João V. Lisboa

A literature review of manufacturing performance measures and measurement in an organizational context: a framework and direction for future research

Competitive pressures in the global manufacturing environment are forcing manufacturing organizations to re‐engineer in order to become more competitive in the marketplace. Toward that end, management of these organizations is paying closer attention to the changing nature of manufacturing performance, and the systems, processes and measures used in its evaluation. Examines the literature concerned with issues related to the different facets of manufacturing organizational performance. Reviews and classifies articles published in relevant journals between 1988 and 2000. Based on this extensive literature review, identifies and discusses several issues relevant to both practice and theory of manufacturing performance measurement. Concludes by presenting a conceptual framework outlining the evolution of manufacturing performance measures and measurement in an organizational context.

Performance measurement practices in manufacturing firms: an empirical investigation

Purpose – The objective of this study is to shed some light on performance measurement issues relevant to current practices.Design/methodology/approach – The performance measurement practices in terms of utilization, relevance, and availability of information are studied for a sample of 92 Portuguese manufacturing executives. Several statistical instruments were used namely multiple regression analysis, cluster analysis and gap analysis.Findings – The results of this study underscore consistent patterns pointing to a lack of a broad perspective on manufacturing performance measurement. Conclusions and their implications to the theory and art of performance measurement are presented.Research limitations/implications – The sample used in this study is specific in nature (Portuguese executives). Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly. Future research should test the applicability of the obtained results using other sample frames.Practical implications – This study provides practicing managers wi...

Performance measurement practices in manufacturing firms revisited

Purpose – Given the increasing emphasis on performance measurement and improvement, the purpose of this paper is to examine the current views of manufacturing executives on key aspects of performance measures. Specifically, this research focuses on current practices related to extent of use, predictive value and availability of information for 63 performance measures.Design/methodology/approach – This study was survey based. The research instrument used to collect the data was constructed based on the literature. Several statistical analysis procedures including regression analysis, cluster analysis and gap analysis are utilized to accomplish the objective of this study.Findings – The results are compared to findings obtained from a previous study, conducted five years ago, to assess any potential changes with regard to the issues studied. The comparison of the findings from both studies revealed some similarities and significant differences attributed to the changing environment.Research limitations/impl...

The effectiveness of hospitality service operations: measurement and implementation concerns.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a systematic approach to measuring, tracking, monitoring and continuously improving service efficiency, availability and quality in hospitality operational settings.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed measure of service operational effectiveness (SOE) consists of three indicators. They include the availability indicator, the quality indicator, and the efficiency indicator.Findings – The paper finds that the proposed operational performance approach based on the SOE is consistent with the themes of performance measures and measurement reported in the literature.Research limitations/implications – In this paper, the proposed service operational effectiveness approach represents a serious attempt at quantifying the key facets of service effectiveness in hospitality operational settings. The validation of this performance assessment and measurement approach is worthy of future research.Practical implications – The paper sees that the approach advocated ...

Key performance factors of manufacturing effective performance: The impact of customers and employees

Purpose – The objective of this study is to investigate the differences between high and low‐performing manufacturing organizations in relation to critical organizational performance dimensions.Design/methodology/approach – The types and frequency of performance measures used by the sampled manufacturing organizations are compared using factor and cluster analysis.Findings – Based on the results of this study, it appears that high‐performing manufacturing organizations, relative to their low‐performing counterparts, tend to emphasise more the performance aspects related to employees, customers and market share. As such, these organizations appear to consider employees and costumers related performance aspects as critical elements of the overall organizational performance.Research limitations/implications – The sample used in this study is specific in nature. It consisted of Portuguese manufacturing organizations. Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly.Practical implications – This study clear...

Time‐based differentiation – an old strategic hat or an effective strategic choice: an empirical investigation

The strategic orientation of Portuguese firms in the porcelain industry is examined empirically. In the process, the effective use of traditional generic strategies as opposed to emerging strategies is compared. Special attention is devoted to the utility of classical Porter’s generic strategies in comparison to time‐based differentiation strategy. The study concludes that different variations of the classical differentiation strategy, which includes time‐based differentiation, appear to be more effective than cost leadership or mixed generic strategies.

The profitability of customer‐targeted quality improvement efforts: an empirical examination

While many researchers tend to agree that quality improvement efforts lead to operational and customer‐related organizational gains, the financial bottom‐line impact of quality efforts is still debatable. Utilizes a sample of 68 certified Portuguese firms to shed some light on the nature of the relationships between quality improvement efforts and financial performance measures. Uses factor analysis, cluster analysis, and analysis of variance to analyze the data gathered using a survey‐based research instrument. Concludes that quality efforts directed toward the customer tend to be associated with higher financial performance in terms of net profit after tax.

The effectiveness of strategies employed by dominant firms in the Portuguese crystal glass industry: an empirical investigation

An empirical investigation of the Portuguese crystal industry focused on the current strategies of the 12 firms in the industry that produce 98 percent of the industry’s output. The chief executive officers in each firm completed the survey instrument. The research discovered that the two groups of firms with positive returns on equity pursued a cost leadership strategy based on efficiency of production and cost leadership strategy based on production innovation.

Benchmarking in a multiple criteria performance context: An application and a conceptual framework

Abstract This article presents a conceptual benchmarking framework which applies a multiple criteria approach to assess performance. In the process, a multiple criteria procedure is used to assess the performance of three hundred and ninety two (392) Portuguese firms. Based on the results of this procedure, a conceptual framework is devised to facilitate addressing relevant benchmarking implications. The framework is designed to provide a conceptual linkage between the performance measurement methodology and the organizational benchmarking system.

An application of a multi‐criteria approach to assessing the performance of Portugal's economic sectors

Purpose – To propose a multi‐criteria approach for ranking the performance of the economic sectors of the Portuguese economy and to identify the most attractive sectors.Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐criteria approach using ELECTRE III and SRF software for eliciting the weights of criteria is used to solve the ranking problem statement.Findings – The sector non‐metallic mineral products was ranked in first place in relation to all the rankings; the wholesale trade and retailing trade sectors were ranked in second place in relation to all the rankings; the sector wood, cork and furniture was ranked often in second place; the electronic and electrical industry sectors was ranked in third place; the agriculture and fishing sector was ranked in the tail‐end of the ranking; the agro‐industry sector and the transportation and distribution sector consistently were ranked in the lowest positions, just before the agriculture and fishing sector.Research limitations/implications – Other evaluation criteria ca...