Author:
Jacobs Mark,Vickery Shawnee K.,Droge Cornelia
Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of product modularity on four aspects of competitive performance: cost, quality, flexibility, and cycle time.Design/methodology/approachConstructs were created from a comprehensive survey of the automotive sector. Regression is used to ascertain the relationship between the constructs of product modularity and performance with three different integration strategies as mediators.FindingsModularity positively and directly influences each aspect of competitive performance for each integration strategy tested. Indirect effects were found for each integration strategy for cost and flexibility; and for manufacturing integration and cycle time.Practical implicationsA product modularity strategy enables simultaneous improvements on multiple dimensions of competitive performance.Originality/valueThis research is the first to empirically validate the effects of product modularity on competitive performance. Furthermore, it provides insight into the exact nature of product modularity's influence on competitive performance.
Subject
Management of Technology and Innovation,Strategy and Management,General Decision Sciences
Reference73 articles.
1. Allen, K.R. and Carlson‐Skalak, S. (1998), “Defining product architecture during conceptual design”, Procedings of the 1998 ASME Design Engineering Technical Conference, Atlanta, GA, DTM 5650, pp. 1‐12.
2. Anonymous (2001), “Supplier integration key to Ingersoll‐Rand's i‐procurement process”, Supplier Selection & Management Report, Vol. 1 No. 6, pp. 13‐15.
3. Baldwin, C.Y. and Clark, K.B. (1997), “Managing in an age of modularity”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 75 No. 5, pp. 84‐94.
4. Baldwin, C.Y. and Clark, K.B. (1999), Design Rules, The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
5. Baron, R.M. and Kenny, D.A. (1986), “The moderator‐mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51 No. 6, pp. 1173‐82.
Cited by
140 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献