Understanding the organizational critical activities of manufacturers in case studies

¹ Department of Management Information Systems, National Chengchi University, No.64, Sec.2, Zhi Nan Rd., Wenshan District, Taipei City 11605, Taiwan, R.O.C.
² Department of Industrial Engineering & Systems Management, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Road, Taichung 40724, Taiwan, R.O.C.
³ Department of Information Management, National Chung Cheng University, 168 University Road, Min-Hsiung, Chia-Yi 62102, Taiwan, R.O.C.

^* Corresponding author : fhung@nccu.edu.tw

Abstract

Manufacturers tend to carry out certain important and continuous activities with respect to internal operations which could contribute to their success. These activities are termed organization critical activities (OCAs). The main objective of this study is to elicit the OCAs in the manufacturing industry to understand what can cause them to be successful. Through the case study approach including the interviews with the senior managers from three manufacturing companies in Taiwan and a series of prioritizing activities, 12 OCAs have been identified. This study found that Taiwanese manufacturers placed more importance on the activities of quality and cost control while placed relatively less importance on the marketing related activities. More findings and future research suggestions are also provided.