Operations Strategy

Nigel Slack is an Emeritus Professor of Operations Management and Strategy at Warwick Business School, Honorary Professor at Bath and Birmingham Universities, and Honorary Fellow of the European Operations Management Association.Michael Lewis is a Professor of Operations and Supply Management at Bath School of Management.

• Preface Authors' acknowledgements Chapter 1 What is operations strategy? Introduction1.1 Why is operations excellence fundamental to strategic success?1.2 What is operations strategy and how is it different from operationsmanagement?1.3 How should operations strategy reflect overall strategy (top-down)?1.4 How do the requirements of the market influence operationsstrategy (outside-in)?1.5 How can operations strategy learn from operational experience(bottom-up)?1.6 How can the intrinsic capabilities of an operation's resourcesinfluence operations strategy (inside-out)?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 2 The context, content and process of operations strategy Introduction2.1 What is the difference between the ‘context', ‘content' and the‘process' of operations strategy?2.2 What is the context of operations strategy?2.3 What is the content of operations strategy?2.4 What is the process of operations strategy?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 3 Operations performance Introduction3.1 What is meant by operations performance?3.2 How is operations performance judged at a societal level?3.3 How is operations performance judged at a strategic level?3.4 How is operations performance judged at an operational level?3.5 Does the relative importance of performance objectives vary over time?3.6 Do operations performance objectives trade-off against each other? 3.7 What are the advantages and disadvantages of focused operations?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 4 Responsible operations strategy Introduction4.1 What is responsible operations strategy?4.2 How does the environmental dimension of responsibility affectoperations strategy?4.3 How does the social dimension of responsibility affect operationsstrategy?4.4 How does the economic dimension of responsibility affectoperations strategy?4.5 How does the stakeholder dimension of responsibility affectoperations strategy?4.6 How does the voluntariness dimension of responsibility affectoperations strategy?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 5 Capacity strategy Introduction5.1 What is capacity strategy?5.2 How much capacity should an operation have?5.3 How many separate sites should an operation have?5.4 What issues are important when changing capacity levels?5.5 What tasks should be allocated to sites?5.6 Where should capacity be located?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 6 Purchasing and supply strategy Introduction6.1 What is purchasing and supply strategy?6.2 What should we do and what should we buy?6.3 How we buy: what is the role of contracts and/or relationships?6.4 How do we manage supply dynamics?6.5 How do we manage supply networks over time?6.6 How do we manage supply chain risks?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 7 Process technology strategy Introduction7.1 What is process technology strategy and why is it becomingmore important?7.2 How can process technology be characterised?7.3 How do market volume and variety influence process technology?7.4 How can process technology be evaluated strategically?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 8 Improvement strategy Introduction8.1 What are the different approaches to improvement?8.2 How do the needs of the market direct the ongoing developmentof operations processes?8.3 How can the ongoing management and control of operations beharnessed to develop their capabilities?8.4 What can operations do to deploy their capabilities into the market?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 9 Product and service development strategy Introduction9.1 What is the relationship between innovation, design and creativity?9.2 Why is the way in which companies develop their products andservices so important?9.3 What process do companies use to develop products and services?9.4 How should the effectiveness of the product and service developmentprocess be judged in terms of fulfilling market requirements?9.5 What operations resource-based decisions define a company'sproduct and service development strategy?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 10 The process of operations strategy – formulation and implementation Introduction10.1 What is the ‘formulation' of operations strategy?10.2 What is involved in maintaining alignment over time?10.3 What analysis is needed for formulation?10.4 What is operations strategy implementation?10.5 Who can be responsible for implementation? Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterChapter 11 The process of operations strategy – monitoring and control Introduction11.1 What are the differences between operational and strategicmonitoring and control?11.2 How is progress towards strategic objectives tracked?11.3 How can monitoring and control attempt to control risks?11.4 How does learning contribute to strategic control?Summary answers to key questionsFurther readingNotes on the chapterTopics covered in case studies List of case studiesAarens ElectronicAztec Component SuppliesClever ConsultingDelta Synthetic Fibres (DSF)Developing ‘Savory Rosti-crisps' at Dreddo Dan'sDesign house partnerships at Concept Design ServicesDisneyland Resort ParisDresding MedicalHagen StyleIKEA looks to the futureKaston-Trenton Services (KTS)McDonald's: half a century of growthOntario Facilities Equity Management (OFEM)Slagelse Industrial Services (SIS)Turnround at the Preston PlantWidescale Studio and the Fierybryde developmentZara's operating modelZentrillGlossary Index