Inaugural lecture - Operations management in context: Practice and practices

In his inaugural lecture on 18 October (4.15pm), professor Dirk Pieter van Donk will be discussing the practice and practices of operations management, a field that concentrates on the control and coordination of the production of goods and services within and between companies. Operations management thus encompasses processes like purchasing, production, storage, distribution and delivery as well as improving such processes.

 

Research within operations management concentrates not only on the development of optimization models, but also on the description and understanding of actual practice and the practices of managers, as well as on relationships with other management fields. Internal and external factors affect how operations managers execute their daily activities; however, research does not always pay sufficient attention to these context-related factors.

 

Situation-dependent problems

Internal factors concern the design of the process and specific characteristics of that process. Research in the food processing industry is an example of how internal factors related to the technology and nature of the product can exert influence. Examples include the limited shelf life of products and the storage of semi-finished products before packaging. These characteristics lead to situation-dependent problems and solutions.

 

Uncertainty

External factors are related to demand uncertainty, environmental complexity, competition and/or market conditions. Empirical research has revealed that these factors related to the coordination of deliveries between companies largely determine the effectiveness of the cooperation. Only in cases of severe uncertainty in a chain more intensive cooperation between supplier and buyer will lead to improvements in delivery and a reduction in costs.

 

In his inaugural lecture, Van Donk will discuss a great deal of research that has been conducted at or in cooperation with companies. The insights that have emerged may contribute to improved company performance.