Cecil Bozarth

Configurations in manufacturing strategy: a review and directions for future research

Abstract Configuration models have generated a great deal of interest in the business strategy area, as witnessed by a recent special issue in The Academy of Management Journal (Meyer et al., 1993). Despite this, there has been no effort to examine the current state or future role of configurational research in the manufacturing strategy area. This paper attempts to fill this gap. The first half positions configurations as a unique way of studying strategic fit issues. The second half of the paper examines the current state of configurational research in the manufacturing strategy area. We compare and contrast existing typologies and taxonomies, identify trends, and highlight possible gaps in the literature. Finally, we discuss how configuration models can play an important role in the study of dynamic manufacturing issues; specifically, the development, implementation, and change of manufacturing strategies.

The impact of market requirements focus and manufacturing characteristics focus on plant performance

Abstract This study examines the relationship between market requirements focus, manufacturing characteristics focus, and manufacturing performance. Results from a sample of plants serving the automotive industry support the general argument that market requirements focus and manufacturing characteristics focus have an impact on manufacturing performance, and provide partial support for a mediation model of focus proposed by Bozarth (1993). The results also show that focused work cells or plants-within-a-plant might not be entirely successful at buffering plants from the negative impact of diverse market requirements.

Factory focus: Segmenting markets from an operations perspective

Abstract Market segmentation techniques are routinely used by marketers to divide markets into groups of customers showing similar buying behavior. This paper addresses the role of market differences as they affect the development of an appropriate operations strategy, specifically factory focus. It discusses the problem of segmenting markets with regard to operations capabilities, and the application of cluster analysis to market segmentation using operations variables. We report on field research conducted to test this approach using actual operating data. The results demonstrate the feasibility of using market segmentation analysis to characterize the market served by a company in terms of the requirements placed on operations. We believe it is critical that marketing and operations managers understand and be able to relate to the different views of a market taken by the two functions. Different perspectives on market requirements, and an awareness of the capabilities required by the firm to support these requirements, are important preconditions for the development of coherent strategic plans for a company.

A contingency view of time‐based competition for manufacturers

The growing time‐based competition (TBC) literature coincides with an increased emphasis on time in manufacturing organizations. In a 1993 survey, 93 per cent of US and European managers identified reliable delivery times as having above average importance, while overall delivery speed was cited by 88 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively. At the same time, 82 per cent of Japanese managers rated rapid new product introduction as having above average importance. Highlights potentially different sources of time‐based advantages. The factors described above are linked by a common emphasis on time, but the driving strategies and tactics used to achieve them can differ or possibly conflict. Presents a framework of time‐based competition for manufacturers. Demonstrates how differences between engineer‐to‐order, make‐to‐order, assembly‐to‐order and make‐to‐stock manufacturers result in the need to use different approaches to implement TBC.

ERP implementation efforts at three firms

Purpose – To compare actual company ERP implementation practices with the prescriptions found in the strategic information systems planning (SISP) and IT‐enabled change management literature.Design/methodology/approach – The case study method is used to study ERP specification, selection, and implementation efforts at three companies. The main sources of data were structured face‐to‐face interviews with key personnel, and supporting internal documents provided by the study companies.Findings – All three companies did an adequate job linking the ERP decision to higher‐level IS and supply chain strategies, although mid‐level managers dominated the strategic debate. However, two of the companies fell far short in the specification and selection processes, particularly with regard to achieving broad participation and managing stakeholder commitment. As such, these two companies missed an opportunity to think independently about their long‐term information requirements and capabilities, proactively manage the ...

