The Role of Background Research on Literature in Empirical Studies - Essay Example

? Library research November 18, Library research Introduction Research into a topic’s existing literature is an important step to literacy development and forms the basis of empirical studies. It is informative to a leaner and improves academic potentials and its role in research involves informing a researcher of existing knowledge in an area of study towards identification of knowledge gap or social problem. Role of background research on literature in empirical studies facilitates development of research questions and hypothesis and informs research methodology. This paper reviews articles and offers the articles’ summaries, their relation to the course and developed knowledge from the article. Jimenez, E., Tejeda, A., Blanco, J. and Martinez, E. “Application of lean production with VSM to the Rioja wine sector.” International Journal of Production Research 50.7 (2012): 1890-1904. Print. The article reports on a study on the use of lean production in wine sector in La Rioja. Its subject, lean production is a theory that aims at achieving economic utilization of resources towards optimum production levels, is a topic in operations management. The authors focus on lean production in a different sector from the theory’s traditional industry of application and investigate potential use of the lean production theory for economic utility of resources in the La Rioja’s wine sector towards optimum benefits. Operations management however defines management of processes in production and transportation of goods and services to users and this incorporates lean production concepts at the management’s production stage. The authors identify significance of lean production in attaining competitiveness and efficiency and the fact that lean production has not been popular in many sectors. The theory establishes and eliminates all activities and processes in a production that do not benefit the process. Using Main Stream Mapping, the authors demonstrates applicability of lean production in La Rioja’s wine sector with the objective of making inference from the results. Lean production was developed in Japan’s motor vehicle industry but its advantages such as lower change periods, better working environments, quality workforce and accurate improvement initiatives has extended its popularity and application in other industries. Results show “reduction in raw materials” that “clarifying and quality test process” aids as well as lower inventory level for the organizations in the region’s wine sector. A number of benefits to the sector are attributed to the lean production strategy and examples include lower overall production lead-time that can reduce by up to 60 percent, lower cost of raw materials from reduced volume, and this decrease can be as much as 13 percent of an organization’s expenditure on raw materials. The production approach also reduces losses and depreciation in materials’ value over the production process and facilitates communication between involved parties and departments in a production process. Improved efficiency in space and equipment utilization and better allocation of human resources across the production process are other identified benefits from the study. The results are valid because of their simulation in the target population with positive outcomes (Jimenez, Perez, Blanco and Martinez 1890- 1902). The article demonstrates the role of operations management, through lean production, in organization’s production efficiency and profitability. It identifies efficiency through improvements in production activities and processes such as economical utility of time, space and human resource and improved quality that is also a result of the efficiency. This corresponds to the overall management objective, considering operations management as a branch of management, of reducing overall costs and improving overall revenues. The article therefore explains the role of operation management in increasing unit profit margin and its potential role in increasing an organization’s competitiveness through quality products. Ability to operate under low costs also means that lean production’s operation management empowers organizations towards price competitiveness that can further act as a marketing strategy to increase sales volume and ultimate profitability. Consequently I have learnt of the lean production theory and suggest the method’s applicability to other industries and regions for competitive production processes and improvement of people’s quality of life through better products. Abdallah, Ayman. “The influence of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) in Jordanian manufacturing companies.” International Journal of Business and Management 8.21 (2013): 1-13. Print. The article reports on a study to investigate effects of soft and hard Total Quality Management practices on implementation of Total Production management. It studies Total Quality Management that is a topic in operations management. Its scope identifies with the production aspects of operations management the quality management is implemented in implementation of production activities and processes. Total quality management also affects all activities in an organization’s scope of operation and is therefore comprehensive of the operations management that involves management of processes and activities in productions and delivery of commodities. The article identifies significance of total quality management on activities such as “just in time production, mass customization, supply chain management, and new product development,” aspects that previous studies explored (Abdallah 1). Such studies have however been inconclusive on differences between soft and hard Total Quality Management and consequences of the differences. This distinction is established and it defines Soft Total Quality Management practices as those factors that are fundamental to an organization’s quality management strategy and its implementation. Hard Total Quality Management practices are tools and systems that aid utility of soft management practices. Research methodology involved exploration of the relationship between the hard and soft quality management practices and characteristics of total productive maintenance based on previously established models of the relationship between Total Quality Management and Total Productive Maintenance. Considered Soft Total Quality Management practices are “customer focus, training, top management leadership, workforce management, and supplier relationship” while considered Hard Total Quality Management practices are “continuous improvement, information feedback, statistical process control, process management, and tools and techniques” (4). Total productive maintenance aspects in the study are independent, preventive, and supportive maintenance and team approach to maintenance. Test of hypothesis on the relationship between the total quality management practices and total productive maintenance identified significance of four soft practices: “top management leadership, training, workforce management, and customer focus” and significance of three hard quality management practices: “continuous improvements, information feedback, and process management” (4). Both categories have positive effects on Total Productive Maintenance (1- 10). The article enlightened me of the role of Total Quality Management in operations management through ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in activities and processes of operations management. I have also learnt of the difference between soft and hard Total Quality Management practices and specific practices that supports Total Productive Maintenance for better operations management processes. Zatzick, Christopher, Moliterno, Thomas, and Fang, Tony. “Strategic (MIS) fit: The implementation of TQM in manufacturing organizations.” Strategic Management Journal 33.1 (2012): 1321-1330. Print. This article investigates the moderator effect of fitness of an organization’s strategic scope on the relationship between output and implementation of Total Quality Management. Relationship between the article’s topic and operation’s management is in the scope of alignment of strategies like total quality management, which defines continuous improvement of involved processes and activities, to achieve effectiveness in operations management. Based on different “cost leadership activity system” orientations, the researchers tested the hypotheses that Total Quality Management has either positive or negative effect on performance and the nature of effect depends on the nature of orientation. A longitudinal study on 780 firms from the manufacturing industry established that existence of internal fit through cost leadership potential improves effectiveness of Total Quality Management practices while absence of fit, identified through disorientation in cost leadership activity system, has negative effects on the significance of Total Quality Management on an organization’s performance (Zatzick, Moliterno and Fang 1321- 1328). This article is informative of the nature of operations management practices that depend on other factors in an organization’s environment. Based on the moderator effects of an organization’s internal fit on effects of Total Quality Management on productivity, I have learnt that a favorable environment is necessary for successful implementation of operations management practices because the observation from Total Quality Management can be inferred to other practices in operations management. Works cited Abdallah, Ayman. “The influence of ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Total Quality Management (TQM) practices on Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) in Jordanian manufacturing companies.” International Journal of Business and Management 8.21 (2013): 1-13. Print. Jimenez, E., Tejeda, A., Blanco, J. and Martinez, E. “Application of lean production with VSM to the Rioja wine sector.” International Journal of Production Research 50.7 (2012): 1890-1904. Print. Zatzick, Christopher, Moliterno, Thomas, and Fang, Tony. “Strategic (MIS) fit: The implementation of TQM in manufacturing organizations.” Strategic Management Journal 33.1 (2012): 1321-1330. Print. Read More