Managing product variety: An integrative review and research directions
Journal
Production and Operations Management
Subject
Management Science and Operations
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Ramdas K
Biographies
Publication Year
2003
Abstract
Variety management has emerged as a crucial dimension of successful business practice. In this paper, I first provide a framework for managerial decisions about variety. Variety-creation decisions determine the amount, type, and timing of end-product variety, while variety-implementation decisions focus on the design and operation of internal processes and a supply chain to support a firm's variety-creation strategy. I organize variety-related decisions into four key decision themes in variety creation: 1) dimensions of variety, 2) product architecture, 3) degree of customization, and 4) timing; and three key decision themes in variety implementation: 1) process capabilities, 2) points of variegation, and 3) day-to-day decisions. I describe each theme and review the relevant literature on each theme, with a focus on research that provides insight to problems faced in practice. Finally, I identify untapped avenues for future research that would be of value to the practicing manager, paying special attention to interdependencies among decision themes.
Available on ECCH
No
