Just-In-Time Inventory Management
Maintaining appropriate levels of inventory is a fundamental aspect of operations. In order to insure a smooth flow of work and delivery to customers, companies need to keep some amount of both raw materials and finished product on hand. But histori...
Impact of Management on Productivity
Managerial practices exert a major influence on productivity. Managers who listen well and encourage employees to take ownership of their work and contribute their ideas often see employee productivity increase.
Increasing Productivity
One way to increase productivity is by improving technology. Another is through long-term investment. Research and development, capital improvements, and workforce training can all be extremely expensive and may not pay off for years. But they do ge...
Defining and Calculating Productivity
An accurate measure of productivity can be a useful tool in defining problems and deciding where to direct resources and energy. There are many ways to calculate productivity, but almost all begin with a simple formula: productivity is output per un...
Elements of Leadership
Of all the factors that can bring an organization to life and turn an assemblage of individuals into a dynamic team, leadership has to be near the top of the list. But what exactly is leadership? Is it just some vague quality that emanates from with...
Quality Control Revolution, The
In recent decades, the concept of control, especially quality control, has been undergoing a revolution of sorts. To some extent this has been driven by innovative organizational and management techniques first utilized within Japanese industry. In ...