IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i5p2023-d1348778.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Quality Certification or Product Diversification Improve the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises?

Author

Listed:
  • Duc-Niem Le

    (Faculty of Economics, Tay Nguyen University, 567 Le Duan, Buon Ma Thuot 63000, Vietnam
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Van-Hoa Nguyen

    (Faculty of Economics, Tay Nguyen University, 567 Le Duan, Buon Ma Thuot 63000, Vietnam
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

This study utilizes a Cobb–Douglas production function and an instrumental variables regression approach to analyze the impact of quality certification and product diversification on asset productivity at the firm level. Analyzing a panel dataset of approximately 2500 firms from 2011, 2013, and 2015 showed that regional norms significantly influence adoption behaviors, which vary across industries and business types. The study reveals that firms employing computers and those with a larger scale are more inclined to adopt these strategies. The results showed that quality certification enhances asset productivity by approximately 26%, highlighting its positive role. In contrast, firms with diversified products exhibit about 18% lower asset productivity than mono-product firms, suggesting a trade-off inherent in diversification. The study concludes with policy recommendations emphasizing the promotion of quality certification while carefully considering the complexities and potential inefficiencies arising from product diversification strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Duc-Niem Le & Van-Hoa Nguyen, 2024. "Does Quality Certification or Product Diversification Improve the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2023-:d:1348778
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2023/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2023/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vu, Ha Thu & Tran, Duc & Goto, Daisaku & Kawata, Keisuke, 2020. "Does experience sharing affect farmers’ pro-environmental behavior? A randomized controlled trial in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    2. Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao & Xie, Feixue, 2014. "ISO certification, financial constraints, and firm performance in Latin American and Caribbean countries," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 203-228.
    3. Terlaak, Ann & King, Andrew A., 2006. "The effect of certification with the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard: A signaling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 579-602, August.
    4. Sebastien Houde, 2018. "Bunching with the Stars: How Firms Respond to Environmental Certification," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 18/292, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    5. Constantinos C. Markides, 1995. "Diversification, restructuring and economic performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 101-118.
    6. Charles J. Corbett & María J. Montes-Sancho & David A. Kirsch, 2005. "The Financial Impact of ISO 9000 Certification in the United States: An Empirical Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(7), pages 1046-1059, July.
    7. Elisa Calza & Micheline Goedhuys & Neda Trifković, 2019. "Drivers of productivity in Vietnamese SMEs: the role of management standards and innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 23-44, January.
    8. Ruby Roy Dholakia & Nir Kshetri, 2004. "Factors Impacting the Adoption of the Internet among SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 311-322, November.
    9. Nahata, Rajarishi, 2008. "Venture capital reputation and investment performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(2), pages 127-151, November.
    10. Manohar Singh & Ike Mathur & Kimberly C. Gleason, 2004. "Governance and Performance Implications of Diversification Strategies: Evidence from Large U.S. Firms," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 39(4), pages 489-526, November.
    11. Leslie E. Palich & Laura B. Cardinal & C. Chet Miller, 2000. "Curvilinearity in the diversification–performance linkage: an examination of over three decades of research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(2), pages 155-174, February.
    12. Sikandar Ali Qalati & Dragana Ostic & Mohammad Ali Bait Ali Sulaiman & Aamir Ali Gopang & Asadullah Khan, 2022. "Social Media and SMEs’ Performance in Developing Countries: Effects of Technological-Organizational-Environmental Factors on the Adoption of Social Media," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    13. Stan Xiao Li & Royston Greenwood, 2004. "The effect of within‐industry diversification on firm performance: synergy creation, multi‐market contact and market structuration," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(12), pages 1131-1153, December.
    14. Francisco Starke & Rangamohan V. Eunni & Nuno Manoel Martins Dias Fouto & Claudio Felisoni de Angelo, 2012. "Impact of ISO 9000 certification on firm performance: evidence from Brazil," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(10), pages 974-997, September.
