Aleda V. Roth

In this paper, we examine the rise of empirical operations management research in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM). We review 91 empirically focused papers published in M&SOM since its inception in 1999, classifying them based on data type and data collection methodology. The results show that although empirical operations management research has made great strides thus far, empirical research still lags analytic modeling, and much work remains to be done. We call on operations management scholars to broaden and increase their use of empirical tools as a vital source of new knowledge creation; and we highlight the benefits of filling methodological gaps, especially in case and survey research. Drawing on the dynamics associated with paradigm shifts, we offer a new research paradigm that we term combinative research value, in which these two empirical techniques, coupled with other approaches (e.g., web scraping, analyses of big data, and/or analytic modeling), can help accelerate our understanding of changing operating strategies and practices. We advocate for a tighter integration of analytical and empirical operations management knowledge in order to address the challenges and opportunities of the fast-paced, enormous forces of change in the 21st century.

The Hospital Value‐Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, one of several federal regulations mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, uses Medicare provider payment penalties and bonuses to encourage hospital administrators to improve performance in four domains: clinical processes, patient outcomes, patient experiences, and efficiency. Before VBP's launch, some practitioners claimed VBP would have little impact, while others feared well‐off hospitals would be unfairly rewarded at the expense of previously poor‐performing hospitals. We examine whether and how the VBP penalties affect aggregate operating outcomes of healthcare providers in hospitals. Using secondary data, we find empirical evidence that hospitals with prior‐year VBP penalties exhibit positive associations between the penalty magnitude and certain current‐year care process improvements. Over the prior year, penalized hospitals also tend to exhibit increased patient case mix metrics, which should enhance revenue as a spillover effect. In a post hoc analysis, we observe that bonus‐receiving hospitals are less apt to exhibit subsequent performance improvements for these same metrics. Our contributions result from theoretically framing differences in hospital operating activities when facing the VBP Program's penalties as well as empirically demonstrating consequences of the penalty's magnitude.

This study formally develops and empirically tests a new construct, termed service improvisation competence (Serv‐IC), that constitutes a novel way to improve customer experience in high‐contact service contexts. Serv‐IC is operationalized as the systemic ability of a service firm's employees to deviate from established service delivery processes and routines to respond in a timely manner to unforeseen events using available resources. Serv‐IC is a realized operational competence resulting from a deliberate set of service design choices consistent with a firm's service concept. The construct embodies a multidisciplinary perspective that explains, in part, how some firms can systemically use employee improvisation to align service processes and employee behaviors in the presence of customer‐induced uncertainty. As a first, theory‐building step we follow a rigorous, two‐stage approach to develop a reliable and valid multi‐item measurement scale for Serv‐IC, emphasizing discriminant validity with related concepts. We then introduce a set of experientially based service design choices that constitute a Serv‐IC deployment strategy. Finally, we investigate its effect on customer satisfaction. Our empirical results show that Serv‐IC can play an important role in satisfying customers within certain boundaries. Counter to conventional wisdom, Serv‐IC increases customer satisfaction in lower‐tier hotels more than in upscale ones.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present exciting and innovative research questions in service operations that are aligned with eight key themes and related topics determined by theJournal of Service Management(JOSM) Service Operations Expert Research Panel. By offering a good number of such research questions, this paper provides a broad range of ideas to spur conceptual and empirical research related to service operations and encourage the continued creation of deep knowledge within the field, as well as collaborative research across disciplines that develops and incorporates insights from service operations.Design/methodology/approach: Based on a Delphi study, described in the companion article, “Service Operations: What Have We Learned?,” the panel identified eight key research themes in service operations where leading-edge research is being done or has yet to be done (Victorinoet al., 2018). In this paper, three or four topics within each theme are selected and multiple questions for each topic are proposed to guide research efforts. The topics and questions, while wide-ranging, are only representative of the many ongoing research opportunities related to service operations.Findings: The field of service operations has many interesting research topics and questions that are largely unexplored. Furthermore, these research areas are not only increasingly integrative across multiple themes within operations but often transcend functional disciplines. This creates opportunities for ever more impactful research with a greater reach throughout the service system and suggests that service researchers, regardless of functional affiliation, can contribute to the ongoing conversation on the role of service operations in value creation.Originality/value: Leveraging the collective knowledge of theJOSMService Operations Expert Research Panel to expand on the research themes generated from the Delphi study, novel questions for future study are put forward. Recognizing that the number of potential research questions is virtually unlimited, summary questions by theme and topic are also provided. These questions represent a synopsis of the individual questions and can serve as a quick reference guide for researchers interested in pursuing new directions in conceptual and empirical research in service operations. This summary also serves as a framework to facilitate the formulation of additional research topics and questions.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify research themes in service operations that have great potential for exciting and innovative conceptual and empirical work. To frame these research themes, the paper provides a systematic literature review of operations articles published in theJournal of Service Management(JOSM). The thorough review of published work inJOSMand proposed research themes are presented in hopes that they will inspire impactful research on service operations. These themes are further developed in a companion paper, “Service operations: what’s next?” (Fieldet al., 2018).Design/methodology/approach: TheJOSMService Operations Expert Research Panel conducted a Delphi study to generate research themes where leading-edge research on service operations is being done or has yet to be done. Nearly 700 articles published inJOSMfrom its inception through 2016 were reviewed and classified by discipline focus. The subset of service operations articles was then further categorized according to the eight identified research themes plus an additional category that primarily represented traditional manufacturing approaches applied in service settings.Findings: From the Delphi study, the following key themes emerged: service supply networks, evaluating and measuring service operations performance, understanding customer and employee behavior in service operations, managing servitization, managing knowledge-based service contexts, managing participation roles and responsibilities in service operations, addressing society’s challenges through service operations, and the operational implications of the sharing economy. Based on the literature review, approximately 20 percent of the published work inJOSMis operations focused, with earlier articles predominantly applying traditional manufacturing approaches in service settings. However, the percentage of these traditional types of articles has been steadily decreasing, suggesting a trend toward dedicated research frameworks and themes that are unique to the design and management of services operations.Originality/value: The paper presents key research themes for advancing conceptual and empirical research on service operations. Additionally, a review of the past and current landscape of operations articles published inJOSMoffers an understanding of the scholarly conversation so far and sets a foundation from which to build future research.

