The change is continuous and evident, are you ready? A longitudinal best practices study in Finnish industry

Abstract

The operational environment in international trade and structures are in a continuous change. The new network technology and the new world economic order of globalization have brought new meaning to operations and supply chain management. The central motivation for this study has been the great change that has been ongoing in the industry over the last 25 years. Another important motivation for this study has been to increase knowledge about the factors influencing the choice of correct practices and operational models, in order for them to support the company's strategic choices. Therefore, the research problem in this thesis is to study how the context and the change of context impact best practice use. The objective of the paper I was to extend the study of company performance to cover the entire company supply chain as well as the operations of Finnish industrial companies in the global market of the 2010s. This study discusses the trends of supply chain management and operational management, and provides answers to the current situation regarding company strategy, organization of operations, and best practices. The first paper depicts the current situation and the companies' thoughts regarding the future, but the significance and effects of this industrial change has been examined in papers II, III, and IV. The findings presented in the papers II, III and IV of this study are based on data gathered in 1993, 2003, and 2010 for a Finnish survey called Made in Finland (MiF). As a whole, the findings of this study are examined from three angles: strategy, performance enhancement, and human resources improvement. The basic principles and data of the MiF survey are based on the Made in Europe (MiE) study.The first paper titled "Changing supply chains in the era of turbulence " is a multiple case study, where supply chain management and operations management in the Finnish industry during the 2010s were studied. The second paper titled "Impact of Ownership Change of the Plant Practice-Performance Dynamics: a Longitudinal multiple Case Study" examines the impact of ownership changes on practice performance dynamics by longitudinally following the same 23 MiF manufacturing sites from the year 1993 to the year 2010. The third paper titled "Effect of change - a longitudinal study into the changing manufacturing structures" analyzes changes in the supply chain and production process, and the effects these changes have had to competitive performance. The fourth paper titled "Coping with the change: a longitudinal study into the changing manufacturing practices" examines how manufacturing sites have reacted to the changing business environment during the past 20 years by changing their management practices. Certain part of the MiF study data was selected to be used in this study.