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Purpose -Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) purportedly enhances a firm's competitive edge, but its alignment with specific dimensions of manufacturing flexibility has not been convincingly documented. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of several identifiable aspects of EO on particular types of manufacturing flexibility. Design/methodology/approach -Using the data collected from 115 motherboard manufacturers, the study employs multiple regression analysis to examine the effects of entrepreneurial practices on manufacturing flexibility. Findings -The statistical results lead to the following conclusions: autonomy, innovativeness, risk-taking and proactiveness have significant positive effects on new product flexibility; autonomy, innovativeness, and competitive aggressiveness improve product mix flexibility; innovativeness, proactiveness, and competitive aggressiveness determine volume flexibility.Research limitations/implications -The research focuses exclusively on external manufacturing flexibility, ignoring, for the time being, internal manufacturing flexibility factors. Practical implications -The outcomes of the present study reveal that manufacturing flexibility cannot be achieved by simply installing a computer-aided system; rather, it needs to be planned, managed, and integrated with a firm's entrepreneurial endeavors. Originality/value -This is the first empirical study to investigate the effects of EO on manufacturing flexibility rather than on business performance, which most of the previous research on this topic has emphasized. In terms of practical applicability, the findings provide plant managers with valuable guidelines for improving manufacturing flexibility by undertaking appropriate entrepreneurial action.

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While¯exibility improvement is among the top concerns of manufacturing managers, managers are advised to choose the dimensions of¯exibility they want in their plants. This study investigates the strategic choice of aligninḡ exibility development with the external environment that manufacturing managers face. Considering the nature of the high-technology industry in Taiwan, we measure environmental uncertainty based on the dimensions of customer demand, supply, competitors and product technology. Empirical data were collected from manufacturing ®rms in Taiwan. We then applied path analysis to examine the e ect of aligning three types of¯exibility: product mix, new product and volume with speci®c dimensions of environmental uncertainty.The results indicate that the matching of manufacturing¯exibility with environmental uncertainty is necessary to ensure pro®t and sales performance. When faced with certain environmental stimuli, management should choose to emphasize and develop particular manufacturing¯exibility.

 Excellence in quality helps firms gain customer loyalty and achieve competitive edge. Previous studies have suggested the need to develop quality capabilities to improve business performance. However, quality is multi-dimensional, and the development of each dimension requires different sets of resources. It is important for a firm to develop quality capabilities with a focus on a particular set of quality dimensions to support its strategic needs. This study hypothesizes that the relative contribution of the different quality dimensions to business performance is contingent on a given business strategy. We have identified the theoretical relationship between quality capabilities (expressed as a set of dimensions) and business strategy. Using the data collected from 113 high-tech manufacturing firms in Taiwan, we have analyzed and prescribed the matching of seven quality dimensions with three business strategies. Statistical results indicate that the business performance of quality management is strategy dependent. The congruencies between business strategy, quality dimensions and capabilities are important to a firm's performance in new product introduction, net profit and sales.