A wide literature has been developed on service operations management. However, the need for further analysis exists as far as the scope and the aim of operations management (OM) in service environments are concerned. OM, as a discipline, has been developed due to the diffusion of large scale manufacturing systems. This historical evolution has brought OM researchers to propose practices and tools mainly suitable for production systems with limited product range and high volumes. Thus, although it is often claimed that most OM tools and practices can be applied also in service companies, some problems exist. In fact most service enterprises, though having a large scale, offer highly customized services. In these cases, OM practices and tools, developed for manufacturing companies, are employed in processes that do not relate to the “production” of the core service. Furthermore, in most service companies there isn’t a position fully comparable to the one of the Operations Manager in manufacturing enterprises. Thus, it is still necessary to understand what OM deals with in service companies, so as to define the scope of this discipline in such environments. To address this issue, a clear understanding of the perimeter of OM in service companies must be gained. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a case-based analysis. It argues that three factors affect the ability of a company to define the scope of OM, namely: the dominant culture; the existence of industry-specific regulation; equipment and buildings’ endowment
A qualitative study on the scope and the aim of operations management in service companies
BELVEDERE, VALERIA
2008
Abstract
A wide literature has been developed on service operations management. However, the need for further analysis exists as far as the scope and the aim of operations management (OM) in service environments are concerned. OM, as a discipline, has been developed due to the diffusion of large scale manufacturing systems. This historical evolution has brought OM researchers to propose practices and tools mainly suitable for production systems with limited product range and high volumes. Thus, although it is often claimed that most OM tools and practices can be applied also in service companies, some problems exist. In fact most service enterprises, though having a large scale, offer highly customized services. In these cases, OM practices and tools, developed for manufacturing companies, are employed in processes that do not relate to the “production” of the core service. Furthermore, in most service companies there isn’t a position fully comparable to the one of the Operations Manager in manufacturing enterprises. Thus, it is still necessary to understand what OM deals with in service companies, so as to define the scope of this discipline in such environments. To address this issue, a clear understanding of the perimeter of OM in service companies must be gained. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a case-based analysis. It argues that three factors affect the ability of a company to define the scope of OM, namely: the dominant culture; the existence of industry-specific regulation; equipment and buildings’ endowment
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
