Competitive advantage

Based on a sample of 169 subsidiaries of MNCs operating in USA, Russia, and China, this paper investigates the relationship between MNC subsidiary HRM practices, absorptive capacity and knowledge transfer. The paper makes two key contributions. First, the paper examines the relationship between the application of specific HRM practices and the level of the absorptive capacity. Second, the paper suggests that absorptive capacity should be conceptualized as being comprised of two dimensions—ability and motivation. Further, results indicate that the interaction ...

The purpose of this thesis is to:investigate if and how companies display environmental friendliness in their marketing strategy and how it is presented on their company webpage’s. In order to fulfill the purpose five general dealer’s home and webpage’s were examined. As a supplementing research one store for each of the five general dealers were visited and examined. The used theoretical framework is focused on value and green marketing. How to create a specific value is often the core when ...

The thesis is to explore what significance the board of directors has in small ICT corporations, more precisely described as: What do they contribute with that could justify them being a strategic resource, which are likely to affect the competitive advantage of the corporation? Contents 1 The Wilds of Competitive Advantage 2 The Expedition - Out in the Wilds 2.1 THE ELEPHANT AND THE SIX BLIND MEN OF OURS 3 The Problem Discussion - Setting the Agenda for the Thesis. 3.1 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 3.2 THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT OF ...

The focus of this study is on how organizations can improve on knowledge management in order to enhance flow of work and productivity. We have chosen ReStral Nigeria Limited, a management consultancy firm, as a case study. We chose this company, firstly because our focus is on Nigeria; secondly, because of the company’s knowledge management capability.Davenport and Prusak posits that the “potential for new ideas arising from the stock of knowledge in any firm is practically limitless – particularly if ...

Today, global socio-ecological problems are too complex and urgent for isolated actions, and cross-sector collaboration is increasingly required to generate transformational change towards a sustainable future. Partnerships between businesses and civil society organisations (CSOs) in particular have the potential to achieve the required change for sustainability. However, the ‘backcasting’ approach used in this study highlights a gap between current approaches and what partnerships might look like in a sustainable future. Research draws on literature, eighteen interviews and an action research ...

The aim of this master thesis is to show how important it is to make deep market investigations of the present situation before expensive market activities are decided and entered into the market in question. Many industrial market plans are released without a complete knowledge and is not positive to the growth of market shares. To increase market shares, the best approach is to combine a detailed knowledge of the market with established market analysis theories like SWOT, Porter and ...

In the last decade of the twentieth century, competitive and regulatory pressures have driven all types of electronics manufacturers to low-cost manufacturing, and to the evolution of a worldwide supply chain. Reliability being a risk factor associated with profit making, it is essential that reliability is managed across all tiers of the supply chain. System integrators, who are at the top of the supply chain, generally set the requirements for system reliability. However, they cannot wait until they receive the ...

Prior research has identified the manner in which human capital, social capital, and other intangible resources create value for organizations. Among such resources, those contributed by a firm's top managers have been singled out as particularly important for the generation and preservation of competitive advantage. However, the costs incurred to gain access to these resources, which reside at the individual and relational levels rather than at the firm level, are rarely considered. In this dissertation, I focus on individual executives ...

This master’s thesis was carried out at Volvo Trucks in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Trucks is one of the world’s leading manufactures of heavy trucks and they have always seen the value in having effective material flows in order to succeed in the highly competitive automotive market. All trucks are assembled based on the customer’s needs. This makes each truck unique, developed to meet the individual need of the customer. This is a competitive advantage for Volvo Trucks, but it also requires ...

With the continuous growth of competition in the market place, understanding customers has become more and more important method of marketing. Research has shown that high service quality contributes significantly to profitability. In search of competitive advantage, both practitioners and academics are keen on accurately measuring service quality in order to better understanding its essential antecedents and consequences, and ultimately establish methods for improving service quality. Now days, the incredible growth of the Internet is changing the way corporations conduct ...