Business excellence factors: comparison between USA and Australian situation

Most of high performance theory research has been conducted in the USA (in particular, that of J. Collins). The question raised is whether this can be regarded as comprehensive and whether there would be any value in confirming these theories in other geographical areas, such as Australia. This paper outlines a literature search conducted to examine the various theories of firm high performance. This literature review highlights key differences between relevant criteria used by Australian and USA companies in this regard, in particular with respect to organizational culture, suggesting that further investigation may reveal other differentiating factors. Two current sources were found that specifically examined Australian high performance theories. To validate and compare various factors of high performance, a review was done on a number of Business Excellence Models. A review was also conducted on the modeling of Business Excellence Theories. Very few publications were found that criticized this research approach. Most critical reviews were published from 2007 onwards coinciding with the downturn of the global economy and the beginning of the global financial crisis suggesting that this criticism to be opportunistic. An analysis of Australian companies was conducted to identify those organizations with performance that stood out from the rest. Seven Australian companies consistently recorded at least three times greater than the stock market average for at least 15 years. This initial study will form the basic constructs in a research design to test high performance models of these seven companies, finally leading to an appropriate analysis to identify and validate resulting factors, especially those that differentiate themselves as uniquely Australian.