Success research

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The aim of success research is the identification of successful own or third-party problem-solving concepts . Success research has its origins in industry studies from the 1960s.

Research priorities

A distinction can be made between various research focuses:

  • internal success research based on internal company data such as income statements ,
  • external success research on the basis of external company data such as business reports . Here again , a distinction must be made between sector-specific (e.g. PIMS concept ) and cross-sector projects (e.g. benchmarking studies).

With the help of so-called success factors , essential influencing factors on the company's success are to be identified. These include, for example, investment intensity , productivity , market position, market growth , product quality , innovation and differentiation, vertical integration, cost pressure and strategy.

criticism

Success research is controversial despite large empirical studies and numerous projects. This is particularly due to the problem of causality and the mechanistic approach:

  1. It is not possible to identify any individual variables that are the cause of the company's success; rather, various factors play a role;
  2. The results of the success research suggest instructions for action, e.g. B. "Increase market share so that profitability is increased through lower costs" However, companies are social entities whose soft factors such as management quality, corporate culture , knowledge etc. cannot be measured
  3. If there was a "recipe for success", then every company would have to be successful.

See also

literature

  • Hans H. Bauer and Nicola E. Sauer: Success factor research as a black hole? , In: DBW, 64th year 2004, No. -4, pp. 621-622. pdf
  • Robert D. Buzzell and Bradley T. Gale: The PIMS Program. Strategies and corporate success , Wiesbaden 1989
  • Wolfgang Fritz: Success factor research - a failure? pdf
  • Olaf Göttgens : Success factors in stagnating and shrinking markets. Instruments of a successful corporate policy , Diss. Saarbrücken 1995, Wiesbaden 1996. ISBN 3409132651
  • Christian Homburg and Harley Krohmer : The fly swatter as an instrument of scientific dialogue. pdf
  • Alexander Nicolai and Alfred Kieser: Despite blatant failure: The success factor research continues on the road to success , in: Die Betriebswirtschaft (DBW), 62nd year 2002, No. 6, pp. 579-596. pdf
  • Alexander Nicolai and Alfred Kieser: Of consensus generating machines, smoke candles and "the operation called 'understanding'" pdf

Web links