Tautologies, models and theories--can we find "laws" of manufacturing?
Name
SWP-3386-92-MSA-25761447.pdf
Size
724.43 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7c5a85c8f1a775ce48fef17030b44a80
Author(s)
Little, John D. C.
Date Issued
1992
Publisher
Cambridge, Mass : Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Series/Report no.
Working paper (Sloan School of Management);3386-92-MSA
Abstract
Are there "laws" of manufacturing? If so, what do they look like? If not, what other forms of knowledge might comprise intellectual foundations for a discipline of manufacturing? We differentiate among mathematical tautologies, laws, models, and theories, giving examples of each. Laws closely analogous to those of nineteenth century physics appear to be unlikely but empirical models offer the prospect of building new understanding of manufacturing, even if they may lack the precision of their classical counterparts. Descriptive models serving scientific goals tend to differ from prescriptive models for problem-solving. The latter must be complete enough to solve the practical problem at hand and yet be selective in their detail so as not to paralyze problem-solving with irrelevant complication. A growing collection of parsimonious models and theories can form a basis for the design, analysis and control of complex manufacturing systems.
Description
"This is a revised version of Little (1992) in Manufacturing Systems: Foundations of World-Class Practice, J.A. Heim and W.D. Compton, eds."
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