L'influence de la qualité sur les avantages compétitifs et efficacité organisationnelle
Analyse sectorielle : L'influence de la qualité sur les avantages compétitifs et efficacité organisationnelle. Recherche parmi 300 000+ dissertationsPar narjess • 22 Février 2015 • Analyse sectorielle • 632 Mots (3 Pages) • 555 Vues
Impact of quality on competitive advantage and
organizational performance
L Lakhal∗
Facult´ de Droit et des Sciences Economiques et Politiques de Sousse (Tunisia), Tunisiae
Effective quality improvement has become a potentially valuable way of securing competitive advantage and
improving organizational performance. This research conceptualizes and develops a framework that links
quality, competitive advantage, and organizational performance. Data for the study were collected from 74
organizations and the relationships proposed in the framework were tested using structural equation modelling.
The results indicate that quality improvement can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and improved
organizational performance. The contribution of the paper is that it provides empirical support for direct and
indirect effects of quality on organizational performance and competitive advantage in Tunisia.
Keywords: quality; competitive advantage; organizational performance; structural equation modelling
1. Introduction
As competition in the 1990s intensified and markets became
global, quality has become a growing priority within orga-
nizations. Many companies have improved the quality of
their products and services in order to enhance organiza-
tional performance and to be competitive. Yet, despite nearly
three decades of research on quality improvement efforts, the
impact of quality on organizational performance is still being
debated (Das et al, 2000; Lakhal et al, 2006). This has been
attributed to the inconsistency of the empirical findings of the
relationship between quality and organizational performance
and the conceptual confusion (Capon et al, 1990; Hardie,
1998). There is no generally accepted definition of quality in
the literature (Garvin, 1987; Stone-Romero et al, 1997).
Indeed, if some studies have demonstrated that improving
quality lead to better performance outcomes for the firm
(Phillips et al, 1983; Wagner, 1984; Buzzell and Gale, 1987;
Kordupleski et al, 1993; Sohal et al, 1993; Anderson et al,
1994; Maani et al, 1994; Lakhal et al, 2006), evidence from
other studies suggests that improving quality does not always
lead to better performance and that results may even be nega-
tive (Jacobson and Aaker, 1987; Tornow and Wiley, 1991;
Wisner and Eakins, 1994; Yavas and Burrows, 1994; Ittner
and Larcker, 1996; White, 1996; Grandzol and Gershon, 1997;
Iaquinto, 1999; Ittner et al, 2003).
The purpose of this study is therefore to empirically test
a framework identifying the relationships among quality,
competitive advantage, and organizational performance.
∗ Correspondence: L Lakhal, 11, rue de la lib´ ration cit´ ettaamir 4002ee
Sousse, Tunisia.
E-mail:
...