisions or practices with regard to structure and infrastructure variables. On the one hand, these strategic decisions influence firm's abilities to successfully reach some competitive priorities such as, cost, quality, delivery, and flexibility, and, on the other hand, to obtain the expected performance. This research analyses which are the main structural and infrastructural practices that constitute operations strategies in manufacturing companies, and test the effect of these decisions on some firm competitiveness indicators.

The purpose of this article is to understand the impact service innovation has on customers' choices within the hotel and leisure industry. The article also discusses the influence the creation of new service innovation has on both service development and operational strategy. The analysis is based on a national survey of approximately 1000 travelers in the United States using a web-based data acquisition approach. The travelers are segmented by reason of travel, business or leisure, and discrete choice analysis is applied to model customer preferences for hotel service innovation. Overall, the study finds that innovation does matter when guests are selecting a hotel, with type of lodging having the largest impact on a customer's hotel choice. In addition, service innovation is found to have a larger influence on choices when guests are staying at economy hotels rather than mid-range to up-scale hotels. Also, leisure travelers were found to be more influenced by innovative amenities such as childcare programs and in-room kitchenettes than business travelers were. The understanding of customers' choices allows managers to better design their service offerings and formulate corresponding operational strategies around customer needs. This article examines the addition of innovation to the hotel service concept and is an excellent tool for managers deciding on which innovations to implement.

The difficulties encountered in managing the tool flow in flexible manufacturing systems for the manufacture of prismatic parts indicate the requirement to handle operational issues such as tool assignment. The choice of operational strategy and its relationship to machine specification, work and tool loading, scheduling and specific mode of tool management may significantly enhance machine utilization and work throughput. In this paper, strategies are presented aimed at improving system efficiency and minimizing tooling costs by considering tool provision as work-orientated, where the tooling is changed to suit the production task, or tool-orientated, where resident tools dictate the work flow, or a combination of the two. This paper draws on evidence from current industrial practice and recent developments.

The subject of modern plant design as related to the fully automated Pertigalete plant is discussed. The successive steps of the introduction of process automation in the light of plant integration are sketched. A general description of the system is presented. Some views are given on the influence of computer control on basic plant concept. The influence of automation on operating strategy, plant personnel, and equipment suppliers is also discussed.

Enterprises’ operations systems and environments, characterized by their complexity and dynamics, are challenging operations strategic management models. The study presented in this paper develops a process to integrate operations strategy content to operations performance measurement system design. Essentially, the developed methodology is based on Process Approach (Cambridge Approach) technique that systematizes procedures for generating a performance measures set coherent to operations strategy objectives and also produces a consistent strategy implementation process. To illustrate the development and the application of the proposed design methodology, findings of two case studies related to telecom engineering services companies are used. Results are discussed focusing on testing the proposed methodology in terms of its feasibility, usability, and utility. A refined process, organized in phases, steps, and procedures, is the final result of the presented study.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to act as a meticulous conceptual paper probing the contemporary view towards lean and illustrate that, despite its discernible benefits, the implementation record suffers as the prevailing opinion fails to encapsulate that an aspiring lean enterprise shall only succeed if it views lean as a philosophy rather than another strategy. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on a thorough literature search concerning the success and failure of lean implementations and acts as a precursor for one of the authors utilising a combination of methodologies; namely, interviewing, survey questionnaire and participant observation in attempting to prove his PhD hypothesis. Findings -Evidently, a cocktail of factors are needed for lean success; not only is it necessary to implement most of the technical tools but an organisation's culture needs transforming too. Furthermore, the alterations need to be implemented throughout an organisation's value chain. Lean has a major strategic significance, though its implementation procedure, HRM implications, general approach to the supplier base coupled with the overall universal conviction of viewing lean as a set of tactics rather than embracing it as a philosophy advocates that this contributes to the relatively low number of successful lean initiatives. Originality/value -The paper would prove invaluable to lean practitioners through its summation of the intricacies towards lean enterprise success and academic researchers by focusing their attention towards the necessary cultural implications.

