A different perspective on operations systems classifications

Abstract

The student in the field of operations management often encounters the problem of why and how the management approach of one type of operations system differs from another. In the operations literature these differences are mostly explained by referring to the process structure in the case of manufacturing operations. In the case of service operations the differences are often explained by referring to the differences between services and manufacturing. These explanations are unsatisfactory, particularly in the light of modern technologies, and sometimes emphasise what is being done in the operations system rather than looking at the approach which should be followed or how the generation of the output should be managed. The management approach is more important to the student in this field. The objective of this study is to identify those dimensions or factors that have been used in the literature to describe the nature and management approach of operations systems, to analyse the underlying meaning thereof, and to isolate those dimensions that independently influence the management approach of operations systems.