Date of Award

1983

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract

This research attempts to develop and empirically test an integrative model of business economic performance. The research framework includes certain concepts and relationships that emanate from the literature in Industrial Organization Economics, Business Policy, and Organization Theory. In general, the key tenet of the study is threefold: (a) that there are industry differences in types of challenges confronting top level management; (b) that strategic and organizational responses that different environmental challenges elicit are quite different and somewhat predictable; and (c) that the combination of the environmental, strategic, and organizational characteristics of the organizations affect their economic performance. The sample for this research was selected from the less-diversified manufacturing companies on COMPUSTAT tapes. The sample proved to be quite diverse, representing a broad cross section of different manufacturing industries. The analysis of the data, in general, supported the major contentions of the study. The results suggested that organizations' responses to external contingencies vary by industry characteristics. In addition, it was concluded that the environmental, strategic, and structural profile of high-performing companies is indeed different from that of low-performing firms.

Pages

221

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_disstheses.3850

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