Stephen J. Porth

Alignment of strategic priorities and performance: an integration of operations and strategic management perspectives

Abstract In theory, strategic priorities at the functional level align with and support business level strategies. Alignment of priorities is presumed to contribute to enhanced organizational performance, just as misalignment is expected to undermine performance. This study further develops and tests these theoretical conventions by examining the perceptions of general managers and manufacturing managers regarding manufacturing priorities of their business units. Based on a sample of matched pairs of manufacturing managers and general managers from 98 manufacturing plants, the hypotheses regarding the alignment–performance relationship are tested. Specifically, we tested whether the performance of the manufacturing unit is enhanced when general managers and manufacturing managers agree on strategic priorities. Furthermore, the influence of organizational factors on the relationship between alignment and performance of the manufacturing unit is studied. Results support our hypotheses that certain organizational variables moderate the relationship between alignment of priorities and manufacturing performance.

Spiritual themes of the “learning organization”

In the information age, the key to competitive advantage, claim many contemporary management thinkers, is no longer land or capital but knowledge, and specifically the capacity of organizations to acquire knowledge that translates into ongoing organizational innovations. The learning organization is a model of the organizational type that allows the human spirit to flourish so that creativity and innovation are possible. This study examines the characteristics of the learning organization, emphasizing its spiritual themes of employee growth, collaboration, and a sense of community. Points of convergence and divergence between the learning organization model and traditional spiritual understandings of employees and organizations are explored. Learning from these spiritual sources, it is argued, will not only help organizations achieve business objectives, but allow human beings to flourish within organizations.

Strategy‐managerial characteristics alignment and performance: A manufacturing perspective

Prior research of the influence of “upper echelon” managers has confirmed the importance of matching the characteristics of senior executives with the requirements of their organizations’ strategies. Firms that achieved higher levels of strategy‐manager alignment at both the corporate and business unit levels were found to have correspondingly higher levels of organizational performance. This study extends prior research of the strategy‐managerial characteristics relationship to the functional level of the organization. Specifically, based on a sample of 196 managers from 98 companies, this study investigates whether manufacturing units pursuing dissimilar strategies are led by manufacturing managers with dissimilar attributes, and whether the strategy‐manager alignment is related to the performance of the manufacturing unit. Results provide evidence to support these hypothesized relationships.

Competitive priorities and strategic consensus in emerging economies: evidence from India

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the competitive priorities of manufacturers in India, and examine the level of agreement or strategic consensus between senior executives and manufacturing managers on manufacturing competitive priorities in light of the prevalent culture., – Survey data collected from 156 respondents from 78 manufacturing units based on a national sample in India are used to test the hypotheses using the paired samples t‐tests and multivariate analysis of variance., – A relatively high emphasis by both levels of managers on quality, compared to the other three competitive priorities, is noteworthy and consistent with the global trends. The emphasis on delivery is a close second. Differences in competitive priorities exist across managerial levels in India despite the high power distance and low individualism., – The effect of ownership as private or public company was examined and no significant differences found, but data could not be collected on the ownership structure such as wholly owned domestic firms, foreign subsidiaries, or joint ventures. and whether a firm is a supplier to a multinational company. It may also be noted that a majority of the manufacturing companies in this paper came from three industries – chemicals, fabricated metals, and electronic and electrical equipment – and, hence, the findings of the paper might have been unduly influenced by the prevalent practices in these industries., – The paper informs global managers and firms seeking to outsource to, or invest in, India that the Indian managers place significantly high emphasis on quality and delivery, but not as much on product variety or ability to make frequent changes to product design and production volume. The managers in India need to take note of prevailing differences in managerial priorities and efforts need to be made such that the priorities are aligned and manufacturing strategy may be unified and coordinated., – In the Indian context, this is the first study that deployed multiple respondents to understand the manufacturing competitive priorities, and also the first to examine strategic consensus in operations strategy.

Management Education Goes International: A Model for Designing and Teaching a Study Tour Course

An international business study tour course may be an effective way to bridge theory and practice in management education and to internationalize both students and faculty. Going international creates unique challenges for the professor. This article (a) describes one version of a study tour course, (b) reviews the academic merit of such courses, and (c) proposes a three-phase model and set of recommendations for designing and teaching a rigorous and academically valuable international study tour course.

Ethical issues in the pharmaceutical industry: an analysis of US newspapers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analyze newspaper coverage of ethical issues in the pharmaceutical industry.Design/methodology/approach – The top five US newspapers were audited over two years and yielded 376 articles, which appeared as front‐page stories or editorials. First, headlines were analyzed and categorized as positive, negative, or neutral toward the industry. Next, the full‐text of each article was analyzed and ethical issues in each article were categorized. Then, articles were evaluated to determine whether the opposing point of view was included. Finally, comparisons were made between the identified issues and the issues cited by PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industrys trade association.Findings – Analysis of the ethical issues revealed different results for the two years. In 2004, the most common issues covered were drug pricing, data disclosure and importation/reimportation. In 2005, drug safety was the number one issue, due to Vioxx® with drug pricing a distant second. Headlines we...