Impact of Supplier Management Strategies on the Organizational Performance of ISO 9001 Certified Organizations

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact of Supplier orientation and the resulting Supply Chain Management (SCM) approach, on the organizational performance of ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems certified organizations. Methodology/Approach: Following a literature review, a full structural conceptual model was proposed. An online survey was administered to managers of Portuguese organizations with certified ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems. Descriptive Statistics and Structural Model Equations were used to validate the proposed conceptual model. Findings: There are positive relationships between Organization Strategy and Supplier Orientation, between Supplier Orientation and Stakeholders Satisfaction, and between Stakeholders Satisfaction and Organizational Performance Orientation, supporting ISO 9001:2015. These findings provide insights that supplier orientation, mediated by stakeholder satisfaction, is an essential tool for organizational competitive sustainable advantage. Research Limitation/implication: The analysis was based on managers of ISO 9001 certified organizations perceptions, so additional studies with actual data and longitudinal studies should be useful for further validation. Originality/Value of paper: The importance of the overall organizational ecosystem is highlighted with potential impact on the more than 1 Million ISO 9001 organizations certified worldwide and in their suppliers

Countries three wise men: sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness

Purpose: The studies on links between sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness have been mainly focused at organizational and business level. The purpose of this research is to investigate if there is a correlation between these three variables at country level. Using international well recognized rankings of countries sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness, correlation analysis was performed allowing for the conclusion that there are indeed high correlations (and possible relationships) between the three variables at country level. Design/methodology/approach: Sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness literature were reviewed identifying a lack of studies examining these three variables at country level. Three major well recognized indexes were used to support the quantitative research: The World Economic Forum (2013) Sustainability-adjusted global competitiveness index, the Global Innovation Index (2014) issued by Cornell University, INSEAD, and WIPO and the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (2014). After confirming the distributions normality, Pearson correlation analysis was made with results showing high linear correlations between the three indexes. Findings: The results of the correlation analysis using Pearson correlation coefficient (all correlation coefficients are greater than 0.73) give a strong support to the conclusion that there is indeed a high correlation (and a possible relationship) between social sustainability, innovation and competitiveness at country level. Research limitations/implications: Further research is advisable to better understand the factors that contribute to the presented results and to establish a global paradigm linking these three main constructs (social sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness). Some authors consider that these measurements are not fully supported (e.g. due to different countries standards), however, it is assumed these differing underlying methodological approaches, by being used in conjunction, can be considered as a set of reliable and useful performance indicators. Practical implications: The results highlight the simultaneous relationship between social sustainability, innovation and competitiveness superior performance and the need to take that these considerations into business and operating models. Social implications: This research suggests that sustainability and innovation policies, strategies and practices are relevant for countries competitiveness and should be promoted particularly in countries ranked low on sustainability and innovation global scoring indexes. Originality/value: This is one of the few studies addressing the relationships between sustainability, innovation and competitiveness at country level.Peer Reviewe

Recursos, posição e desempenho empresarial num cluster. Estudo no cluster de calçado de Felgueiras e Guimarães

