scholarly journals Practical implications and future research agenda of lean manufacturing: a systematic literature review

Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Evangelos Psomas ◽  
Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes ◽  
Peter Hines
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Psomas

PurposeMany future research proposals of Lean Manufacturing (LM) are presented in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to determine these future research proposals of LM which are country-related and classify them.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed journal articles in LM was conducted. A total of 145 articles published in 34 journals during 2010–2020 were collected from four major management science publishers namely, Emerald Online, Elsevier/Science Direct, Springer Link and Taylor and Francis. The country-related future research proposals of LM identified in the literature were classified according to, firstly, the continent of the country of reference, and secondly, some form of natural affinity of these proposals creating meaningful themes. The quality tool “affinity diagram” was applied to classify the country-related future research proposals of LM.FindingsThe country-related future research proposals of LM, which are increasing in the literature over time, refer mostly to studies to be conducted in several continents/countries and to multinational studies. Conducting studies specifically in Asia, Europe, South and North America, Africa and Australia–New Zealand is also suggested. The plethora of the country-related future research proposals of LM were classified, based on the affinity of their content, into 18 meaningful themes. These themes were also classified based on their affinity into two broad categories, namely “themes concerning the LM approach itself” and “themes concerning factors outside the LM approach”.Research limitations/implicationsThe restricted number of the databases searched and the subjectivity of classifying the large number of the country-related future research proposals into themes are the main limitations of the present SLR. Based on these limitations, future literature review studies can be carried out.Practical implicationsUseful proposals are provided to researchers of several countries for conducting original and country-specific research studies which can enrich the knowledge of the implementation of LM under the specific circumstances of a country for the benefit of practitioners.Originality/valueThis study goes beyond previous literature review studies on LM by focusing exclusively on the LM future research agenda which is country related. The analytical presentation of the country-related future research proposals as well as the formulation of clusters of these proposals make the present SLR study substantially different from those carried out worldwide so far.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Solazzo ◽  
Gianluca Elia ◽  
Giuseppina Passiante

Purpose This study aims to investigate the Big Social Data (BSD) paradigm, which still lacks a clear and shared definition, and causes a lack of clarity and understanding about its beneficial opportunities for practitioners. In the knowledge management (KM) domain, a clear characterization of the BSD paradigm can lead to more effective and efficient KM strategies, processes and systems that leverage a huge amount of structured and unstructured data sources. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology based on a mixed analysis approach (unsupervised machine learning and human-based) applied to 199 research articles on BSD topics extracted from Scopus and Web of Science. In particular, machine learning processing has been implemented by using topic extraction and hierarchical clustering techniques. Findings The paper provides a threefold contribution: a conceptualization and a consensual definition of the BSD paradigm through the identification of four key conceptual pillars (i.e. sources, properties, technology and value exploitation); a characterization of the taxonomy of BSD data type that extends previous works on this topic; a research agenda for future research studies on BSD and its applications along with a KM perspective. Research limitations/implications The main limits of the research rely on the list of articles considered for the literature review that could be enlarged by considering further sources (in addition to Scopus and Web of Science) and/or further languages (in addition to English) and/or further years (the review considers papers published until 2018). Research implications concern the development of a research agenda organized along with five thematic issues, which can feed future research to deepen the paradigm of BSD and explore linkages with the KM field. Practical implications Practical implications concern the usage of the proposed definition of BSD to purposefully design applications and services based on BSD in knowledge-intensive domains to generate value for citizens, individuals, companies and territories. Originality/value The original contribution concerns the definition of the big data social paradigm built through an SLR the combines machine learning processing and human-based processing. Moreover, the research agenda deriving from the study contributes to investigate the BSD paradigm in the wider domain of KM.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 254-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelos Psomas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the originality value of the lean manufacturing (LM) studies carried out worldwide so far. Design/methodology/approach Four major publishers, namely, Emerald Online, Science Direct, Springer Link and Taylor and Francis provided the databases for a systematic literature review (SLR) of peer-reviewed journal articles in LM. In total, 211 articles published in 52 journals during 2005-2016 were collected. The affinity diagram was applied to group the originality value statements identified into logical themes. Findings The plethora of originality value statements identified in the literature are analytically presented. Furthermore, meaningful themes of the originality value of the LM studies are formulated. Research limitations/implications Some publishers might have been missed out in this SLR, given that it is based on only four academic publishers. Practical implications Identifying the originality value of the existing LM studies and presenting respective meaningful themes can help researchers and practitioners design their future research and implementation plans, respectively. Originality value The originality value of the LM studies is a subject which has not been reviewed in the literature previously.


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