This paper explores the effect that unions have on a firm's ability to reengineer manufacturing processes. We begin by exploring the various effects that a union may have in a manufacturing environment. Next, we briefly review how unions may affect managerial initiatives to reengineer processes and improve manufacturing performance. The third section analyzes an existing database to test for differences in cycle time and manufacturing performance between union and nonunion firms. Finally, we discuss the implications of the study for future operations strategy research and note how a different form of union-management relationships is beginning to evolve. are trained, willing to participate, and willing to make changes to existing processes Handfield and Ghosh 1994). An empty suggestion box will not lead to continuous improvement. Cycle time reduction requires shop floor employees who are willing and able to work in a more flexible environment , where inventory cannot be used to mask differences in output.

In a turbulent environment characterized by unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a sharp oil price decline, and dramatic economic crises, many organizations face not only challenges but also an “identity crisis” as they are unable to respond to the question "who are we as an organization?" Some organizations may concurrently hold multiple identities without being clear on whether these are shared and agreed upon, and on their role in potentially disruptive futures. In response to this challenge and addressing a methodological gap in the broader futures and foresight field, we draw on both futures and foresight as well as management and organization literature to propose a new organizational foresight method: Identity Wind Tunneling (IWT). Designed as an enhancement of wind tunneling approaches, IWT allows an organization to understand, test, and manage multiple organizational identities. Furthermore, IWT facilitates the alignment of organizational identities across a range of possible futures created during a scenario planning process with the ultimate goal of finding a strategic identity. This represents the central, enduring, and distinctive role that the organization embodies while pursuing a long-term and holistic strategic direction that is robust across all scenarios. The strategic identity either clarifies or reimagines the identity of the organization. The paper provides a step-by-step explanation of how to implement IWT and presents a case study of its application. The method is also presented with a series of open-source templates created on the whiteboard collaborative platform Miro (https://miro.com/app/board/ o9J_kqakY js=/).

In this paper we present a case study where an e-business platform (OPERATIONS) has to be built in order to manage the operational strategies of a high volume coastal company. The platform is intended to support multiple operational scenarios that have to be executed when emergency situations or sudden changes of scheduled events unfold. In order to properly integrate all the involved parties that may take part in such a scenario, the system must support multiple interaction patterns according to the communication channel and the device that is used. Thus, its design must take into account multi-channel delivery of functionality and information. The design of the system follows a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in order to properly integrate back-office data sources and legacy systems with new required application extensions providing a complete e-business platform. The core business logic tier of the system is a Process Oriented Platform (POP) that is able to dynamically generate the appropriate workflows, to orchestrate the constituent services and to execute complex operational scenarios interacting with involved users and systems in a multi-channel fashion. Finally, appropriate knowledge bases have been defined to support the storage, evaluation, and evolution of the executed scenarios and to provide valuable Business Activity Monitoring information to the company's administration.

Hospitals in the US are faced with challenges in how to compete and remain viable in an increasingly competitive environment. Using data from a primary survey of hospitals and from various secondary sources, we investigate the incremental effects on hospital performance of location, strategy, and technology. We find that hospital location is significantly related to performance, but that a hospital's choice of strategy can moderate the effect of location. Additionally, we find hospitals that invest more extensively in clinical technologies tend to be better performers regardless of location. Hospital size, measured as number of beds, captures the effects of location and technology investment in accounting for a major portion of hospital performance. While we cannot argue that larger is always better for hospitals, mergers, partnerships, and other forms of consolidation currently observed in the marketplace indicate that managers in the hospital industry understand the advantage of size.

This research investigates the relationship between manufacturing strategy, business strategy and firm performance in a mature industry. Past research is synthesized, and a parsimonious conceptual framework is developed. The framework is then tested on a sample of 85 firms in the broadwoven hbric industry (SIC 2211). The results show a significant relationship between the business strategy and the manufacturing strategy of the firm. They support the alguznent found in the literature that functional level strategies should support business level strategies. A significant relationship was also found between manufacturing strategy and performance of the firm. In particular, the manufacturing function's quality assurance process and its ability to deliver a quality product/service were found to correlate significantly with firm performance. Implications of the findings are discussed. Keywords: Operations strategy; Manufacturing/operations interface; Technology management; Empirical research ' Corresponding author. Tel: (817) 565..2236. Fax: (817) 565-4394. Elsevier Science B.V. SSDI 0272-6963(95)00006-2

