Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) technologies offer new opportunities for teaching management courses. The objective of this article is to present one way to use VR to teach operations management. In partnership with a global manufacturer, we integrate virtual environments of the manufacturers’ real factories in a course assignment. The assignment was used in two graduate operations management courses. Theoretically, we draw on the concept of immersion. To evaluate the effects of VR on students’ learning experiences, we use focus groups and a survey. We find that VR can be implemented cost-efficiently in operations management courses and present one way to do it. Considering effectiveness, we find that students generally perceive that VR improves their learning experience. The presented VR assignment provides students a guided discovery learning, which is active. However, we also find several limitations with the current technology, which can be overcome in future implementations. Teachers can use the idea and findings presented here to innovate their own teaching by the means of readily available and low-cost VR technologies.

PurposeIn this paper, the authors empirically investigate under which conditions production network management is effective to improve manufacturers' financial performance. For this, the authors explore contingencies between production networks and the three key dimensions of organizational environment.Design/methodology/approachA survey with senior managers was conducted for this research. The authors used a hierarchical regression analysis to test interaction effects and draw on follow-up interviews with chief operating officers (COOs) and senior managers to elaborate and explain the found associations.FindingsResults indicate that manufacturers' financial performance is only associated with their network capability level if they operate in hostile competitive environments. In moderate competitive environments, improvements in the network capability level are not associated with greater financial performance. In particularly munificent environments, such production network upgrades are even associated with the opposite effect.Practical implicationsResults highlight in which organizational contexts upgrading production networks has positive performance implications and under which circumstances it is ineffective or even counterproductive.Originality/valueThe authors draw on unique survey data to add quantitative evidence to the predominantly conceptual and qualitative literature on global production networks. This is also one of the first studies to connect the topics of production networks and organizational environment.

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