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The purpose of this study is to propose a framework depicting the dynamic links between a firm’s external environment, competitive strategy, manufacturing strategy, competitive advantage and firm performance. This is followed by articulating expected differences among the the content and process dimensions dimensions of a manufacturing strategy for different competitive strategies.

Today, manufacturing is widely recognized as one of the most important means of creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. This paper studies the emerging broader view of the strategic role of manufacturing by offering a manufacturing strategy model, showing its impact on competitive advantage and, ultimately, firm performance. This is accomplished by identifying and defining major content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy and relating them to a firm’s strategic type. The paper uses an integrative competitive strategy typology (Segev, 1989) to clarify differences in manufacturing strategy dimensions and different competitive strategies. The concept of “fit as gestalt” among the dimensions of manufacturing strategy is also introduced. This study presents the implications of fit between manufacturing and competitive strategy and the contribution of content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy to firm performance and concludes by providing implications for executives and future research issues.

Differences in content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy for different competitive strategies are clarified.

Other researchers may propose different frameworks for linking manufacturing and competitive strategies.

This paper presents an integrative view of competitive and manufacturing strategies. It highlights the numerous choices companies must make to ensure fit among the competitive strategic types and their corresponding manufacturing strategies. This integration adds coherence and parsimony to the literature. It provides a basis for conceptualizing manufacturing strategy, thus reconciling different strategic perspectives and reducing a potential source of conflicting research results.

Rapid changes in today’s global markets are forcing businesses to re‐examine and improve the ways they compete. Integration of facility location decisions in global marketing and manufacturing strategies provides an important means for firms to compete in global markets. This paper proposes that manufacturing utility can be related to marketing utility through facility location decisions. Consequently, it presents a mathematical model for global facility location that integrates marketing and manufacturing decisions in a global context. It also presents a four‐stage evolutionary model that can guide managers in making global facility location decisions.

This study provides an analysis of the quality of service provided by a university health care center. Students’ expectations and perceptions of the center’s services are identified by a survey. A second survey was administered to the employees of the center to compare student perceptions to those of the employees. Based on the results of this study, specific recommendations are made to improve the performance of the center. The implementation of these recommendations should also reflect a change in the students’ perceptions about the quality of service provided by the center.

Healthcare providers need the information contained in patient records to provide high‐quality services. To be effective, patient record assembly must be completed in a timely manner. This study aims to analyse the medical records assembly process for a hospital in Southeastern United States having difficulty meeting standard completion times established by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization.

Several quality improvement tools were used to evaluate and improve the assembly process.

As a result of the study, a new procedure was implemented. Consequently, the hospital reduced the time required to assemble medical records, thereby improving efficiency and effectiveness. There are hopes to further improve the process.

The study provides guidance on how statistical process control techniques can be applied to improve hospital services. The techniques employed can be used to analyze and improve any process. However, results are limited to improving medical record assembly processes at one particular hospital.

Past studies considered the application of various statistical process control techniques for improving healthcare quality. The study extends research by employing process improvement efforts to understand and develop medical record assembly in a regional hospital via process flow diagramming and control charts.

Most previous studies dealing with business site selection decisions have been theoretical and mainly concerned with cost factors. There are many variables other than cost, some of which are qualitative and intangible in nature. This study attempts to provide empirical evidence on the importance of cost and other location‐related variables. The 84 fastest‐growing businesses in New England and New York were surveyed utilizing 27 variables associated with location decisions. Most of the 27 variables are industry‐specific and their importance varies from industry to industry. Factor analysis, using principal component extraction method and varimax rotation showed that there are six underlying dimensions considered in business site selection decisions. Cities and towns can benefit from utilizing the findings of this type of research in attracting new businesses and preventing the existing businesses from leaving for other locations.

The successful development of information systems for flexible manufacturing systems depends on several factors. Many studies have been investigating these factors during the development of information systems for various applications. Examines findings from the MIS literature and derives some lessons on how they can be used in the development of an information system for FMS.

This study provides an analysis of the quality of service provided by a university health‐care center. Statistical process control charts are used to investigate the time spent by students at the various stages of the health‐care process. The mean, upper and lower control limits for the mean, and the variation of the waiting‐times at different stages of the health‐care process were determined. Based on the results of this study, specific recommendations are made to improve the performance of the center, and to reduce the waiting‐times at different stages of the health‐care delivery process. The implementation of these recommendations should also reflect a change in students’ perceptions about the quality of service provided by the center, as well as an increase in the efficiency of the health‐care delivery process.

The literature on the facilities location problem is quite extensive with a wide variety of solution methods for addressing these problems where the objective is cost minimization. Develops a branch and bound algorithm for solving the uncapacitated, multi‐period facility location problem where the objective is to maximize profits. The solution method uses a number of simplification and branching decision rules to solve the problem efficiently. Extensive computational results on the algorithm’s performance are provided. The results indicate that the algorithm provides optimal solutions in substantially less time than LINDO.

In response to residents’ reports of inefficiencies in the Veterans Administration (VA) system, a temporary task force of quality control circles was implemented at a VA hospital. A total of 25 internal medicine residents, on rotation at the VA, were subdivided into four groups. Each group was presented with a different problem, given the components and constraints of the problem, and asked to identify possible solutions. Program results were submitted to the hospital administration. Efforts are now being made to improve the working environment for medical residents.

ISO 90003 provides guidelines for applying ISO 9001 to software development processes. The purpose of this paper is to present how the software development process in large, virtual teams (LVTs) can be managed, so that they are in compliance with ISO 9001.

The firm's actions are described in a case example format that illustrates how fit between theory and practice is achieved; and forms a precursor to the derivation of appropriate research arguments.

The steps presented show the application of ISO 90003 guidelines to software development planning activities in LVTs, to meet the requirements of ISO 9000 certification.

The scope of this paper is limited to the application of Section 7.3 (Design and development) of ISO 90003:2004 to the software development process. The paper presents the discussion in a “generalized” fashion so that the steps described can be implemented by any software development company.

The implications for managers in this study lie in the presentation of a set of steps to manage software development processes in LVTs, so that they are in compliance with ISO 9001.

There is a dearth of studies on the application of process‐based approaches in virtual organizations. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by examining how software development processes in virtual organizations (specifically, LVTs) may be formally managed, so that they are in compliance with ISO 9001.