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Strategic factors supporting improved profitability.

Axiö, Nils and Lidén, Jonas (2012) MIO920
Production Management
Abstract
Background: A common indicator of company long time survival and performance is its profitability. What then lies behind a company’s profits is a popular field of study, although more prescriptive than inquisitive literature has been published. One of the main reasons is that identification of what has led to an increase in profitability is extremely complex, as companies work in different micro and macro environments and that these change over time. Studies are usually performed in retrospective, and what was applicable to one company at one time, might not be so to a different company at a different time and in a different environment. Few studies have been conducted summing up the current knowledge base within the field of Strategic... (More)
Background: A common indicator of company long time survival and performance is its profitability. What then lies behind a company’s profits is a popular field of study, although more prescriptive than inquisitive literature has been published. One of the main reasons is that identification of what has led to an increase in profitability is extremely complex, as companies work in different micro and macro environments and that these change over time. Studies are usually performed in retrospective, and what was applicable to one company at one time, might not be so to a different company at a different time and in a different environment. Few studies have been conducted summing up the current knowledge base within the field of Strategic Management in an accessible manner.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to identify strategic factors in companies that had improved their profitability and evaluate their impact and difficulty to change, combining them into a theoretical framework displaying their perceived relative importance in a presentation possible to use as a foundation for a more practically useful model.
Method: Qualitative studies of Strategic management literature, both of an academic and popular nature. Identification of relevant sources was done mainly through meta-studies. Sources and findings were summarised and analysed, with regard to concepts and their connections.
Conclusions: Through study Strategic Management literature, 13 concepts, split into four main categories were singled out as being most important in affecting profitability. The categories and respective concepts are:
Current operation – Control measures, Evaluation, Rewards and Motivation
Organization – Focus on competencies and Strategic organisation
Foundation – Culture, Purpose, Communication and Leadership
Forward operation – Flexibility, Creativity and Learning
Furthermore it was concluded that in-between the many sources studied, there was no major contradictory ideas found. Some contradictory views of academics and practitioners brought value to the end result. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Axiö, Nils and Lidén, Jonas
supervisor
organization
course
MIO920
year
type
M1 - University Diploma
subject
keywords
Improved profitability, Strategic management, Strategy, Sustained superior performance, Organisational theory, Control measures, Evaluation, Rewards, Motivation, Organization competencies, Strategic organisation, Culture, Purpose, Communication, Leadership, Flexibility, Creativity, Learning.
other publication id
12/5434
language
English
id
3458977
date added to LUP
2013-02-07 11:21:48
date last changed
2013-02-07 11:21:48
@misc{3458977,
  abstract     = {{Background: A common indicator of company long time survival and performance is its profitability. What then lies behind a company’s profits is a popular field of study, although more prescriptive than inquisitive literature has been published. One of the main reasons is that identification of what has led to an increase in profitability is extremely complex, as companies work in different micro and macro environments and that these change over time. Studies are usually performed in retrospective, and what was applicable to one company at one time, might not be so to a different company at a different time and in a different environment. Few studies have been conducted summing up the current knowledge base within the field of Strategic Management in an accessible manner.
Purpose: The purpose of this thesis was to identify strategic factors in companies that had improved their profitability and evaluate their impact and difficulty to change, combining them into a theoretical framework displaying their perceived relative importance in a presentation possible to use as a foundation for a more practically useful model.
Method: Qualitative studies of Strategic management literature, both of an academic and popular nature. Identification of relevant sources was done mainly through meta-studies. Sources and findings were summarised and analysed, with regard to concepts and their connections.
Conclusions: Through study Strategic Management literature, 13 concepts, split into four main categories were singled out as being most important in affecting profitability. The categories and respective concepts are:
Current operation – Control measures, Evaluation, Rewards and Motivation
Organization – Focus on competencies and Strategic organisation
Foundation – Culture, Purpose, Communication and Leadership
 Forward operation – Flexibility, Creativity and Learning
Furthermore it was concluded that in-between the many sources studied, there was no major contradictory ideas found. Some contradictory views of academics and practitioners brought value to the end result.}},
  author       = {{Axiö, Nils and Lidén, Jonas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Strategic factors supporting improved profitability.}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}