    15. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    16. Andrew Delios & Paul W. Beamish, 1999. "Geographic scope, product diversification, and the corporate performance of Japanese firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 711-727, August.
    17. Palia, Darius & Lichtenberg, Frank, 1999. "Managerial ownership and firm performance: A re-examination using productivity measurement," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 323-339, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Clougherty, Joseph A. & Grajek, Michał, 2023. "Decertification in quality-management standards by incrementally and radically innovative organizations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(1).
    2. Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao & Zhu, Yicheng, 2023. "Can a signal mitigate a dilemma? Quality management standards, corruption, and business ethics," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 701-716.
    3. Tzu‐Lin Chang & Hsiao‐Wen Wang & Keng‐Pei Lin & Hsin‐Yu Chen, 2022. "R&D performance and international diversification: Evidence from an emerging market," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(7), pages 3176-3197, October.
    4. Mo Chen & Aseem Kaul & Brian Wu, 2019. "Adaptation across multiple landscapes: Relatedness, complexity, and the long run effects of coordination in diversified firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(11), pages 1791-1821, November.
    5. Trifković, Neda, 2017. "Spillover Effects of International Standards: Working Conditions in the Vietnamese SMEs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 79-101.
    6. Zúñiga-Vicente, José Ángel & Benito-Osorio, Diana & Guerras-Martín, Luis Ángel & Colino, Alberto, 2019. "The effects of international diversification on the link between product diversification and performance in a boom and bust cycle: Evidence from Spanish firms (1994–2014)," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(4).
    7. Xiaoling Chu & Chiuling Lu & Desmond Tsang, 2021. "Geographic Scope and Real Estate Firm Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, July.
    8. Dosi, Giovanni & Mathew, Nanditha & Pugliese, Emanuele, 2022. "What a firm produces matters: Processes of diversification, coherence and performances of Indian manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(8).
    9. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Fernando Úbeda, 2022. "Individual entrepreneurial orientation and performance: the mediating role of international entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 875-900, June.
    10. Joon Mahn Lee & Rahul Kapoor, 2017. "Complementarities and Coordination: Implications for Governance Mode and Performance of Multiproduct Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(5), pages 931-946, October.
    11. Blind, Knut & Mangelsdorf, Axel & Pohlisch, Jakob, 2018. "The effects of cooperation in accreditation on international trade: Empirical evidence on ISO 9000 certifications," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 50-59.
    12. Susan A. Kayser & John W. Maxwell & Michael W. Toffel, 2014. "Supply chain screening without certification: The critical role of stakeholder pressure," Working Papers 2014-08, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    13. Ana Kundid Novokmet & Andrijana Rogošiæ, 2017. "Long-Term Financial Effects of Quality Management System Maturity Based on ISO 9001 Principles," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(S11), pages 1003-1003.
    14. David I. Levine & Michael W. Toffel, 2010. "Quality Management and Job Quality: How the ISO 9001 Standard for Quality Management Systems Affects Employees and Employers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(6), pages 978-996, June.
    15. Bowen, Harry P. & Baker, H. Kent & Powell, Gary E., 2015. "Globalization and diversification strategy: A managerial perspective," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 25-39.
    16. Su, Hung-Chung & Kao, Ta-Wei (Daniel) & Linderman, Kevin, 2020. "Where in the supply chain network does ISO 9001 improve firm productivity?," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 283(2), pages 530-540.
    17. Micheline Goedhuys & Pierre Mohnen, 2017. "Management Standard Certification and Firm productivity: Micro-evidence from Africa," Journal of African Development, African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA), vol. 19(1), pages 61-83.
    18. Lin, Yini & Wu, Lei-Yu, 2014. "Exploring the role of dynamic capabilities in firm performance under the resource-based view framework," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 407-413.
    19. Jie Wu & Zefu Wu, 2019. "ISO certification and new product success in an emerging market," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(1), pages 51-71, February.
    20. Lin, Hsing-Er & Hsu, I-Chieh & Hsu, Audrey Wenhsin & Chung, Hsi-Mei, 2020. "Creating competitive advantages: Interactions between ambidextrous diversification strategy and contextual factors from a dynamic capability perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2023-:d:1348778. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.