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A dissertation by a Portland State University Ph.D. candidate has caught the attention of one of India’s largest and most respected corporations with global business interests and operations.

The business-to-business study, “Perceived Customer Value of Ecological Attributes in Semiconductor Manufacturing” by PSU doctoral student Dawood Abugharbieh, measures how industrial buyers value ecological sustainability practices, and explores the relationships between those perceptions and purchasing behavior.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) considered the dissertation “worthy knowledge generation research” and awarded a $27,000 grant to Abugharbieh, a student in the Systems Science Program at the School of Business (SBA), a joint doctoral program involving business, systems science and engineering management programs. Abugharbieh also has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and an M.B.A. in International Business from Western International University.

While the “green” movement has addressed eco-friendly design and production, Abugharbieh’s research measures business customers’ views about sustainability, if those views translate into positive market outcomes for the companies involved, and whether the potential increase in the bottom line will increase participation in sustainable product development and adoption.

TCS believes the approach has significant merit and fits within their corporate objectives: to contribute to the protection and restoration of earth’s resources while fulfilling economic goals for the companies involved in sustainable practices.

“The Kyoto Climate Change Treaty is driving manufacturing decisions toward ‘green’ solutions and applications. However, it will be the stronger influence of customer perceptions that will impact future global manufacturing processes and companies participating in sustainable production,” said Michael Barrett, Northwest Business Development Manager for TCS.

“Support of this graduate level university research is consistent with TCS’s values as a knowledge-based company that also strives to be a community-minded corporate citizen,” Barrett noted.

“Dawood’s study moves the sustainability discussion one step further, but in the direction toward marketing and customer behaviors that can have considerable influence in sustainable practices,” said Robert Harmon, professor of Marketing and Technology Management in the SBA and chair of the dissertation committee.

“This study focuses on the market’s reaction to sustainable design practices in the semiconductor capital equipment industry; however, the principles can be applied to other manufacturing and construction-based industries as well,” Harmon added.

TCS has previously made grants to such schools as MIT, Stanford and other leading U.S. universities, but those investments were in the areas of technology and engineering research. It is the company’s first grant to study the customer side of the equation, and it is indicative of TCS’s own interest in engaging customers in more strategic and longer term manufacturing discussions and decisions.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the world-leading information technology consulting, services, business process outsourcing and engineering services organization that envisioned and pioneered the adoption of the flexible global business practices that today enable companies to operate more efficiently and produce more value. TCS achieved this by creating and perfecting a unique method of global deployment and delivery of high quality, high value services and products in IT consulting and business process outsourcing. Known as the “Global Delivery Model,” this strategic services delivery concept has reshaped the IT services industry. More than 90% of TCS customers reward the company’s reliability, passion, creativity, and unique ability to handle the broadest range of their IT needs by continually extending and deepening their partnerships with TCS. With more than 43,000 of the world’s best trained IT consultants located in 32 countries, TCS is uniquely positioned to deliver its flexible world class services seamlessly to any location.

TCS reported consolidated revenues of $2.24 billion (U.S.) in the fiscal year 2004-2005. The company is listed on the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange in India. For more information: www.tcs.com.

The School of Business Administration at Portland State University is the largest business school in the Pacific Northwest, offering top-caliber programs and nationally recognized faculty to its 400 graduate and 3,000 undergraduate students. Its downtown Portland location is key to the many relationships it maintains with the local and regional business community. The School launched its new MBA+ Leadership and Innovation curriculum in 2004, with a focus on the regional economy.

The Systems Science Ph.D. Program was established in 1970 to teach both applications and theory-oriented aspects of the field. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for professional practice in industrial, governmental, and public service organizations as well as for research and teaching in academic institutions.

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Source: Robert Harmon (503-725-4727) or (503-697-9420)
PSU School of Business Administration