Dimensions 1994-95

This magazine is a lab publication of journalism students enrolled in Publications Production at Des Moines Area Community College / Ankeny Campus.https://openspace.dmacc.edu/dimensions/1000/thumbnail.jp

An Empirical Investigation in Sustaining Highâ Quality Performance

Many organizations that were once quality leaders have had challenges sustaining highâ quality performance. Although research has examined frameworks and concepts that lead to highâ quality performance, few studies examine how to sustain highâ quality performance. Sustaining performance may require additional capabilities from what it takes to achieve it. Drawing on quality management literature, organizational resilience literature, and the theory of dynamic capabilities in the strategy literature, this study empirically investigates the effects of four capabilities that help sustain highâ quality performance. The analysis shows that capabilities in improvement, innovation, sensing weak signals, and responsiveness all help sustain highâ quality performance. This suggests that what it takes to achieve highâ quality performance is different, in part, from what it takes to sustain it. The data comes from a survey of 147 manufacturing business units. The analysis shows that the relative benefits of these capabilities may depend on the level of competitive intensity and environmental uncertainty. The findings provide empirical support for a theoretical model and practical guidance for sustaining quality performance.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134426/1/deci12210_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134426/2/deci12210.pd

Knowledge management in technology-focused firms in emerging economies: Caveats on capabilities, networks, and real options

In mature economies, technology-focused industries and the management of knowledge are widely viewed as critical to success. Increasingly, in emerging economies technology-focused industries and the management of knowledge are also viewed as important. To date, however, little is known about such activities in emerging economies. Particularly, it is not understood how knowledge management can impact efforts for corporate renewal in such environments. The literatures of the resource-based view of the firm, social capital/network theory, and real options theory are vital to providing insights for technology-focused industries and the management of knowledge in mature economies. In this paper we focus on the caveats when applying such theoretical foundations to emerging economies. To illustrate these issues we will draw on the largest emergent economy in the world, China. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007Emerging economies, Social capital, Network theory, Real options theory, Corporate renewal,