The Impact of the market pioneer's leadtime on market share

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35748/2/b157646x.0001.001.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35748/1/b157646x.0001.001.tx

Tradeoffs between quality and productivity: Cross-category differences in the relationship between perceived quality and productivity.

In recent years, productivity and quality have been the focus of much attention among business practitioners, as well as scholars in a variety of disciplines. However, there is little consensus regarding the nature of the relationship between the two. The traditional perspective is that increasing quality increases costs and thereby reduces productivity. Conversely, recent scholars, particularly in production and operations, have argued that quality improvements increase productivity by reducing rework, complaints and returns, and other failure costs. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether (and when) superiority in productivity is compatible with superiority in quality, or whether (and when) there are inherent tradeoffs between the two. Drawing from literature on productivity and quality, as well as literature on the relationship between costs and quality, a model is developed that analyzes the productivity and quality relationship for various industry sectors. Hypotheses are introduced predicting sector differences in the relationship. Using data from firms in the Swedish Customer Satisfaction Barometer database, the analysis finds a positive relationship between relative productivity and relative perceived quality for manufacturers of tangible goods and some service industries. The relationship is negative for most service sectors. The study provides an exploration into an important relationship that links marketing with production and operations. It provides interesting insights for both researchers and managers, and identifies a number of interesting topics for future research.Ph.D.Business AdministrationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/104133/1/9500948.pdfDescription of 9500948.pdf : Restricted to UM users only