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1. Worldly Lessons Kenneth McKay
University of Waterloo
June 13th, 2005
2. Outline Background
Issues and Ideas
Research Issues
Conclusion
3. Planning and Scheduling It is all about decisions and who makes them
What we have to make decisions about
How we know what decisions are needed
What information forms the problem
What solutions are available
How solutions are known
How solutions are implemented
4. Research Activities We are from many countries and regions
Everyone is making observations (quantitative and/or subjective), discussing and analysing them based on a context
Everyone is trying to provide insights from what they research to others
What/why
it is, it could be, it should be
5. Culture & Mfg. Not New Chow, C.W. and M.D. Shields (1991) The Effects of Management Controls and National Culture on Manufacturing Performances: An Experimental Investigation, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 16, 3, 209-226.
Gertler, M.S. (1995) "Being There": Proximity, Organization, and Culture in the Development and Adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, Economic Geography, 71, 1, 1-26.
Nahm, A.Y. and M.A. Vonderembse, (2002) Theory development: an industrial/post-industrial perspective on manufacturing, Intl. Jrnl. Of Production Research, 40, 9, 2067-2095.
Gertler, M.S. (2004) Manufacturing culture: the institutional geography of industrial practice, Oxford.
Technology, general mfg. practice, geographic relationships but have the specifics of production control been looked at?
6. Issues? Are we all talking about the same thing?
What results are transferable?
What is the same, what is different based on where you are from?
What can be generalized?
What is the same? Why?
What is different? Why?
15. The Where Basically can change the problem and the solution in all four aspects
Can make production control easier more predictable, less complex
Can make certain control options feasible or important to know about
Can simplify interpretation of concepts
16. What - Industry and Product Distance, time to market
Distance, time from suppliers
Local, import, export supply and demand
Features, functions, bundles, preferences
Demand patterns (quantity, quality, mix) and stability
Single or multiple country legal reqts
Shipping/receiving risks, costs, process
17. How Process and Method Legal constraints, conditions
Weather humidity, temperature, wind
Reliability, performance equipment, process causes of deterioration, events
Repairs spare parts, technicians, skilled trades
Learning curves - previous experience, knowledge
18. Structure - The Firm The WAY of doing business
Internal and external (within firm, between firms)
Policies, standards
Cultural expectations for performance
Communication channels (data, formal, informal, accepted, not accepted)
Problem solving methods
19. Who - Personnel Direct, indirect support, office, floor
Unions hire, fire, layoff, retirement, hours
Costs hire, fire, layoff, retirement
Education, skill, learning processes
Industrial experience, history with process, product, terms, concepts, visuals
Work ethic, industry, loyalty, long term contribution, attention to detail
20. Research Issues WHERE matters for understanding the problem and solution space
Need to consciously and explicitly acknowledge or think about The Where
Need to be careful about assumptions and generalizations
Different areas == different empirical research methods
21. Possible Impacts Impact on heuristics structure, data
Impact on objectives
Impact on constraints, constraint relaxation
Impact on schedule feasibility, quality
22. Possible Impacts (2) Impact on visuals (tools)
Impact on decision making process
Impact on ability of plant to follow plan
Impact on reactive, proactive capabilities
23. Bottom line Questions If you try to hold one or more of the facets constant or firm, what happens as the problems and solutions move from region to region?
Can we or will we be able to predict what is needed or what will happen?
24. Conclusion Need to be sensitive and capture effects as they arise in case studies, empirical work
Need to start documenting, collating WHERE effects and the drivers what makes you special or different?
Need to start understanding migration, evolution, adoption, transference
25. Discussion Any examples of cultural/regional differences in production control?
Any examples of differences in doing empirical research?
Is there an opportunity for joint empirical research on these issues?