Alan Pilkington

Is production and operations management a discipline? A citation/co‐citation study

For the past 20 years, the field of production and operations management (POM) has tried to establish itself as a discipline distinct from operations research (OR), management science (MS) and industrial engineering (IE). Sceptics argue that POM has failed to develop its own body of literature, lacks a distinct intellectual structure and that there is little appreciation of what it stands for. In this paper we use bibliometric techniques (a factor analysis of co‐citations) to investigate the intellectual pillars of the POM literature and explore whether these are distinct from those commonly associated with its rival fields. We also use simple non‐parametric techniques to show that the research agenda of European POM scholars differs substantially from that of their North American counterparts, and argue that such transatlantic differences may have exacerbated the difficulties POM has experienced in developing as a respected academic discipline.

Operations management themes, concepts and relationships: a forward retrospective of IJOPM

Purpose – The purpose of this paper to investigate the major themes of operations management by analysing citations in IJOPM. It aims to discuss changes in the disciplines sub‐fields and identifies emerging topics.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an empirical analysis of citations and co‐citations from IJOPM. Network and factor analysis are used to analyse and group the data.Findings – The study demonstrates that the persistent central ideas of operations management concern manufacturing strategy, with specific interests in strategy typologies, best practices, and the resource‐based view. Other central themes are performance measurement, the case study method, and process management. The plotting of subfield trajectories shows that recent studies are seeking a more subtle understanding of operations management by considering its practice in relation to strategy, context and resources. Emerging subjects within the field include supply chain management, lean management systems, theory building fr...

The electric vehicle:: Patent data as indicators of technological development

Abstract This paper reports a study into the use of US patents to analyse responses to regulatory change in the automobile industry. Confirming that patents are a rich indicator of technological development, it focuses on the development of the electric vehicle (EV) and, in particular, the identification of networks of firms developing EVs. A key finding of the study is the way that car firms have formed links with competitors and with firms and inventors outside the automobile industry, in order to develop this technology. This contradicts the normal product development methods in the automobile industry, and is attributed to the substantially different technologies required for EVs. In addition, the limitations of defining patent searches in terms of products––rather than technologies––are discussed.

Research themes, concepts and relationships: A study of International Journal of Service Industry Management (1990-2005)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the core themes of service research by analysing citations in the International Journal of Service Industry Management (IJSIM). It also aims to discuss changes in the discipline’s sub-fields and identifies emerging topics.Design/methodology/approach - The paper is an empirical analysis of citations and co-citations from the IJSIM. Network and factor analysis are used to analyse and group the data. The study is unique in performing the analysis at the individual publication level, rather than following the normal aggregated author co-citation analysis method.Research limitations/implications - The study examines only IJISM. Future study on other top journal such as Journal of Service Research would provide a more complete picture on service research.Findings - The study identifies that the core ideas of service research centred on service quality and customer satisfaction. Also identified are periphery areas which may become more significant. Originality/value – The main contribution of this article is the use of the novel network analysis technique to analyze the 15,003 citations in the 435 articles published in IJSIM between 1990-2005. This is a quantitative analysis unlike previous review articles which rely largely on the observations and reflections of pioneering researchers.

Innovation in disruptive regulatory environments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of the electric vehicle, technological capabilities of incumbents and would‐be new entrants in the auto industry. These are discussed with reference to US regulatory moves towards zero emission standards to provide a new framework for identifying the potential success of various types of regulation and the technological capabilities they demand.Design/methodology/approach – Methodologically, a two pronged approach is adopted whereby US patents are analysed to quantitatively confirm the presented case‐based evidence on responses to emission regulation. The paper also discusses the use of patents as a means of examining technological development.Findings – The paper shows the significant need for market protection for disruptive innovation and that a limiting factor of success in regulation occurs when radical technology is demanded.Originality/value – A new framework is presented for identifying the potential success of various types of regu...

Information systems as a discipline in the making: comparing EJIS and MISQ between 1995 and 2008

This paper aims to shed light on the dynamics of information systems (IS) as a discipline in the making. We use the ideas of the sociologist Abbott to propose three different stages of a disciplines development: differentiation, competition, and absorption. These stages reflect how disciplines go through different cycles and how they acquire, consolidate or lose elements of knowledge. We map these stages using citation and co-citation analyses of two main IS academic journals (EJIS and MISQ) from 1995 to 2008. Our results indicate that IS is currently in a stage of absorption, with research being consolidated around the theme of ‘IS acceptance’. Dominant models and frameworks related to this theme are predictive and thus lend themselves usable for positivistic and quantitative research. In this stage there is also a healthy degree of variety in IS including dormant elements which could reignite. Implications derived from our findings aim to help in the consolidation and extension of knowledge about IS in both academia and practice.

Gales of creative destruction and the opportunistic incumbent: The case of electric vehicles in California

Abstract This paper explores the introduction of electric vehicles in response to Californian regulatory pressures as an example of a disruptive technology. The central thesis is that this disruption may open the automobile market to new entrants but only if they collaborate with incumbent automobile manufacturers. This appears to support Schumpeters argument that large incumbent firms possess innovation advantages over the small entrepreneurial entrant. However, these innovatory advantages lie in the downstream complementary assets required for success in the automobile market.

Technology portfolio alignment as an indicator of commercialisation: an investigation of fuel cell patenting

Abstract We are gradually exploring the limits and potential of patents as a source of information in plotting technological development and competitive insight. However, their value in predicting commercialisation and emerging technologies is an area where tools have yet to be fully developed. This paper introduces a statistically driven patent-based method that identifies the technological portfolios in industry players. The method is tested using the case of fuel cell technology development, a technology that despite a succession of failed predictions appears to be nearing commercial introduction. The close alignment between the technology portfolios of the firms developing fuel cell technology is identified as a precursor and indicator of commercialisation.

Research in information systems: a study of diversity and inter-disciplinary discourse in the AIS basket journals between 1995 and 2011

The paper investigates how Information Systems (IS) has emerged as the product of inter-disciplinary discourses. The research aim in this study is to better understand diversity in IS research, and the extent to which the diversity of discourse expanded and contracted from 1995 to 2011. Methodologically, we apply a combined citations/co-citations analysis based on the eight Association for Information Systems basket journals and the 22 subject-field classification framework provided by the Association of Business Schools. Our findings suggest that IS is in a state of continuous interaction and competition with other disciplines. General Management was reduced from a dominant position as a reference discipline in IS at the expense of a growing variety of other discourses including Business Strategy, Marketing, and Ethics and Governance, among others. Over time, IS as a field moved from the periphery to a central position during its discursive formation. This supports the notion of IS as a fluid discipline dynamically embracing a diverse range of adjacent reference disciplines, while keeping a degree of continuing interaction with them. Understanding where IS is currently at allows us to better understand and propose fruitful avenues for its development in both academia and practice.

Strategic alliance and dependency in design and manufacture

The movement of firms towards joint ventures and collaborative projects has been a feature of the 1990s. Such agreements allow a means of spreading the costs and risks associated with new product development, sharing costly manufacturing capacity and facilities, and may also provide access to new capabilities. However, there are examples when the relationship is not a success for one of the parties involved. If firms enter joint ventures from a position of weakness or without a concerted strategy, they can become reliant on their partner. This was the case with Rover and its links to Honda. Because of financial weakness Rover’s design and manufacturing capabilities were eroded as the majority of its products were replaced with Honda developed models. This case provides important lessons and warnings for other firms seeking strategic alliances, and gives researchers an insight into the complex interaction between firms involved in such a relationship.