Operations management is a subject whose content, boundaries and importance have changed considerably over the last few years. The development of new areas such as total quality management (TQM), just in time (JIT), benchmarking and manufacturing strategy has created a new approach and definition of the subject. Scholars, practitioners and those new to the field need to have a clear definition and understanding of the terms, topics and techniques it now embodies.The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Operations Management provides clear, concise and informative definitions and explanations of the key concepts and issues. The dictionary includes entries which are carefully selected to:Treat all types of business whether they are service or manufacturing based.Represent the best in applied yet academically rigorous explanations of the ways in which the field contributes to the competitiveness of businesses.Include the latest research to represent current thought in the field.Take a conceptual approach to draw out the fundamental ideas that support the subject. The contributions have been commissioned from an international team of authors, all of whom are authorities in their field.Every entry in the dictionary is accessible without compromising scholarly accuracy. The Blackwell Encyclopedia Dictionary of Operations Management is destined to become the standard comprehensive reference work for teachers, practitioners, researchers and students in this field.