T here are two broad categories of risk affecting supply chain design and management: (1) risks arising from the problems of coordinating supply and demand, and (2) risks arising from disruptions to normal activities. This paper is concerned with the second category of risks, which may arise from natural disasters, from strikes and economic disruptions, and from acts of purposeful agents, including terrorists. The paper provides a conceptual framework that reflects the joint activities of risk assessment and risk mitigation that are fundamental to disruption risk management in supply chains. We then consider empirical results from a rich data set covering the period 1995-2000 on accidents in the U.S. Chemical Industry. Based on these results and other literature, we discuss the implications for the design of management systems intended to cope with supply chain disruption risks.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to survey and analyze current process improvement (PI) approaches, their empirical results reported in the literature, and develop accordingly a conceptual framework and implementation guidelines.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of the popular business database to search for case studies and empirical research on PI methods was conducted. The empirical evidence on success and failure factors were inferred and tabulated. Based on synthesis of the lessons learned from this empirical evidence along with concepts drawn from economics, and operations management, a conceptual framework is developed.FindingsIt was found that the framework would serve as a diagnostic tool for identification of, and recovering from root causes of problems and inefficiencies faced in business environments. The framework proposed synthesizes and extends earlier PI tools and basic approaches used for mitigating disruptions faced in operations practice. The framework design consists of three main phases: Specify; Analyze; and Monitor closely. Accordingly, it is denoted by SAM.Practical implicationsDecision makers can be altered to both the success factors and causes of failure of different PI approaches, and a framework is provided along with implementation guidelines that help assure practical effectiveness of PI efforts. The guidelines provided for practicing managers comprise two categories: specific; tool‐based, and general; system‐based.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is two fold: first, empirical evidence on the drivers of success and failure of four main PI approaches, were synthesized. These include: six sigma, benchmarking, reengineering and process mapping. Second, based on this empirical evidence, a conceptual framework that guides both the choice and implementation of business process improvement programs is developed. The proposed framework and its implementation guidelines help assure actual effectiveness of PI practice.

Addresses quality management issues of both conceptual and practical significance. The contribution is twofold: first, conceptual issues and critical relationships which have been overlooked in the current literature are discussed, as well as their policy implications. Second, a contingency approach for managing quality is proposed to guide implementation, and to help reduce the deviations between the desired and the actual outcomes of quality programs. The contingency model developed provides a basis for advancing both theory and practice.

Addresses the question of how to assure effective performance evaluation of a public service strategic unit. Both descriptive and prescriptive approaches are discussed. Based on this analysis a practical model for performance evaluation is developed. The model proposed comprises key drivers of performance, including internal and external factors, as well as both quantitative and qualitative factors, simultaneously. The model has been designed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and tested using the Expert Choice Software. The testing results show that the evaluation outcomes differ as a function of the criteria used, the weight assigned, and the meaning given to each criterion. Using the same criteria with a different weighting scheme results in different outcomes for the same performance. This counter‐intuitive finding has important implications for management practice.

This paper surveys and classifies production planning models introduced in the literature according to their orientation (descriptive and normative models) and according to scope (aggregate planning models, functional interface models, and hierarchical models). Each of these categories is then su b-classified, by the type of formulation followed and solution method used, into exact and heuristic methods. For each of these classes of models, its characteristics, usages and limitation are discussed. The relationship between the descriptive and normative models is analysed with illustrative examples from the industrial sector in the U.S.A. and Egypt.The paper concludes by identifying major gaps in current theory of production planning on the one hand, and between theory and practice on the other hand, suggesting positive steps, and schemes of action for closing these gaps. IntroductionThe production planning problem is concerned with specifying the optimal quantities to produce in order to meet demand for a prespecified planning horizon.Many models, each of which has its pros and cons, have been developed in the literature to help solve this problem. Reviewing these models enabled us to delineate basic gaps in production planning theory, and more importantly between theory and practice. The aim ofthis paper is to identify such gaps, and propose steps for bridging them in a way that improves current production planning systems.We start by delineating basic characteristics of actual production planning systems. We then review current production planning models, illustrating the extent to which the above characteristics are reflected in current model designs, and conclude by identifying major gaps in current theory of production planning on the one hand and between theory and practice on the other hand, suggesting positive steps and schemes of action for closing these gaps.