Benchmarking the management of operations and information systems

Citation

Koh, S.C.L. and Saad, S.M. (2007), "Benchmarking the management of operations and information systems", Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij.2007.13114aaa.001

Benchmarking the management of operations and information systems

In today's highly competitive, rapidly changing and knowledge-driven economy, manufacturing and service-oriented enterprises are forced into seeking new ways to improve their operations in order to survive and sustain in such business environment. Globalisation has driven many researchers and practitioners to innovate methods to manage operations and information systems more effectively and efficiently from the global network and value chain perspectives. Various methods have been developed with some taken from the strategic level and some from the operational level. However, best practices for such management are yet to be uncovered because of the many evolved methods.

Customer demand management; supplier network management; production planning and control; resources and materials management; and uncertainty management are all the potential key areas for improvement in today's economy. It must be noted that understanding customers' perception, ensuring customer satisfaction and meeting customers' demand are all the critical success factors for an enterprise. Since, this demand-based concept might be absorbed in various enterprises, the point is to differentiate the way you manage customer demand, and excel and exceed your competitors. This requires coordination of internal and external operational activities, resources/materials management, planning and control and a reliable supply chain, which is able to respond to change and uncertainty.

To find an “optimum” and efficient way of managing the operations and information systems, performances have to be measured and compared against best performing practices. This triggers the interest on benchmarking the management of operations and information systems, which aims to improve organisational performance strategically. Increasing research are available that deal with performance measurement, benchmarking and continuous improvement in various manufacturing and service sectors. To support this view, this special issue attempts to highlight some recent research and development that address issues related to operations improvement and information systems management that could lead to the use of benchmarking as a method to manage operations and information systems in today's economy. Benchmarking provides a means to enhance an organisation's competitive performance by comparison with best-in-class organisations. Similar organisations or organisations in similar sector can learn from the similar best-in-class organisations. This does not apply only to manufacturing sectors, but also to services sectors.

This special issue is designed to encourage researchers and practitioners in looking at ways that operations and information systems could be managed more effectively, and could be improved, and also highlight in detail how such improvement could be achieved. It comprises contributions from researchers in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong, UK and USA. The articles cover a broad range of contributions include performance measurement in knowledge work context, project risk management for concurrent engineering product development environment, IT-enhanced order and delivery process of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, ERP for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the adoption of e-business and knowledge management in SMEs, predictive performance measurement system, less-than-truckload terminal operations in transportation industry, hierarchical model for responsive manufacturing, and benchmarking the performance of English universities.

Overall, the special issue shows that various research and development have been carried out in the discrete areas of benchmarking the management of operations and information systems. However, it is also clear that a holistic view that integrates all the issues of performance measurement and benchmarking of management of operations and information systems is not available. Thus, many papers have focussed in attempting to improve performance in chosen aspects in manufacturing or service sectors, mainly using empirical tool and method development. To achieve a sustained competitiveness, enterprises have to look at ways to holistically measure and compare their performances, usually with the best in class organisations, and then evaluate common features and characteristics that can bring forward further innovation and improvement. However, the special issue provides a collection of papers aiming to improve the management of operations and information systems and hence enterprises' performances, which are envisaged to be critical to researchers and practitioners who are interested in this area.

We were overwhelmed by the international response to the call for papers on “Benchmarking the management of operations and information systems”. We could not have done this by ourselves and we totally appreciate the efforts and support of all who were involved in making this special issue possible, which includes the authors, referees, editorial staff of Benchmarking: An International Journal and the editor of the journal. The guest editors gratefully acknowledge the assistance provided by the editor of Benchmarking: An International Journal and the referees who reviewed the manuscripts for this special issue.

S.C.L. KohUniversity of Sheffield, Management School, Sheffield, UK

S.M. SaadSheffield Hallam University, School of Engineering, Sheffield, UK