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Customer support, such as equipment maintenance and repair, is an essential element in the successful marketing of a wide range of products, from computer systems to domestic appliances. Consequently, companies need to establish and maintain appropriate channels for high‐quality customer support; either as a part of their own operations or through third parties. This paper describes an exploratory investigation of the distribution channels and customer support strategies of five manufacturing businesses, using case study methodology. The results show the key role that customer support plays in various industries and illustrate the types of decisions companies make on how to provide high‐quality support for their customers. These findings have implications for managers in all industries where customer support is important, as they provide insights on how different channels and strategies affect the quality and efficiency of customer support.

A comprehensive review of the literature established that several investigations have been made of operations management teaching in the USA, whereas almost nothing has been published on European teaching. Therefore, an exploratory investigation was made of operations management teaching on the MBA courses of ten leading European business schools. The results show that course content is similar across schools, but there are large variations on three dimensions: the time allocated by schools to the subject; the balance between operations strategy and tools and techniques in teaching; and the level of emphasis given to service operations. The results also indicate the emerging importance of integrating operations management with other subjects in the MBA curriculum and the key challenge facing faculty ‐ the need to raise the perceived importance of operations management. The comparison of courses will be of interest to all operations management faculty who teach core courses and particularly those who are looking for ideas on how to re‐design courses.

Zu viele Firmen entwickeln sich auch heute noch am Markt vorbei, weil sie durch klassische Marktforschung die "versteckten Bedürfnisse" ihrer Kunden nicht bestimmen können. Diese sogenannten Hidden Needssindim Unterbewusstsein verankertund steuern dort - für den Kunden unbewusst - das Kaufverhalten.Moderne Ansätze, z.B. Hidden-Needs-AnalysePsychologie und AnthropologieWichtigsten MethodenPraxisnah Dr. Ursula Koners, Zeppelin University und Visiting Research Fellow Cranfield University.

Customer support is an essential element in the successful marketing of many products – from domestic appliances to high‐tech computer networks. Many aspects of support are strongly influenced by a product's design and so customer support requirements should be evaluated during new product development. However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship between new product development and customer support. The current study addressed this gap by using case studies and a workshop, both conducted with leading companies, to identify how customer support is typically evaluated at the design stage and to determine the importance of this aspect of new product development. The results have implications for managers responsible for product innovation – they show the need to allocate adequate resources to integrating customer support requirements into new product development.

Attracted by the easier access to local markets, many foreign companies have formed manufacturing joint ventures in China. One of the key elements of successful international joint venture (IJV) manufacturing in China is the management of suppliers, since the supply chain plays an essential role in contributing to both the quality of finished products and controlling costs. Supplier management in Chinese IJVs is an under‐researched area and so an exploratory study of five manufacturers was conducted using a case study approach. The results show the difficulties faced by IJVs which are in attempting to maintain quality levels at the same time as trying to reduce costs by purchasing materials and components locally. In addition to identifying important implications for companies, the research shows the need for further investigation of the contextual aspects of good supplier management.

International joint venture (IJV) manufacturing is important for both the Chinese economy and a large number of foreign investors. A review of the literature from both Western and Chinese researchers showed that although the purpose and advantages of IJV manufacturing in China are known, a vital aspect – operations management – has largely been ignored. Therefore, exploratory interviews with managers at six companies were conducted to investigate the operations management issues faced by IJV manufacturers in China. Four main problems were identified: the difficulty with recruiting and training suitable employees; all aspects of supplier management; problems with achieving high‐quality output; and achieving an effective IJV business culture. The results have implications not only for researchers, in that they indicate where more research is necessary, but also for practitioners, since they identify the areas where IJV manufacturers are most likely to encounter problems in China.

Too many new products fail. New products which are hard to differentiate from existing products won't capture the customer's imagination. The failure is due to a poor understanding of customers' needs. Companies need to take a radical approach to identifying customers' real needs, and this book demonstrates innovative ways to achieve this.

PurposePost‐project reviews (PPRs) are widely recommended as an appropriate mechanism to stimulate project‐to‐project learning in new product development (NPD) teams. However, empirical research on their potential is limited and so this study aims to answer two questions: how do NPD professionals perceive PPRs? and is tacit knowledge created during PPRs?Design/methodology/approachFive in‐depth case studies were conducted in German companies. The main sources of data were: company documentation; in‐depth interviews with managers; and observation of PPRs. The different data sources enabled extensive data triangulation and a high degree of reliability and validity to be achieved.FindingsThe results indicate that NPD personnel perceive PPRs to be a very useful mechanism. They also show that social interactions and tacit knowledge play key roles in NPD learning.Research limitations/implicationsTacit knowledge was investigated using a proxy measure – the usage of metaphors and stories in NPD discussions and documents. More robust ways of studying the generation and transfer of tacit knowledge are needed. The whole area of knowledge and learning in NPD requires significant further study.Practical implicationsManagement needs to drive the dissemination of the results of PPRs more effectively, in order to make more use of the tacit knowledge generated.Originality/valueThe main contributions of this study are the insights it provides on how PPRs are perceived and the exploratory investigation it makes of tacit knowledge – a complex topic that has previously only been discussed at a theoretical level.

PurposeEffective management of suppliers is one of the ways manufacturing companies can improve their performance. Typically, it has been argued in the literature that close relationships with suppliers should be developed, in contrast to the traditional price‐driven transactional relationships. However, there has been relatively little empirical research on how supplier management is applied.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents research probing how manufacturers manage their suppliers and takes a sample from Germany – which has a large manufacturing sector. In‐depth interviews with purchasing managers were used to understand whether relationships with suppliers were being utilised.FindingsThe analysis of the data indicates that a significant portion of the companies surveyed had experienced a change in their relationship with suppliers in the last few years. In the main, relationships had become closer and the use of partnerships was in evidence.Practical implicationsThe research results have implications for German manufacturing companies, as they indicate the potential for improving performance through the greater adoption of best practices in the area of supplier management. The research results indicate the need for German manufacturers to adopt leading‐edge practices in the area of supplier management.Originality/valueAlthough exploratory in nature, the investigation demonstrated the need for researchers to better understand the range of relationships in a typical manufacturer's supplier base.

Supplier partnerships can be the key in enhancing the performance of manufacturing companies. Consequently, partnership has been strongly recommended by academics and practitioners alike. Surprisingly, the concept of partnership is only poorly understood. Many authors have identified the advantages that it can bring but far less has been published on the attributes of partnership itself. What is known is that partnerships are "close" relationships and thus, the level of relationship closeness is an appropriate angle for exploring supplier partnerships. Research was conducted using the repertory grid technique with an exploratory sample of ten managers from four German engineering companies. It revealed that supplier partnerships are very different from other forms of relationship and identified five distinct attributes of partnerships. These findings have a number of implications for both practitioners and researchers.