Manufacturing Strategy in Global Markets: An Operations Management Model

Suggests a conceptual model for operations that can be utilized in identifying the most significant opportunities and decisions in order to obtain competitive advantages in global industries. The model considers the following elements: competitive advantages, the performance of the operating system (as sources of competitive advantage) and the four phases of the so-called operation value chain: design, purchasing, production and distribution. The study of the implications on production strategy deriving from globalization is carried out using three groups of strategic decision categories: organization and management, management systems, technologies. The crossing of the three groups of strategic decision categories and the four operations phases identifies a matrix with twelve areas of opportunities and decisions for realization of global-type strategies. The proposed model makes it possible to identify the emergence of three paradigms in global industries regarding performance and behaviour of companies: time and cost compression, agreements and coalitions, and transfer.