The Encyclopedia of Operations Management

The Encyclopedia of Operations Management is an ideal reference for practicing managers, students, and instructors. For practicing managers, the encyclopedia is a powerful tool for helping their organizations build a standard and precise language. It has also proven to be valuable tool for Six Sigma, Lean, and Lean Sigma black belt training. For students, the encyclopedia is a useful guide for developing an integrated mental map for the entire field of operations management. It has also proven useful for helping students prepare for case discussions and job interviews. For instructors, the encyclopedia is an invaluable desk reference and teaching aid that goes far beyond the typical dictionary of terms. Many instructors will find the numerous figures, graphs, equations, Excel formulas, and references helpful information for their lectures and research.

This encyclopedia has proven to be a useful required reference for a number of undergraduate and graduate business and engineering core courses. It has also proven useful for second-level courses in supply chain management, quality management, lean manufacturing, project management, service management, operations strategy, manufacturing management, industrial engineering, and manufacturing engineering.

This encyclopedia covers a wide range of disciplines related to operations management including:

- Accounting
- Distribution
- e-business
- Economics
- Finance
- Forecasting
- Human resources
- Industrial engineering
- Industrial relations
- Inventory management
- Lean manufacturing
- Logistics
- Maintenance/reliability engineering
- Management Information Systems
- Marketing/sales
- New product development (NPD)
- Operations research
- Organizational behavior/management
- Quality management
- Service management
- Simulation
- Six Sigma/Lean Sigma
- Statistics
- Strategic management
- Supply chain management
- Theory of Constraints (TOC)
- Transportation

Each entry begins with a short definition and ends with references to additional resources and cross-references to related terms. Essential terms for students are marked with a star at the end of the short definition. The whitepapers and Excel workbooks referenced in this book are marked with the CD icon in the text. These additional materials can be found on the Operations Management Whitepapers & Workbooks (OMWW) CD available from ClamshellBeachPress.com.

Professor Arthur Hill has a passion for writing simple, precise, and complete formal definitions of the terms that form the language of operations management. This encyclopedia is the product of that passion and over 30 years of research, teaching, and consulting -- including positions as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Operations Management, as a university professor on four continents, and as a consultant for over 70 organizations. Professor Hill is the John and Nancy Lindahl Professor for Excellence in Business Education in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.