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This study aims to assess National Health Service (NHS) decision-making protocols during the pandemic, with two primary objectives: (1) to establish whether decision-making protocols changed during the pandemic and (2) to evaluate if these changes could inform future decision-making strategies beyond the pandemic. By focusing on the shift from traditional to emergency decision-making processes, this research seeks to derive actionable insights for enhancing policy and practice in crisis conditions.

We employ a mixed-methods approach, gathering data through an online survey targeted at senior NHS decision-makers involved in the pandemic response. Our survey collected quantitative and qualitative data to assess changes in decision-making protocols. The analysis included statistical techniques to quantify changes and thematic analysis to explore their implications, providing a detailed understanding of decision-making adaptations during the crisis and their potential future impact.

Our findings clarify the role of the NHS values and constitution, which prioritize patient welfare, dignity and equitable access to healthcare, guiding all decision-making. During the pandemic, the urgency to respond swiftly necessitated modifications to these guiding principles. Traditional processes were adapted, allowing for more rapid decision-making while still aligning with the core values, effectively balancing immediate response needs with long-term healthcare commitments.

Our research contributes to decision-making under crisis conditions within a healthcare context and brings together a theoretical background which has accommodated the development of models and approaches that can be utilized by both service and manufacturing organizations. In addition, we have sought to bring together the importance of decision-making protocols under crisis conditions using observations from respondents who experienced decision-making at a senior level prior, during and beyond the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has assisted in the models developed in this paper. In addition, our empirical research demonstrates the importance that the values of the organization have upon decision-making and how such values need to be adjusted in the light of crisis operations.

Our research provides insightful observations relating to the pressures upon decision-making protocols under crisis conditions and provides senior decision-makers with an approach to realigning values to cope with unusual and highly pressurized operating environments. Notably, there is a clear requirement for decision-makers to communicate clearly to staff the need to temporarily alter the modus operandi to reflect crisis operations.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore decision-making in the NHS during a pandemic and to clearly demonstrate how such decision-making needs to be adapted to reflect the nature and scope of delivering a complex healthcare service under crisis conditions.

This paper contends that the description of tiering within automotive supply chains is likely to require redefining in light of the development of modular supply and that a natural consequence of modular supply will be the transfer of value‐adding activity throughout the supply chain. Two concepts are presented to illustrate the characteristics that are likely to be required for suppliers to succeed within a modular environment. These concepts are applied to a supply chain currently in the process of accommodating modular supply. The findings suggest that whilst modularity accrues a number of tangible benefits to both the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) buyer and the modular supplier, the skills required to become a modular supplier are likely to result in a number of first‐tier suppliers either exiting the industry or becoming second or third‐tier suppliers.

The paper presents a case study of Ikeda Hover Ltd, a synchronous seat supplier to Nissan Manufacturing UK Ltd. The case study explores the differences between just‐in‐time (JIT) and synchronous supply from both the buyer and supplier perspective, as well as examining the importance of effective supply chain management, effective use of appropriate technologies and the importance of quality within the context of a synchronous buyer‐supplier relationship. The findings of this case study suggest that whilst synchronous supply results in notable benefits for both buyer and supplier the journey to achieving synchronicity is difficult and such a supply system may be limited to the supply of a small number of key components or high value component systems.

The purpose of the paper is to explore the strategic issues associated with the implementation and subsequent development of modular supply chains within the automotive sector.

Given the exploratory nature of this research a case study approach was adopted analysing key suppliers within a single developing modular supply chain. The key approach to the topic was to examine strategic operations management literature in order to determine the operational impact associated with the move from traditional supply chains to supplying on a modular basis.

The findings indicate that moving from the traditional approach to supplying parts to a modular approach requires suppliers to consider how they can develop their individual module offerings and to determine what operations do not add value to a modular offering and as a consequence can be transferred to downstream suppliers.

Given the exploratory nature of this research and its sectoral specificity one should not view the findings as applicable to other supply chains in the process of developing modular offerings. This said, the findings do correlate with earlier research which indicated that value‐transfer activity within modular supply chains is a key characteristic associated with developing supply chains (Doran, 2004)

In terms of practical applications, the findings demonstrate that modular activity requires the reorganisation of value‐creating activities and also requires those suppliers close to the OEM to strategically position themselves to configure their operations to accommodate the growing modular paradigm.

The paper explores supply chain modularization which is a fairly under‐researched area supply chain management and as such this paper provides insights into this emerging area. The originality is also evident in the approach and focus of the paper (that is examining the three key suppliers within a single automotive supply chain).

This paper explores the development of modular supply within the automotive sector with particular emphasis on the impact that modularization is likely to have on the value‐adding processes of key component suppliers. In addition, a reclassification of the term “first‐tier” supplier is proposed with a view to exploring the attributes necessary for such suppliers to succeed within the emerging modular environment.

