Configurational Theory in Traditional Manufacturing Industries: A New Model of High-Performing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

José Pla-Barber, Cristina Villar and German Benito-Sarriá
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José Pla-Barber: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Cristina Villar: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain
German Benito-Sarriá: Department of Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-16

Abstract: The goal of this study is to provide a model of high-performing small and medium-sized companies to address the new environmental challenges in traditional manufacturing industries. Adopting a configurational logic and following an inductive approach based on four high-performing firms, this paper provides new empirical evidence on how the steps followed by these firms are adjusted to the high-performance models prescribed by the literature. In doing so, it also offers a dynamic view of the interrelationships between the strategy and the new conditions of the environment. At a practitioner level, the paper illustrates which recipes are more appropriate to prescribe recommendations for a more robust model that reinforces competitiveness in these industries. This research suggests that competitive success in traditional manufacturing industries requires movement along five complementary and interlinked strategic-development axes: the use of cooperation agreements, the combination of local and international manufacturing, the greater control of the distribution channel, the sale of customized products, and an increasing concern for sustainability.

Keywords: strategy; internationalization; case studies; configurational theory; success; high-performing; SMEs; traditional manufacturing industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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