Configurations in operations: an emerging area of study

The purpose of this special issue is to demonstrate how configuration research methods can be applied to a wide range of Operations Management topics. As a quick review, configuration models are Amultidimensional profiles used to describe organizational, Ž strategy, or process typesB Bozarth and McDermott, . 1998, p. 427 . Included under the configuration banŽ ner are typologies, which describe ideal types e.g. . Miles and Snow, 1978; Hill, 1994 and taxonomies, which classify existing organizational phenomena Ž . into distinct categories e.g. Miller and Roth, 1994 . Many of the phenomena OM researchers seek to study — manufacturing and services strategies, AMT or TQM adoption patterns, supply chain structures — fit naturally into the configuration perspective. In a 1998 Journal of Operations Management paper, Bozarth and McDermott examined the current state of configuration research in the manufacturing strategy area. Among other findings, the authors observed that:

A Conceptual Model of Manufacturing Focus

Despite the importance given to manufacturing focus in the literature, the subject area continues to suffer from three interrelated problems: lack of agreement with regard to the meaning of “focus” the absence of a conceptual framework for integrating the existing body of research; and uncertainty with regard to the appropriate direction of future research. These problems should be addressed if the focus literature is to continue to mature, and if the true role of focus is to be understood in the light of the “newer” strategic imperatives, such as time‐based competition and flexible manufacturing. Introduces a conceptual model of focus specifically designed in response to these problems. The conceptual model identifies three distinct dimensions of focus, and relates these to the competitive factors facing manufacturing organizations. It is designed specifically to serve as a tool with which researchers and managers can discuss the impact of focus at the firm level. A review of key works in manufacturing f...

To eliminate or absorb supply chain complexity: a conceptual model and case study

Purpose Existing works in the supply chain complexity area have either focused on the overall behavior of multi-firm complex adaptive systems or on listing specific tools and techniques that business units (BUs) can use to manage supply chain complexity but without providing a thorough discussion about when and why they should be deployed. This research aims to address this gap by developing a conceptually sound model, based on the literature, regarding how an individual BU should reduce versus absorb supply chain complexity. Design/methodology/approach This research synthesizes the supply chain complexity and organizational design literature to present a conceptual model of how a BU should respond to supply chain complexity. The authors illustrate the model through a longitudinal case study analysis of a packaged foods manufacturer. Findings Regardless of its type or origin, supply chain complexity can arise because of the strategic business requirements of the BU (strategic) or because of suboptimal business practices (dysfunctional complexity). Consistent with the proposed conceptual model, the illustrative case study showed that a firm must first distinguish between strategic and dysfunctional drivers prior to choosing an organizational response. Furthermore, it was found that efforts to address supply chain complexity can reveal other system weaknesses that lie dormant until the system is stressed. Research limitations/implications The case study provides empirical support for the literature-derived conceptual model. Nevertheless, any findings derived from a single, in-depth case study require further research to produce generalizable results. Practical implications The conceptual model presented here provides a more granular view of supply chain complexity and how an individual BU should respond, than what can be found in the existing literature. The model recognizes that an individual BU can simultaneously face both strategic and dysfunctional complexity drivers, each requiring a different organizational response. Originality/value There are no other research works that have synthesized the supply chain complexity and organizational design literature to present a conceptual model of how an individual BU should respond to supply chain complexity. As such, this paper improves the understanding of supply chain complexity effects and provides a basis for future research, as well as guidance for BUs facing complexity challenges.

Measuring Market‐Manufacturing Congruence: Conceptual Reaffirmations and Mathematical Modifications

Narasimhan and Wang (2000) provide a valuable addition to the research base by identifying a limitation in two of the original equations in Bozarth and Berry (1997), which we resolve, and a possible research direction for the calibration of indifference profiles. However, they fall short in their interpretation of key conceptual and methodological issues, including the distinction between indifference and ideal profiles, the difference between individual profile dimensions and overall congruence, and firm versus industry-level manufacturing strategy research. We use this opportunity to clear up these points of confusion, and to reaffirm the value of the methodology introduced in Bozarth and Berry (1997).

TEACHING Business Processes at NCSU

SINCE SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT integrates multiple areas of expertise, NCSU has developed a course that focuses on business processes rather than individual disciplines. Cecil Bozarth stresses the special importance of process-orientation, when dealing with design, because design has an impact on so many dimensions of an enterprise. He believes this emphasis and an understanding of designs significance must be included in the earliest stages of a curriculum, not relegated to upper-division courses or special electives.