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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

In each issue we shall usually be giving over one short paper to a major topic of general management interest, primarily addressed to senior management in a company and concerned with a particular technical aspect of manufacturing systems treated in a non‐technical way. Our first paper in this section concerns the concept of grouping.

Although users of computerised production and inventory control systems may be aware of the possible occurrence of long periods of computer downtime, the authors believe that few companies are sufficiently prepared for such emergencies. This paper proposes guidance for drawing up contingency plans to ensure against this vulnerability.

It has been argued that production/operations management (P/OM) emerged as a true functional field of management only during the 1980s. If this is the case then one can hypothesize that P/OM research must have changed considerably during the last decade. To test this hypothesis all the articles published in the first ten volumes of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management were categorized using a framework based on research process reported. Explains the development of this framework and presents the data generated from the categorization process. These clearly show that during the 1980s the content of P/OM research increasingly became of a macro and soft nature.

This monograph examines research needs in computer aided production management (CAPM). Recommendations for future research and its organisation are made. The monograph is based on an in‐depth study of current CAPM practice in a varied sample of 33 companies. The study conclusions confirm many existing beliefs. Many companies are paying inadequate attention to the necessary prerequisites for successful CAPM implementation. The prerequisites change as the extent of CAPM system integration increases. Organisational rather than implementation issues dominate as integration increases. The proposed research would bring together existing knowledge of best CAPM practice to form methodologies for the audit, design and implementation of CAPM systems. The aim is to reduce the time‐span of the learning curve required for successful CAPM integration. The methodologies need to be specific to particular industrial sectors.

Scheduling is defined by Baker as, “the allocation of resources over time to perform a collection of tasks”. The term facilities is often used instead of resources and the tasks to be performed may involve a variety of different operations.

The purpose of this study is to understand the functional power of frequency from-to chart (FFTC) as an independent solution-key for generation optimal (exact) facilities sequences with an equal distance of straight-line flow patterns. The paper will propose a bi-objective function model based on the Torque Method then will turn it into a computer-based technique with a permutative manner using the full enumeration method. This model aims to figure out if there is a difference between the moment minimization and backtracking treatment. Furthermore, the proposed technique will measure the performance of related works from literature to numerically highlight their limitations.

The literature of related works provided two-principles assumed mastering material flow sequences. The researchers gathered and analyzed the three methods – used FFTC as an independent technique – mentioned in the literature then measured their performance with the proposed technique. The proposed technique is based on the computation of torque value using an enhancement of bi-objective function model then application a permutative approach with full enumeration methodology. The bi-objective function model used once to mimic the grand moment value of FFTC and again to study the reflection of minimizing the congestion of backtracking movements on the minimization of total transportation cost.

Based on the analysis of literature and comparative results of its three case studies using the proposed technique, it is found that: there are optimum facilities sequences with rich opportunities of exact pathway selection. Reduction methodology is an inefficient way to generate exact results. There is a gap between combining the minimization of the grand moment and the treatment of the backtracking problem.

This study is one of the first contributions that discusses the assumption of integration between optimization moment value and its relation to treatment backtracking problem. Also, the illness of reduction methodology to reach optimal solutions. The further direction of this research will highlight the conjecture of searching the exact results for small size problems, analyzing the given data and its logical dimensions, developing logical rules for solving and verifying large size problems based on the exact results (The conjecture of P = NP).

This paper provides a detailed numerical analysis of the most common problems generally faced facility layout problems through understanding the lack of integration between moment minimization and backtracking minimization. Also, the inefficiency of reliance on reduction methodology either in scores of frequencies between facilities with weak relation or the number of permutations. Based on those findings, further study will search the logical philosophy exactly optimizing FFTC manually or without having to deal with a permutative approach for large size problems – which considered non-deterministic polynomial-time problem.

Suggests that, in many cases, where formerly excellent manufacturing companies have suffered a decline in their fortunes, they failed because they did not change with their customers; their operations were too remote. Considers how this might be avoided by applying a service quality model to manufacturing. Examines the differences between service and manufacturing operations and highlights the difficulties which manufacturing companies have in being close to their customers. Provides definitions of quality for products and services before presenting the model. Describes the features of the model – taking a total view, achieving a balance between expectations and delivery, system design and response to change‐as they apply both to service and manufacturing. Highlights the need to exceed expectations to maintain a competitive edge. Argues that, whilst this is achieved through committed staff in service industries, this same commitment can, with appropriate communication, be achieved in manufacturing companies.

The article addresses the optimization of safety stock service levels for parts in a repair kit. The work was undertaken to assist a public transit entity that stores thousands of parts used to repair equipment acquired over many decades. Demand is intermittent, procurement lead times are long, and the total inventory investment is significant.

Demand exists for repair kits, and a repair cannot start until all required parts are available. The cost model includes holding cost to carry the part being modeled as well as shortage cost that consists of the holding cost to carry all other repair kit parts for the duration of the part’s lead time. The model combines deterministic and stochastic approaches by assuming a fixed ordering cycle with Poisson demand.

The results show that optimal service levels vary as a function of repair demand rate, part lead time, and cost of the part as a percentage of the total part cost for the repair kit. Optimal service levels are higher for inexpensive parts and lower for expensive parts, although the precise levels are impacted by repair demand and part lead time.

The proposed model can impact society by improving the operational performance and efficiency of public transit systems, by ensuring that home repair technicians will be prepared for repair tasks, and by reducing the environmental impact of electronic waste consistent with the right-to-repair movement.

The optimization model is unique because (1) it quantifies shortage cost as the cost of unnecessary holding other parts in the repair kit during the shortage time, and (2) it determines a unique service level for each part in a repair kit bases on its lead time, its unit cost, and the total cost of all parts in the repair kit. Results will be counter-intuitive for many inventory managers who would assume that more critical parts should have higher service levels.

This paper discusses integrated logistics in a two‐level repair‐inventory system of a transport corporation where there is one central depot and twenty subordinate depots which cater to the needs of the population in a metropolitan city in India. An expensive, recoverable spare (engine) is considered with (S — 1, S) inventory policy. It is reported that the present location of the central facility is not optimal. The advantages possible by optimally locating this central facility are highlighted with results. The impact of increasing the maintenance effectiveness on the optimum spare stock level and the total system cost are discussed.