Strategic adaptation under uncertainty: An empirical study of electric-utility firms

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6975101

Rajagopalan, N

This study is an empirical investigation of the process of strategic adaptation among 98 investor-owned electric-utility firms in the U.S. during the post-1978 period. It examines the relationships among changes in perceived environmental uncertainty, changes in perceived need for strategic change, and change sin the content of firms' strategies; the extent to which these relationships are moderated by organization size and adaptive orientation of planning processes; and the extent to which these relationships are associated with changes in organizational effectiveness. These relationships are investigated in the context of the changing business environment of investor-owned electric utilities since the enactment of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act in 1978. The study utilized an approximately longitudinal research design for data collection through a structured, mailed questionnaire. Through multiple regression analysis it was found that changes in perceived demand uncertainty, firm-specific regulatory uncertainty, and resource uncertainty were positively associated with changes in perceived need for strategic change. Results indicate that managerial discretion may play a more critical role than environmental changes in explaining strategic changes.

• Research Organization: Pittsburgh Univ., PA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6975101
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
296000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Electric Power
DATA COVARIANCES
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATHEMATICS
NATIONAL ENERGY ACT
PLANNING
POWER DEMAND
PUBLIC UTILITIES
PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY POLICIES ACT
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
STATISTICS
SURVEYS