Comments on: The ‘resource-based view’ of strategy? http://www.kimwarren.com/2008/07/the-resource-based-view-of-strategy/ with Kim Warren Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:45:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Jamal http://www.kimwarren.com/2008/07/the-resource-based-view-of-strategy/#comment-347 Jamal Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:36:28 +0000 http://www.kimwarren.com/?p=82#comment-347 Hello sir, The whole issue of "resources, capabilities and core competencies" and discovering the sources of competitive advntage from strategy point of view, seems to be a valuable area to conduct a research in. I decided to concentrate my MBA research project on these issues. How do you think I should develop these concerns into a researchable topic. I'm thinking about an empirical study. Hello sir, The whole issue of “resources, capabilities and core competencies” and discovering the sources of competitive advntage from strategy point of view, seems to be a valuable area to conduct a research in.
I decided to concentrate my MBA research project on these issues. How do you think I should develop these concerns into a researchable topic. I’m thinking about an empirical study.

]]> By: Kim Warren http://www.kimwarren.com/2008/07/the-resource-based-view-of-strategy/#comment-343 Kim Warren Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:03:37 +0000 http://www.kimwarren.com/?p=82#comment-343 Hi Jamal - the problem people seem to find is that resources and capabilities are so ambiguous and abstract that management teams can't work out what's what, and certainly can't answer in any meaningful way to what degree any of them is VRIO. So I am still not aware of a single real case in which a corporate strategy professional or consultant has done anything substantive at all with RBV. Would be great to hear of examples. Having been a practising strategist for many years, I would not have a clue how to use RBV to discover sources of competitive advantage - but maybe I'm just dumb. The discussion on operationalising RBV concerned working out how we might specify these things in concrete and unambiguous terms so someone can actually measure them. BTW - 'core competences' do at least have the merit of having a clear definition in their original description - see The Core Competence of the Corporation, G Hamel, CK Prahalad, Harvard Business Review, 1990, May-June. It does *not* just mean a rather importance competence - though that's how many people now use the term - but refers to specific technical abilities lying deep in an organisation on which multiple products are based. Hi Jamal - the problem people seem to find is that resources and capabilities are so ambiguous and abstract that management teams can’t work out what’s what, and certainly can’t answer in any meaningful way to what degree any of them is VRIO. So I am still not aware of a single real case in which a corporate strategy professional or consultant has done anything substantive at all with RBV. Would be great to hear of examples.

Having been a practising strategist for many years, I would not have a clue how to use RBV to discover sources of competitive advantage - but maybe I’m just dumb. The discussion on operationalising RBV concerned working out how we might specify these things in concrete and unambiguous terms so someone can actually measure them.

BTW - ‘core competences’ do at least have the merit of having a clear definition in their original description - see The Core Competence of the Corporation, G Hamel, CK Prahalad, Harvard Business Review, 1990, May-June. It does *not* just mean a rather importance competence - though that’s how many people now use the term - but refers to specific technical abilities lying deep in an organisation on which multiple products are based.

]]> By: Jamal http://www.kimwarren.com/2008/07/the-resource-based-view-of-strategy/#comment-341 Jamal Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:54:48 +0000 http://www.kimwarren.com/?p=82#comment-341 I think "VRIO" or "VRIN" or whatever we call it, is only a test to check whether certain capabilities can be considered as core competencies. It is the job of strategist to discover the sources of competitive advantage based on capabilities and resources. I dont understand what you mean by operationalizing the RBV. I think “VRIO” or “VRIN” or whatever we call it, is only a test to check whether certain capabilities can be considered as core competencies.
It is the job of strategist to discover the sources of competitive advantage based on capabilities and resources.
I dont understand what you mean by operationalizing the RBV.

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