Manufacturing competitive priorities and productivity: an empirical study

Compares and contrasts the competitive priorities (manufacturing capabilities) of high‐ and low‐productivity firms, from the perspective of the cumulative model for manufacturing competitiveness by using various statistical tests. Contends that the analysis of 561 firms worldwide demonstrates clearly differences in manufacturing strategy between the two productivity subsets, one of which is that better performing firms are the more likely to address multiple capabilities simultaneously; another is that these firms appear to have the more clearly defined competitive strategies. The high‐productivity firms are thus more supportive than are the low‐productivity firms of the cumulative model. Also discusses other findings.