Title: A systematic review of the association between competitive strategies, quality management, and non-financial and financial performance

Authors: Zhenia Tahmasebinia; Mahmoud Dehghan Nayeri; Foozhan Tahmasebinia

Addresses: Ivy College of Business, Iowa State University, Ames, USA ' Management and Economics Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran ' Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, USA

Abstract: This study aims to systematically examine the relationship between quality management, competitive strategies (cost leadership, concentration, and differentiation), and performance (non-financial and financial). The Web of Science platform and Scopus database were used for collecting the data, and 127 articles were finally chosen from these two important databases. Our analysis shows a positive relationship between quality management, competitive strategies (cost leadership, focus, and differentiation), and non-financial and financial performance. Based on our investigation, our proposal includes both direct and indirect connections between the aforementioned concepts. This research presents several novel contributions: examining the associations between the above-mentioned concepts and thereby helping to strengthen their theoretical framework. In addition, the study proposed combining quality management practices with competitive strategies to enhance non-financial performance and then improve financial performance to survive in a constantly changing competitive environment.

Keywords: competitive strategies; cost leadership; differentiation; financial performance; focus; non-financial performance; quality management; systematic review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2026.153638

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2026 Vol.48 No.1, pp.36 - 89

Received: 17 May 2023
Accepted: 23 Dec 2023
Published online: 19 May 2026 *

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