The purpose of this paper is to update an article written by the author in the Harvard Business Review almost 50 years ago.

The paper evaluates the present status of the phenomena of modularity (for both product and service components). This is done by reviewing all existing literature on multitudinous facets of the subject and discussing applications with practitioners.

Modularity remains a splintered concept, perhaps because so many different types of application exist. Heterogeneity stymies systemization. Nevertheless, successful applications exist. This International Journal of Operations & Production Management, dedicated to modularity, testifies to significant facets of accomplishment and continued challenges (e.g. optimum shoe sizing and modular construction). Also, production managers have not become boardroom planners (as was expected 45 years ago). Potential cost savings of modularity do not occur because off‐shoring provided another way to dramatically lower production costs – albeit at the expense of quality problems.

All management functions participate in modularity issues. Though marketing does not thrive in a commodity‐environment, it has not advocated modularity as a way to offset commoditization nor as a means of improving quality. Finance has been the cheer leader for off‐shore decisions, but a tipping point may be in sight (i.e. recognizing the hidden costs of off‐shore seduction).

If mass customization, using modularity, develops economic clout, it is likely that production will switch from overseas to domestic bases. The impact on domestic economies will be significant.

The link between modularity and off‐shoring needs to be recognized, researched, and discussed.

The primary aim of this research is to explore buyer‐supplier relationships within a service sector context.

To address the primary aim, both quantitative and qualitative approaches were utilised. A questionnaire was issued to selected buyer and supplier groups in order to determine relationship issues associated with insurance claims. The questionnaire was complemented by a number of semi‐structured interviews with buyers and suppliers across each spend category.

The results of this research indicate that there are significant gaps between buyer and supplier expectations concerning how relationships should evolve and that the issues of power and trust will need to be explored in greater depth if relationships are to be optimised.

This research is of practical use to service sector companies attempting to examine how to develop effective buyer‐supplier relationships. It is of particular use to service buyer operations within the insurance sector, that is moving from the traditional cash compensation approach to a replacement goods approach.

Very little has been written about buyer‐supplier relationships in the insurance sector and as such this paper provides an insight into issues relating to such relationships within this unique service sector context.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how firms are redesigning the organizational architecture of supply chains, bundling and unbundling resources, sharing information and coordinating flows in order to facilitate capability partitioning. It aims to analyze how process interdependencies are managed either through modularity or coordination mechanisms. The paper is anchored in the emergent theory of modularity, a transaction cost‐based perspective of modular systems.

This paper adopts the case study methodology. It uses an in‐depth case study of Logoplaste, a global supplier of plastic packaging, in particular investigating how the firm organizes supply chain activities around an integration mode designated as “hole‐in‐the‐wall.”

In a context of high process interdependence the firm has developed a coordination capability, an ability to manage the interfaces at minimum cost either by modularizing the process or defining appropriate coordination mechanisms. This capability becomes a core competence of the firm that enables it to further appropriate rents that lie at process interfaces.

The case study method limits the generalization of the findings, but allows more depth in the analysis of the proposed framework.

As the complexity of sourced components increases firms will need to complement their modular approach to supply chain design with new organizational‐coordination skills and an ability to externalize knowledge. The case study provides several examples of the type of coordination required.

This research adds to the literature on organizational modularity in two distinct ways. First, it focuses on the development of a coordination capability to manage process interdependences rather than the partitioning of technical capabilities across the supply chain. Second, it brings to the discussion of modularity recent developments in transaction cost economics that go beyond the engineering perspective. A coordination capability represents the organization's ability to organize transactions in order to appropriate rents, rather than merely minimize transaction costs.

The purpose of this paper is to show how modularity manifests in a service context, more specifically in the provision of care and services to independently living elderly.

Four case studies provide insight into the specification of relevant components and their subsequent assembly into a customized package of care and services.

In all cases, component specification and package construction take place in two phases: partly before and partly during care delivery. Early client involvement allows for a combination of standard components that have a lower level of customization, whereas late client involvement allows for adaptation of these components resulting in a higher level of customization. The paper proposes that modularity theory should distinguish between the creation of modular offerings in care provision versus their creation in goods production, since the findings are the exact reverse of the state‐of‐the art knowledge in manufacturing modularity.

The empirical part of this paper is limited to providers of elderly care and services in The Netherlands and is exploratory in nature. However, the newness of care and service modularity justifies the exploratory research approach.

This paper offers elderly care organizations in‐depth understanding of their complex and multi‐faceted specification process. The insights help both care and service providers to make well‐considered decisions as to what level of client involvement to allow and the type of modularity to apply.

This paper contributes to the emerging literature on service modularity.