. The use of field-based empirical methodologies in the production and operations management POM area has been steadily increasing over the past several years. One of the most prominent among these is the survey research methodology which has often been used to capture data from business organizations. However, to effectively contribute to theory development in the POM field, this methodology must be carefully implemented. Poorly designed and executed survey research is of little or no value. This paper attempts to provide a normative perspective on 'good survey research practices'. In doing so, it attempts to bridge the gap between survey research and theory development. The paper liberally draws from work in other social science disciplines like psychology, marketing, organizational behavior, and other related fields that are more mature in the use of surveys, and applies it to the POM area. A set of ideal survey research attributes are identified, and existing POM survey work in four prestigious academic journals is evaluated with respect to these attributes. Results of assessing 25 survey-based articles published in these journals between 1990 and 1995 indicate that both exploratory as well as explanatory survey research is being conducted, with current emphasis being more on explanatory kind of research. In order to move the field forward, greater attention will need to be focused on employing multi-item constructs, assessing them for content validity, and purifying them through field-based pretesting. More sophisticated POM studies in the future would have to aim for testing theory with reliable and valid scales that are relatively free of measurement related errors. It is hoped that this work will act as a catalyst in compressing the learning curve with respect to survey research practices in POM, and also accelerate the use of greater methodological rigor in future empirical studies in the field. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Increasingly, manufacturers are making radical changes in management practices and investing heavily in advanced technologies as they attempt to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Organizations seeking to implement these changes should have an internal environment that emphasizes knowledge assimilation and sharing and creates continuous learning capability, i.e., absorptive capacity. This study reviews the construct of absorptive capacity, develops a valid and reliable instrument to measure it, and examines its impact on the organization's ability to assimilate innovative manufacturing technology and management practice. To illustrate the links, this study tests the relationships among absorptive capacity, time-based manufacturing practices, and value to customer. Structural equation modeling, applied to a relatively large sample (n = 303), indicates strong, positive, and direct relationships between absorptive capacity and time-based manufacturing practices, and between time-based manufacturing practices and value to customer. The managerial implications of these empirical findings are also discussed. #

T THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMICAL BENEFITS OF THE MICROGRID, AND consequently its acceptability and degree of proliferation in the utility power industry, are primarily determined by the envisioned controller capabilities and the operational features. Depending on the type and depth of penetration of distributed energy resource (DER) units, load characteristics and power quality constraints, and market participation strategies, the required control and operational strategies of a microgrid can be significantly, and even conceptually, different than those of the conventional power systems. The main reasons are as follows:

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]

Customer-brand relationships do not just exist, they develop over time and through multiple service experiences, yet the literature typically discusses customer-brand relationships as being a largely static phenomenon. Very limited attention has been given over to the service evaluation processes of customers who are new to a service brand, as compared to customers who are experienced with the service brand. Research additionally continues to rely on the historically dominant customer satisfaction paradigm as the most effective method with which to evaluate service experiences at the expense of other relational mediators such as involvement, calculative commitment, affective commitment, and trust. This limits the extent to which a more complete and dynamic understanding of the nature of customer-brand relationships and the processes by which engagement with the brand and ultimately loyalty to the brand may be fostered for customers in different consumption stages. A phenomenological investigation into the process of customer engagement, as revealed through customers' restaurant dining experiences, is presented to examine these issues. The data for this study was provided by five focus groups and nine in-depth interviews. The results of the study indicate that the role of relational mediators differs across new and repeat purchase segments of customers. These findings have important implications for the management of customer-brand relationships amongst different customer segments and for the development of operational strategies to improve service provision within the restaurant industry.

