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The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of production and operations managers (POMs) and logistics managers (LMs) in improving manufacturing and service operations, comparing experiences in Australia and Britain.

The findings are based on surveys of the two occupations in the two countries. Thus, the focus is on comparing and contrasting two strategically placed occupations within the supply chain and in two traditional manufacturing economies in developed countries, in opposing hemispheres of the world.

The working lives of 254 Australian and 195 British POMs and 303 Australian and 168 British LMs are explored to see how well prepared they are for the business challenges of today, whether they see the need for changes in the ways in which they work and what satisfactions they derive from their worlds of work?

Insights are provided for senior management into the deployment and personal and professional development needs of two key occupations within supply chain management.

The findings from the research give fresh insights into the ways in which managers in the two areas of responsibilities in the two countries.view their worlds of work

Concentrates on two key aspects of manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) theory and design, namely; how master production scheduling is carried out in differing business environments and how well the “closing of the loop” operates by checking the capacity requirements of the different levels of plans within an organization. The methodology involved detailed investigations into master scheduling and capacity planning in eight diverse manufacturing companies. This was followed by a nationwide survey of users, a survey of all the major suppliers of production management software in the UK and an analysis of the facilities offered by current software packages. The main conclusion which is drawn is that in the majority of companies, only just over 50 per cent are attempting resource and capacity planning and only 20 per cent are successfully feeding back capacity requirements planning (CRP) information to “close the loop”. Various causative factors are put forward and remedies are suggested.

With increasing global competition for manufacturers, interest has grown among researchers and practitioners in the role of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) in assisting firms to maintain their competitive edge. To contribute to the debate, this paper presents three case studies, one each from Australia, Britain and Canada, of companies investing in one type of AMT, computer numerical controlled (CNC) machines. The findings reported in this paper draw on the experiences of companies in developed economies but which are geographically dispersed and have different histories of industrialisation. Nevertheless when it comes to implementing AMT, there are far more similarities than differences in their experiences. The message is that for successful implementation of AMT, companies need to ensure that a broad, market driven perspective is taken to these investments, that attention is given to integration across systems and that people issues require as much attention as those directly relating to the actual technology.

This article examines the careers and changing roles of British production and operations managers through three surveys covering the last quarter of the twentieth century. Careers are examined in terms of both their organisational context and the subjective experiences of those who have chosen this field, during a period of great turbulence for manufacturing due to growing global competition. The persistent features of such roles and responsibilities are contrasted with the changes in focus and demands. The managers' sources of satisfaction and frustration are outlined as are their perceptions of their situation in relation to managers in other areas. The article concludes by considering what has changed and what needs to change, in order for manufacturing to gain maximum benefit from the contribution of these managers.

This paper aims to compare and contrast the career experiences and development needs of British and Australian quality managers.

The results of a postal survey of the careers of British quality managers are compared with Australian quality managers based on two surveys.

The study finds that quality managers in both countries brought wide functional experience to their roles. Their current jobs are major sources of intrinsic job satisfaction for both groups of managers but they utilise a very limited range of quality tools. Also British and Australian managers show little awareness in terms of their development needs for a broader background in quality.

The findings suggest a worrying lack of innovatory zeal amongst quality managers who appear to be more concerned with the maintenance of standards rather than taking a more dynamic approach. Thus it is argued that while quality managers bring wide functional experience to their current roles, there are many who do not appear to be at the cutting edge of knowledge in their field. Neither do the British quality managers in particular appear to be sufficiently aware of the need to address such shortfalls through professional development opportunities.

The roles of those charged with carrying the flag of quality in the two countries have only previously received limited research coverage. This paper, based upon empirical research in Britain and Australia, identifies issues which require the attention of senior management to ensure future competitiveness for their organisations.

The purpose of this research is to explore the incidence of innovative approaches to quality in both Australia and Britain, the reasons behind their implementation, the ways in which they were undertaken and the success factors and the pitfalls encountered along the way.

A structured postal questionnaire was sent to 1,000 quality managers in both Australia and Britain. A response was received from 129 Australian and 175 British companies, who reported on why they did or did not introduce a new quality initiative within the past five years.

A comparative analysis shows trends, similarities and differences, and future directions of quality in both countries. The paper concludes by identifying important lessons for senior management needing to make changes in this important aspect of any business. A high proportion of organisations in both countries are actively undertaking new quality initiatives. The impetus to change and the barriers to successful implementation were common to both countries. The type of initiative differed between the two countries, with a preponderance of ISO 9000 in Australia amongst a much wider choice of approaches than in Britain. There is a low take‐up of Six Sigma in both countries, particularly in Australia.

The paper offers a recent insight into quality approaches undertaken in both countries and identifies important lessons for senior management.

The aim of this research was to ascertain the current roles and responsibilities of logistics managers in two countries, how they compare their situation with other managers and to identify the types of knowledge and experience that would assist them to develop their careers.

This paper compares the results of a postal survey of 303 Australian and 161 British logistics managers.

The study indicates that logistics managers in both countries share many similar experiences, responsibilities and perceptions of their career situations. They take considerable pride and satisfaction from these careers but recognise the need for continuing professional development in their present and future roles.

The research is limited to the respondents to the surveys. Further research in other countries including less well‐developed economies would add to the generalisation of results.

It is argued that for successful international supply chain management, there is a need to review both current and future provision in higher education and continuing professional development, in order to strengthen strategic competences and increase understanding of the significance of interdisciplinary awareness in global markets.

This paper represents the first attempt to understand the roles, responsibilities, career pathways and future needs of logistics managers in the two countries. Its results should provide guidance to top managers for the future success of the logistics function in their organisations.

Examines the relationship between competitiveness strategies and decisions to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT). Findings are presented from a survey of UK manufacturers, which is part of a global research programme on AMT investments. Experiences of four case companies are also used to illustrate factors driving these investments and their outcomes. Demonstrates how AMT investments arise from a business strategy seeking to improve competitiveness. Although these decisions are market‐driven and companies often use more than one financial appraisal technique when evaluating a proposal, they often cannot demonstrate the tangible benefits anticipated from their investments. This indicates that more time needs to be taken to carry out post‐implementation evaluation in order to be able to identify tangible benefits and learn from these experiences.