Two archetypal approaches to performance improvement in operations are to undertake periodic ''strategic leaps'' or to take frequent small actions in a quest for ''continuous improvement''. Much research on the implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) indicates that even...

This paper empirically investigates the effect of advanced manufacturing technology on process stability during flexible production in a process industry. A sample of 61 North American fine paper plants is used to examine the relationship between the level of automation installed for controlling...

Introduction: README -- All the Malthusian millennia -- Power over the earth : the industrial era -- Industrial errors -- Earth Day and its debates -- The dematerialization surprise -- Crib notes -- What causes dematerialization : markets and marvels -- Adam Smith said that : a few words about...