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Despite the pervasiveness of Six Sigma programs, there is rising concern regarding the failure of many Six Sigma programs. One explanation for many Six Sigma failures could be escalation of commitment. Escalation of commitment refers to the propensity of decision-makers to continue investing in a failing course of action. Many researchers have applied escalation of commitment to explain the behavior of individuals, groups, companies, and nations. Using the escalation of commitment model (Staw and Ross 1987a; Ross and Staw Acad. Manag. J. 36:701-732 1993) as a basis, this research describes a Six Sigma failure in an electrical components company. In documenting this failure, this research contributes in two ways, both in the practice and in the theory of Six Sigma. First, while examining the Six Sigma failure, this research uncovers important factors for successful implementation, which should improve the practice of Six Sigma. Second, academic research (e.g., Schroeder et al. J. Oper. Manag, 26:536-554 2008; Zu et al. J. Oper. Manag, 26:630-650 2008) is engaged in uncovering the definition of Six Sigma, and its differences from other improvement programs. This research provides a new direction to academic research and has the potential to impact the theory of Six Sigma.

Goldratt, the originator of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), maintains that only the system's primary resource constraint(s) should be scheduled at 100% of capacity. All other resources should have excess capacity. This paper presents the results of a simulation experiment that studies how changes in the capacity utilization of a system's two most heavily utilized resources affect the performance of a drum-buffer-rope (DBR)scheduling system. The research demonstrates that 100% utilization of the primary constraint is not optimal. It also shows that DBR responds well to relatively low levels of increased capacity at the operation's second most heavily utilized resource. This research also highlights several other issues related to capacity utilization that need further investigation.