This article examines the influence of ISO 9000 certification on plant‐level process compliance, which arguably is its first‐order, targeted performance dimension. The empirical setting is the medical device manufacturing industry. Process compliance is measured through Food and Drug Administration inspections of manufacturing plants. We control for several observable factors that possibly affect process compliance by matching certified plants with non‐certified plants. Using longitudinal data, we find plants that obtained certification in the earlier diffusion period (early‐certified plants) tend to have significantly better process compliance than a matched, non‐certified control group of plants. The compliance difference between early‐certified plants and their matched control group is greater than the compliance difference between late‐certified plants and their matched control group. We also find deterioration in process compliance over time after certification. Because we capture longitudinally the first‐order effects of ISO 9000 on process compliance, this study provides a useful baseline for assessing causality in ISO 9000‐performance linkages. Also, we explain, in part, the inconsistencies observed in related ISO 9000 literature examining the performance effects of certification. Further, this research offers managerial insights on the dynamics of certification and process compliance with time, and highlights the need for continued vigilance post certification.

This study uses a service operations management (SOM) strategy lens to investigate chain store retailers' strategic design responsiveness (SDR)—a term that captures the degree to which retailers dynamically coordinate investments in human and structural capital with the complexity of their service and product offerings. Labor force and physical capital are respectively used as proxies for investments in human capital and structural capital, whereas gross margins are proxies for product/service offering complexity. Consequently, SDR broadly reflects three salient complementary choices of SOM design strategy. We test the effects of “brick and mortar” chain store retailers' SDR on current and future firm performance using publically available panel data collected from Compustat and the University of Michigan American Customer Satisfaction Index databases for the period 1996–2011. We find that retailers that fail to keep pace with investments in both structural and human capital exhibit short‐term financial benefits, but have worse ongoing operational performance. These findings corroborate the importance of managers strategically maintaining the complementarity of design‐related choices for improving and maintaining business performance.

This special issue presents production and operations management research papers from emerging markets worldwide, focusing on their unique contexts, institutions and markets. Collectively, they offer insights into the unique operations management strategies and practices that firms face in emerging markets. The magnitude and pace of change is staggering. As a result, execution and managing growth in these emerging markets represents both huge operational and supply chain risks, and simultaneously vast opportunities. We are confident that these papers stimulate new operations management research while highlighting the effective use of different research methodologies. We welcome you to enjoy this special issue of POMS. We express our deep gratitude to editorial team for their support. We especially wish to thank the authors for their contributions to this special issue.