Zero-sum and frontier trade-offs: an investigation on compromises and compatibilities amongst manufacturing capabilities

Roberto Sarmiento (1) , Vinaya Shukla (1)

1 Cardiff Business School

This paper examines well-accepted methodologies and rationales used to assert the presence/absence of trade-offs and compatibilities between manufacturing capabilities, and comparisons are made with respect to more recent theoretical developments. By means of a detailed analysis of a representative framework, important limitations and inconsistencies are identified. The proposal for the existence of zero-sum and frontier trade-offs intends to resolve some of those issues. Generally speaking, zero-sum trade-offs are identified by a statistically significant and negative correlation. On the other hand, frontier trade-offs are predicted to be observed after some level of compatibility between different capabilities is achieved. This means that, apart from widely-used probabilistic methodologies such as linear regression/correlation analysis, subsequent deterministic approaches and rationales need to be applied in order to acknowledge the potential existence of frontier tradeoffs. These and other implications are discussed in light of previous studies, and suggestions for future research are offered.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Roberto Sarmiento, Vinaya Shukla. Zero-sum and frontier trade-offs: an investigation on compromises and compatibilities amongst manufacturing capabilities. International Journal of Production Research, 2010, 49 (7), pp.2001. ⟨10.1080/00207540903555544⟩. ⟨hal-00588660⟩