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências Empresariais (ramo de conhecimento em Marketing e Gestão Estratégica)A importância da localização da empresa é um assunto controverso. Alguns defendem que a globalização tornou este conceito irrelevante, enquanto outros dizem que a concentração espacial de empresas é um factor explicativo do comportamento empresarial. Pese embora estas considerações, verifica-se que as empresas de muitos sectores e sectores relacionados estão aglomeradas em determinados locais, estabelecendo entre si uma multiplicidade de relações que lhes proporcionam vantagens que não obteriam se actuassem de forma isolada. Neste contexto, esta tese contribui para o estudo dos clusters enquanto fonte de vantagem competitiva, examinando a heterogeneidade de comportamentos das empresas no acesso, posse e exploração de recursos. O presente estudo analisa três aspectos principais: (i) o desempenho da empresa, baseando-se na natureza dos recursos a que acede no cluster, na posição que ocupa e na capacidade de absorção de conhecimento que possui; (ii) o acesso aos recursos partilhados no cluster por parte da empresa, baseando-se no modo como vê e interpreta a rede de relacionamentos desse cluster e (iii) a posição da empresa no cluster, baseando-se na sua capacidade de absorção de conhecimento. A análise tem por base um modelo teórico original, composto por cinco constructos – recursos partilhados, perspectiva, posição, capacidade de absorção e desempenho – e cinco relações causais. O modelo foi testado no cluster de calçado, localizado nos concelhos de Felgueiras e Guimarães, onde houve recolha de dados primários ao nível da empresa, através de um questionário. Na análise de dados, recolhidos numa amostra de 200 empresas, recorreu-se à modelação de equações estruturais. O contributo da tese para a teoria é materializado através do modelo teórico original, que possui uma perspectiva integradora, uma vez que incorpora constructos originários da teoria dos recursos, abordagem de redes e teoria dos clusters. Em termos empíricos, salientam-se três contributos principais: (i) as empresas beneficiam assimetricamente das externalidades do cluster e as suas capacidades individuais de análise, compreensão e exploração de conhecimento determinam os seus desempenhos; (ii) as empresas acedem de modo diferenciado aos recursos partilhados no cluster, devido às diferentes percepções que têm sobre a rede de relacionamentos e (iii) as empresas ocupam posições mais centrais no cluster quando detêm uma maior capacidade de absorção do conhecimento que emana do meio envolvente.The importance of firm location is a controversial issue. Some defend that globalization has made these concept irrelevant; while others believe spatial concentration of firms is an explanatory factor of firm behavior. Despite these considerations, it is evident that firms from several sectors and related industrial areas are clustered in certain locations, establishing between them a multiplicity of relationships, which allow them advantages otherwise not possible. Within this context, this thesis makes a contribution to the study of clusters as a source of competitive advantage, by examining the heterogeneity of behavior in the firms’ access, possession and exploitation of resources. The present study analyses three main aspects: (i) the firm’s performance, based on the nature of the resources it accesses in the cluster, the position it occupies and the absorptive capacity of knowledge; (ii) the access to resources shared within the cluster, based on the way the firm sees and interprets the relationship network of that cluster and (iii) the position within the cluster, based on the firm’s knowledge absorptive capacity. The analysis is based on an original theoretical model, composed by five constructs – shared resources, perspective, position, absorptive capacity and performance – and five causal relations. This model was tested in the footwear cluster, located in the counties of Felgueiras and Guimarães, where primary data has been gathered at firm level by a questionnaire. In the data analysis, collected from a sample of 200 firms, the structural equation modeling was implemented. The contribution of this thesis for the theory lays on the use of an original theoretical model, which possesses an integrative perspective, once it features a set of constructs from the resource based-view of the firm, network approach and clusters theory. In empirical terms, three main contributions can be underlined: (i) firms beneficiate asymmetrically from the cluster’s externalities and their individual capacities of analysis, understanding and exploitation of knowledge determine their performance; (ii) firms access, in diverse ways, to shared resources within the cluster due to the different perceptions each one has about the network of relationships and (iii) firms occupy more central positions within the cluster when they possess greater absorptive capacity of the knowledge coming from the surrounding environment.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Programa Especial de Apoio à Formação Avançada de Docentes do Ensino Superior Politécnico (PROTEC 09)Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Felgueiras do Instituto Politécnico Porto (ESTGF.IPP

Countries three wise men: sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness

Purpose: The studies on links between sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness have been mainly focused at organizational and business level. The purpose of this research is to investigate if there is a correlation between these three variables at country level. Using international well recognized rankings of countries sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness, correlation analysis was performed allowing for the conclusion that there are indeed high correlations (and possible relationships) between the three variables at country level. Design/methodology/approach: Sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness literature were reviewed identifying a lack of studies examining these three variables at country level. Three major well recognized indexes were used to support the quantitative research: The World Economic Forum (2013) Sustainability-adjusted global competitiveness index, the Global Innovation Index (2014) issued by Cornell University, INSEAD, and WIPO and the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (2014). After confirming the distributions normality, Pearson correlation analysis was made with results showing high linear correlations between the three indexes. Findings: The results of the correlation analysis using Pearson correlation coefficient (all correlation coefficients are greater than 0.73) give a strong support to the conclusion that there is indeed a high correlation (and a possible relationship) between social sustainability, innovation and competitiveness at country level. Research limitations/implications: Further research is advisable to better understand the factors that contribute to the presented results and to establish a global paradigm linking these three main constructs (social sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness). Some authors consider that these measurements are not fully supported (e.g. due to different countries standards), however, it is assumed these differing underlying methodological approaches, by being used in conjunction, can be considered as a set of reliable and useful performance indicators. Practical implications: The results highlight the simultaneous relationship between social sustainability, innovation and competitiveness superior performance and the need to take that these considerations into business and operating models. Social implications: This research suggests that sustainability and innovation policies, strategies and practices are relevant for countries competitiveness and should be promoted particularly in countries ranked low on sustainability and innovation global scoring indexes. Originality/value: This is one of the few studies addressing the relationships between sustainability, innovation and competitiveness at country level