Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the definition of Lean Production and the methods and goals associated with the concept as well as how it differs from other popular management concepts. Methodology/Approach - The paper is based on a review of the contemporary literature on Lean Production, both journal articles and books. Findings - It is shown in the paper that there is no consensus on a definition of Lean Production between the examined authors. The authors also seem to have different opinions on which characteristics that should be associated with the concept. Overall it can be concluded that Lean Production is not clearly defined in the reviewed literature. This divergence can cause some confusion on a theoretical level, but is probably more problematic on a practical level when organizations aim to implement the concept. This paper argues that it is important for an organization to acknowledge the different variations, and to raise the awareness of the input in the implementation process. It is further argued that the organization should not accept any random variant of Lean, but make active choices and adapt the concept to suit the organization-s needs. Through this process of adaptation, the organization will be able to increase the odds of performing a predictable and successful implementation. Originality/Value - This paper provides a critical perspective on the discourse surrounding Lean Production, and gives an input to the discussion of the implementation of management models. Keywords - Lean Production, Definition, Construct Validity, Total Quality Management Paper type - Conceptual paper

https://www.ep.liu.se/ecp/033/025/ecp0803325.pdf

Defining Lean Production : Some conceptual and practical issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the literature in the field of performance measurement and management (PMM) for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and large companies and propose a research agenda for the future.Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides an update of Neely's work “The evolution of performance measurement research” The literature review has been carried out by using two different methodologies. Citation/co‐citation analysis has been used to explore “performance measurement” (PM) literature, while a chronological review of main frameworks/models developed both for large and small companies is presented in order to highlight “PMM” literature.Findings – The paper analyzes the literature on the field and carries out the most cited works and the common characteristics of them based on the key words used. The results of the literature review reveal a certain maturity of the literature related to large companies and a significant lack of PMM literature for SMEs. Finally t...

Performance measurement and management: a literature review and a research agenda

An investigation on lean-green implementation practices in Indian SMEs using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach

Determining an appropriate sample size is vital in drawing realistic conclusions from research findings. Although there are several widely adopted rules of thumb to calculate sample size, researchers remain unclear about which one to consider when determining sample size in their respective studies. ‘How large should the sample be?’ is one the most frequently asked questions in survey research. The objective of this editorial is three-fold. First, we discuss the factors that influence sample size decisions. Second, we review existing rules of thumb related to the calculation of sample size. Third, we present the guidelines to perform power analysis using the G*Power programme. There is, however, a caveat: we urge researchers not to blindly follow these rules. Such rules or guidelines should be understood in their specific contexts and under the conditions in which they were prescribed. We hope that this editorial does not only provide researchers a fundamental understanding of sample size and its associated issues, but also facilitates their consideration of sample size determination in their own studies.

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Sample Size for Survey Research: Review and Recommendations

Sustainability is one of the most important challenges of our time. How can we develop prosperity, without compromising the life of future generations? Companies are integrating ideas of sustainability in their marketing, corporate communication, annual reports and in their actions. Projects play a pivotal role in the realisation of more sustainable business practices, and the concept of sustainability has more recently also been linked to project management. The emerging literature on this topic provides strong indications that considering sustainability impacts project management processes and practices. However, the standards for project management fail to address the sustainability agenda. This article provides a structured review of 164 publications, covering the time period 1993 2013, that relate sustainability to project management. The research questions answered are: ‘How is sustainability defined or considered in the context of project management?’ and, ‘How does considering sustainability impact project management?’ Based on an identification of relevant dimensions of sustainability that was evident from the publications, we identified the areas of impact of sustainability on project management. It appeared that considering sustainability impacts project management on different levels. Considering sustainability implies, firstly, a shift of scope in the management of projects: from managing time, budget and quality, to managing social, environmental, and economic impact. Secondly, it implies a shift of paradigm *Correspondence details and biographies for the authors are located at the end of the article. Cont’d...

Sustainability in project management: A literature review and impact analysis

1.1 Origin The traveling salesman problem (TSP) were studied in the 18th century by a mathematician from Ireland named Sir William Rowam Hamilton and by the British mathematician named Thomas Penyngton Kirkman. Detailed discussion about the work of Hamilton & Kirkman can be seen from the book titled Graph Theory (Biggs et al. 1976). It is believed that the general form of the TSP have been first studied by Kalr Menger in Vienna and Harvard. The problem was later promoted by Hassler, Whitney & Merrill at Princeton. A detailed dscription about the connection between Menger & Whitney, and the development of the TSP can be found in (Schrijver, 1960).

/pdf/traveling-salesman-problem-an-overview-of-applications-3ui6mflcct.pdf

Traveling Salesman Problem: an Overview of Applications, Formulations, and Solution Approaches

Global competition has intensified pressure on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement lean. Recently, the debate has converged to the role of lean implementation barriers (LIBs). The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this debate by exploring the LIBs in SMEs through three case studies.,A case study approach was employed followed by interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to model the interrelationship among the LIBs.,This study reveals that lack of management commitment, leadership and resources are the key barriers to lean implementation in SMEs in India. Furthermore, poor communication between different levels of the organisation and inadequate dissemination of the knowledge of lean benefits also creates hindrance in lean implementation. Managerial implications of the identified barriers for lean implementation in SMEs have been discussed.,The research regarding lean implementation in SMEs is scarce. This study is the first attempt of its kind to identify the lean barriers in a small industry setup through mathematical analysis.

An appraisal on barriers to implement lean in SMEs

The manufacturing environment is now so competitive that the companies must not only continuously improve their performance, but also do it faster than others. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to the industrial output of an economy, and must be competitive for the national economy to be competitive in this era of international business. With almost all productivity improvement (PI) tools requiring a working knowledge of statistics, the Indian SME manager with his semi-literate workforce with little or no technical and mathematical training needs a simple and heuristic PI tool that addresses his particular needs. This article proposes a simple scheduling heuristic to improve productivity quickly and effectively and demonstrates its application and benefits through a case study in a spring manufacturing SME.

Improving productivity in Indian SMEs

Purpose – Today's customer‐focused paradigm of business environment puts tremendous pressures of quality, delivery, dependability, flexibility and cost on the manufacturing organisation. Automatic manufacturing systems offer several advantages and are increasingly being adopted as a strategy to improve the performance of manufacturing organisations. Automatic manufacturing systems are highly sophisticated and expensive, and it is therefore important to maximise their productivity. Yet, one can improve only what one can measure. Performance measurement is the key to improving performance, and is a prerequisite to diagnosing, trouble‐shooting and improving the production system. Accordingly, performance measurement has been attracting increasing attention over the last two decades, and several frameworks have emerged for the design, review, evaluation and improvement of performance measurement systems for businesses and manufacturing organizations. The performance measurement, monitoring and continuous prod...

Performance measurement in automated manufacturing

Although lean thinking is deemed to be a gold standard of modern production management, a lot of scepticism still remains regarding its applicability in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to understand the perception of lean in SMEs and establish the relationship between lean adoption and operational performance.,With the help of a survey, data were collected from 425 SMEs in India and analyzed using structural equation modeling.,Operational performance of the firms was found to be positively related to lean implementation.,This study also furnishes practitioners with a better understanding of lean thinking in SMEs and its impact on performance.

M. L. Mittal

Papers

Traveling Salesman Problem: an Overview of Applications, Formulations, and Solution Approaches

An appraisal on barriers to implement lean in SMEs

Improving productivity in Indian SMEs

Performance measurement in automated manufacturing

The impact of lean practices on the operational performance of SMEs in India