An Analysis of the Effect of Operations Management Practices on Performance

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the possible relationships among some optimization techniques used in Operations Management and the performance of SMEs that operate in the manufacturing sector. A model based on the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach is used to analyse a dataset of small and medium-sized Italian enterprises. The model is expressed by a system of simultaneous equations and is solved through regression analysis. Taking advantage of the contributions presented previously, we focus our research on the Italian economy, highlighting the importance of Operations Management practices, which are relevant drivers of these firms' performances.