Title: Operations management in improving elderly home care

Authors: Annastiina Rintala; Henri Karppinen; Jouni Koivuniemi

Addresses: School of Business and Management Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland ' Research, Development and Innovation Saimaa University of Applied Sciences, Skinnarilankatu 36, 53850 Lappeenranta, Finland ' School of Business and Management Lappeenranta University of Technology, P.O. Box 20, 53851 Lappeenranta, Finland

Abstract: The roots of operations management (OM) in manufacturing context, but there has been a growing interest in applying OM approaches in different types of service contexts, including the non-profit sector. In this study, we explore what OM research can do to support the improving of elderly home care. A systematic literature review was done to find out the typical managerial implications of service operations management (SOM) research. Interviews and a group decision support system session during an improvement project were used to point out the operational-level problems and development targets in organising elderly home care. By comparing the research focus of SOM with the operational-level problems observed in the case context, the paper helps in bridging the gap between SOM theory and practice. This research helps both researchers and practitioners understand how SOM research can benefit different types of target organisations.

Keywords: service operations; operations management; elderly clients; healthcare management; elderly home care; public sector; non-profit sector; literature review; case study; old people; senior citizens.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2016.076904

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2016 Vol.24 No.3, pp.331 - 362

Received: 23 Oct 2014
Accepted: 29 Nov 2014
Published online: 07 Jun 2016 *

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