This paper introduces an air cargo supply chain operations reference (ACSCOR) model to examine the integrated impact of airport operating strategies and industrial forces on airport performances, and quantifies the economic benefits of the air cargo service business. In the light of Singapore and Hong Kong statistics, it is shown that the cargo traffic at an airport is significantly influenced by its operating characteristics, the performances of its downstream airfreight and supporting logistics industry, and the economic environment that it is functioning within. Through the traditional economic models, it is found that on average Hong Kong experiences a higher accelerator effect but lower multiplier effect in airport investment compared to Singapore. While the multiplier effect may signify that Singapore can benefit from higher returns in terms of the spillover effect to the overall air cargo supply chain, the higher accelerator effect in Hong Kong corresponds to the empirical results from the ACSCOR model that advocate Chek Lap Kok airport increasing its physical inputs relative to human inputs.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies and competitive advantages of Emirate Airlines that have led to exceptional performance while the overall airline industry globally has faced multibillion-dollar losses in 2009. Design/methodology/approach -The authors' professional experience, extensive literature review, and personal communications with selected personnel of Emirate Airlines on the subject provided the foundation for this research. Findings -As the global business environment becomes increasingly competitive, the airline industry has also had to respond to the current business scenario, while facing devastating falling demands, shattered consumer confidence, and collapsing yields. However, in 2009, Emirate Airlines reported phenomenal growth and astounding profits while their rivals faced agonizing losses. This paper explores and examines the competitive advantage of Emirate Airlines. The major finding is that the formulation and implementation of appropriate strategies has led to the exceptional performance, profitability, and success of Emirate Airlines. Practical implications -The competitive strategies -such as operational strategies, generic strategies, intensive strategies, and diversification strategies -can be helpful for firms to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals. Also, the ability to leverage, innovate, and pioneer new ideas, as well as a visionary management team, are essential for exceptional performance of an organization. Originality/value -The paper provides a model for strategically managing the performance of an aspiring firm, even though the entire industry is facing distressing circumstances.

The movement of production systems to deepwater and subsea environments in recent years has increased the importance of fluid property related flow assurance issues. Asphaltene precipitation and deposition is one of these potential problems. While not as common as wax or scale, the impact of asphaltene is often catastrophic. Asphaltene can cause reservoir impairment, plugging of wells and flowlines through deposition, separation difficulties, and fouling in facilities. Offshore, the cost of remediating an unexpected asphaltene problem is excessive. It is imperative that the behavior of asphaltenes in an offshore production system be understood in the design stage of the project. Proper control and remediation strategies must be built into the system from the beginning. In this chapter, we will review the current process of sampling and analysis that provide the initial assessment of asphaltene stability in the reservoir fluid. We will relate these measurements in the laboratory to expected behavior in the field and address uncertainties. We will then discuss how improved characterization and deposition measurements will decrease uncertainty and allow less conservative design and operation strategies. Finally, we will briefly review the types of asphaltene precipitation models and discuss their respective underlying assumptions.

This article addresses the context and content of a generic supply strategy and discusses its strategy-making process. Building mostly on fundamental strategic management theories, the authors explain the role of supply strategy in its managerial context. In so doing, some light is shed on the meaning and use of the terms ''strategy'' and ''strategies''. Also, a practical conceptual framework for supply strategy formulation is provided. The generic checklist, built by segmenting supply management decisions, is intended to guide supply professionals in addressing strategic issues to create value to customers, avoiding confusion and optimising resource allocation. r

Supply chain management (SCM) is the 21st century global operations strategy for achieving organizational competitiveness. Companies are attempting to find ways to improve their flexibility and responsiveness and in turn competitiveness by changing their operations strategy, methods and technologies that include the implementation of SCM paradigm and information technology (IT). However, a thorough and critical review of literature is yet to be carried out with the objective of bringing out pertinent factors and useful insights into the role and implications of IT in SCM. In this paper, the literature available on IT in SCM have been classified using suitable criteria and then critically reviewed to develop a framework for studying the applications of IT in SCM. Based on this review and analysis, recommendations have been made regarding the application of IT in SCM and some future research directions are indicated.

A heated debate continues over the need for trade-offs in operations strategy. Some researchers call for plants to focus on a single manufacturing capability and devote their limited resources accordingly, while others claim that advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) enables concurrent improvements in quality, cost, flexibility, and delivery. Yet there is little empirical evidence for or against the trade-off model. In response, this study addresses the question: "To what extent do manufacturing plants view competitive priorities as trade-offs?" We employ survey data collected from managers and operators in 110 plants that have recently implemented AMT. Our findings suggest that trade-offs remain. However, perceived differences in competitive priorities are subtle and may vary across levels of the plant hierarchy. (COMPETITIVE PRIORITIES; OPERATIONS STRATEGY; SURVEY RESEARCH/DESIGN) essence, fitting a plant's practices (e.g., technological investments, human resource systems, inventory controls) to its competitive priorities is crucial to developing operations as a competitive advantage. illustrates the prevailing model of the content of operations strategy and conveys the idea that operating decisions such as capacity, technology, workforce issues, and quality systems must be carefully matched with the organization's key competitive priorities.