A Case Study of Batching in a Mass Service Operation

Jacob V. Simons, Gregory R. Russell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Job batching is used extensively in manufacturing and the relevant theoretical considerations have been well-researched. However, while batching is also employed in mass services, it is not clear to what extent the manufacturing theory may be transferred. A single case study of a court scheduling service system with imbedded instances of batching was studied to address this question. The findings and analysis of the case indicate that while the factors that affect batching in manufacturing still apply, so do additional factors. The net effect is a broader set of considerations which influence the determination of when batching is desired in mass services and how big batches should be. Definitions of these factors, their relationships with batch size, and testable hypotheses are offered.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalJournal of Operations Management
Volume20
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2002

Disciplines

  • Operations and Supply Chain Management
  • Business Administration, Management, and Operations

Keywords

  • Batching
  • Case study research
  • Mass service
  • Service operations

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